Sherrilyn Kenyon: The Dream-Hunter

The Skoti were normally given a single warning and if they failed to heed it, an Oneroi would be selected to either punish or eliminate them from existence. M'Ordant was one of many who monitored human sleep and who kept the Skoti in line.

"And if I don't want to leave her?"

"Are you being argumentative?"

Arik gave him an arch stare. "How could I be?"

"Then you are done with her." M'Ordant vanished.

The wisest course of action would be to heed his warning. But Arik was too drawn to his human to pay attention to M'Ordant's words. After all, that would require fear… something Arik knew nothing about.

Closing his eyes, Arik could still smell the scent of Megeara's flesh. Still taste the salty sweetness of her body on his hungry tongue. Feel her touch on his skin.

No, he wasn't done with her. He was only beginning.

LEANING AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE BOAT SO THAT SHE could watch the nearby sailboats gliding over the clear blue water, Geary didn't know what was wrong with her. She was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, and that wasn't like her.

"I think I have narcolepsy."

Tory paused by Geary's side before looking her up and down. "Possibly. Did you know that seventy percent of people with narcolepsy also suffer cataleptic attacks?" Before Geary could open her mouth to comment, Tory refuted her own theory. "That's not you, though. I've seen you angry enough times to know that that lovely symptom doesn't affect you. Of course, narcoleptics also have vivid hallucinations either while asleep or even while awake. And, of course, sleepwalking. I know you don't sleepwalk. Have you become delusional lately?"

Yes, but discussing vivid sexual fantasies with a fifteen-year-old bookworm wasn't something Geary intended to do.

Geary scowled at her. "How do you know all this? Jeez, Tory, you're a kid. Act like it." Before she could even blink, Tory reached out and punched her on the arm. Hard. "Ow!" She rubbed her biceps where Tory had hit her. "What was that for?"

"Unexpected and irrational emotional outbursts. Isn't that what teenagers are supposed to do? Oh, and sulk. A lot."

Geary held her hands up in surrender. "Fine. Have it your way, Dr . Kafieri."

In an expression more akin to her age, Tory gave her a gleeful grin before she went to help the boat's captain with some line he was securing.

Shaking her head, Geary headed back belowdecks to find Teddy and Scott, who were grumbling about Thia's presence on their team while they worked… something Geary couldn't help since she'd promised Thia's mother to watch after her this summer. Apparently, the little shrew had attacked Teddy for taking up too much of Scott's time.

Geary hoped they'd get over their ire soon. She had banished her cousin to the city for a short round of shopping while they prepared to sail back to the area where Geary believed Atlantis was hiding. The last thing they needed was to have Thia gaggling about, complaining over everything.

Besides, Thia lived for shopping. The shinier the object, the more she adored it. So much so, the girl had actually worn red horns last Halloween that were decorated with dangling diamond hoops. As was fitting for her, Thia had dressed up as a shopping demon.

Brian had volunteered to accompany her and keep her out of trouble—which, knowing Thia, was a necessary assignment. Their luck, she'd end up being either abducted into white slavery or stolen by green aliens.

Meanwhile, Geary was so tired, she couldn't stand it. It was all she could do to stay awake.

" Megeara. Return to me .…"

A chill went down her body as she heard the deeply erotic voice in her head again.

From the corner of her eye she saw something move. She turned and there in the doorway, on the stairs that led to the top deck, was Arikos. Dressed completely in black, he stood to the side with wicked eyes that promised her an endless night of orgasm, and a seductive smile that froze her to the spot.

" Come, Megeara ." His voice whispered like a phantom wind, caressing her. Lulling her.

He held his hand out…

Never had she seen a more compelling pose. All she wanted was to take his hand and have him sweep her up in his arms like he did in her dreams. She wanted to strip him bare and taste the perfection of his body.

To taste those inviting lips.

Without thinking, she held her hand out toward his. So close that they were almost touching. Only a breadth of a hair more…

But he wasn't real and she knew it.

"Geary? Can you hand me my ruler?"

She started at Teddy's voice. Dropping her hand, she glanced to her left and saw the ruler on the cluttered desktop. She barely blinked before she looked back toward the stairs.

They were empty, with no sign of Arikos waiting there for her to return, and that filled her with extreme disappointment.

I am losing my mind.

Yeah, but what a way to go. Everyone should be stalked by such a sexy hallucination.

Not wanting to think about that, she picked up the ruler and handed it to Teddy, who was watching her with a concerned frown. Even though he was only a few years older than her, he acted more like a father to her than a friend or colleague. His short brown hair was always impeccably combed, and he had jolly brown eyes and a sweet set of kind dimples. "Are you okay?"

"Tired."

He scratched his head as if baffled by her response. "You slept fourteen hours last night."

She patted his arm. "I know, but I'm still tired."

"Maybe you need a physical."

More likely my head examined . She pushed that thought aside to smile at him. "I'll be fine. Really."

At least she would be if she could stop having these bizarre delusions. Even now she felt as if someone was watching her…

ARIK WANTED TO CURSE IN FRUSTRATION AS HE WATCHED Megeara smiling at another man. Why wouldn't she succumb to his serum? To his pleas?

How could a mere mortal woman be so strong?

"Arikos?"

As light intruded into his dark chamber once more he let out a tired sigh at the sound of his uncle Wink's voice. Arik was getting seriously tired of these interruptions when all he wanted was to be with his human target. "What?"

"I've been told to retrieve my sleeping serum from you. You seem to be abusing it and making your human ill."

Arik rolled over to face the older sleep god. Wink's long brown hair was braided down his back as his light gray eyes danced with mischief. Even though Wink was one of the oldest gods, he held the personality of thirteen-year-old boy. There was nothing he loved more than to play pranks and tease—two of the very things that had gotten Arik and his brethren cursed.

At one time, they'd been too easily seduced and manipulated by the other gods and had allowed themselves to be used by Wink, Hades, and the others in private jests and wars.

Until the day Zeus had put a stop to it once and for all. Funny how he'd only punished the tools and not the ones who'd wielded them.

But then Zeus wasn't known as a god of justice.

"And if I want to keep the serum?"

Wink arched a brow at that, then tsked. "Come now, Arikos, you know the rules." His face sobered. "You also know what happens to those who don't cooperate."

Of course he did. All of his kind knew. His back bore more scars than the sky held stars. There were times when he suspected his grandfather Hypnos, who oversaw their physical punishments, was nothing more than a sadist who could only feel pleasure when he was doling out pain to others.

How cruel was it to send the Skoti in to drain humans of excess or pent-up emotions, then punish them when they didn't want to leave because they finally experienced something other than pain?