Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
The moment I step out of the Admin building, I see Tia sitting on one of the steps. She sees me at the same time, stands up, and hurries toward me—and all of a sudden, the mortification fades, replaced with a desperate need to cry.
“Are you okay?” she asks, jumping up to pull me into a tight hug. “I heard what happened. That must have been really awkward.”
“The word you’re looking for is mortifying. And it was. So please tell me you didn’t hear about it because the entire campus already knows. Quite possibly with memes and a viral video of me freaking out.”
She grimaces. “Yeah, well, it turns out Riley’s in that class too. She texted me because she thought you might want to talk. And when you didn’t come back to the dorm, I figured you went to see your uncle.” She bites her lower lip. “His assistant said you were in with him, so I waited.”
We start walking, the movement calming me as I watch the sunlight through the trees casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Tia tugs me to an open bench under the Widow Maker, then pulls me down to sit. “Dozed off in class?”
Above me, the ancient branches creak as I grimace. “Got it in one. But,” I add, “I think I figured something out. I think I know what the nightmares are.”
Her eyes go wide. “You mean, like where you go? You said it was a place—are you saying you figured out where?”
“Not exactly. But Uncle Finn said that Mom thought my family was part of some sort of royal bloodline.”
“Royal? Like Buckingham Palace?”
I shrug. “Maybe. But in another realm.”
“Oh.” She frowns. “Oh! Like a dream realm. That’s pretty cool.”
I shiver despite the thick, warm air. “Except what if it’s not just a dream realm?” I ask. “What if it’s a nightmare realm?”
She pulls back, her eyes wide again, and her fingers start to play with the crystals around her neck.
“That’s pretty freaky,” she finally says.
“But it makes sense. Well, as much as any of this makes sense. I mean, you told me your mom mentioned a Nightmare King in her journal, right? That would be your shadow-coat guy. King Silver Eyes.”
I nod. “Adric,” I say, thinking of the man and the intense pull I’d felt toward him. “And she mentioned a Hunter in the journal too.”
“Dream Chase,” Tia says. “The dragon rider.”
I nod. “He hasn’t admitted it. But I’m sure they’re the same.”
She gapes at me.
“What?”
“Hasn’t admitted it,” she repeats. “Are you telling me you actually asked if he was the man of your dreams?”
“Well, not like that. But, yeah. I did. He said no.”
“Big surprise there. But we don’t believe him.”
“We don’t.”
“Wow.” She leans back, nodding slowly. “I wonder if he knows.”
“Knows what? That he and his dragon keep rescuing me? I’m pretty sure he does.”
“No, dummy. Not that he’s rescued you, but that he’s rescued royalty. I mean, come on. The guy could be dating a princess. Or maybe even a queen.”
“What? No.” I’m not sure why I verbally brush off the words. Because the truth is, I kind of like the sound of that. I mean, after the whacked-out life I’ve led, the idea of having some serious power? That’s just neato.
If Tia notices the way my thoughts have gone, she doesn’t say so. Instead, she just grins. “That king is like totally hot for you. And Dream Chase? He keeps saving your life. So, you know, total boyfriend material.”
“Tia,” I whisper, and then, dammit, I have to wipe away a tear.
“What? Oh, god, what did I say?”
I sniffle. “It’s just, well, it’s just that you believe me.”
“Yeah, well, if you were lying, I wouldn’t believe you. So good on you for not bullshitting me.”
I laugh and would lock her into a massive hug, but I’m too distracted by something poking at my memory.
“You just remembered something,” Tia says. “I saw it on your face. What?”
“They both have a scar. One on the left cheek and one on the right.”
“Oh, oh!” She bounces a little on the stone bench. “Like they were conjoined twins or something.”
“Not identical, though,” I say. “But they’re both wildly good-looking in that dark, brooding, ultra-sexy R-rated kind of way.”
“The point is, they both want you. Just like Chase,” she adds with an aha tone to her voice.
“If Chase wanted me, he wouldn’t keep disappearing on me.” But the words are only for form. There’s an attraction, no doubt—the mutual kind. And I’m certain that’s not just wishful thinking on my part.
“Chase doesn’t have a scar on his cheek,” Tia says.
“In the dream world, he does. And in this world, he has a brother. He told me at the party. A brother I don’t think he likes too much.”
Our eyes meet as certainty hits both of us like one of those cartoon anvils. I’ve been right all along.
Dream Chase really is my Chase. My protector from four years ago. The man of my dreams. Like, literally.
And the Nightmare King is his brother, just as dreamy, with the added firepower of being both hot and mysterious and a little bit edgy.
