Lost in Embers (Rising From Ash Saga #1)

Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

T he morning rush of travels has me beyond excited, so much so that I wake hours before my alarm. I look over to a sleeping Dino on the other side of the room, and he looks so peaceful. There is no chance I’m waking him.

Cautiously, I shut the bathroom door and fumble for the light in the darkness. The light switch flicks up, and my throat doesn’t let out the scream my body wants to at those green eyes piercing back into mine. They are the ones that have been creeping into my daydreams and sometimes nightmares now.

The man attached to them, the opposite of the Irishman who captures my sleep, he’s tall, with a baseball hat covering his head, but there is no mistaking those eyes. Tattoos peek out of the white T-Shirt he wears, and instinctively I move forward. My body wants to be close to him. His hand reaches out to mine, and my big doe eyes scan his muscular body. He’s lean, those biceps noticeable even with an outstretched hand. He looks every bit boy-next-door, with full pursed lips as he looks to his hand. He’s waiting for me.

“This isn’t possible…” The sound of his voice is so soothing yet laced with confusion.

“Can you hear me?”

A smile touches his eyes, giving me the answer I need. I outstretch my hand and electricity tingles in the air as our fingertips touch and he’s erased from the room.

I look down to my hand, and a spark still fizzles from the tip of my index finger. The sting remains for a few minutes, and my heart aches that I didn’t get to take in his sight a little bit longer.

These day dreams are getting way out of hand, and as fearful of them as I am, they are also turning out to be the one constant in my life, and something about that soothes me.

After my short stint as a flight attendant, my legs glide me through the airport as though there are no issues in the world, and it is a breeze, unlike Dino. People glamorized the whole flight attendant life, but it just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get behind it after a while. You would sit in the airport on reserve and half the time only ended up being in the cool places for like eight hours until you had to turn around and come back. A life of travel and living abroad awaits me, I just don’t know when it is going to happen. I’m praying sooner rather than later. My hopes are that one day I can live in Scotland, deep in the highlands, surrounded by all sorts of animals and then work on writing my own book about a lost world I made up in childhood to escape reality.

Denali would find me in my dreams so often, a place where everything was living and the trees would even speak to me, guiding me on different adventures. Denali is the name the butterflies would whisper in my ear, a faint memory now and at times, the name of the world even escapes me, since she doesn’t exist in my mind much anymore. Tucked away in a locked box, a key tossed aside, while lingering eyes take over my dreams now with fire and embers that burn my skin which is quick to heal.

TSA gives me and Dino a huge pat down, but if you’ve been to one airport, you’ve been to them all. He is apparently an anxious and stressful traveler, making sure everything goes to plan. It is not rocket science—check in, drop bags off, head through security and then to the gate. We have never traveled together before, so this is quite the eye-opener. Usually, we just meet at the destination, and I’m kicking myself for missing this rather funny experience multiple times. He is poised and elegant in whatever he does, but here he looks like a lost toddler. Time for a drink, maybe five, to calm his nerves.

The airplane doors shut, and Dino visibly relaxes, the stress and nerves in his eyes starting to calm. Perhaps the four Jack and Cokes he had before getting on the plane have something to do with it. The seats in first class are quite something, I haven’t been on a plane since my last work flight, and it is odd sitting on this side of everything.

Dino and I stayed up late last night just talking, mostly about Victor, until he brought up the trip. Of course, Dino and Sofia have planned out every detail for each night, thankfully—one less decision for me to make. All I want is to dance, have a few cocktails, and enjoy not being in Kennet.

Dino’s eyes are filled with a boyish wonder as he looks out the window with the sun reflecting off his wavy blond hair and perfect bone structure. I always did enjoy reading the faces of those on the airplane, to see the wheels turning at something they are so used to yet don’t fully understand. The last time we went on a vacation together, we clung to each other’s side as our friends slept their way around the cruise ship, which is totally fine if that’s what they want to do, but that’s not quite my cup of tea.

The plane taxis back from the gate and slowly picks up momentum. Dino’s hand caresses mine without him knowing, but my body doesn’t take well to it. Blood rushes through every corner of my body directly to my lower back, causing me to slam back into the seat like a forceful magnet pulls me.

My mind starts to blur, and my eyes are painfully forced shut. It feels as though the veins behind my eyes are aggressively trying to make their way out. My mouth and my legs are immobile, nothing works. I have felt this before when I saw my father, a ghost that has come to haunt me. He didn’t do much for me in the real life, why would I think his afterlife would be any different?

My face feels as though it slowly turns to stone, and my body stiffens. I pray that my struggle is only internal, and on the outside, everything looks normal. I’m gone again. I’m walking through a field of green once more, and my mind turns into a bigger haze. Focusing the best I can to see the picture on the other end, I suddenly drop rapidly through the field of green and daisies. I can feel the flowers brush against my skin; this is all so real .

I land softly and quietly, still unable to speak, as my eyes meet a new ground. Nothing shifts around me, not even the two men standing on the opposite side of this patio.

