Liquid Dreams Read online

  Susan cleared her throat, cutting off her meandering. She cast her friend a sideways glance. Closing her eyes, Katrina let out a heavy breath. If she were going to ask to spend the night at Susan’s place she should at least let her in on what was going on. She swallowed and summoned her courage. “Yes, I’d like to talk about it.”

  As Katrina relayed the events from the past three weeks, Susan’s porcelain-white skin turned ashen. She watched her friend’s shoulders stiffen and when she reached out to touch her, she found her hands trembling.

  “Do you think I’m crazy?”

  Spine straight and eyes wide with disbelief, Susan slowly shook her head from side to side. Her dark hair falling off her shoulders. “Katrina, you must admit this all does sound a little bizarre.” Her voice was full of disbelief. She placed her coffee cup on a nearby table and neatly folded her hands over her lap.

  “I’ll be the first to admit it.” Katrina pressed her palms to her forehead and felt like screaming in frustration.

  Susan touched her arm gently. “You don’t suppose you’re just feeling a little stressed about your wedding?” she asked, her voice a hesitant, cautious whisper.

  Her reactions were exactly what Katrina expected. And how could Katrina blame her? If anyone were to relay a story like that to her, she’d be calling for a straightjacket.

  Katrina stood and shook her head. “I don’t blame you for being skeptical, Susan. But I really need for you to believe in me. I need your help and support until I can understand what’s happening.” She began to pace back and forth across the polished tiled floor.

  Susan still had a cautious look on her face when she assured her, “You’ll always have my support. Just let me know what I can do to help.”

  Katrina gave her a grateful smile. “Would you mind if I stayed with you for a few nights?”

  “Not at all, Katrina. Stay for as long as you like.” She paused and then added, “Have you discussed any of this with James?”

  Katrina stilled her footsteps and swallowed past the knot in her throat. How could she share a room, a bed even, with her fiancé when another man consumed her thoughts, her emotions? Until she sorted through her feelings and put the pieces of this puzzle together she didn’t know how she was even going to face him. Katrina prided herself on her morals and loyalty, and right now she felt very disloyal to James.

  Her heart began racing. He’d always been kind and gentle with her and she didn’t want to hurt him. Susan had set them up on a blind date less than six months ago. She cared for him a great deal and it pained her terribly that she didn’t feel a burning passion for him, the way she wanted to.

  “He doesn’t know anything about this, and for the time being I’d rather he didn’t.”

  Susan stood, smoothed her skirt, and gave Katrina a hug. “Okay. I’m here if you need me.”

  Katrina returned the hug and headed for her office. The sound of Susan’s voice stopped her and she twisted around.

  “Oh, I almost forgot, you have an appointment at noon. Someone interested in commissioning a painting.” She handed Katrina a slip of paper.

  Katrina read the note and then slipped into her office. The rest of the morning passed without incident. Katrina sifted though her paperwork and returned phone calls, but in the forefront of her mind, Ranek always remained in her thoughts.

  He touched something deep within her and stirred feelings she never knew she possessed. She needed him and hungered for him in ways that almost frightened her.

  Just as she was preparing for her lunchtime meeting a rustle outside her doorway drew her attention.

  “Morning, sunshine,” James called out.

  Her stomach plummeted. “You’re back.” She forced a smile and stood to greet him. “How was the convention?” The words spilled out quicker than she’d have liked.

  “Fascinating as usual. I’ll tell you all about it over lunch.”

  Katrina frowned. “I can’t go,” she apologized. “I have a meeting.”

  Susan came up behind him and peered over his shoulder. “You two go ahead. I’ll cover your appointment for you, Katrina. You haven’t seen each other in a while and with the wedding so close I’m sure you have a lot to talk about.”

  A short while later Katrina found herself sitting across from James at a quaint little restaurant down the street from her shop. A hush fell over the room as the lunch crowd focused on their meals.

