Smoke, Vampires, and Mirrors by Dima Zales

Author:Dima Zales [Zales, Dima]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mozaika Publications

Chapter Twenty

I’m performing the bullet catch, with Nero as my sexy assistant.

The bullet is in my teeth—and the ovations begin when I notice my family and friends in trouble.

Before anyone is killed, a familiar figure appears in front of me and freezes time around us, so only she and I can move.

Yes.

My plan worked.

This is a dream, and she is its walker—Bailey.

“I hope you don’t mind that I cut in before this pleasant dream turned into a nightmare,” Bailey says. “For therapeutic purposes, we—”

“I’m not here for therapy,” I say urgently. “I went to sleep in the hopes that I’d see you again. I need to send a message to Nero. It’s very important.”

Bailey blinks at me, and we again find ourselves on a cloud with the never-ending ocean below us.

“Tell me what the problem is,” she says as the couch appears on the surface of the cloud.

Pom—her cute companion—materializes here as well, and watches me with his huge, pretty eyes.

Figuring I might as well get comfy, I take a seat and say, “It’s Lilith. She stole me.”

I proceed to tell Bailey everything, including the part about Tartarus—how the original plan was to face him on Lilith’s world, and how I think that plan should change based on what I recently learned.

“How can you be found?” Bailey asks. “That’s the first thing Nero will demand to know.”

Grateful I memorized it earlier, I give her a step-by-step path from Earth’s JFK hub to this world.

“Let’s make sure I have it correctly,” Bailey says. But instead of saying it back to me, she shows me a dream of herself walking the route I just described.

“You got it,” I say and tell her about the hotel I’m currently in. When it’s clear that Bailey has this down too, I ask, “Do you know where Nero actually is?”

“On Earth, I imagine,” she says. “I myself am on Gomorrah but can be on Earth soon. From there, I’ll just call him.”

“Good,” I say. “You do that, and I’ll wake up and do my best to handle Lilith in the meanwhile.”

“Be careful,” Bailey says, stroking Pom. “I still hope to work on your nightmares one day. You’ve had an interesting life so far.”

I smile at her. “It’s a date. If I survive Tartarus, I’m sure I’ll have brand-new nightmares for your professional enjoyment.”

With that, I stand up and will myself to wake up.

It works.

With a start, I open my eyes in the hotel room.

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