The Dreamwalkers of Larreta Book 2
by
The saga of the dreamwalkers of Larreta continues.
Leo, who can look backward in time, joins forces with Jesse who sees the future, even when it endangers his life.
The two must combine their skills to stop time rifts from destroying Larreta, and then Earth. But Jesse hasn’t learned to control his abilities. And Leo doesn’t dare succumb to his passion for the beautiful newcomer.
The fate of two worlds depends on the bond of trust developing between them but the dark puppet master behind the rifts has other plans. And patience is her greatest virtue.
Genres:
Pairings: F-F, M-M
Heat Level: 3
Romantic Content: 4
Character Identities: Gay, Lesbian
Protagonist 1 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 2 Age: 26-35
Tropes: Reunited and it Feels So Good, Star-Crossed Lovers, Unrequited Love
Word Count: 65000
Setting: Larreta
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
“Hey,” Leo said. “You’re a dreamwalker, not a robot. You can’t run for hours without stopping.”
“I did stop. I saw something.”
“What?”
“Only a glimpse. A black hole and a flash of green. Pointed teeth. Huge ones.” He shivered. “Then the picture changed. You went with the horses.”
“Horses? What are you talking about?”
Jesse’s eyes looked haunted. “I stopped to rest by the big rocks. I was trying to calm down, and while I sat there, I saw an image of you and me walking on a path, rough, full of stones, in the dark. It might have been a desert. There were hoof beats. Horses. A whole herd galloped by. Dust was everywhere, and I started to choke. You pushed me against a rock and covered me with your body. I couldn’t see much, but the hooves sounded like thunder. I smelled their sweat. Then they were gone.”
“Okay. It was a vision and now it’s over. It could mean almost anything.”
READ MORE“That’s not all. After the horses went by, you followed them. You disappeared into the herd. When they had gone, one huge white horse stood there. It looked right at me with these big, sad eyes, and said, ‘I will watch over him.’ Then it trotted away and left me alone.”
The now-familiar sensation of being in over his head washed through Leo. “Nobody’s going anywhere, Jesse. I’m right here. Everyone else is inside, and we don’t have horses on Larreta.”
“No?”
“Not a one. Don’t know why. What you saw was a vision. It had to be symbolic of something. Okay?”
“Okay.” Jesse’s breathing had slowed. “I guess if there aren’t any horses, it couldn’t have been the future.”
“You’re a fucking visionary, my friend.”
Jesse smiled and ducked his head.
“I want to show you something.” Leo rose and pulled Jesse up. “Everything’s moved so fast, I never took you to the cove. It’s on a little beach with a waterfall that creates a warm pond. It’s the perfect place to relax.”
Jesse looked interested. “Where is it?”
“On the other side of the jetty.” Leo pointed north. “Can you make it?”
“Sure.”
They didn’t talk as they walked along the water’s edge. At the rocks, Leo said, “Climb over or swim around?”
“Swim.”
Leo undressed and piled his clothes on a dry rock. Jesse followed his lead. In the water, Jesse stayed beside him, and they walked onto the little beach of the cove together. Leo went to the pool and stepped in. He stood under the waterfall to wash away the salt, but Jesse stayed at the water’s edge, taking in the cliff, the waterfall, and the rainbow glittering where sunlight met the falling water.
“This is amazing.” He ran the few steps to the cave, disappeared inside and came out grinning, holding a bottle of water in one hand. “This is your hideaway. Don’t deny it.”
Leo reclined in the undulating water and waved him into the pool. “An open secret. Brian keeps it stocked with towels and water. I come here to get away from the crowd of people at the house.”
Jesse grinned at his small joke. Valerie often complained about how empty the house was.
Jesse stepped into the pool. “Warm,” he murmured. He placed the bottle on the sand and stood under the waterfall, eyes closed. He turned in a circle and slicked back his hair with both hands. “I used to do this on Earth when I went hiking. I’d walk miles to stand under a waterfall. It’s so primal.”
Leo watched him shake himself like a dog. It was one way he let go of his fear. Leo said, “Come, sit.”
Jesse flashed him a smile as he lowered himself beside Leo. “Convenient,” he said as he fitted his neck into the second open space in the rocks that lined the edge of the pool. He stretched out and closed his eyes. “This is perfect.” Jesse’s arms and legs floated in the water. “Thank you.”
Leo closed his eyes and focused on controlling his reaction to Jesse’s body floating beside him. He had almost succeeded when Jesse’s hand drifted over and glanced off his thigh. Jesse didn’t open his eyes, but the hand stayed there, resting against him. His foot found Leo’s foot.
“Are you better?” Leo asked, to distract himself.
“Yeah. This is . . . exactly what I needed.” Jesse’s mouth curved. “So you don’t think the horses meant anything?”
“They mean something to you, but I’m damned sure you won’t meet any on Larreta. If you’re seeing the future, it isn’t this timeline.”
“Okay.” Jesse’s hand moved an inch, up and down Leo’s thigh. “It’s tricky, isn’t it? The future?”
“Probabilities,” Leo said. “Hard to know which one is likely to materialize. Mostly I see the past, so I don’t have much experience figuring it out.”
Jesse’s hand pressed harder. It crept toward the underside of his leg. Leo tried to focus on his breath, but it didn’t help. “Jesse, we oughta . . .”
“What?” Jesse lips were close to his ear. He moved against Leo, water sloshed, pressure against his side, warm flesh.
“Oh, lordy.” Leo turned and pulled Jesse toward him. “You are hard to resist.”
“Good,” Jesse said just before their lips met.
COLLAPSEHours after I finished reading this book I find I’m still attempting to process it. Part of that process may or may not involve me cursing at various things including the end of the book, the author and the universe in general because I now have to wait for the third book to be published in order to read what happens next. I assure you, it is completely unfair and yet I don’t regret a single bit of what I read that lead me to this state of unfairness.
When I finished the first book of the series, The Tyro, I thought the ending was fantastic; things were set up beautifully for the next book and it left me with enough of a teaser that I was totally pumped to start the sequel. Things basically pick up here right where the story left of previously; Leo is still dithering over whether he believes Jesse’s claim that they belong together while holding himself back for fear of being hurt again while the two continue their training in their efforts to figure out the source of the rifts. The first half of the book is fairly easy going and a little on the slower paced side; there is quite a bit revolving around the training that Leo and Jesse are being subjected to but there was also a side bit where Larreta’s past is explored which I found an interesting addition.
The second half of the book is where things really start happening, however, and while it may not be as action packed as some people would like, there was quite a bit of impact all the same. Attempts to discover the source of the rifts has unexpected consequences, both good and bad, and events in the rest of the book ripple out from this one part in ways I could not have predicted. And, God help me, as much as I hated some of it, I loved all of it. At one point I went from a reaction of ‘holy s***!’ to ‘oh d*mn’ ending in a somewhat stunned silence. I am not ashamed to say that I cried, I couldn’t help it. And the end of the book? Absolutely fantastic with another spot on set up for the next book and I seriously don’t know how I’m going to wait patiently to find out what happens next.
Ugh, this series is just shaping up so damn well and I pretty much adore everything about it. If you enjoy fantasy stories, stories set on another world or are just looking for something different and totally imaginative, I’d really recommend giving this series a go.