; Holding a shaky hand to her pounding heart, she tiptoed toward the door, without consciously having made the decision to go there. She peered through the tiny peephole, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw a shadow in the trees. The shadow, eerily enough, seemed to creep toward her.
Anything that moved in the night like that couldn’t be a good thing. It crept far too stealthy, as if it were used to hunting things in the dark night. She watched the threat as it snuck closer to her house, afraid to make as much as a breath of a sound.
The shadow flew through the air and out of sight. It travelled so fast she questioned the validity of it. Nothing, human or animal, could move so majestically.
Except…no, it couldn’t be possible. In the dream the man might have done it, but in real life he was simply a man. He didn’t leap over buildings in real life. Unless...she’d fallen asleep. She pinched her bicep as hard as she could and winced as pain shot up her arm.
Nope, definitely not a dream.
She rubbed her aching arm as a sound came from above her. Frozen in fear, she glanced at the ceiling. The shuffling noises pulled her from her panic, and she scrambled for the phone on the coffee table.
A soft, menacing chuckle met her ears, and the phone crashed to the floor loudly, followed by an unmistakable rolling sound. She dropped to her knees to search frantically for the missing batteries.
“Shit, shit, shit!” she exclaimed.
Oddly enough, the feeling of terror that had come upon Sabrina left. Somehow, she knew whoever, or whatever, had caused her fear had left. This made no sense at all.
But hell, what had made sense lately?
Nothing, absolutely nothing.
***
Sabrina sat by the stream in the purple moonlight once again. It seemed like she’d been watching the water move over the rocks for hours before she sensed him behind her. He walked to her side and held out his hand. She took it and rose slowly to her feet. His cool palm caused her to tremble, partly because his hand felt so cold against hers, and partly because of the sensations that shot up her arm at his touch.
“Hello, Sabrina. Did you miss me?”
“Why am I even dreaming of you? This makes no sense. I only saw you once, and yet I can’t get you out of my mind.” She met his intense blue gaze. “This is crazy. I’m asking questions of a person in my dream. And to top it off, I’m now imagining things jumping on my roof while awake. I have gone insane,” she muttered under her breath.
“Something came to your house?” he asked. His grip tightened on her arms, and his eyes flashed possessively. “What was it?”
“I have no idea! But it jumped on the roof. It reminded me of you, except for one minor detail: you’re not real. You’re a figment of my imagination.”
“Don’t doubt me, Sabrina. I’m real. I’m here. I’m always here for you.” He captured her hand and kissed it. “Go to McGuiness’s Tavern tomorrow morning. I’ll be there. You’ll see I’m real, and not some silly dream.” He caressed her cheek, and she trembled.
“But who are you?” she whispered. She licked her dry lips and clutched her hands into fists. His gaze followed the movement of her tongue, and he grabbed her and lifted her so her feet dangled in the air. Despite the roughness of the movement, fear didn’t consume her. Hunger for his kiss overwhelmed her—made her tremble in his arms.
Instead, he seized her hair and jerked her head backward. Her neck exposed, he lowered his head to the sensitive spot where neck and shoulder met. She heard him inhale deeply, and she shuddered in his arms. His breath felt cool on her skin, and she trembled in an odd mixture of fear and desire. When his lips met her skin, it seemed as though a bolt of lightning jolted through her body, making her jerk in his arms.
Instant lust.
“I’m yours, Sabrina. And you’ll get your questions answered. All you need to know right now is you’re mine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“No, wait. Tell me now,” she demanded. But she spoke to air, for as quietly as he’d come, he had left. Once again, she stood alone in the dark night. She looked up at the moon and shivered.
“Son of a bitch,” she mumbled. Only the silence of the forest surrounding her answered.
***
Sabrina had lost it, simply lost it. They might as well slap on the straightjacket now and strap her to the bed.
Padded walls, here I come.
Things were getting out of her control. She obviously struggled to separate dreams from reality, and night from day. While awake, she saw shadows jump onto her roof and heard evil chuckles echoing in the night. Yet, when sleeping, she would dream of a man tempting her to fall in love. Everything had become backwards.
It made no sense.
Yet, even knowing she hovered only a couple of steps away from being committed didn’t stop her from taking extra care arranging her hair and applying her makeup before rushing out of the house.