Dream Weaver

I've reworked this story, renamed it and now I am reposting. I hope you enjoy it.

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Chapter One

Music pulsed through the air. It seemed to vibrate amidst the crystals of the chandelier in the front hall and reverberate against the wall sconces as the man in black walked by them. He sighed and rolled his dark green eyes.

His skin was pale, made to look more so by the long, shiny locks of black hair that swirled around his wide shoulders. He stared around the ballroom and searched for one person. The room was crowded and the men seemed to draw back from him, while the women seemed drawn to him. They arched their backs and preened as his eyes rested on them.

He paid little attention to any of them. The heels of his motorcycle boots clicked loudly on the parquet floor, the reflection of his duster-covered form shining in the wide mirrors that surrounded the room. He was almost through the ballroom and had opened the terrace doors. There were more of the same strangely dressed people stomping through his intricately planted gardens.

"Celesta." He could feel the anger as it built inside of him and he spun to search across the sea of black clad, pale-faced strangers. He searched for a sleek blonde in red. She always wore red. She said it was her signature color, something that she wanted people to think of when they saw it. Another growl began in his gut when he finally saw her. She had her bare arm in the arm of a man who held the leash of a naked girl and tugged her along behind them.

He ignored the girl and the man and strode right up to Celesta. He grabbed her arm and stopped her progress through the room. "What have I told you, Celesta?"

Her brown eyes, eyes that had been warm with laughter at the man she captivated, grew hard and cold. "You can't expect me to stay here for hours and hours without something to do, Chal. I can't just twiddle my fingers and wait for you to remember I'm here."

There was a distinct whine in her voice, despite the hardness in her eyes. She glared up at him and waited for him to back down as he had so many times before.

"Then I think it is time for us to part ways, Celesta." His voice was just as cold. "I shall settle an account for you, a substantial amount until you can find another man." He turned away though he turned back only once. He saw the triumph in her eyes, a fleeting impression that disappeared quickly. "Get them out!"

The man who had courted Celesta tugged on the leash of the girl. Chal felt a spurt of fury and he reached out to grab the man by the collar and lifted him off his feet. He glared at the man. "How do you like it?" Then he grabbed the leash and then dropped the man on his ass. It was a spur of the moment decision, one that he knew was the right thing to do. "Everybody! OUT!!"

The exodus was quick. The word spread even more quickly to the people in the garden. Chal heard the sound of his expensive planters being broken into shards of pottery. He didn't want to even know what the plants in those planters would look like. He made a mental note to call his gardener. It would be worth his time and money to have Celesta out of his life and out of his home.

"Wait, Chal!"

He heard her but he didn't care to hear what she had to say. Celesta had been with him long enough to know that when he made up his mind, he wasn't going to change it and there wasn't a thing she could do or say to change that.

"Chal! I'm not Selena. I can't wait for you to share a piece of yourself, which you never do..." She grabbed hold of his arm and stopped him in mid stride. "Chal, talk to me. Don't you know how I feel about you?"

Chal stared down at her hand and forced her to remove it from his arm with just a look. "I know how you feel about my money and about what I can do for you in bed. I don't need either anymore." He didn't raise his voice and the softness of his tone sounded even more threatening than if he had yelled at her.

"I'll tell!" She was desperate and grew more so as he began to walk away from her again.

He stopped so quickly that the girl ran into his back. Her exclamation of surprise was drowned out by the sound of his leather duster. It snapped as he turned. He stared down into her face and saw her pretty blue eyes grow wide and she flinched back. "I won't hurt you. But you are completely another matter, Celesta. You know what will happen if you do and you also know that I am not afraid of any consequences. Do not threaten me. I will give you half an hour to pack your bags. Rodney and Giselle will be watching you as you do, then Rodney will take you into town and pay for a motel for you to stay in."

Celesta's face was pale and tears streamed from her eyes. Mascara ran right along with it and fear was rampant, making her pant. She gulped unsteadily, but then regained her composure. "So what...you're going to fuck her instead of me? What do you think she'll say when she finds out what you are?"

