Page 3 of Dream Mates
“Of course she’s hiding something, you asshole.” Riley glared. “You’re all assholes. Wait, someone knows my records are fake? Evan, I thought you made calls? Fucking shit, I need to protect myself because I’m not going to prison because Bren has trust issues.”
“Riley made the records?” I knew Riley wasgoodbut…
“Um, yeah, because I’m the best.” She bent over her laptop, her black-polished fingers starting to type at a rapid pace.
“Shit. Part of me wants to be mad because you’re not supposed to break the law anymore, but part of me is really proud that you can create government records. That’s some skill right there,” I admitted, draining my bourbon. While I could easily hack the government, I wasn’t sure I could dothat.
“I did make calls,” Evan replied. “That’s why there’s Omega Protection Program fingerprints all over Grace’s files. I was trying to make it as real as possible, especially with everyonepoking around and us needing to legitimize her so that she could have a life here with us.”
“Ri, you can make fake government records?” Brennan asked, brow furrowing.
“Be proud, fucker.” Riley didn’t look up from her laptop.
“Grace isn’t part of the Omega Protection Program. We created her record because she didn’t have one, then I looped it in to cover our asses. That’s why the Eastside station and the Center couldn’t find her initially. It wasn’t the glitch; it’s because she doesn’t exist here. The glitch just worked to our advantage and bought me time.” Evan sighed and buried his face in my shoulder.
My arms wrapped around him. “Grace isn’t from here. We needed to make her exist so that she could stay. Shit, how do I even tell this story?”
It sounded weird when I said it out loud.
“Short version. Grace dreamt of Wes for her whole life. They got married. Her shitty mom made her forget him by hurting her. After that, Grace no longer dream-traveled and thought Wes wasn't real. Wes couldn’t find her because she existed in another world which he couldn’t get to. One day she woke up on a bench andpoof, she’s in this world and Wes is real, and they are reunited in person, and fall back in love. There, told it,” Riley retorted, still typing.
Brennan poured himself another drink, brows furrowing. “What?”
“While we were going to tell you, we hadn’t gotten there yet. Grace was terrified that she’d say the wrong thing and be put on a psych hold–which happened when she was in high school.” I continued to hold Evan to me. “That’s why she wasn’t doing individual therapy with the Center even though she desperately needs to deal with her abandonment issues. She was afraid thatshe’d let it slip that she’s from a parallel world and things would go sideways.”
“Even now, she’s afraid. Going to work terrifies her because of all the tiny differences between our worlds,” Evan added. “When she says weird things or doesn’t get into specifics, it’s because she truly grew up elsewhere. When she doesn’t get a reference, it’s because her world has different things.”
“Grace is what now?” Jett stared at us, brown eyes full of questions. With a sigh the beta police officer poured himself a glass of bourbon.
“Many, many worlds exist. Some quite similar from ours, some vastly different,” Spencer explained. “Grace is from a world that, from what I understand, is not dissimilar from ours, though with one main difference–and many, many smaller ones.”
“When Grace was a kid, she decided that she was going to use string theory to figure out how to get here, to our world, to me, so that we could be together in real life and not just in our dreams,” I added. “But it sort of became just a side project after her mom made her forget me. It wasn’t what she was doing for work, and her research wasn’t anywhere near actually being able totravelto another world. She’s pretty sure that’s not how she got here. Not that she remembers how she got here or the events leading up to it.”
“Which is why they’re going tolet her come back to us.She didn’t break interdimensional law, it was just an accident or something,” Riley insisted.
Spence put his head in his hands. “Oh, how I hope they will. But travel between worlds isillegal.At least from this one. I hope that it’s different where she’s from. But we’re going to have to come to terms with the fact that we’ll probably never see her again. She’s gone. There’s nothing we could have done to stop them. We’re lucky that they let us live. I half-expected him toexplode the house on the way out since we shouldn’t know about them or other worlds.”
Hewhat?
Brennan rubbed his chin, his look somewhere between apprehension and disbelief. “You’re trying to tell me that Grace is fromanother universe?That man dragged her back to where she came from?”
“Not where she came from. She’s probably in interdimensional prison for breaking the law, if she’s not already dead. I don’t know much about the Temporal Police. But their rules are very strict.” Spencer didn’t look up, his scent salty. After all, he loved her, too.
“She’s not dead. Don’t you dare say that,” Riley spat. “She’s going to be questioned and brought back.”
“I hope you’re right.” Spencer’s voice broke.
I nodded, heart thumping. “You’re right. Grace didn’t do anything wrong. She probably got caught in an experiment at work and was brought here by accident. They found her, she’ll give her statement, and then, you know her, she’ll convince them to let her return here and stay with us.”
It was ridiculous. But I had to cling to something.
“I’m really confused. Grace is from another world? But she’s also your mate, right? What?” Jett took a swig of his drink and squeezed Brennan’s hand.
“Scent matches can see their mates in dreams, you fuckhead. Sometimes even before they get their designation. Have younotseen those movies?” Riley was still on her computer.
Jett’s eyebrows rose. “Through dimensions? That seems really mean, for you to find your mate but not be able to get to them, if parallel world travel isn’t normal wherever you are.”
“That’s what Grace said. But like I said, when we were kids, she was going to become a string theorist and figure it out so that we could be together.” I raked my dark blond hair with my hand.