  Tucked away in an intimate corner overlooking the bustling street, Katrina sat quietly as she listened to the intricate details of the convention. She breathed in the pleasing aroma from a cinnamon-scented candle burning on their table.

  James paused his story as the waitress brought their food. Katrina nibbled on her bottom lip and looked at the Cobb salad placed before her. Once the waitress moved on, James continued his animated tale, in much more detail than Katrina would have liked. Feeling her appetite slip away, she sipped her coffee and toyed with her salad.

  In technical terms she didn’t fully understand, James rifled through papers and excitedly rambled about the latest technology. As he droned on about all the purchases he’d made—purchases he assured her would put his software company on the map—she tuned him out and stifled a yawn.

  Had he always been this self-involved?

  She tried to listen intently, she really did, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Whenever he looked at her, she smiled and worked hard to blink her mind into focus.

  “Don’t you agree, Katrina?” he asked.

  The sound of her name pulled her back and she nodded.

  A pleased smile crossed his smooth face. His light blue eyes sparkled. “Then it’s all settled then.” He opened his briefcase and began sifting through more files.

  She sat there staring at him, wondering what the heck she’d agreed to.

  As he brushed his short-cropped blond hair from his forehead, Katrina thought how his light, boyish features differed so drastically from Ranek’s. The thick, muscular physique of her warrior, his dangerously dark eyes and intoxicating voice. Moistening her suddenly dry lips, she drew a shaky breath. Unlike James, Ranek was a lethal combination of rugged strength and excruciating tenderness.

  The waitress wandered over to refill her coffee, shaking Katrina from her fantasies. Distressed by the direction of her thoughts, she forced her mind back to the present and tried to focus on their wedding preparations.

  “James, we need to talk about the flowers. There seems to be some kind of mix-up at the florist.” She waited for a response but none came.

  “James?” she repeated.

  He looked up from the paper he’d been studying and blinked. “Did you say something?”

  “The flowers.”

  He stole a glance at the vase sitting on the windowsill. “Yes, they really are quite lovely, aren’t they?” Once again he focused his attention on his paperwork.

  Giving it one more attempt, she opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again when his cell phone chimed in the background. He pulled it from his suit jacket and pressed it to his ear, oblivious to the fact that she’d been trying to speak.

  Giving up, Katrina sighed and slunk further into her cushioned chair. Crossing her arms over her chest, she studied him as he spoke. Had James always paid more attention to his work than to her?

  Their whole lunch had been focused on him and his conference. Never once had he asked about her week or about the wedding preparations. Nor did he offer to help. She cocked her head. Had she always played second fiddle to his work?

  And why was she suddenly noticing his inattentiveness now?

  Was it because Ranek always put her needs and desires first? Was it the way he looked at her and spoke her name, so intimate, so possessive? Perhaps it was the way his voice seeped into her skin, filling her with warmth and longing.

  No other man had ever made her feel so special or cherished, and the depth of emotions in his smoldering eyes when he touched her and kissed her spoke volumes.

  Her
skin came alive and her body tightened with the memories of him. Craving the feel of his hard body against hers, she could almost taste the sweetness of his skin.

  Lost in dreams, she hadn’t realized James had hung the phone up and was asking her a question. Damn. She had to find a way to tame her thoughts. In a few days she was to marry the man sitting across from her. She needed to get a grip on reality. Smiling tentatively at James, she battled her conscience.

  After lunch, James escorted her back to the office. Standing outside, he leaned in to give her a peck on the mouth. Without fully comprehending what she was doing, she twisted sideways forcing his lips to land on her cheek.

  He gave her a quizzical look.

  “I’m battling a cold,” she lied, as she considered her actions.

  Why would she do such a thing?

  Because kissing him would be disloyal to Ranek.

  She walked into the gallery and nearly fell to the floor as a sense of déjà vu overcame her. A familiar scent perfumed the air. She recognized it immediately. It was the scent from the cottage. From her apartment.

