Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 150

Chapter 150: A new theory
Trace’s jaw went slack. He wanted to dive into the discussion immediately, to ask all sorts of questions and to figure out every detail of how Deborah fit into the Count’s plots… but the conversation would be hampered and unproductive.

“You’re right. That will be an interesting discussion tomorrow after we travel,” He smiled lamely.

“I can see this is killing you inside,” Anaisa’s lips twitched, and she turned her hand over in his to interlace their fingers. His heart thrilled at her reciprocation of his affectionate gesture.

“It is,” He admitted, “…but that helps.” He glanced pointedly at their hands, and she looked away. Her cheeks tinged pink in the firelight.

“Yes,” She agreed shyly, “It does.”

“You should get some sleep,” He told her. “I’ll take the first watch.”

“There will be danger?” Anaisa’s eyes widened she she turned back to him.

“I can’t be certain one way or the other, but I do know that the doctor and the wet nurse need all the sleep they can get to properly care for Ewan,” He glanced at them as he spoke. “I’m afraid you and I will have to take turns keeping watch.”

“But that means–” She pursed her lips and didn’t finish her sentence.

“What is it?” He grew concerned. “If you need to sleep all night to be rested enough, I can give you as long as I’m able, but I cannot sustain that indefinitely. I will need rest at some point or I will fall off my horse during the day.”

“No, I just meant,” Anaisa’s eyelashes fanned down toward her cheeks, “If you’re keeping watch, there won’t be anyone to guard my dreams… or join them.”

His heart skipped a beat. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Ewan’s safety is more important than my dreams.” She squeezed his hand.

“I’ll miss you,” He told her.

“It’ll give you a chance to rebuild your world,” She tilted her head. “Some irresponsible person keeps breaking it.”

“You are absolutely welcome to come smash it to bits whenever you wish,” He whispered, leaning closer to her. Their eyes locked, and she swallowed. Her lips parted, and his breathing quickened.

“But it’s beautiful,” She insisted. “I hate that it’s broken because of my… irresponsibility.”

“The fault is entirely yours, and I don’t regret a single second,” Trace dipped his head and brought his free hand up behind Anaisa’s neck. Just as he felt the whisper of her lips against his, the doctor gave a mighty snore that caused the pair to jerk apart.

“Oh,” Anaisa pressed her fingertips to her flaming cheeks. “I forgot we’re… not alone.”

“No, we’re not alone,” Trace frowned. He wanted to be alone with his wife. Needed to be alone with her. But that seemed incredibly unlikely to happen anytime soon. He needed to know whether her hair, her lips, her touch were as earth shattering here as they were in his dreams.

“I suppose I’ll go get some rest,” Anaisa shivered and moved towards the fire. Thankfully, the queen’s horses came equipped with bedrolls and other equipment needed for camping, since they were often taken out and exercised for a week or two at a time by trusted handlers.

That was something Trace had overlooked in his rush to pack their things.

Anaisa snuggled down for warmth, and Trace listened for a while to the sounds of the forest at night. The soothing chirping of insects, the haunting calls of an owl, the wind through the leaves. He breathed deeply and tried to calm his spirit.

It had been a long, eventful day.

The looked up at the stars through a break in the trees. It had been too long since he’d seen stars, cooped up in the palace babysitting a princess.

He grimaced. He shouldn’t think of it that way. Although the job had been difficult at first, Sapphira had matured considerably and was now in terrible danger of being married off to a despicable man. A fate he wouldn’t wish on any woman.

His eyes drifted to the woman who was foremost in his thoughts. Her shoulders lifted and fell heavily in a sigh that made him smile. He did wish he could go guard her dreams.

More than that, to be in them with her. A pleasant shiver curled down his spine with the wind, but he frowned and pulled his coat closer around him. Winter was nearly here, would that fire be enough to keep them warm? They were bundled well, but little Ewan was so small, curled against Deborah.

He got up and put another two logs on the fire. If they got too warm, they could scoot away, but keeping them from getting too cold was far more vital at this juncture.

The night passed with aching slowness and numerous interruptions. Ewan woke every hour or two, needing to be fed. Deborah obliged, sleepily, and roused the doctor once or twice to ask about the dosage of medicine the baby should be taking in.

The time was tense, and Trace wasn’t sure he would have been able to sleep if he tried. No one came looking for them, but the danger facing the little prince was dire enough without any threats from others.

Anaisa got the most sleep out of everyone, though the way she murmured and rolled tonight told Trace she was not having the most restful dreams in the world.

He wished there were something he could do, but unless he was asleep, he didn’t have the ability to affect dreams at all. Did he?

There had never been a reason for him to try before. He focused on the back of Anaisa’s head as she faced the fire. She shifted uncomfortably, and Trace narrowed his eyes, trying to hold onto the action he took when touching the edge of a dream bubble.

She rolled over again with a slight mumble, and he sighed.

He would have to face his limitations, just like everyone else. Slowly, he realized it was getting lighter on the horizon.

A new day was beginning.