Chapter 53

"It's your dream, Vervain,"Teharon's gentle voice seemed out of place in Thor's bedroom. The only time I ever heard it in there was when I was injured.
We were seated before each other on the bed because Teharon thought it would be helpful to be in the place I'd be sleeping while he trained me to keep Blue out of my dreams. But keeping Blue out of my dreams wasn't really what Teharon wanted me to do. He wanted me to take control of my dreams and use it as another opportunity to get into Blue's head.
"But I need my sleep,"I whined. "I fight when I'm awake, I don't want to have to do it while I'm sleeping too."
"I'm sorry, Godhunter."Teharon's eyes went soft and sad. "We all have our battles. I would fight this for you, but I can't. This one is yours. All I can do is give you the weapons you need to prevail."
"What about a weapon to stop him from getting into my dreams?"I asked for about the fifth time.
"We've tried that."He was so patient. I would have strangled me by now. "It appears that Huitzilopochtli is too strong."
"Can't I just practice more, train harder?"
"No,"his voice finally took on a firm edge. "We're wasting time, Vervain. You must train, that's true, but you must train to be aware in your dreaming. Once you've mastered that, you can turn the dream on him. Huitzilopochtli is the invader. It's your world, and you can mold it into whatever you want it to be."
"Hmm."I contemplated that for a second. "That has possibilities."
"Finally!"Teharon leaned his head back in relief. All that shining black hair swished back with him, and I couldn't help admiring it. When he looked up, he caught me staring and smiled slowly. "Those are not thoughts you should be having in your lover's bed."
"Then stop being so damn sexy."I crossed my arms petulantly. "I can't control my every thought."
"Yes, you can."Teharon leaned forward and took my hand; pulling my arms free. "It's what I've been trying to tell you all along. Now, concentrate. See yourself in the dream from last night."
"All right."I closed my eyes and pictured the restaurant.
"Have you got it?"
"Yes,"I mumbled.
"I'm doing this for you, Godhunter,"he said sternly.
"I know,"I said and sighed. "I apologize for my churlishness. Go ahead."
"I thought it was more like childishness but okay."Teharon squeezed my hand when I started to make a comeback. "Recall what he said; the feelings, the smells, everything around you."
"Got it."I remembered so much more now. Odd that I didn't notice the smell of the sea in my dream, but I remembered it when I was awake.
"Now, change it."He took my other hand, and I felt his strength reassure me. "Think about how you'd have preferred the dream to go and change it to be that way. Start by concentrating on the little details; what he was wearing, a table, a lamp, the food. Change the little things and the rest will become easier."
I nodded as I tried. There, on the table, was a crystal bowl full of red roses. Blue's favorite color. I focused and changed them to yellow. It took a bit of trying but once they went, I was able to grasp the feeling of the transformation and it became easier. I got rid of the bowl entirely and then the table. I emptied the restaurant until we were just standing in an open space.
"Okay."I grinned as I continued to focus. "I've changed the scene, now what?"
"Change your interaction,"Teharon instructed. "You won't be able to control his response because he isn't a part of your world—he's an interloper—so don't waste energy on trying. What you can do is use his presence as a door into his head. Huitzilopochtli has to enter a dream-state to get into your dreams. He's just as vulnerable as you are, even more so since he's putting out the effort to get into your mind. He's laying siege and has left his own castle unguarded, as it were. You can steal into his thoughts while he's distracted in your head."
"Anything else?"I smiled maliciously.
"It's your dream."I heard him chuckle. "You can do whatever you want in it; be whomever you want."
"Sweet!"I returned to the scene in my head eagerly.
I turned it into an interrogation room. Blue was strapped to a metal chair; a harsh light shining straight into his face. He squinted up at me, shadowed in the dark of the room, and I laughed. Perfect. It was easy once I got the hang of it.
"No problem."I opened my eyes and let the vision go.
"Very good."Teharon scooted back against the wall. "Now, we try the real thing."
"The real thing?"I looked over at him in surprise. "I'm not tired."
"I'm a healer."He spread his hands. "I can put you to sleep and wake you back up again if need be."
"Oh."I frowned; unsure of how I felt about that.
"Lie down."Teharon patted the bed beside him. "I can keep a light contact with your mind if I keep contact with you physically."
"Okay."I eased myself down next to him and closed my eyes. I felt a little better knowing that Teharon would be there.
"Sleep, Godhunter,"his voice swept over me like a warm blanket pulled up to my chin.
I found myself drifting into my mind; my body heavy and limbs languid.
Then I was in lying in another bed; in another part of the God Realm. I turned my head, and Blue rose above me; a soft smile on his lips. I looked past him and took in the details of the rest of the room. It was his bedroom I was in now; his bed I was lying in. Big surprise.
"Back so soon, little witch."Blue's hand played down my cheek. "How about a different type of dancing tonight?"
