oxygen masks hung above their lifeless heads.
How many?
Sofia walked down the aisle, counting the slumping bodies. Just counting. That was all she could do. They were already dead.
She was able to hold back her sobs until she saw the child. A little girl. Maybe three years old, bent over a woman’s lap. Sofia assumed the woman was her mother. They both had long black hair and pale skin. Blue lips.
God help me.
Air gushed from her lungs and a tight knot formed in her belly. Be strong, she told herself.
She needed to find out more if she wanted to stop this tragedy from happening.
It didn’t happen yet . Not yet. There was still time.
She kept going. Tears slid down her face as she continued counting bodies, some of them blurry, some vivid.
Twenty, twenty-one...
One seat empty. Sofia glanced up and searched for the seat number, but there wasn’t one. Anywhere. Maybe that detail wasn’t important. Her goal was to try to remember every tiny clue. No telling when one item or element would connect with another after she woke. Her mind was clearer then. Not as foggy.
Confused.
Shoot .
She woke from the dream and stared up at the ceiling. Frustrated, she swiped the tears from her cheeks. Why couldn’t she figure it out? How was she to save these people if she didn’t even know who they were or where they were going?
So far, she’d gathered that the aircraft was a small commercial plane. Two seats on each side. How many people were there again?
Thirty-five maybe, plus the crew. She closed her eyes and envisioned it. The pilot had been dead, too, but the plane still flew. The whirring of the engines buzzed in her ears. That was all she was able to remember this time. Next time she’d have to try harder. She had to.
Just like she’d thought Gray had to pull her into his arms and instantly fall in love with her when they met.
Wow. She’d really fooled herself there, hadn’t she?
How was the man she’d met at the restaurant the same person from her dreams? Her stomach turned painfully as she thought of how he’d treated her. Like she was a pest. Intrusive and clumsy, huh? Ergh . She fisted her hand and punched her pillow.
Sure, he was gorgeous. If Sofia hadn’t dreamed of a man of his caliber loving her, she’d never have considered the possibility. But never had she guessed he’d act like a rude bully at their first meeting.
Get out of my head . The whispered, angry words were still fresh in her ear. But what had he meant?
Did he also have the gift?
Impossible. If he knew of their imminent love, he wouldn’t have been cruel.
Not her Gray.
~ * ~
Gray sunk his toes into the cold sand and watched as she walked up the shore toward him, her white top illuminated by the moon. As she got closer, he could see her staring intently, sensually, seeming anything but innocent. Her rosy glossed lips peaked at the corners.
She wanted him…again. The woman was insatiable, and he loved that about her. What man wouldn’t?
The weather was chilly. For the moment, anyway. Soon, he knew he’d be working both of them into a sweat. He spread out a quilted blanket onto the sand and waited.
She stopped in front of him and pulled her hair out of its ponytail. The honey brown locks fell across her slightly freckled shoulders.
Gray set the lamp down in the sand and smiled. “Out here in the open, Sofia?” he asked, teasing her. He’d make love to her in the middle of Time’s Square if that’s what she wanted.
Besides, not a soul could be seen across the foggy beach.
“Do you want me?” She slipped her white top over her head and let it fall to the ground.
Gray took in the sight of her plump breasts, covered by a lacy white bra. “Do you need to ask?” He leaned over and brushed his lips across her soft shoulder and up to her ear. “Always,” he whispered. Goosebumps rose on her skin.
It was easy to love a woman who loved him back tenfold. He planted his hands on the curve of her waist, but before he