"I think that compared to what your boyfriend was doing to her, she'll probably figure she traded up, where, if you run to him, you're definitely diving into the shallower end of the gene pool." He smirked, a sly twist of his lush lower lip. "Thirty minutes, Celesta. Anything you forget, I'll give to a home for abused women. Now get out!"

Celesta sagged against the man who once held the leash. "Who are you to threaten her?" His bellow echoed against the massive stone walls.

Celesta gasped. "No, Donnie, don't provoke him."

Donnie hugged her. "Shush little one. You have no right to speak to her in such a manner." He poked his index finger into Chal's chest to emphasize his words. "She is a lady. Show some respect."

Chal grabbed his fist and twisted it easily until the man screamed with the pain. He stared at him, at his face contorted in pain and felt absolutely nothing. "If you think she is such a lady, take her with you. She'll prove you wrong, but I'm more than happy for you to take the bitch." The wrist snapped in his grip and he pushed Donnie away and then sent Celesta backwards when she came at him with nails bared. "Twenty minutes, Celesta. You might want to save your energy to get your shit together." Chal wrapped his arm around the naked girl's waist and urged her to walk with him.

He didn't stop again and ignored Celesta's crying and Donnie's empty threats of legal actions that would be filed against Chal. Instead, he walked to the big curved stairway and slowly mounted the oak risers. His boots sounded loud on the stairs but the girl just padded along beside him, her bare feet silent. He hesitated for just a moment at the top and glanced down the hall toward his master bedroom. Celesta would be headed there for the things he'd allowed her to bring into his room. He wasn't in any mood to deal with any more of her tantrums. Instead he turned the other way and pulled the girl into a room bigger than a normal bedroom.

This room held shelf upon shelf of beautifully bound books. A fire stirred lazily in the fireplace and a tray sat upon the wide desk. It held both a crystal decanter of his favorite whisky and a small pot of chocolate, left to stay warm on the tiny flame of a candle. Chal shook his head. Rodney was amazing. The man seemed psychic but he refused to tell Chal if he held some kind of supernatural power. He'd learned not to ask, just to enjoy having what he wanted before he wanted it.

He turned to the girl and saw that she still stood in the doorway, her head bowed. Her hands were cuffed, chained to the collar at her neck. He walked toward her and picked up the warm scarlet robe that Rodney had left for her. The girl flinched then forced herself to not stir as Chal reached up to release her wrists. A small gold lock held the collar to her throat and he twisted it. It broke easily under his powerful grip. When it was open and the collar fell to the ground, the girl glanced up at him than quickly bowed her head again when he went to touch her.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He spoke softly, his tone that of a man that faced an injured wild animal. It was soft and calm and it soothed her. He could see her relax her taut muscles. He stroked his hand through the short length of her silky curls. They were as black as his and the curls twined around his fingers. "Are you cold?"

"Y-yes."

Chal smiled at the sound of her voice. "What's your name?"

She quickly thrust her arms into the warmth of the heavy robe, but she hesitated when she reached for the tie. "May I sir?"

"Yes." He sighed. She didn't trust him. She acted like that wild animal. She was easy to spook and untrusting of anything he might do for her. "I'm not like him, you don't need to ask me for anything. Please, tell me your name?"

"What would you like it to be, sir?" Her slender hands moved over the soft material of the robe and a small smile touched her lips but disappeared when she realized that he watched her.

Chal took her hand and tugged her over to the long sofa. It was plush leather and very comfortable. He'd spent some of his daytime hours on that sofa, a book in his hands. She sank down onto it and then ran her hand over the soft leather. "I'd like to know the name that was given to you at birth."

The girl chewed on her lower lip and snuck quick glances his way. "My name is...Bliss"

"That's a pretty name. Bliss do you have family close by?" Chal spoke her name slowly and watched as her eyes dropped. She began to shake and her face grew even paler. "No one is going to hurt you here, Bliss I promise that."

Bliss swallowed hard and she clasped her hands together to stop their shaking. "My...My f-father sold me to t-that man. He brought m-me from o-overseas."

"Your father sold you?" It wasn't the first time he'd heard of something like that but it still angered him. Bliss was a tiny thing and her head reached barely to his shoulder. He knew she was slender but with curves that definitely spoke of being a woman. He saw the tear that slipped down her cheek and reached out to catch it on his thumb. "I won't send you back, Bliss. You could stay here, with me, if you'd like."