“What is happening?” I yell at the top of my lungs to the suited men, but they do not acknowledge my presence. Perhaps if they can’t hear me, they can’t see me. I jump up and down, wave my hands in the air, and still no response. The ocean moves hastily offshore and causes the ocean air to glide across my face. The feeling is so real, even the smell of the ocean makes my nose move like a rabbit.

Where am I? Clearly a beach with a beautiful outdoor patio. That is where the picture stops; even when I turn in circles, it is the same sight. These men, the patio, and the ocean. The air gently pushes hair into my face, and it is calming when it fills my lungs.

I focus on the men. My body feels stealthy as I walk toward them, gliding and not walking at all. My mind is completely in control, so my legs aren’t moving. I’m instantly transported to the other side, facing the men directly. Dino is standing there, looking frantic and angry, with his brow creased and his lips set in a hard, grim line. The man adjacent to him is yelling at him vigorously but not shaking one hair of that perfect face, and I feel as though I’ve seen him before.

“You keep your hands off of her, do you hear me?” The man’s eyes are set on Dino as he roars in a deep Irish accent. I know those eyes and that voice. I would recognize it anywhere. It’s him, the man from my dreams.

His sculpted face is merely a reflection of his entire body, which stands muscular and tall, taller than Dino, in fact. His face is absolutely gorgeous, so defined and chiseled. I cannot place his age, but he’s fresh-faced. That face is nothing but savage as he talks to Dino. It is the first time I’m seeing the scar cut through his eye from his forehead. Dream man is someone I do not want to cross if that is the beast-like reaction I would get. I know nothing about this man except that his body language dictates he’s not afraid to start or finish a fight.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Dino’s voice is nothing like I have ever heard it before, so harsh and icy. Hoping to inflict pain with not just his words, he clenches his fists and continues. “You cannot tell me what to do. If you touch me, I will knock you on your ass!”

Dino has always been a brawler, so I try to move to stop the progression, but I’m unable to get any closer; this place won’t let me. Sometimes his temper gets the best of him, but he always said my sweet voice calms him down, despite the fact that I don’t see myself with that voice.

“Don’t get in my way of seeing her, Karlsson.” Short, sweet, and to the point, the dream man talks through his clenched teeth. With passion, I notice his smoldering eyes change to a dark blue, unlike eyes I’ve ever seen before. They look like the night sky has been kidnapped and placed there. I can see through them and hear the passion in his voice; he’s spiraling out of control.

“Good luck trying to stop me.” Dino’s voice is low, serious, and absolutely frightening.

The words hop off my tongue and are written out into the air as I speak. “Please, don’t do this,” I beg, and the words float gracefully in the air until the mystery god looks directly at me with those bitter, deep, dark blue eyes. He can hear me? His eyes focus on the words floating in his direction, until they hit his ear, then they close.

I manage in that moment to reach out, follow the words, and lay one finger on the side of his face, until what feels like a bolt of lightning jolts through my body, causing me to shake. My fingers tense and they roll into a fist so tight that my nails dig into me, drawing blood. The force of the lightning effect doesn’t stop hitting me until I’m back in first class.

I look out the window to see we are thousands of feet above the ground, with Dino’s prying eyes and hands on me. “Please don’t do what? What are you talking about?” He looks down and notices the little blood and fresh daisy on my lap. A reminder of where I came from.

“I’m sorry.” The only words I’m able to mumble come out in a meek voice. I can feel my cheeks turning red and my face giving off the embarrassment. Clearly, I don’t know what is going on, and that look is written across my face.

“Ava, are you okay? You have been saying the same thing for the last fifteen minutes, no joke.” I know he’s concerned about me, but what do I tell him? Surely not the truth, and I hate lying, so I come up with something reasonably close.

“I must have nodded off. It has been happening to me a lot lately. I had a bad dream, that’s all.” He nods his head and gestures for me to lean in and cuddle with him. I do so willingly, resting my head on his tense shoulder. His body gives it all away, his love and concern for me. Perhaps I can get some sleep and not dream for once. That would be nice. I want to clear my mind of all this. I feel like a lost puppy. The feeling was so real, my hair brushing past my face and the smell of the salt from the ocean was fresh. I was there, somehow, some way, the daisy curled in my hand is a reminder.

Why is this mystery man popping up everywhere? None of this makes sense to me. The past week has been nothing but random, lifelike daydreams. Daydreams and nightmares having a hold on me is not a good thing. No matter how much I try, they are always in the back of my mind. My subconscious drives me wild most days.

For the remainder of the flight, I pretend to sleep instead of letting Dino know my mind is running rampant. I need to get it all out of my system now, so when we land, I can let go and have a good time. Dino’s tender hands swipe across my exposed skin as he gently covers me up with a blanket, surely trying to stop me from shaking because of the cold, like I’m stark naked. I bring my feet to rest on the chair and curl up to snuggle into the blanket. I might just fall silently into sleep if my senses weren’t awakened.

As we check into Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort it makes the water and horizon look connected. I could stay out here for hours and drink champagne, but that will have to wait.