Page 22 of Sky’s Guide To Getting His Man & Banishing Ghosts (The Dreamwalkers #1)

Chapter

Eighteen

Kingston

“King?” Sky asked in a trembling voice. “Do you think that’s…How do we have the same birthmark?”

“That’s a good question,” I muttered, wishing it wasn’t the middle of the night. It seemed that Gran and Pops had left something out.

Standing, I helped Sky up and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Let’s go back to bed and see if we can get some real rest. We’ll deal with this in the morning.”

He sighed, leaning into me for a second.

He fit so perfectly tucked into me, small and unassuming.

The fear returned. I didn’t want him tethered to me, linked to my nighttime wanderings.

I wanted him to sleep safely through the night.

Hell, I wanted to go back to hovering in that space and collecting data.

I was a geek, a nerd, not some badass capable of rescuing other mortals from their nightmares.

“Let me take my contacts out and wash my face.” He wrapped his hand around the back of my head and pulled me down for one more kiss. “I’ll meet you in the bedroom.”

“Okay.”

As I reached down to pick up my sleep clothes, he shoved me gently. “Nope. We’re sleeping naked, big guy. I’m not wasting this opportunity.”

I left him—and my clothes—and made my way back to his bed. What had he meant by not wasting the opportunity? Was this a one-and-done for him? It hadn’t felt that way, but what did I know? I’d never had a real relationship, and Sky was from the big city. Maybe he…

No, that didn’t ring true. Sky was as protective of his friendship with Chance as I was of mine with Jetty. Our best friends were in the forever kind of love, which meant Sky and I had a lifetime of seeing each other and interacting. He wouldn’t set out to make that weird any more than I would.

Hearing him, I looked up. He was still in his birthday suit, too, but he’d added a pair of black-framed glasses, and holy hell, was he even more gorgeous than before. “Damn.”

He dipped his head shyly. “You don’t have to lie.”

Rising up, I went to him and tipped his head up. “I’m not. Who knew you could get any more attractive?” Pink tinged his cheeks, drawing my attention to a constellation of freckles scattered across his cheeks and nose. I grinned. “And freckles, too? You’ve been hiding all the good stuff.”

He batted at my arm playfully. “Shut up. They make me look twelve.”

Nuzzling into the side of his neck, I growled. “Nope. They make you look sexy.” I licked a stripe up his skin.

Arms wrapped around my shoulders. “Really?”

I’d never heard that kind of insecurity in his voice before. Not in him or any of my friends. That was how my inner monologue sounded, hesitant and unsure. I didn’t like hearing Sky doubting anything about himself. He was perfection.

Bending at the knees, I picked him up under his lush little tush and bounced him onto the bed, coming down on top of him.

“Sky, I didn’t think you could get any more lovely, but these”—I ran a finger over the frames of his glasses and down to trace a pattern over the brown dots scattering his face—“are fun. And they make you softer, somehow. More approachable.”

He wrapped his legs around my waist and huffed. “If you say so.”

I kissed the tip of his nose. “I do.” Before our bodies decided it was time for more sexy times, I fell down next to him and drew him into my arms. “But we need sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be another long day.”

“Do you have to go to work?” he asked, running his hand through the hair on my chest.

My long-term hook-up hadn’t been too fond of my fuzzy chest, but Sky seemed to enjoy it, which was a relief. I didn’t picture myself waxing, but I’d do it for Sky. “No, I’m going to take another sick day.”

He hummed. “Ego won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon. Do you maybe want to spend the day together? Not like we did today,” he said quickly. “I mean, just us. Maybe we could go to town and walk around or to the boardwalk.”

The mention of Ego, his sexy popstar client, set my teeth on edge.

I’d planned to drill my grandparents more thoroughly tomorrow.

The stories of their exploits had been interesting—and slightly terrifying—but they hadn’t given us any real meat.

I still didn’t really know what to do or why.

How had they decided Sky was my tether, and what did these weird birthmarks mean?

Most of all, how had he ended up dreamwalking with me tonight when we hadn’t drank her special blend? None of it made sense, and I seriously didn’t want to go to bed tomorrow night without more of a handle on things.

On the other hand, Sky was asking for time…

with me. In the past, when he’d tried to come to my house or asked to follow me out to the pond, I’d still been so unsure of why he wanted to be with me.

Seeing his actual dream, his fantasy, and knowing for myself that he desired me, I wanted more of that.

I wanted us to get to know each other as Sky and King instead of part of the Willowhope Manor crew.

I squeezed him closer. “Sounds good.”

He hummed happily, but the day had caught up with him, and he quickly fell asleep.

I was glad. He needed a reset. As much as sleep tugged at me, my brain was racing too hard for me to drift off.

Truth be told, there was a part of me scared that if I passed out, too, we’d end up back in the veil. Dream-veil?

Good goddess, what had my grandparents been thinking keeping all of this from me all these years?

I tried to see it from Gran’s point of view.

She’d lost time with my mother because of these gifts, but she had to have known that she wouldn’t lose me.

