Page 17 of Tyson (Ariel Kimber 4.50)

As much as I wanted to know who was behind this, I really did not want to stick around to get a load of what ever animal it was that had made that horrible noise. And I really didn't want it anywhere near Ariel. We might have been able to wake up whole and in one complete piece but that didn't mean things couldn't hurt us while we were here, we could feel pain inside the dream, it just wouldn't follow us outside of it. But that meant an animal could rip into us and we'd feel it until we woke up. I had no desire to be ripped apart by some unknown beast and I really didn't want to watch it happen to Ariel.

Fuck no.

I shook Ariel's hands to get her attention back on me. She was currently looking behind me with huge eyes and she'd started shaking again.

The laughter continued on around us.

Shit.

"We gotta go, girl," I rushed out. "We gotta go right fucking now."

"Ty," she screeched, still not looking at me and with her eyes aimed behind me.

"Fuck it," I snapped and pulled on her hands. She crashed roughly into my chest and I let her hands go and wrapped my arms around her once again.

I buried my face in her neck and breathed in her sweet cinnamon scent. I wasn't sure if I had enough juice left to get us both out of here but I was sure as hell going to try, there was no way I was leaving my girl behind. No fucking way.

I flexed my magic, pushing it out around us in a tight circle.

"What was that?" Ariel breathed in a shaky voice, having felt my magic wrap itself around her.

I ignored her in order to concentrate and thought of her lying next to Dash with that stupid fucking cat curled up at her feet. And I thought about my own bed where I was all by myself and I pushed my will into my magic.

"Tyson," Ariel cried out and the fog was back.

The world around us swirled, disappearing into the fog and her body started to fade in front of me. I pulled back to look her in the eyes.

"You can't sleep in Dash's room anymore," I told her urgently. "You need to be sleeping under your dream catcher so shit like this doesn't happen."

Her eyes widened further as she shook her head. "I wasn't thinking," she whispered. "I forgot all about it."

"It's okay, girl" I told her. "Just have him sleep in your bed with you from now on, where it's safe."

"Okay, Ty," she said sweetly before fading away completely.

I closed my eyes and when I opened them again I was in my room, laying down on my bed.

And I didn't remember anything from my dream.

Chapter Seven

That motherfucker Chuck

I pressed my foot down on the gas pedal as I floored it, speeding away from the Council's motel and the absolute fucking horror show we'd just rained down on some of the people staying there.

Quickly, I tore my eyes off the road and glanced at my partner in crime, even though I didn't want her to be, in the seat beside me. She was turned around in her seat, watching the motel get smaller and smaller as we drove away.

Guilt assaulted me.

I shouldn't have brought her here with me. I should have left her crazy ass behind at Dash's house where she was as safe from the world as she could be, despite what had happened there months ago when she and Dash had bled all over the front steps. There was now spells in place surrounding the property for protection. Not just for my girl but for Dash as well. Uncle Quint wasn't interested in taking chances when it came to our safety anymore. That was one close call too many for any of us. Uncle Quint wasn't interested in taking chances with the two people in our group who were the heart of us and who'd been physically abused the most out of us.

Ariel turned around in her seat and plopped down.

I should have never involved her in my bullshit with Annabell.

Tears poured out of her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. I hadn't realized she was crying until I saw the evidence of it leaking out of her eyes.

The urge to grab her and shake some damn sense into her was strong. She felt too much for people who didn't deserve anything from her, not so much as a backwards glance. Certainly not her wasting energy on tears.

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