Page 134 of Infernal Secrets

My chest heaved with every breath I took as her emotions slammed into me.

I wasn’t in her head; I hadn’t breached her trust.

I didn’t know who or what she dreamt about, but I could sense her arousal even without the moan and scent.

My knees buckled, her desperation a palpable wave washing over me, leaving me breathless and weak.

She said something, but I couldn’t hear her over the rush of blood in my ears.

I stumbled toward the door. I needed to get away from her.

With a final, lingering look over my shoulder, I fled.

33

DESPERATION

ASH

As soon as I reached the landing upstairs, Zeke crashed into me, panic flaring in his bright blue eyes. I grabbed his upper arms to avoid tumbling down the stairs.

“Hey, whoa. What happened? I came to get you both for dinner.” I peered over his head toward Rae’s dim bedroom.

Zeke retreated from me, staring up at me with wild eyes.

“Do I need to get Cyn?”

“No!” He reached for me with trembling hands. “Please, no.”

“What’s going on? Is Rae okay?”

His chest rose and fell too fast. I worried he’d pass out if he didn’t calm down. I pulled him into a tight hug, using my strength to shelter him, hoping it made him feel safe. I wasn’t Cyn or Rae, but I couldn’t stand to see my brother like this.

When his muscles finally yielded and his body slumped, I released him.

“Better?”

“Yes,” he said, taking a deep breath and shuddering. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just tell me what’s going on.”

His frightened eyes met mine. “Rae,” he croaked. “I put her to sleep, but I didn’t go into her dream because she asked me not to.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, not sure where he was going with this.

“After she went into a dream state, everything changed.” He placed a shaking hand to his forehead and took a deep breath. “She’s dreaming about something or someone and she’s turned on.” His hand dropped. “She moaned, and that was enough to tell me, but it was more than that.”

I arched a brow in question, not interrupting him. I sensed his instability; it wouldn’t take much to push him over the edge.

“I could feel her desire.” He began pacing the small landing between the two rooms. “Whatever she’s dreaming about—whoever—there’s only one word I can think of to describe the emotion I felt from her.”

“What? And how did you feel it from her?” This sounded all too familiar.

He stopped and looked at me. “Desperation. It was so strong that it made me need to touch her, as if her desperation were my own. I’ve never been able to sense someone’s feelings or what they dreamt about without dreamwalking.” He closed his eyes tight. “And then there’s the smell.”

“Smell?”

“I could smell her arousal.”