Chapter 28 - Eryx
Eryx
Ishould have followed her.
Into her room? