Page 45 of Shattering Dawn

“Brilliant,” Gideon said. “And beautiful.”

“Uh-huh,” Amelia said. Great. The competition was a psychic Barbie botanist devoted to saving the world.

“Before you ask,” Gideon continued, “things did not end well with her, either. It was only one bad night, but she experienced a nightmare. I believe it involved giant carnivorous plants.”

“Wow. Carnivorous plants?”

“It took me a while to awaken her. During that time she was trapped in that in-between state—not quite awake but not really asleep. Paralyzed. Terrified. When she finally did come fully awake she went straight into a panic attack.”

Amelia had to fight the urge to hug him. “That can’t have been good for your ego.”

“No shit.”

“That is a very sad story, and I’d tell you that you have my sympathies, but we both know you don’t want them so I won’t.”

“Good plan.” He pushed himself away from the doorframe and turned, clearly intending to escape into his room. “Good night, Amelia.”

“Wait. Nothing you’ve told me changes my conclusion. I still think it would be a very bad idea for you to sleep in room ten and I honestly don’t believe there will be any problem with us sharing this room.”

He glared at her over his shoulder. “What makes you so sure of that?”

She smiled, confident now. “I’ve seen your aura and I’ve viewed your prints. You may be strong, Gideon Sweetwater, but you are not scary. Not to me. Like I said, you can have the bed nearest the closet.”

“What if you’re wrong?” he asked. “What if you wake up in a nightmare?”

“Try to keep some perspective here. I see weird things in the dark. I’ve got a stalker and someone tried to kidnap me last night. Seven months ago I was drugged and forced to become aninvoluntary test subject in a dangerous experiment involving an unknown paranormal serum. I lost a night of my life to amnesia. Don’t you worry your pretty little head, Gideon Sweetwater. If I have a nightmare I’ve got a long list of people and events to blame it on. Currently, you are at the bottom of that list.”

He stared at her. “My pretty little head?”

“Excuse me. I’m going to brush my teeth.”

Chapter Twenty-four

Amelia did notwake up in a screaming nightmare.

That was a shock, Gideon decided, but not nearly as surprising as it was to discover that he had not had any bad dreams, either.

He opened his eyes and lay quietly for a moment, giving himself time to assess the facts on the ground. He was lying on top of the bed, fully clothed, but there was a blanket over him. He had no memory of the blanket, so at some point Amelia must have gotten up and covered him with it. Morning light was peeking in around the edges of the window shade and he could hear the shower running in the bathroom.

What’s wrong with this picture?

It was all so astonishingly normal. That’s what was wrong. He did not do normal when it came to relationships. Then again, Amelia had been very clear about their association. They were not in a relationship.

His leg protested when he tried to swing it over the side of thebed. He took a minute to let the pain retreat and then he reached for his cane and got to his feet.

He looked at the three crystals sitting on the small table that separated the two beds. Amelia had set out the stones just before turning off the light. When he had asked her why, she had said her aunt, the maybe-not-so-fake psychic currently giving performances on a cruise ship, had given them to her and that they helped her sleep.

He did not entirely discount the possibility that some crystals had paranormal properties—his mother was convinced they could exert a calming influence on the nerves—but he had always suspected that any therapeutic benefits were due to the placebo effect. He did believe in the power of suggestion. It was just one step away from hypnosis, after all.

Regardless, the bottom line was that he had not caused Amelia to wake up in a nightmare. Granted, it amounted to a one-off experiment. Still. The rush of relief and satisfaction surging through him was more energizing than a triple-shot Americano. He was not in the mood to give the crystals any credit.

He headed for the connecting door, intending to use the shower in room ten.

The envelope was on the floor in front of the parking lot door in his room. There was a note inside. He read it and got another shot of satisfaction, the kind Sweetwaters got when they knew they were closing in on the bad guys. He picked up his shaving gear.

•••

Amelia was waitingin her room when he returned. She was wearing what he was coming to think of as her uniform—black jeans and a black tee—and her hair was caught up in a casual twist. She lookedready and eager to plunge into another day of investigation. There was no indication that she had spent a dream-troubled night.