Dream Warriors 1 - Gareth Read online

  Praise for the writing of Cyndi Friberg

  Dream Warriors 1: Gareth

  Ancient mythology peppered with contemporary humor, tender and passionate romance with an occasional tantalizing glimpse inside the bad guys’s bedrooms…in Cyndi Friberg’s latest book, dreams are getting hotter by the minute!

  -- Daria Karpova, author of Loose Diamonds (Loose Id)

  Cyndi Friberg has done it again with the start of her Dream Warriors series. Gareth and Meagan suck you into their world. A fast and enjoyable read!

  -- Kally Jo Surbeck, author of For The Love Of… (Loose Id)

  The debut of Gareth, Cyndi Friberg’s latest offering from Loose Id, proves she is an author to watch. Where Born of the Shadows takes plot and characters from the Biblical story of creation, Gareth brazenly borrows from Greek mythology. Ms. Friberg’s unique interpretation of familiar characters -- with the addition of her own -- is the setting for an exciting, plot-driven, yet very erotic romance that will thoroughly engage the reader’s senses.

  -- Kate Douglas, author of Wolf Tales 3: Anton (Changeling Press)

  Owner of a Lonely Heart

  Owner of a Lonely Heart was exhilarating. The suspense kept me on the edge of my chair waiting anxiously for the story to play out. I think Ms. Friberg has a definite winner with this and would recommend to those who love romantic suspense books.

  -- Sheryl, reviewer for Coffee Time Romance

  Owner of a Lonely Heart is a page-turner. With several surprising plot twists, Ms. Friberg keeps the reader guessing until the end. The main characters are well-written and believable as two people Fate had to bring together, and not just on the dining room table. If you like novels you must read straight through, start to finish, this one is for you.

  -- Rayne Forrest, author of Across Time (Loose Id)

  Owner of a Lonely Heart is now available from Loose Id

  DREAM WARRIORS 1:

  GARETH

  Cyndi Friberg

  Warning

  This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

  * * * * *

  This book is rated:

  Contains explicit sexual content and graphic language.

  Dream Warriors 1: Gareth

  Cyndi Friberg

  This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Published by

  Loose Id LLC

  1802 N Carson Street, Suite 212-29

  Carson City NV 89701-1215

  www.loose-id.com

  Copyright © 2004 by Cyndi Friberg

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including, but not limited to printing, photocopying, faxing, or emailing without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC.

  ISBN 1-59632-013-3

  Available in Adobe PDF, HTML, MobiPocket, and MS Reader

  Printed in the United States of America

  Editor: Maryam Salim

  Cover Artist: April Martinez

  www.loose-id.com

  Chapter One

  Elysian Fields

  Gareth pulled the supple body of the young woman into the bend of his own. Mortals responded to death in different ways. Some wept. Some screamed, bemoaning the injustice of all they had failed to accomplish; and some -- like this woman -- wanted one last taste of what they were leaving behind. He pushed her hair aside, fastening his mouth onto her neck, sucking firmly, while he caressed her soft skin. They lay on their sides in the fragrant grass, sunlight warming their naked bodies. Spooning, he’d heard this called. Such a silly name for something so erotic.

  And eroticism was Gareth’s life, his sustenance, his purpose for existence.

  She squirmed restlessly, her nicely rounded bottom teasing his aching erection. He cupped her breast, enjoying the contour and firm resilience. Her nipple peaked as he rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. She arched into his caress, increasing the pressure against his palm and grinding her buttocks against him.

  “Please, you’re driving me crazy.”

  She panted out the words and Gareth smiled. Mission accomplished. Slipping his fingers beneath her knee, he raised her leg, pushing it up and toward her chest. His shaft had no trouble finding her entrance. Her hot, liquid response eased the way. He loved sinking into a woman slowly, allowing her to feel his thickness and length as he stretched the walls of her sheath. The woman in front of him trembled, moaning loudly once he impaled her completely.

  He hooked her ankle over his thigh, keeping her open as he stroked the silken plane of her belly. Her feminine curls were damp, praise to his skill and caring. He explored her tender folds, amazed at how tightly she stretched to take him.

  “I want to feel your pleasure. Don’t move. Just let me touch you.” He whispered the words into her ear and searched until his fingers found her swollen nub. Oh, yes. How he loved this incredible little gift from Aphrodite. His job would be so much more difficult without it. He circled her gently, knowing she didn’t need much stimulation to lose control.

  He rocked forward while increasing the pressure of his fingers. Her core rippled, squeezing him tightly and she shook in his arms.

  “Very nice. Can you do it again?”

  “I could do this forever.” She laughed. “You’re amazing.”

  He was still hard and throbbing within her, so he didn’t remind her that this was a one-time only offer. As soon as Rhadamanthys officially admitted her to the Elysian Fields, her libido would dissipate. She’d be at peace, content, happy, but never…horny. Poor thing.

  “Gareth.”

  Someone spoke his name from behind him, but he ignored it. He started moving in the woman, reveling in the sweet friction of her clinging sheath.

