The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3)(74)

"I could've made it red, you know. That's a better color for you - not that blue looks bad on you."

Adrian strode toward me, dressed in the same dark blue suit. Understanding hit me. I was in a spirit dream. It was another of that element's incredible feats, the ability for a spirit user to intrude on someone's dreams. No - not intrude. The user was actually able to create the dream itself, controlling every detail.

"It's been a long time since you pulled me into one of these," I said.

"And look at the progress you've made. Last time you were kicking and screaming." He held out a hand. "Want to dance?"

"No music," I said, not that I had any intention of dancing. He had a point about my reaction, though. I hadn't exactly been kicking and screaming, but I had kind of freaked out. I'd been in full possession of all my fears about vampires and magic, and being surrounded in a world completely constructed of that magic had left me frightened and unhinged. And now? Now I had apparently become so comfortable that my biggest concern was that he'd put me in this dress. I gestured to it.

"Can you change me out of this?"

"You can change yourself out of it," he said. "I'm letting go of the control. Just picture yourself the way you are in reality."

I did exactly that, and a moment later, I wore jeans and a pale blue knit top. This obviously disappointed him. "That's what you sleep in?"

"No." I laughed. "I was trying not to sleep at all. It didn't work. Why'd you bring me here?"

He strolled around and picked up one of the crystal goblets, nodding in approval as though he were some sort of glassmaking expert. "Exactly that reason. I saw how much that dream bothered you. I figured if I pulled you into one of these, it'd keep you from one of Veronica's."

I'd never thought of that. Vampire magic was certainly preferable to hers. Looking around, I gained a new appreciation for the room. It became a sanctuary, a place where she couldn't reach me. At least, I hoped not. We really didn't know how her magic would work against Adrian's. For all I knew, she might come walking through the door, carrying Sonya's bouquet.

"Thank you," I said. I sat down at one of the tables. "That was nice of you." It was another one of those incredible moments when Adrian had had the insight to guess my thoughts - or in this case, my fears.

"Well, it was also selfish. I wanted to see you in the dress." He reconsidered. "Actually, I wanted to see you in that red Halloween dress again, but I figured that would be pushing my luck."

I looked away as an image of that dress returned to me. Lia DiStefano had created the costume for me. She'd loosely based it on an ancient Greek dress and ended up with a gauzy confection of red and gold. That was when Adrian had said I was the most beautiful creature walking the earth. It had happened before he expressed his feelings for me, but even then, his words had undone me. I thought about what he was doing for me now and decided to give him a small compensation. I focused again on my clothes, and the blue dress returned.

"Better?" I asked.

His face lit up in a way that made me smile in return. "Yes."

Hoping I wasn't setting myself up for some suggestive answer, I asked, "So what are we going to do?"

"You sure you don't want to dance? I can make some music." My silence spoke for me. "Fine, fine. I don't know. We could play a game. Monopoly? Life? Battleship? Twister? Whatever we do, I am not playing Scrabble with you."

We warmed up with Battleship - I won - and then moved on to Monopoly. That took a little work to set up because Adrian could only create things that he could imagine. He couldn't remember all the streets and cards, so we made our best attempt to re-create them. Neither of us could remember one of the yellow streets, so he named it Jet Way.

We proved surprisingly well matched, and I became engrossed in the game. The power shifted back and forth between us. Just when one of us seemed to have all the control, the other would seize it back. I had no doubts about my ability to win - until I lost. I sat there, dumbstruck, staring at the board.

"Have you ever lost a game before?" he asked.

"I . . . yes, of course . . . I just didn't think . . ."

"That I could beat you?"

"No, I just . . . it doesn't happen very often." I looked up at him and shook my head. "Congratulations."

He leaned back in his chair and laughed. "I think beating you just improved your opinion of me more than anything else I've ever done."

"I've always had a high opinion of you." I stretched out, surprised to feel kinks in my body. It was strange how these dreams could have such a realistic physical component. "How long have we have been here?"

"I don't know. It's not morning yet." He appeared unconcerned. "What do you want to play next?"

"We shouldn't play anything," I said. I stood up. "It's been hours. I'm asleep, but you aren't. You can't stay up all night."

"I'm a vampire, Sage. A creature of the night, remember?"

"One who's on a human schedule," I chastised.

He still didn't seem worried. "Only one class tomorrow. I'll make it up."

"What about the spirit?" I began to pace restlessly as more of the implications hit me. "You have to be using a lot of it. That's not good for you."