That I’d embrace them the way her and Pops obviously had.

I was hurt and confused, unsteady. Too much had changed in such a short period of time. Too many revelations. Too many unknowns.

The man in my arms breathed out a cute whisper snore.

I huffed. Just the changes between us were enough for me to need a two-day camping trip to reflect.

I wasn’t the jump-in kind of guy. I needed time to research everything they’d said.

Time to think about all the feelings swirling between me and Sky.

Time to process that Lee Porter, Pops, had been here for all these years, hanging around and taking care of Gran emotionally from beyond the grave.

I needed time.

“King, I know this is hard for you. A lot’s been thrown at you, and you want time to process, but that’s just not how life works sometimes, dear,” Gran said matter-of-factly.

As the dawn approached, I’d ended up drifting off for a few hours.

Long enough to feel functional today. Both Chance and Elyse had started texting Sky early, wanting him to come out to the manor and talk.

Jetty had called me, offering to take the day off work and meet me at the pond so we could go over things.

These were our people, the ones we usually leaned on, but Sky and I both decided that we needed the day together—just us. Except for this conversation that we needed to have with my Gran. Sky suggested getting it over with so it wasn’t hanging over our heads.

As much as I was still perplexed by her and kind of wanted to bury my head in the sand to all that she knew, I also needed answers so that I could genuinely enjoy my day with Sky.

Gran, of course, always one to do things her own way and in her own time, had made us coffee and breakfast before finally sitting down. “Gran, it’s not just that. We need more facts.”

She glared at me. “Eat your breakfast, my little prince. You can’t think on an empty stomach.”

Sky snorted, drawing her evil eye. “You too, young man.”

“Sorry.” He obediently shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

Slightly annoyed at her bossiness—and caginess, I picked up a piece of bacon when Pops casually strolled into the room.

“We can see you,” Sky said, choking around a bite of his eggs.

“Of course you can,” Gran said.

My jaw clenched. “But how can we see him?” I bit out. “We’re not out on the manor’s property.”

“I spelled our house for him to be visible to all who enter.” The duh was in her tone as she waved a hand around in the air like it should be obvious.

Seriously, her eccentricity had never bothered me. I’d never been embarrassed of her. I’d never felt like I fit in anywhere because of the crazy lady whispers about her, but she was my rock. My foundation. I’d have chosen her every time. But she was just being plain annoying now.

“Rosie.” Pops laid a hand over hers. “Stop putting the kids off.”

Sky sent me a smile full of humor at being called the kids, but my patience was gone.

If this had just been about us—my family—then whatever.

Whichever way Gran had wanted to dole stuff out would’ve been fine.

If I’d been aware of all of this my whole life, maybe I’d even be calmer.

But I felt betrayed—deceived by her silence—and if their stories from yesterday were to be believed, Sky could be in danger.

“Cut the crap, Gran. Sky ended up in my dream with me last night.”

She clapped her hands together, delighted. “So you drank the linking potion.”

Sky and I glanced at each other. Potion . Should we have known by concoction, she meant a flippin’ potion? What the fuck? Was it like a love potion or some other nonsense? What was she up to?

Before I erupted, Sky said, “No, we didn’t.”

It was Gran and Pops’ turn to exchange confused frowns. “If you didn’t drink it, what do you mean he ended up with you?”

Not wanting to embarrass Sky, I kept the screaming at him part to wake him up from showing me his secret lust to myself. “I mean, there’s a field I continually return to, and pop , there he was.”

Sky grinned widely. “Yeah, pop . Just like what happens with the spirits at Willowhope. One minute I was sleeping, and then bam, I was standing next to King while still asleep!”

His voice rose in excitement as he went, but he hadn’t seen what I’d seen—he hadn’t seen the eyeless woman with all the goop running down her face. He’d be far less happy if he had.

“Um.” Pops looked at Gran.

She hummed to herself, then smacked her hands together again. “I know. Had you, you know”—she wiggled what was left of her eyebrows—“had relations?”

“Gran!” I yelled, shocked that she’d go there.

“What? It’s perfectly natural, Kingston. You’re a grown man. You’re consenting adults.”

Snickering, Sky shook his head. “No, but we were sleeping next to each other.”

“Clothed,” I added.

She pursed her lips. “Well, that shouldn’t have been enough.”

“Could the birthmarks on our thighs have anything to do with it?” he asked, turning a little pink. Probably due to their location.

A slow smile spread across Pops’ face as he looked between us. “You do both have the mark. I knew it.” He smacked the table. I had to say, his form was much clearer than I was used to. He didn’t even look—dead.

“Yep,” Sky said. “And they’re both in the same spot.”

Gran smirked. Ugh . She really was a piece of work today. She knew exactly where mine was even though she hadn’t seen mine since I was old enough to dress myself.

Ignoring her for the moment, I asked Pops, “So what does that mean?”

“Fate. My boy. You two are soul mates,” Gran said with a soft, dreamy look in her eyes.

The fuck?!