  “Gareth. You have to come now.”

  “I’m working on it,” he snapped, thrusting faster.

  “We have an emergency. Morpheus sent me to find you.”

  “I’m a little busy right now!”

  “Just hurry up. The team is assembling.”

  Rolling the woman to her stomach, Gareth raised her hips and thrust in earnest. She clawed at the grass and bucked against him, but he was frustrated. He hated to be rushed and he hated to be watched -- usually.

  He triggered her orgasm with his mind and left her sprawled in the grass, sated. Gareth never left a woman unfulfilled. But he wanted to strangle the winged messenger who hovered just beyond his reach. Pulling his tunic on over his head, he glared at Hermes. “This better be important. I was just getting into that.”

  “So I noticed. Don’t worry, my friend. She won’t remember you in the morning.”

  “That’s supposed to appease me?”

  “You’re not a god.” Hermes shot him a sardonic smile. “I wasn’t trying to appease you.”

  “So, why the summons?” Gareth raked both hands through his damp hair, offering it to the breeze. “Morpheus has assembled the whole team? This can’t be good.”

  Hermes shrugged, the tiny wings on his hat flapping. “I’m just the messenger.”

  The Grand Hall of Morpheus was the command center for the world of dreams. Dreams transcended time, place and imagination, but they i
nfluenced mortals far more than any human realized. Wars had been won and lost in the realm of dreams, brilliant inventions born, and unspeakable horrors vanquished while mortals slumbered, unaware.

  Morpheus moved effortlessly between substance and shadow, his form appeared and disappeared with the flick of a thought. Long, flowing robes shimmered around his tall, lithe body, creating a nimbus, a golden aura, making it impossible to see his features. Only his eyes, startling in their intensity, shone like obsidian in his shadowy face.

  He looked up from the reflection pool as Gareth entered the hall. “The others have come and gone, dispatched to their assignments. Where were you?”

  Gareth glanced behind him, but Hermes hadn’t followed him into the hall. “Comforting a new arrival, as is my duty.”

  Morpheus laughed. “Comforting the new arrivals is a perk, not a duty. You’re a Dream Warrior. Try not to forget it.”

  “I’ve not forgotten what I am,” Gareth stressed. “What do you require of me?”

  “We’ve got an incubus on the loose. I thought the damn things were extinct, but this one’s nasty and agile. He’s easy enough to track; we just look for the victims he leaves behind. But we’ve got to anticipate his next move if we hope to stop him.”

  “What is my mission?”

  “Not what, who.”

  Gareth clasped his hands behind his back, impatient and restless. It had been a long time since he’d been dispatched on such an important case. He was a little rusty, but he was looking forward to the fight. “Who is my assignment?”

  Morpheus waved his hand across the surface of the reflecting pool, revealing a young woman. “His latest victim.”

  “What! I’m a warrior. I want to fight, not play nursemaid to some wounded mortal.”

  “We have yet to determine the full scope of the damage, but distortions are rippling out along the timeline, changing it even as we speak. The attacks could be random, but I doubt it. The distortion wouldn’t be this intense. The incubus terrorized this woman so badly she won’t leave her apartment and is about to lose her job. You are fighting the creature by playing nursemaid to the woman.”

  Gareth crossed his brawny arms over his chest and looked at the mortal. Huddled in a chair, with a fuzzy blanket tucked around her legs, her wide, blood-shot eyes stared unseeingly at a television. He glowered at his boss. “Why me?”

  “Gee, I don’t know. Maybe because the nymphs sigh whenever you walk by and I heard that new arrival crying out her pleasure all the way in here.” Morpheus waved his hand dismissively. “You have exactly the skills I need for this particular assignment. Hermes knows the way.”

  Gareth turned to go, but Morpheus’ laughter brought him up short.

  “Oh, and Gareth,” Morpheus said. “Be gentle. She’s a virgin.”

  Chapter Two

  Seattle, Washington

  Sleep had become her enemy. Meagan Addison splashed cold water on her face, waiting for the shock to clear her mind. It didn’t help. As she patted her skin with a towel, her reflection stared back, daunted and afraid. Purple shadows circled her eyes. Whiskey eyes, her father had called them, after the beverage he loved more than life itself.

  Three weeks. She’d slept in sporadic fragments for three weeks, terrified that each time she closed her eyes the creature would return. Her supervisor had called twice, the second time sounding more annoyed than concerned.

  What was she going to do?

  “Call a shrink and explain that you’ve lost your mind?” she asked her reflection. Would that make these…incidents any less real?

  Flipping off the bathroom light, she wandered into her living room. Her apartment wasn’t large, but it had a fabulous view of Elliot Bay; and she could walk to work. If she still had a job when she vanquished this imaginary demon.

  The television droned, but she didn’t bother looking at the picture. She hadn’t turned the channel in two days. How did you fight a nightmare? That’s all this was, a vivid nightmare. She shuddered. Even now she felt the clammy hands and smelled the fetid breath as the monster -- stop it! Thinking about it only made it worse, imprinted the images on her brain.

