She pushed off the wall and forced herself to go after him. She realized it was a bit like chasing a wild wolf. Theo was dangerous and unpredictable; he’d just proved that. Still, she couldn’t stop herself. “Wait a minute. You can’t just do that, say that . . . kiss me and then run away.”

He halted in the threshold of his bedroom doorway, back to her.

She stopped behind him. “Theo,” she repeated.

“I told you not to push me,” he said, his back to her.

“I just want to know what’s going on here. I’m confused. Turn around and talk to me.”

He stood there for a long moment, then simply stepped into his bedroom and closed the door in her face.

TWELVE

TWELVE

BAI LOOMED OVER HER, EYES RED. HIS BREATH smelled of old bones and hot blood.

Sarafina screamed and sat bolt upright in bed. Grosset cowered nearby.

Theo skidded to a stop in her doorway, his hair a tangle, wearing only a pair of boxers. He held a copper sword in his grip. “Where?”

Her breathing came harsh in the cool night air. Sarafina held out a hand, watching it tremble. “It was only a nightmare.” Her voice shook, too. “About Bai.”

“Fuck, Sarafina.” The words came out of Theo on a relieved sigh. He lowered his weapon.

She pushed a shaking hand through her pillow-mussed hair, then threw the blankets off of her and swung her feet to the floor. “I need a drink and I don’t mean Kool-Aid.”

“Don’t.”

She stopped in mid-motion. “Don’t? You’re not in a position to tell me what to do, Theo.” Now her voice trembled more from anger than fear. She hadn’t forgotten about his reaction to her earlier. She was also more than a tad riled from her nightmare. Being terrified and out of control pissed her off.

“Alcohol can impair your judgment and slow your reaction time. It can also make your mind more open to Bai’s influence.”

She sat back down on the bed, the thought making ice water course through her veins. “What?”

“You have to consider that the nightmare wasn’t just a nightmare.”

Great. Now she wouldn’t sleep for the rest of the night, maybe not for the rest of her life. “What? Like Freddy Krueger? They can do that?”

He nodded. “He can’t actually hurt you, Sarafina, but he can mind-fuck you.”

She ran a hand over her face. God, she was so tired. Grosset came to curl up next to her. “Unbelievable.”

Theo fidgeted in the doorway. “Are you all right?”

“Fantastic.”

“Do you think you can sleep anymore tonight?”

She snorted. “That would be a no.”

He leaned his forearm against the door frame and rested his head there. His voice was muffled when he spoke. “When I can’t sleep, I take a drive.”

“On your motorcycle?”