The Sleeping Serpent

The Sleeping Serpent - Chapter 3

Olivia's dream intensified. Her Great Dane, Brontë, shifted her position away from her human's twitching legs. The man in Olivia's dream approached to take her into his arms in the kind of sweeping embrace novelists never accurately describe. Her breath paused. His touch had an electrical intensity, making her entire body tingle with desire, and fulfilling her in indescribable ways. Suddenly, she jerked into wakefulness. What was that noise? The thought bubbled into the part of her brain that was not home to her sense of self, as though her mind had a separate life apart from her consciousness. She listened intently to the blackness outside. There it was-a low nicker from Casper. Trying not to disturb Brontë, who was now snoring softly on top of the covers next to her, she crept out of the bed and padded carefully to the window, then pressed her ear against the glass.

Casper, her Arab/Quarter Horse, had been a gift from Kathy, who employed Olivia's mother, Emma, as manager of the estate, overseeing staff and discretely handling family affairs. Olivia and Emma lived in a guest house on the estate, just outside of L.A., where the wealthy and famous chose to live for more open space and privacy. Kathy was descended from one of California's old money families, and with no children of her own, she had become a benefactor to Olivia.

Casper nickered again-a very low, cautious call to Olivia. She grabbed her jeans and sweatshirt off the chair, and tugged them on. Outside, the moonlight cast a bluish glow almost more visible than the lights from the city. She loved this kind of night, when it was blissfully quiet. Nearing Casper's paddock, she paused and listened again.

Silence. In fact, it was too silent.

Something caught her attention at the very edge of her peripheral vision. Instinctively holding her breath, she turned her head slowly, suppressing the urge to blink until the image came into focus.

Underneath the eaves of the barn, a coyote eyed her from his position next to the bales of hay. Blinking a few times to clear her vision, she saw the coyote remained impossibly still; flecks of gold in his eyes glittered in the reflected light. They just watched each other for what seemed to be hours.

When Casper nickered softly again, Olivia jumped, nearly toppling over. She'd almost forgotten why she'd come outside, as if the only reason for her presence there now was to commune with the coyote-one of the few species of wildlife in this Valley-adjacent area. She realized the coyote must be why Casper had called for reinforcements. Reaching her hand out to give the horse a scratch under his chin, she cooed, "It's OK sweetie." Casper inhaled with a little whuff, then let out a very long sigh. Glancing back toward the barn, she noticed the coyote had grown bored with her and was now watching something-probably a mouse-among the hay bales.

° ° °

Olivia stood in the shower, hot water cascading down her back. Lathering her hair with a mango scented shampoo, she belted out "Angel of Music" from Phantom of the Opera, while deliberately shaving her legs, and wondered why she was focusing on this ritual.

A small voice in her head offered up thoughts about Nico's impressively masculine body and dark, sultry looks, but she quickly pushed them aside. Returning to her bedroom, she wondered what she should wear to a yoga studio. Rifling through her dresser drawers, she finally settled on a pair of old leggings.

Nico's studio was in a prime area on Ventura, so Olivia anticipated trouble finding a parking spot. Checking the clock on her dashboard, she worried about the time, but when she turned the corner, she saw the parking lot right behind Amaru Yoga.

Stepping into Amaru, she saw a class was just ending, and students were still seated cross-legged in what she guessed was the lotus position. The room was eerily quiet, and looking to the front of the class she saw Nico's eyes fixed on her. Feeling her face heat up, she turned away and tiptoed over to a table of literature about the studio. She picked up a brochure and pretended to read, but her mind wasn't absorbing the words on the page. She was thinking about Nico's penetrating stare and his beautiful hands with their long, elegant fingers. Thankfully, it wasn't long before she heard Nico say "Namaste," and the class replied. She turned and watched the students gather their bags and mats and head out the door.