The moment my hand touches the dirt of the shore, the lake—and my exhaustion—disappears.
I find myself in a dream where Gemma is alive and standing in a well-lit gym. One of the windows is black. Perhaps my way back?
In front of her, a donkey-sized wolf is running on a treadmill nearby. Must be a werewolf. He or she is going cheetah fast, working the machine so hard it creaks under the strain.
“Don’t stop,” Gemma orders. “I want to see what your kind’s really capable of.”
Foaming at the mouth, the werewolf keeps running until the machine starts to smoke and stops on its own.
“Good boy,” Gemma says. “Now let’s see if you can use the elliptical.”
Moving as if under glamour, the werewolf attempts to mount a machine clearly not designed for an animal with paws. Gemma watches his struggles with amusement.
This is weird. Why did Leal store this dream as blackmail? Also, is this an actual memory he stole from Gemma or just a figment of his imagination? My usual sense of “memory or not” isn’t working, but that could be because the dream is stored in Nina’s dream space, not Gemma’s.
The wolf looks to be in pain as he futilely tries to climb onto the elliptical, over and over.
Then it hits me.
Gemma’s power was controlling animals, regular animals, yet here in this dream she’s able to control werewolves in animal form, too. This must be something only the most powerful of her kind are able to do; I had no idea it was even possible.
Maybe Eduardo, as alpha of the pack, found out and disapproved. Having been subjected to glamour, I can say without a shadow of doubt that if I were a werewolf, I’d very much disapprove. Puck, maybe this is his friend she’s putting through hell, or even Eduardo himself.
In other words, this could be a motive for Eduardo to kill Gemma—a solid motive, at that.
I watch Gemma put the poor wolf through a half-dozen more cruel ordeals before I end up back in the sushi place.
Nina blinks at me with an amazed expression.
“You saw that?” I ask.
“I think I saw through your eyes. It’s so strange to know that I’ll forget it as soon as I wake up. It’s so clear in my mind now.”
I steal another piece of salmon from her plate. “Do you think Eduardo would’ve killed Gemma over what I just saw?”
She traces circles on her napkin with a fingernail. “If someone on the Council had that sort of power over me, I’m not sure I’d let them live.”
That note not to mess with this woman? I mentally underline it as well.
“I’m going to check another black window,” I say. “Which one do you want me to try next?”
“How about that one?” She gestures across the bar. “I have a feeling that will also be about Eduardo, though no idea how I know.”
I gulp down a glass of water and launch myself into the window she chose. This time, I pay closer attention to what happens during the process.
As soon as the tip of my head touches the glass, I’m plunging into the cold water, only this lake is much larger, so I have to swim at least a mile farther. Only curiosity and iron will prevent me from drowning.
When my hand touches the shore, a new dream starts.
I find myself in a bedroom with a black window. Tatum is in this dream, making the room smell yummy in the disturbingly sexual way typical of her kind. And she is very much alive. Entwined with Eduardo in his human form, she’s going at it with the enthusiasm of a teenage male bunny, but all the skills of a courtesan.
It’s a shame someone this good at something is no longer alive. I bet she could’ve written a book that would make the Kama Sutra seem dry.
When they’re done with all the gymnastics, Eduardo wraps himself around her sweat-covered body. Licking her delicate earlobe, he murmurs, “I love you. Leave the wimp… please.”
Tatum stretches in his arms like a cat. “You don’t really love me, my pet. You’re just under my spell.”
He lets her go, his eyes turning wolfish. “I’m not under anyone’s spell. I just want you—and I get what I want.”
“Of course,” she purrs. “Big bad alpha is always in control.”
The room smells yummier than ever, and Eduardo’s pupils dilate. Soon, other parts of his anatomy fill up with new vigor.
Wow.
The next session is more impressive than the last, and more such sessions follow. After Tatum uses her powers to make him go crazy with lust five more times, the dream stops.
Nina is blushing when I get back to the sushi place, and I can’t really blame her.
“Well, that just happened,” I say lightly.
“I know.” She sips her plum wine. “Tatum was also controlling Eduardo with her powers—a grave offense.”