N. Walters - Embroidered Fantasies

She shook her head, making it throb. This was crazy. Totally unbelievable. Three days. She didn’t have three days. Not even in a dream. She had to wake up this very moment. Now.

She scrunched her eyes together and concentrated fiercely on waking. She opened her eyes to find herself still in her dream world. Try as she might, nothing happened.

She was still standing in a large, stone structure, her bare feet on the smooth ground and several strands of hay stuck to her uniform.

The sweet smell of the hay and the darker, lusher scent of hot male wafted around her. The sound of her breathing got louder with each passing second. There was still an incredibly handsome and extremely large man standing in front of her. It all seemed so real even though she knew it wasn’t. It couldn’t be.

She was probably lying unconscious in her apartment. Or worse, maybe even now she was stuffed in the front seat of Michael’s vehicle as he drove her back to Nevada.

Maybe even the trunk, depending on what he was driving and his mood. She had to wake up.

Closing her eyes, she concentrated with all her strength. She tightened her fists by her sides and hunched her shoulders. “Wake up. Wake up,” she commanded herself.

She opened her eyes and Radnor was still standing there watching her. There was an aura of sadness about him she hadn’t seen there before and, somehow, she knew she was responsible for it.

“I’m sorry,” she began, willing him to understand. “But this isn’t real.” She darted around him, searching for an exit. “I have to wake up. I have to get back home.” He didn’t stop her as she ran through the opening behind him. Roxanne glanced around. The building was obviously a barn even though it seemed to be empty. Where were the horses? There was no time to ask questions. She had to wake up. There was an entrance at the far end and she hurried toward it. She could see the light. Maybe when she got there, she’d be back to reality.

Not that she really wanted to go back there, but she had no choice. She couldn’t live in a dream. She had to fight for her life. Michael was going to kill her. If not now, then at some point down the road. She had to wake up, had to get her wits about her. There was no white knight in shining armor to save her. Not even a warrior with a naked chest and a very large sword. There was only herself.

She ignored the pang in her heart. If only Radnor were real. If only men like him truly existed, she might not have to fight alone. But it was only a dream.

She was very aware of Radnor keeping pace with her as she made her way toward the door. For such a big man, he moved with uncommon grace and speed, making little noise. But it made an odd kind of sense considering this was all just a figment of her imagination.

The floor was cool and rough beneath her feet. She was still dressed exactly as she’d been when Michael had found her. She’d much rather be wearing jeans and sneakers than a pink polyester uniform and no shoes. You’d think since it was her dream she could change that. Maybe she could do something about that if she thought hard enough.

Before she could even attempt to change her clothing she reached the door. She came to a dead stop, swaying where she stood. Radnor’s arm snaked around her from behind, keeping her upright. She was glad for his strength and support. Without it, she might have ended up flat on her bottom.

An entire world existed in front of her. One she’d never seen before. It looked like a scene from a movie or possibly a book. A castle loomed large before her, the gray stones reaching high into the sky. It was a fortress, meant to defend and protect. Chickens squawked, dogs barked, children yelled and people talked as they worked inside the large courtyard. There were men everywhere and the occasional woman. Everyone seemed to be busy at some task.

Roxanne brought her hand to her eyes, shielding them from the sun blazing in the bright blue sky. Mountains rose majestically in the distance and a large, dense forest rose up behind the castle. She wasn’t in California anymore. She felt more like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, except there was no tornado. Only a light breeze that tickled her skin and made the ends of her dress flutter.

More precisely, it looked like the scene from the tapestry, not her apartment. “I don’t understand.” Bitter tears came to her eyes but she blinked them away.

Radnor rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed. “It is all real, Roxanne.

No matter how much you wish it was nothing more than a dream.” She spun around to face him, pulling away from his embrace. “This can’t be real.

Don’t you understand? This is a dream.” The only other explanation was that she was losing her mind. Maybe she was going crazy. Maybe that last hit to the head had pushed her past some point of no return.

No. She refused to believe that.

“You can deny it all you want, but it won’t change a thing. You are here until the tapestry comes back for you.”

“On the third day.” That’s what he’d told her before.

“Yes.” He looked so real standing there. All of it looked authentic.

She suddenly became aware of a growing silence behind her. She looked over her shoulder and found herself the center of attention. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and were staring at her. Some of the men were ogling her legs. Everyone was watching her intently, a growing sense of disbelief on their faces. She shifted uncomfortably, taking a step closer to Radnor.

He wrapped his arm around her, holding her close, just as a masculine voice boomed through the quiet. “What’s going on?”

She blinked as the sea of people parted and the other man from her dream came into view. His hair was long and brown, but there were skinny braids on either side of his face. His features were finer than Radnor’s, not quite as harsh. But there was no denying the resemblance between the two men. They were definitely brothers. This then, had to be Sednar.

His gaze ran over her, slowing as it hit her breasts and continued a leisurely path to her bare feet. She curled her toes in the sun-warmed dirt even as she inched closer to Radnor. The heat from his large body gave her a sense of safety, which didn’t make much sense. There was nothing to be afraid of. As she kept reminding herself, this was just a dream.

He turned his attention to Radnor. “What do we have here?” Radnor’s arm tightened around her and he pulled her closer. Her back was pressed against his chest, his hips against her lower back. She froze as a large, thick bulge nudged against her. Radnor was definitely aroused. Her nipples tightened and she bit her bottom lip to keep from moaning. This was so not the time or the place to get turned on. Problem was, her body wasn’t listening to reason.

“This is Roxanne Sykes. The tapestry brought her.” Radnor’s deep voice rumbled against her back.

A low murmur of surprise and shock rippled through the crowd. Bewilderment and then wonder etched Sednar’s face. The corners of his mouth slowly tipped upward in a smile. “Welcome to Craddock Keep. I am Sednar of the House of Craddock.” Roxanne’s stomach lurched and she broke out into a cold sweat even though the sun was warm and bright in the sky. All her senses were telling her this was indeed reality. Somehow, someway, she’d gone from her apartment to this strange new world.

This couldn’t be happening. Yet it was. Her body swayed and the world suddenly closed in around her. Her vision dimmed, the edges going dark until all she could see was a pinprick of light. That winked out and she felt her body go limp. Her last thought was, What if this isn’t a dream?

Radnor caught Roxanne as her body went limp, scooping her into his arms. Sednar rushed to his side, concern etched on his face. “What happened? Is she hurt?” Ignoring his brother’s questions, he started toward the keep. “We need hot water and the healer.”