Her hands rose and wiped at her eyes. She glanced over at him again. "Stay here with you like I was with him?"

Chal shook his head and reached out to gently touch her cheek. He turned her face so that she would look at him. "No Bliss. Not if you don't want that. I would never do anything to you that would hurt or demean you. I would have you stay as a companion. You would be safe and cared for here."

Bliss stared at him and confusion made her brows furl. "Why? I'm a nobody, a-a nothing? Why would you take me in?" She seemed to realize that she stared at him and she dropped her gaze back to her hands. When he lifted his hand to touch her, she flinched back as if she expected to be hit.

Chal lifted her chin again and forced her to look at him. "You are not a nobody, Bliss. Besides, I have this huge house and with Celesta gone, I'll be here alone. You'll actually be a lifesaver. Rodney and Giselle are constantly on me about not having enough people in the house. As long as you don't have parties like Celesta threw, we'll have no problems, Bliss"

"And...and you won't talk to my father?"

"No." He smiled down at her. "I will never do anything you don't want." His hand reached out and he let the back of his knuckles touch and then stroked the soft skin of her cheeks. "Did he hurt you?"

Bliss's cheeks grew rosy and her eyes dropped.

"What is it? Tell me?"

"He...he raped me." Her words were whispered and her hands fell to her lap and clasped almost desperately as if to stop their shaking.

"Was he your first, Bliss?"

She nodded and he felt a spurt of anger that made him wish he'd broken a lot more bones then one in Donnie's chubby body. He rose and went to stand in front of the fire. He tossed in another log and pushed it around with the poker. He went to the tray and poured himself a big drink. It went down in one swallow. He turned and hurled the glass into the fireplace where it seemed to blow up. The curse that left his lips was foul and he regretted it as soon as he turned and looked down at her.

"I'm sorry." The words tumbled from his lips and he sank down next to her. "How old are you, Bliss?"

"Nineteen." The word was mumbled and if it wasn't for Chal's excellent supernatural hearing, he wouldn't have been able to understand her.

"So young to be treated so harshly." He rose again and went to the pot of chocolate and poured a cupful for her. He added a couple of Giselle's cookies and handed it to her. "When was the last time you ate?" He watched as she bit hungrily into one of them.

"Yesterday." Her mouth was full and she hid her lips from his eyes with a hastily raised hand. "He only fed me once a day."

He managed to keep his anger under control this time, but he did get her a couple more cookies. "I'll have Giselle fix you something, Bliss"

She took a sip of the chocolate and her eyes grew wide. "Is this real chocolate?"

Chal grinned. "Yes, Giselle has a fondness for it."

"It's good." She dipped her head again and then it was as if she suddenly realized that he wouldn't hurt her, not in the way that Donnie had. Her head lifted and she glanced his way before she took another sip of her drink. "Who are you?"

Chal tossed his head back and laughed. "I'm sorry, my lady. I should have introduced myself immediately." He rose and took her slender hand to bow gracefully over it. "I am Chal Harris, at your service."

"C-could I ask another question?"

"Anything."

"What did that woman mean?"

"Which woman?" Chal tried to buy a bit of time. He almost burst out laughing as he saw her expression. It was the perfect moue of a woman who thought she was being patronized.

"The blonde in the red dress, you know, the one that you were arguing with?"

"Ahh, her. Yes, we were arguing. I'd grown tired of the constant stream of party followers that interrupted the quiet in my house all of the time. I grew to hate the parties and the fact that she grew ever easier to give them at my expense."

"You don't like partying?"

"An occasional night out is great. Tripping on Les's dogs just doesn't do anything for me. People like your Donnie seem to always follow Celesta wherever she goes." He tipped his head to the side and his green eyes studied her carefully. "I've been trying to place your accent. It's light but I hear just the touch of an Irish brogue. Am I right?"

"My father, aye, he is a native, born and bred. My mother was American. She'd married da before realizing what kind of man he was. She tried to get away from him but he refused to let me go with her. I was born in the United States before da made us move back. I had dual citizenship." She lifted her mug and took a quick sip before she looked at him. Then her eyes widened as she realized what she'd told him.