  Kohan.

  He’d been here.

  Her stomach dropped. Had he been her noon appointment?

  Susan.

  She felt her face drain of color. A jolt of fear cut through her and she bolted to her office. She rounded the corner and found Susan sitting in her chair. “Is everything okay?” she blurted out.

  She glanced up from her paperwork. “Fine. Why? Is everything okay with you?”

  Katrina nodded and willed her heart to slow down. “How did the appointment go?” She sounded as though she’d just run a marathon.

  Susan crinkled her nose. “Not so fine. Mr. Kay seemed rather displeased that you weren’t here.”

  She sucked in a tight breath as her pulse leapt in her throat. Warning bells clanged in the back of her mind and she shuddered with foreboding. She cleared papers from a nearby chair and sank into it.

  “Stay away from him, Susan. He’s not who you think he is.”

  When Susan tossed her an incredulous frown, Katrina leaned forward and narrowed her eyes to mere slits. “He’s dangerous.”

  Chapter Ten

  Silver rays from the crescent moon high overhead sliced through the bedroom window. As Katrina lay in Susan’s freshly painted guestroom, she stared at the stark white ceiling and recalled her last dream.

  A gentle breeze from her open window fluttered the lace curtains and washed over her skin. Naked atop the linen sheets, her nipples tightened as the wind whispered over them. She stretched out her limbs, allowing her legs to drift apart.

  Her body warmed with need and desire as the summer wind stimulated her naked flesh.

  Katrina was anxious for answers, but she’d be lying to herself if she believed that was the only reason she awaited Ranek’s visit. He’d drawn her in, physically and emotionally, and she needed him with an intensity so strong and powerful that it frightened and excited her all at once.

  Restlessly, she shifted on the bed, as she envisioned skin touching skin, hands caressing flesh. Her fingers drifted over her aroused body. She trembled as her belly quivered from her own touch. She cupped her breasts and played with her puckered nipples, imagining they were in the hands of her lover.

  Spreading her legs further, her hand slipped between her dewy folds and dipped into her dampness as she pictured Ranek hovering over her, his tongue sliding in and out of her eager mouth.

  Heat flamed through her as she tickled her sensitive clit. A feverish longing built with every delicious caress. She bucked against her hand, desperate to take the edge off. A tight groan sounded in the depths of her throat as she gave herself over to the erotic sensations.

  She called upon the face of her masculine sea god and soon her skin grew tight as she increased the tempo of her fingers. A tremor racked her body. Her hot creamy release poured down her hand as she continued pleasuring herself.

  But, it was not enough. Not nearly enough. She needed the real thing. She needed Ranek.

  Her eyes drifted shut, anxiously anticipating the night ahead.

  She was losing herself in him, heart and soul, and tonight she wanted to close her mind to the real world and show him just how much he’d come to mean to her.

  * * * * *

  Ranek spent the day with his warriors in the underworld searching for answers, but in the end he came up empty. And much to his frustration he’d been unable to locate any signs of an illegal potion.

  Kohan’s men guarded his lair with their lives, and Ranek knew if he were going to find the answers he was seeking then he’d have to plan a surprise attack.

  At least during the nighttime hours Katrina would have his protection, and if she followed his rules and stayed with a mortal during daylight, it was unlikely that Kohan would approach her.

  He took a glimpse into the mortal world and watched her sleep. Tonight she would learn all she needed to know, and once her memories were complete he could do no more. It would be up to her to make the final transformation.

  He gathered his strength and shot to the surface.

  Ranek emerged from the ocean and stopped dead in his tracks. His heart gave a hard beat and he drew in a quick excited breath. Standing at the water’s edge, his heated blood coursed through his veins. All coherent thought vanished at the erotic image before him.

  Lying on the sand, Katrina pleasured herself. Her sultry eyes locked on his as she opened her pink lips and idly stroked her smooth pussy. When he groaned, she delved deeper into her sweetness. Her head thrashed to the side as she cried out in ecstasy.