"What were you doing; just sitting around waiting for me to fall asleep?"I lifted a brow and ignored his question.
"Your shields weaken as soon as you enter REM."He rolled his body over mine, and I realized we were both nude. "I can feel it."
"Whoa, there!"I pushed him off and visualized my fighting gear on me.
"Someone's been teaching you."Blue's eyes narrowed at my leather vest.
"You don't think I'm capable of learning on my own?"I got up from the bed and slowly started to alter the room around us.
"What are you doing?"He jumped up, still naked, and stared at the room in horror.
"I just thought you might like to see the room I'm actually sleeping in."I swept my hand out. "What do you think?"
"This is your bedroom?"Blue calmed and started to look around with interest. "It's not at all what I expected."He peered at the huge cathedral crystal in the corner.
"No, not mine."I smiled as his eyes shot to me. "I'm living with Thor now."
I failed to mention it was temporary. Sue me.
"You're what?!"The red of Blue's eyes started to churn like blood in shark-infested water.
"I tried to tell you nicely, but you wouldn't listen. So, you've forced me to be mean. The reason I'm so exhausted right now is because I just had amazing sex in that bed."I pointed at the dream version of Thor's bed. "With Thor."
"You lie!"He stalked forward and grabbed my arm.
The second he touched me, I pushed my consciousness into him and flew down the link into his mind. Blue screamed and tried to pull away, but I grabbed him with my other hand, and I was amazingly strong in my dream.
It was easier to filter through Blue's thoughts now that I'd had some practice, and I soon found what I was after; another plot to kill Maria. I knew the details within a moment and wasted no time in escaping his mind.
"Invading my mind won't stop me from coming here,"he growled.
"And invading my mind won't stop me from cumming with Thor."I smirked; relieved that he seemed to have no idea what I'd been after in his head.
Blue shouted in frustration; pulling away from me and raking his hands through his hair. "You're cruel, little witch. All I want is some of your time, some consideration."
"I might have been more inclined to give it to you, if you hadn't, oh, I don't know, abducted and raped me!"I screamed the last part at him.
"That again?"He looked truly baffled.
"Yeah, that again."I threw down my hands and felt my claws make a comforting click as they extended. "I should castrate you. Maybe then you'd realize how evil what you did to me was. It's only a dream, right? You won't actually be missing your cock when you wake up."
"Humph."Blue's lips twisted into a little smile. "You still haven't learned how useless your weapons are against me."
"Not here, they're not."I smiled viciously and leapt forward; punching him in the face before he could react. Then I spun around into a crouch; preparing for any counter attack.
Blue was screaming; holding his face as if it might fall apart. Blood gushed from between his fingers, and he pulled his hands away to stare at it in shock. The whole left side of his face, from cheekbone to jaw, was in ruins. His flesh was hanging free, and I could see the white of bone glinting through all that red.
"Now"-I stood up—"get the fuck out of my head."
Blue started to fade away—still naked and bleeding—but right before he disappeared, he smiled grotesquely and said, "You're the first woman to make me bleed."
"What the hell?"I exclaimed as I sat up in Thor's bed and looked into Teharon's worried eyes. "Is it just me or was he turned on by the way I flayed his face open?"
"It's not just you."Teharon sighed. "Huitzilopochtli has gone mad, I fear."
"At least I succeeded in taking control of my dream."
"Yes, well done. I just worry that it's going to be harder next time, now that Huitzilopochtli knows what you're capable of,"Teharon grimaced.
I felt a wedge of cold fear slide through me. Next time? I wasn't sure if I wanted to do that again, even if I did have the upper hand. Teharon laid a hand upon my shoulder, and I slid into his arms for a sympathetic hug. I just wasn't sure who was comforting who. Then the door opened, and Thor walked in to stand at the foot of the bed.
"Do you mind taking your hands off my girlfriend?"Thor glowered at Teharon, but when we shot apart, he started laughing. "Sorry, I've just been waiting for an opportunity to call you my girlfriend."He laughed again. "Girlfriend; it's so quaint."
"Yes, lovely."I sighed and sank back against Teharon.
"I didn't mean that it was okay to go back to hugging him."Thor glowered and crawled up into the bed on my other side. "If you need hugging, I'm available."I rolled my eyes at Teharon and transferred myself into Thor's embrace as he asked, "Why do you need hugging?"
"I've never been in bed with two men before."I waggled my brows at Thor in an obvious attempt to distract him. "How close are you and Teharon?"
"Vervain,"Thor growled while Teharon chuckled.
"I am not getting into the middle of this."Teharon scooted off the bed and made a hasty retreat.
"So, no threesomes?"I pouted at Thor.
"Not unless it's you, me, and my cock,"Thor rumbled.
"I can't seem to remember his name."I crawled onto his lap and gave him a wicked smile. "You might have to reintroduce us."