  So tired she could hardly move, she sat on the sofa, then lay on her side, pillowing her head on her hands. She had to stay awake! Blinking repeatedly, she fought to keep the room in focus. She couldn’t fall asleep no matter how exhausted she felt. She had to…

  * * * * *

  Gareth’s heart tightened as he stared down at the mortal woman. She was tiny, almost child-like. The damage left behind by the incubus was obvious, not only in her fatigued body, but her weary soul. The shimmering vitality and spark of ingenuity that should have glowed within her were all but extinguished by the demonic leech.

  His orders were simple. Repair the damage. Restore her self-confidence and help her deal with the subconscious violation. Gareth must erode the memory of the incubus, combat terror with peace, pain with pleasure.

  He sank into her mind, constructing the illusion with effortless skill. Something sweet and romantic for this tortured angel. A massive tester bed, damask hangings and the soft glow of candlelight. The faint smell of a crackling fire and fresh flowers in a vase on the nightstand.

  Stretching out on the bed beside her, he commanded their clothing to disappear. His breath lodged in his throat. She was lovely, exquisitely feminine. This was no child, despite her diminutive form. High firm breasts, crowned with deep rose nipples. Dramatically tapered at the waist, her torso gave way to rounded hips. Her legs definitely warranted further investigation.

  How to begin.

  As much as he enjoyed the play of candlelight across her naked flesh, he knew she couldn’t be nude when he drew her awareness into the illusion. A white linen gown with buttons down the front, perfect for a virgin. He smiled as he thought of Morpheus’ parting shot. Was it true? Was she truly chaste? Excitement gathered, heating his blood, speeding his respiration. In all his years of existence, the opportunities to partake of virgin energy had been few and far between.

  He slipped his arm under her neck and covered her mouth with his. Her lips were warm and giving, but she didn’t respond to the light kiss. “Meagan, my love, come to me.”

  Tilting her head, he slid his mouth across hers, nibbling gently on her lower lip.

  She rolled toward him, her arm rising to circle his neck. Her fingers threaded through his hair, pulling him closer. Her mouth parted, allowing his tongue entrance. He went slowly, caressing her lips, tracing her teeth and finally delving fully into the warm cavity of her mouth.

  Moaning softly, she tore her mouth from his and opened her eyes. Hazy and confused, her gaze searched his face, but she remained in his embrace. Thank the gods, she didn’t push him away.

  “Who are you?” she murmured. “Where am I?”

  “I am Gareth and you are in my arms.”

  “This is a dream…it has to be a dream, but you seem so real.” Using his shoulders for leverage, she lifted up and looked around. “That creature. Is it here? Is it --“

  “You’re safe, Meagan. That’s why I’m here.”

  Her breath escaped in an audible whoosh and she relaxed against him. “Then, I didn’t imagine it? It was real?” Suddenly, she sat and crawled as far away as the bed would allow. “What am I saying? You’re not real. Oh, God, I’ve completely lost it.”

  “The creature is called an incubus, and you didn’t imagine it.”

  She laughed, a short, sharp burst of sound. “I’m so comforted to know my delusions acknowledge each other. It makes being loony so much easier.”

  “Meagan, the incubus left marks on your body. No delusion can bruise your flesh. It is a real entity, it’s just not corporeal.”

  Meagan stared at the naked man reclining in her imaginary bed and blessed her subconscious for the reprieve. The other dreams had been violent, terrifying, degrading. This was amazing by comparison. Gareth looked like he’d strolled right off a romance novel cover and into this bizarre dream.
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br />   Muscular shoulders and a rippling abdomen led her curious gaze to his lean hips. He’d haphazardly pulled the covers over his lower body, but her imagination had no trouble filling in the blanks. One well defined arm supported his head, his elbow propped against the bed. Long and dark brown, like the finest mink, his hair hung nearly to the mattress.

  “Well, you’re a welcome change,” she said softly. “Especially if you keep that other thing away.”

  He smiled and flutters filled her belly. Boy, was he easy on the eyes.

  “Come here.” He sat up, the covers slipping precariously low across his lap.

  She hesitated. Talking to him was soothing. Why did he have to spoil it? “Can’t we just talk?”

  “Sorry. I’m here for a reason and I can’t accomplish my mission with you way over there.”

  “Your mission? What’s your mission?”

  He caught her wrist and pulled her toward him. His light green gaze caressed her face. “You can’t live in the shadow of the incubus. I’m going to help you move beyond what happened to you.”

  Tugging against his hold, panic tore through her. “You don’t know what you’re saying. You don’t know what that thing did to me! I…please, I can’t…”

  His strong arms wrapped around her, molding her against his naked chest. Shudders shook her, but no tears came. For three solid days after the first attack, she’d done nothing but cry. She simply had no tears left.

  “I will not hurt you, Meagan. I would never hurt you. But you cannot live the rest of your life afraid of your own body.”

  “I’m not afraid of my body,” she objected.

  “Then let me touch you. Let me show you the pleasure you were meant to feel.”