  The sight before him unleashed the primal beast stirring his libido. He stalked forward and dropped to his knees. Grasping her shoulders, he drew her mouth to his, capturing her lips in an explosive, fiery kiss that left them both breathless.

  He inhaled her delectable feminine scent and moaned into the hollow of her throat. He pulled back, looked deep into her eyes and saw a tangled mixture of longing, love and desire.

  It was beginning.

  As memories infiltrated her mind she was becoming more and more Bandara with each passing moment.

  Tonight, words were not necessary. They communicated through their eyes and through their touch, the way they had done so many decades ago.

  He moved in for a more thorough taste of her mouth. As he kissed her hungrily, she matched the intensity of his passion.

  Her silky hands eagerly roamed over his body as though she couldn’t get enough of him. Quick, shallow pants burst from her throat. Her dark gaze pleaded for him to make love to her.

  He spread her legs further and nestled himself in between. In one quick thrust he drove his cock into her heated core.

  She cried out and clung to his shoulders as though she’d never let go, as though she never wanted the moment to end.

  He held her to him as he increased the tempo and rhythm. Their bodies were made for each other and she molded into him perfectly. Her breasts crushed against his chest as she writhed beneath him. Her warm, ragged breath wafted across his cheek, filling him with raw, primal lust.

  Her burning lips closed over his, drawing his tongue into her mouth. She wrapped her legs around his hips and undulated against him. He felt her pussy muscles clamp down and tighten around his cock.

  He held her tight as her explosion overtook them both.

  Panting breathlessly, she clung to him. He smoothed her bangs off her forehead and caught her gaze.

  The look in her eyes spoke volumes. He could feel the love emanating from her soul. Deep in her heart she knew where she belonged, her mind just needed to accept it.

  She shimmied lower and positioned his cock at the opening of her mouth.

  He framed her face with his hands. “This will be your last memory, Katrina.”

  The play of emotions on her face made his heart ache for her. His love for her grew stronger and stronger with each coupling.

  She nodded her understanding and drew him into her mouth
.

  * * * * *

  Kohan’s insidious laugher seeped into her skin and filled her with dread as she bolted from his lair…

  His parting words had left a sick apprehensive knot in her stomach.

  “It’s too late, Katrina, there’s nothing you can do.” He shot her a venomous look. “Ranek will die tonight.”

  He’d summoned his servants to restrain her, but she was much too agile and managed to slip from their grasp.

  “Pay her no heed,” she heard Kohan shout from behind her. “There is nowhere for her to go now.”

  Katrina ran to her chamber and secured the door behind her, locking herself in and Kohan and his men out.

  She had to warn Ranek of Kohan’s deceit. But how? Who was she to trust? An overwhelming feeling of anxiety overcame her and left her legs weak. She sank onto her bed as her mind searched for answers.

  Her mind replayed Kohan’s words. “Ranek will die tonight.”

  She could not lose him. She would not lose him.

  Biting back her tears, she reached for the dagger Ranek had crafted for her. She pulled it from its protective casing and turned it over in her hand. The long, sharp blade glistened in the lamplight. After securing it to her inner thigh, she drew in a steadying breath. Now was not the time for tears. If she were going to sneak from the kingdom she had to muster strength and use all her intelligence to outwit Kohan’s men.

  Fortunately for her, Kohan had underestimated her determination and assigned only one man to stand watch.

  She cracked open her door and spotted the guard standing duty. She called on every ounce of bravery and cleared her throat. “Excuse me, sir,” she cooed, keeping her voice low, sultry.

  He turned in her direction, his eyes immediately dropping to her prominent cleavage. She toyed with the top button on her bodice and pouted her lips. “I’m having a bit of difficulty with my buttons. Do you think you could come in here and help me?” She arched one brow provocatively.