“It’s the Daddy-man, Mommy!’ she protested, evading Brandi’s hands when she tried to reach for her. “He’s going to be my new daddy. I know because I dreamed it!”
I know because I dreamed it… Suddenly Brandi realized where she’d seen the big Kindred before and why she kept feeling like she knew him.
I saw him in my dreams, she remembered, feeling a shock almost as great as when Emmie had run to Slade. That’s why I felt like I knew him—I dreamed about him for a long time. Months and months…But he was in a dark hole—a place with bars in the windows.
How could she have forgotten such vivid dreams and why was she remembering them now? Brandi had no answer to either question—she only knew she was completely and thoroughly freaked out by the revelation that she had been dreaming of the big Kindred for months before she met him.
“I dreamed of you too, you know,” she suddenly heard his rough voice say in her head. “Only I thought you were a Pairing Puppet.”
“What are you doing?” Brandi put a hand to her temple. “Don’t…don’t do that.”’
“Sorry,” he growled. “Forgot you don’t like it when I use our link.”
“What link?” Brandi demanded. “How are you in my head?”
“What do you mean, Mommy?” Emmie was still snuggled contentedly in the crook of one of Slade’s massive arms. “What head? What’s going on?”
“Nothing sweetpea,” Brandi said quickly. “Come back to mommy now and leave the uh, nice man alone.”
“The Daddy-man,” Emmie corrected her firmly. “He’s tall like a tree and he gots one green eye and one yellow eye, just like in my dreams.”
“You have pretty eyes yourself, little one,” Slade remarked, smiling at her. “Looks to me like you got your mother’s eyes.”
“Yup, I got my mommy’s eyes but my daddy’s hair,” Emmie informed him. Her face fell. “But then daddy had to go away. I heard Grannie Ivy-Mae say he got sent down the river. Do you know what river that is? I looked and looked for it but I can never find it.”
Brandi felt her cheeks flushing hot with embarrassment. Great, as if she hadn’t already been shamed enough in front of him, now the huge, imposing Kindred would know that her ex was in prison. Just fabulous.
Slade frowned.
“No, I’m sorry little one—I don’t know what river that would be. Do you miss your father?”
“Lots,” Emmie confided. Then she brightened. “But now you’re here, Daddy-man! You came to be my second daddy, right?”
“Well…” Slade began, looking conflicted.
“I think that’s enough, Emmie,” Brandi said, reaching for her again. “Leave the nice man alone and come back to mommy.”
“Okay,” Emmie agreed. But first she threw her arms around Slade’s neck again and gave him another smacking, enthusiastic kiss. “Bye, Daddy-man,” she said as Brandi lifted her down and set her on the grassy ground.
“Go play a minute, okay?” she told Emmie. “Just stay right beside the trailer—don’t go too far.” She pointed a finger at her daughter. “And don’t go into the woods.”
This being Florida, there was a tangled green jungle of creepers, bushes and trees hanging with curtains of Spanish Moss just a few feet from the end of the trailer park. Brandi was always wary of letting her daughter play anywhere near that mess—there could be snakes and God-alone-knew what else out there. Several of the neighbors had lost small dogs and there were rumors of a pond with gators farther back in the swampy tangle.
“Okay.” Emmie wandered off but not too far—not exactly out of ear-shot, Brandi noticed, frowning. Picking up a stick, she began to poke at the small, muddy stream that flowed out of the overgrown forest. Clearly her daughter wanted to hear the “grown-up” things she and Slade might say to each other.
Turning back to the big Kindred she glared up at him.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed in a low voice. “You shouldn’t be here! How did you even find me?”
“Followed my nose,” Slade growled.
“What? What does that mean?” she demanded.
Wordlessly, he pulled something small and pink out of his trouser pocket.
With horror, Brandi recognized the lacy pink panties she’d been wearing the day before on her trip to the Mother Ship.
“How dare you!” She made a grab for the panties but the big Kindred pushed them back down into his pocket.
“Don’t think so. I might need to find you again.”
“Why?” Brandi demanded. “Because you’re angry with me? I’m sorry, all right. I didn’t mean to…mean to…”
She trailed off, looking behind her to see that Emmie was watching with wide eyes, completely engrossed in what she and Slade were saying.
“Emmie, go play!” she insisted.
“Yes, Mommy.” Her daughter moved about half a foot further away, still clearly listening.
“I know you don’t like it but if you want to keep our conversation from your little one, we’re going to have to use the link,” Slade said in her head.