Julie_Lynn_Hayes_ _Sweet_Dreams_My

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errand, at the very least. But she said none of these things.
Grand-mere squeezed the hand that lay so helplessly
within her own. "I wish I could help, mon petit, but these are
just legends. Stories handed down from one generation to the
next. What is the boy's name?"
"Damien."
"I wish I could tell you what happened to this Damien. He
seems to mean a great deal to you. Do you love him?"
Jakob nodded, mutely.
"Love. It is a very powerful thing."
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Jakob's phone began to ring. He had no choice but to
answer it, withdrawing his hand in order to do so. It was
Albert, of course. Ready to be picked up and taken back to
the hotel. Reluctantly, he rose from the table.
"Forgive me. I am afraid that I must go. You have been
very gracious. I appreciate your hospitality very much." He
stood there for a moment, forlornly. He watched as the older
woman rose, as well, coming around the table and hugging
him.
"Believe in yourself, Jakob. And believe in Damien."
He returned her embrace. Attempted to smile. He turned
with the intention of leaving, when suddenly he was arrested
by the sound of the grandmother's voice.
"Wait! One moment. I just remembered something else. I
do not know if this will help you or not, but when they met,
these Dreammongers, at the Moulin Rouge, they had a special
meeting place, private, inside the nightclub."
Jakob digested this bit of information. He pursed his lips in
thought. "Private, as in members only? Or secret? Like no one
else knew about it?"
"Both, I think. A secret room where only certain people
were privileged to go. I don't know if that will help you or not,
but Godspeed, cherie. I hope you find your heart's desire."
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Chapter 12
Albert was in unusually good spirits when he got into the
Audi. In fact, he took the shotgun position in the front of the
vehicle, beside Jakob, rather than his usual place in the back
seat. Was he actually humming to himself? Jakob wondered.
He didn't ask, afraid that he might inadvertently spoil his
mood.
On the way back to their hotel, his cousin volunteered
information about the young man he had met. More
information than Jakob had ever thought of asking for. Or
wanting or needing. By the time Jakob left Albert at his room
in order to get some rest for the evening ahead, he could
practically write Philippe's biography. That was the man's
name. Philippe. And Albert was seeing him again tonight. At
the Moulin Rouge. Jakob was almost tempted to tell Albert
about Damien, as a sort of tit for tat, but he suppressed the
desire, deciding that discretion was still the better part of
valor.
Jakob felt a bit overwhelmed by everything that had
transpired that day. It had given him a great deal to think
about, and to tell Abram. But his excitement at the knowledge
he had acquired and it remained to be seen how useful this
information actually was was tempered by his not having
seen Damien. Not even once. That worried him. Worried him
very much.
He stretched out on the freshly made bed, kicking off his
shoes for now, as he called Abram. He described his entire
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day to his friend, step by step, omitting nothing. Other than
an occasional question, Abram said nothing, simply listened.
When Jakob had finished speaking, Abram cleared his
throat. "It sounds like the Moulin Rouge is at the heart of
everything, doesn't it? It can't be a coincidence that you are
going there tonight, I think. Hopefully you will be able to
solve this mystery and rescue your fair beauty as quickly as
possible."
There was something in Abram's voice that set Jakob's
nerves on edge. A sense of urgency that hadn't been there
before. "Is something wrong?" he asked. "You make it sound
like a matter of life and death. Do you know something that I
don't?"
There was a moment of hesitation. "I didn't want to
unnecessarily alarm you, but I've had a long talk with my
rabbi. He explained to me many things about dreams and
their importance. He believes that Damien is actually caught
up in an intermediate Dream World, one that is neither our
own, nor the actual place of dreams. A place where time has
stood still for him."
Jakob was relieved to know that Abram and his Rabbi both
believed Damien to be real. It bolstered his own sagging self-
confidence. And yet... "So why are you telling me to hurry? Is
something wrong?"
"Maybe so, yes. I told him about the crazy laughter, and
he thinks that it isn't necessarily another person, but it may
be indicative that this world is collapsing. The sooner you find
Damien and get him out, we think, the better, my friend."
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A shiver ran along Jakob's spine at his words. That did
make sense, though. Rather than somebody else simply
wandering into this place, threatening Damien's existence, it
was the entire structure of the world he temporarily
inhabited. The infrastructure was suffering the ravages of
time perhaps. Unless it was maybe tied to the sudden activity
of its sole occupant. There was just so much he didn't
understand about this rather unique situation.
But he also didn't have the time to learn everything about
it. Not now. His first priority had to be saving Damien before
it was too late.
"I've been worried about Damien," he blurted out his
confession with relief. "I'm afraid that something is wrong
with him."
"That isn't good," Abram clucked. "Do you have a reason
to be worried, something you haven't told me? Or is this more
of an intuition thing on your part? Which would be surprising
coming from you, but then again, not surprising, considering
the bond I think that exists between you now."
A bond. There definitely was a bond of some sort between
them. Of that Jakob was convinced. Whether he understood
the nature of it or not. And whether he understood his
feelings for the lovely blond young man or not. But that was
food for future ruminations, first things first. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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