Chal laughed. "I've been told I have a way of ferreting out information before people even know their talking. But don't worry, Bliss, I won't use anything you tell me against you. I want you to learn to trust me. We're going to be good friends." He reached out again. He just couldn't keep his hand to himself. It was a first for him and he found her infinitely intriguing. "You're, what's the term...Black Irish?"

Chal slid his hand down the length of her arm and held her hand. With little thought of what he was doing, he pulled a tiny bit of energy from her and smiled.

"Aye." She yawned, the heat of the chocolate made her sleepy. "My da, he was the same. When my ma died, da was all I had left."

"And now you have me." He slid his fingers against the softness of her skin. "You should eat before you go to sleep."

She shook her head and let her cheek rest against his hand. "I'm tired."

"Bliss, I'm going to pick you up. I don't want you to be afraid of me."

"Not afraid." Her words were whispered. When he picked her up, she snuggled into his chest and let her head rest against his neck. He smelled good, sweet and spicy though he wasn't all that warm. "You won't hurt me."

"No, I won't."

"Mm, hmm." She snuggled against him and her arms came up to wrap around his neck. She mumbled something else that was pretty unintelligible. He pushed open the door to the hallway and saw the door into his bedroom was open and Rodney was just coming out of the one that had been Celesta's. It had connecting doors into his room.

"Giselle is changing the sheets, sir. I told her earlier but she didn't want her highness to throw a fit about something that was an order of yours. We have it pretty well cleaned out. I didn't think the little one would care to wear any of her clothing."

"Rodney, how did I ever survive without you?"

"I've been asking you that for years, sir."

Chal chuckled. "True, you have. Miss Bliss has been through a pretty rough experience."

"Yes, sir. She has. That man was a poster child for legalizing abortion." Rodney held open the door into Celesta's old room, now Bliss's. Giselle was leaning over the bed, changing pillow cases. Celesta's blood red satin sheets were on the floor at her feet. She pulled the thick comforter down as well as the silky soft Egyptian cotton sheets.

"Might I burn those, sir?" She nodded at the hated sheets that were all Celesta would have.

"I never realized how little you two liked Celesta." He laid Bliss down on the bed and lifted her feet to put them under the covers. Then he pulled the covers up to her neck and tucked her in. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"It was not our place, sir."

Chal gave Rodney a look that spoke volumes to the man. "Next time, please don't hesitate."

Rodney chuckled. "I told you, Giselle."

"Rodney, remind me to never bet against you." Giselle reached into the plain black skirt she wore and handed Rodney the five dollars they'd bet.

"Oh come on, Giselle. How many times have you said that and you know he won't remind you? He considers you easy money." Chal waved the couple out and picked up one of the satin pillowcases that had escaped Giselle's arms. He closed the bedroom door until it was just cracked. The dim light of the hallway shone in that crack and highlighted the shadows under her eyes and the hollows in her cheeks. "Giselle, listen for her, would you?"

"You're leaving sir?"

"It's been a very long three weeks, Giselle. I need to feed. I won't be out all night." He bent and kissed her cheek and then tapped Rodney softly on the back. "Thank you, both of you." Then he strode down the hallway and slipped out the French doors at the end and jumped lithely over the balustrade. The night air touched his cheeks, the moon reflected in the green of his eyes.

He closed them and breathed deeply as he searched with his senses for what he needed. When he opened them, his eyes glowed. His lips parted and his canines elongated until they rested against his lower lips. What he became could have been thought of as a monster, but the victim he had in mind wouldn't mind what he looked like. She would be as anxious as he was. He could almost taste her on the breeze. He blurred and moved so fast that the normal human eyes wouldn't be able to see him.

She was ripe, her desire like a drug to him. She opened the window on the second floor of her house and he jumped easily up to push himself through. She lay on the bed, her legs curled under her, her eyes glazed with passion. She held up her arms. "I want you."

Chal smiled. "Yes, you do." Then he covered her body with his own.   I hope you enjoyed it. Remember, voting and commenting are important to those of us putting our work out there. Take care all