Tempted by Elise Marion Read Free Book Online

once she was on the other side of the door. “You’ll be seeing me again, Jackson Bennett.”

 
    Chapter 7: Dark Dreams
     
    Jackson slammed the door shut and leaned up against it. It wasn’t until he had gone completely still that he realized his heart was racing a mile a minute. He pressed his hand to his chest until he had calmed before he made his way back over to the couch.
    He sat there for an hour, staring at a blank spot on the wall. He had stepped out onto the balcony to clear his head and try to chase away his crippling nightmares. He had stepped into something else entirely.
    He wasn’t sure if he should be thrilled because he had discovered something phenomenal, or terrified because somehow he was involved in something he hadn’t even been sure existed. It wasn’t everyday one was told they were chosen especially by God for something special. It wasn’t everyday a guy found out he was being targeted by demons because of this special invitation.
    Is that where the voices came from, he wondered? No one else knew about the voices. No one else knew about the attacks that left him breathless and lying on the floor, wishing for death. No one knew but Sarah.
    Somehow she knew things about him. He had a feeling that if he spent much more time with her, she would discover more. It was in the way those eyes of hers seemed to burn their way through him. He knew that in a span of a few minutes, she would know everything there was to know about him. That was the most dangerous aspect of the whole situation. That someone could force him to face the ghosts of his past terrified Jackson to death. That he should have to face the things that haunted him in order to accept his destiny frightened him even more.
    He’d done the right thing by pushing her away, he decided. Jackson was sinking like he was standing on quicksand. Even angels weren’t safe from being dragged down into the mire with him. It would be better for them both if he continued on the way he had been.
    With that in mind, he rose from his position on the couch. It was only 3 a.m. He could still get a few hours of sleep before it was time for little Jack to be at school. Since he had spilled his entire vodka bottle on the balcony, he would have to try to attempt sleep sober. As he stripped out of his clothes and fell into bed, he knew that sleep would come easily. His encounter with Sarah had left him completely drained. Staying asleep wasn’t going to be a problem tonight.
     
     
     
     
    Among the twinkling stars, against the midnight-blue sky, was Sarah’s destination. She slowed to a stop, hovering in mid-space, in front of what would look like a planet to any unsuspecting astronaut. Sarah knew better. As she stared at the black and white striped sphere, her wings keeping her afloat, she hoped that she would get what she’d come for. It was important to her assignment.
    The hovering orb quivered and quaked for a moment before morphing from its round shape. Within seconds Sarah was face to face with Leliel, Angel of the Night. He remained vigilantly at his post, the guardian between heaven, earth, and hell, a conductor of all things spiritual. This included dreams, Jackson’s dreams to be precise, the reason Sarah had come.
    Leliel’s glowing eyes were bright enough to counter any star, a stark contrast to his shimmering, transparent form. Silvery-white hair billowed around his shoulders, and his chiseled features were beautiful enough to rival any marble-carved statue. His face was expressionless as he turned his glowing eyes on Sarah.
    “ Sarah,” his voice boomed through the night. “Why have you come?”
    “ I wish to ask a favor of you. I need access to a human’s dreams.”
    Sarah knew that visiting Leliel was risky. The angel was a solitary being, one without any connection to or feeling for anyone, human or angel. His only loyalty was to his position, and that did not include allowing Sarah access to anyone’s dreams. Visiting him was