Page 44 of Shattering Dawn
“No, Amelia, the problem is that I give other people nightmares.”
“That’s hard to believe.”
“Trust me, you do not want to run the experiment to find out if I’m telling you the truth.”
She tilted her head slightly to one side. “Why do you give other people nightmares?”
Gideon groaned. “Let’s save this discussion for morning, okay?”
“No. I want to know the answer.”
“Fine. You want to spend what’s left of the night discussing paranormal biophysics? You’ve got it. Uncle Shelton thinks the basic problem is that I can’t control my dreamstate when I’m asleep the way I can when I’m awake. The dream energy in my aura overwhelms anyone with the bad luck to be sleeping nearby.”
“Huh.”
“You think the vibe from the murder in the other room might give me nightmares? It’s nothing compared to what I can do to your dreams.”
“Interesting. When did your sleep issues first appear?”
He stared at her in disbelief. “What the hell? Are you trying to psychoanalyze me?”
“I’m curious, okay? Hey, I’ve got sleep issues, too, remember?”
“My issues appeared at about the time my talent reached full power. That was in my early twenties. Look, I’m not here for therapy. I’m trying to explain why I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to sleep close to you.”
“Separate beds,” she pointed out.
“So?”
“So, it’s not the same thing as sleeping in the same bed.”
“Amelia, in case you haven’t noticed, the two beds in this room are only a couple of feet apart.”
She glanced at the double beds. He had a point. “Have you run the experiment?”
He frowned. “Sleeping in separate beds?”
She waved at the doubles. “In close proximity like this.”
“It never seemed like a good idea.”
“How do you explain your sleep issues to others?”
“Mostly I avoid the conversation,” he said.
There was a cold edge on the words. She pretended not to notice.
“You must have tried to tell people about your little phobia,” she said gently.
“It’s not a phobia, damn it.” He made a visible effort to get control of his temper. “If I can’t avoid it I tell people I’ve got a form of PTSD that makes it impossible for me to sleep in the same bed.”
She flushed. “As I keep reminding you, we’re talking about separate beds, not the same bed. Have you ever had an opportunity to run the experiment with someone like me? Someone with a strong paranormal vibe?”
She was sure he would say no.
“Yes,” he said. “A few years ago I met Caroline. She’s a botanist, a scientist who has devoted her life and her psychic talent to discovering new plants that might have potential medicinal properties.”
“I see,” Amelia said. Ruthlessly she tried to suppress her disappointment. “So she’s really, really smart?”