Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 130

Chapter 130: Free Fallin’
Anaisa’s fall was very suddenly arrested as the filmy white mist around her coalesced into a form softer than a feather bed. She bounced lightly, and then sank deep into its embrace.

“What did you think?” Trace was suddenly beside her, sitting cross-legged on the pillowy surface.

“You!” She made a face at him. “You let me jump!”

“I didn’t think you would!” His eyebrows rose. “I thought you were afraid of heights!”

Anaisa gripped the nebulous white substance around her, finding it somewhere between the consistency of snow and eiderdown. Taking a handful, she threw it towards her husband half-heartedly.

He flicked it away with a finger and grinned at her. “That was amazing!”

Anaisa colored slightly at the compliment, and the exhilaration of the fall. “I’m inclined to agree. Your race was much more interesting and challenging than any of mine.”

“I had the benefit of studying yours, and haven’t had to come up with a new one every night,” He shrugged modestly, and held out his hand to help her sit up.

She took it and scooched into a sitting position, suddenly finding herself much closer to him than she thought she was.

“Thank you,” She looked away, “that was a lot of fun.”

“For me as well,” There was a warm smile in his voice. “Again?”

“Again?” She blinked at him, “Why don’t you go and show me how it’s done?”

“It’s not as fun doing it myself,” He complained. “I made it, so I know how it works and where the pitfalls are. I used to do it all the time, and only recently realized how little challenge that presents compared to the unknown of someone else’s creations. Whenever I start to fall or stumble, my world just instinctively corrects for my error. Yours doesn’t.”

Anaisa narrowed her eyes at him as she thought back over her perilous sprint through the clouds. “Were you going easy on me? Changing things so that I didn’t fail? I surely couldn’t have done all that myself…”

He looked away for a second and she frowned at him.

“Not on purpose,” He admitted. “Once or twice, it scared me a little when you tripped, and I may have pushed a step a little closer as a reflex.”

“It scared you?” Anaisa tilted her head. “Even though you promised to catch me if I fell? Did you not trust yourself to do it?”

Trace’s lips twitched. “It was reflex, not logic. I should have let you fall, just to have the pleasure of catching you.”

Her mouth fell open a little, but he didn’t apologize. Instead, he leaned closer, his gaze flickering to her lips and back to her eyes. The heat there set Anaisa’s heart racing.

“You have the power to do whatever you want here,” She reminded him. “This is your world. You could let me fall anytime. You can make anything happen.”

“Anything,” He whispered seriously. “Anything you want, I’ll bring it here, create it for you, make this world ours instead of mine. Anything you ask of me, I’ll see it done.”

“Anything I want?” She swallowed, biting her lip and searching his eyes.

“Tell me your desires,” He encouraged. She hesitated, Sanders’ words echoing in her mind. Listen to what he means, not to what he’s saying.

“I want to know about the tree. About Barnabas, and how he’s controlling you.” She spit the words out as quickly as she could, and watched him flinch.

“I want to tell you everything you desire to know.” He gritted his teeth.

“Then tell me,” She frowned. Had she tried a direct order before? What was the key to helping him tell her?

“Make me,” Trace’s words and smile were teasing, but his eyes were deadly serious.

Anaisa’s brow furrowed, trying to listen to what he meant. Make him? Force him?

“Would torture do the trick?” She kept her voice light to match his, and he turned contemplative.

“You could try and find out,” He quirked an eyebrow. Confusion washed over her. He couldn’t mean literal torture.

This game was too difficult. Too convoluted. She almost wanted to give up, but she couldn’t, not now. Not when she was so close.

“Hmm… what sort of torture could I inflict that might persuade you?” She tapped her index finger to her chin. “You’re much stronger than I am, and more powerful, especially here. There are few options left open to me, I’m afraid.”

Trace forced a light chuckle. “What are you considering?”

“Breaking your world. Again.” She let her eyes hold his for longer than she would have normally been able to.

“Oh?” The single word was given in what Trace probably thought was a mildly curious tone, but Anaisa heard what was behind it. Longing. Hope.

“It’s probably a silly idea,” She demurred, standing up and taking a few steps away on the cloud. Trace jumped to his feet and followed, grabbing her hand and spinning her towards him. She found herself wrapped in his arms.

“You don’t think it’s worth a try, then?” Trace’s eyes searched Anaisa’s. Her breath became shallow as she tried to stay calm.

They had kissed before, she just hadn’t known at the time that he was real… that he would remember… that he seemed to want her the way she wanted him.

Technically, this still wasn’t quite real. Was it? After all, they were standing in the middle of a cloud!

Shyly, she let her hands creep up around his neck. Seeing her hesitation, he brought his hand up to her face, cradling her cheek gently. Her heart felt like it would burst as she lifted her chin a fraction of an inch.

A grin tilted his lips only slightly as he whispered, “Your methods of torture are truly cruel.”

The teasing drove out the self consciousness holding her back, and as Trace lowered his head, she met lips with her own.

Trace’s fingers wound into her hair, sending shivers down her spine and pressing her closer. If she’d had to breathe, she might have found herself unable to do so.

Every thought was driven from her mind except for her desire for her husband, and yet… wasn’t there something she was supposed to be remembering?