“Wow,” Tia says after we run through it all. “I mean, seriously, wow.” She holds out her arms. “Look—I’ve got goosebumps.” She meets my eyes, somehow looking both excited and freaked out. “This is really real. Holy freaking shit.”
My mouth is so dry that I have to pull my water bottle from my backpack and take a sip before I can talk. “You think we’re right? We’re not both sharing some freakish delusion?”
“Well, duh. I’ve seen you clawing your way out of a nightmare, remember? And you told me about your mom’s journal and all about Dream Chase and the Shadow King. And,” she adds with a shrug, “I’m me.”
I grin. “Thank goodness for that.”
“So does that mean that Adric’s wandering around campus somewhere too?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t think so. I’ve never seen him anywhere—not even in my dreams—except at that cave.”
“Hmm.” She bounces a little. “I’ve seen a lot of weird shit, but this is seriously freaky. I just wish I could—” She cuts herself off with a shake of her head.
“Could what?”
She shrugs. “Help you.”
“Um, hello? You’re helping me right now.”
“I guess. I just mean…” She trails off, then cocks her head and dives back in again. “Okay, so your mom said she was being hunted in her dreams. Probably because of that royal bloodline, right?”
“I guess.” I groan. “Why the hell didn’t Mom prepare me for this?
I mean, she knew stuff. She had to know I’d get these dreams one day.
Why didn’t she tell me? I know she kept other journals, but I’m pretty sure she got rid of them.
She sure as hell didn’t leave them where I could find them.
Just the one she was writing in when she died, but it was pretty much empty.
And she wrote that letter, but it was all torn up, with huge chunks missing, and it was in the trash.
So it wasn’t even like she intended me to find it. ”
“Oh, sweetie,” Tia says, squeezing my hand. “She probably thought she had time. To plan or organize or sit down and talk to you.”
“I guess.” I say it, but I don’t believe it. I loved my mom—loved visiting flea markets to look for funky jewelry or antique Tarot cards. Loved watching as she polished stones. I even got into helping her organize all her crafty things.
All quality time as far as I was concerned. But she wasn’t the hand-holding kind. I’d always been awed by my friends’ parents. Moms and dads who doted on their little ones. But me? I’d pretty much always been alone. Still am, I suppose.
Except I’m not. My chest tightens, and I pull Tia into a tight hug.
“What was that for?”
“Pretty much everything.”
She gives me a shoulder bump. “I’m so glad we found each other.”
I nod, my throat too full of tears to speak.
For a moment, we’re quiet. Then Tia says, “Too bad your uncle doesn’t know more. We still don’t know why someone in the dream world wants to kill you—and probably killed your mom.”
I shudder but nod.
“Is there only one Hunter out there in dreamland?” Tia asks. “Or a whole herd of them?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” The admission weighs on me. And each tiny step forward reminds me of how long the path to answers really is. And how much my mother didn’t share.
“And what about the creepy baby monsters, or why you’re still alive? This Dream Chase guy—has he been protecting you from whoever killed your mom? Or is he just stringing you along before he slits your throat?”
“Thanks, Tia. Loving the insightful questions.”
To her credit, she grimaces. “Sorry. Not enough filters. But I’m not wrong for asking the questions.”
No. She’s not wrong. And the truth is that I don’t know. Which is another reason I’m going to Whitehall despite the anonymous warning to stay away. Not to mention Chase’s very stern warning of the same.
“Good,” she says when I tell her so. “I mean, considering Chase is being all weird about you going, I’m a little freaked out.
Gotta be honest. But at the same time, it’s a freaking Whitehall party, and that’s a big deal.
I spent most of the day planning our attack for tonight, and I’d hate to see all my hard work go to waste.
Our attack being our wardrobes, that is. ”
I laugh as she stands, then holds out her hand for me.
I take it, and we walk along, our hands linked as she rattles on about tonight.
“But are you sure?” she asks. “I mean, it’s one thing to get an invite.
It’s another to go despite warnings from your uncle and the guy who stalks you in your dreams.”
“I’m sure,” I say firmly. “I want the answers. Besides,” I add shooting her a grin, “you’ve made me curious about the party itself.
I mean, why would a hyped up frat party be a place for me to find answers?
Is it something about Whitehall itself? Or is it just that someone has info for me, and they figured a legendary party was the place to share? ”
“No clue,” Tia says. “Guess we’ll find out. And, yeah, I know that maybe we’re stupid to go at all—but I’m really glad we are. We hang with the cool kids, and we search for answers. We’ll be like Nancy Drew.”
“More like Scooby-Doo,” I say. “Isn’t there always spooky stuff in those mysteries?”