Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 248926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1245(@200wpm)___ 996(@250wpm)___ 830(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 248926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1245(@200wpm)___ 996(@250wpm)___ 830(@300wpm)
“That is the beauty of dreams, while dead, I can walk into them.” Pavel winked. “Does that not scare you a little, cousin?”
“You are not real.” I scanned the beach. “This is not real.”
Pavel smiled. “Should I be surprised that you were fucking a lioness? That is so Kazimir.”
“Get out of my fucking dream.” I glared. “Right now!”
Pavel curved his lips into a bittersweet smile. “Thank you for keeping Paolo.”
I tensed in horror and widened my eyes.
“That couple did not have good intentions.” The smile remained on Pavel’s face. He placed his hands behind his back. “While they would not have physically or sexually abused my son, they would not have loved him either. Not like your mouse.”
I raised my hands and held the sides of my head. “I need to wake up. That is it.”
“I will not let you.” Pavel gazed up at the moon. “That is the beauty of death and the dream state. They are cousins just like us.”
“No. No.” Fast, I turned around and walked away. “Leave me the fuck alone.”
Pavel appeared in front of me. “You always were a stubborn beast.”
I stopped.
Two feet ran between us.
Thunder rumbled. Lightning slashed the sky, and the air charged with cold energy.
“Unfortunately for you, we are linked by blood, by love. This is different than your other slain enemies.” Pavel gave me a sad smile. “They cannot haunt you, but I can.”
“You cannot.”
“I have. I will, and I am.” He leaned his head to the side. “Did you enjoy my light show? I did not want to scare you too much.”
“I want you to leave me alone.”
“Trust me when I say this. I have been nice.” He shrugged. “In these past days, there are things I could have brought to your dreams that would have made you slice your eyelids open so that you would never sleep.”
Fear sliced through my body.
“But I saw your days ahead. I knew you would already be stressed.” Pavel frowned. “I saw all the blood. The bombs. The fire. Your pain.”
I shivered.
“Then, I saw your mouse and her love.” Pavel let out a long breath. “I saw Paolo’s smiles—wide and happy, even though war thundered around him.”
I widened my eyes.
“Therefore, I let you sleep.”
I inched back. “What do you want now? Why did you come?”
“Baba is right about the future, cousin.” Pavel’s eyes glowed bright white. “The future is beautiful.”
Thousands of colorful images played along the sky like movies. In one, I was dressed in a tuxedo and kissing Emily. She wore a beautiful white gown. In another, I soothed a crying baby in my arms.
I lifted my view higher. “Is this. . .my life?”
More images streaked the sky—I handed a huge box of pink cigars to Maxwell, chuckling at some secret joke. Higher up, Misha strolled toward me with his ballerina whose stomach swelled in late pregnancy. Further away, Emily laughed as she playfully wrestled with a tall, lanky Paolo and a huge Harlem barked at them, trying to jump into the brawl.
My heart pumped faster.
I did my best to take it all in.
In another image, Emily was pregnant again, posing for a picture. At her side, she held a young boy’s small hand. He had a light brown complexion. Tiny black curls outlined his face.
“Is . .” I pointed that way. “Is that my son, Pavel?”
A new image caught me, a young woman with caramel skin held an old man’s hand as he lay in bed. The man looked close to death, yet he wore a huge smile. She kissed his wrinkled forehead and hummed a song.
I gasped, realizing that this man was me.
My eyes watered. “Who. . .is that holding my hand?”
“Choices shift destiny, Kazimir.”
I put my view on Pavel. “Who was that? My daughter or. . .granddaughter?”
“Tomorrow, you will try to kill Fela before he even reaches your mouse.”
I gritted my teeth.
“I caution against this.”
In the sky, fire replaced all of the images. Flames painted the sky. Smoke billowed around us, and screams filled the air.
I hugged myself.
Pavel frowned. “Fela will not let you break that promise. If you do not let him peacefully surrender, then he will show you the tricks that he has up his sleeve. They are deadly.”
“But, how could he stop me?”
“It does not matter. Understand that you will not win this war with aggression.”
“Then, how?”
“Your mouse. Let her keep the promise as you let her keep Paolo.”
I sighed. “But, will she be in danger?”
“She will be in danger. I won’t lie to you. But the danger will be her against herself.”
“What?”
“That is another dream for another night—”
“Do not come back to my dreams!” I yelled.
“My feelings are hurt.” Pavel laughed. “You would rather fuck lions than talk to me?”
I scowled. “Tell me how to protect Emily.”
“Let Fela surrender in peace. Give him what he desires—”
“He deserves a violent death.”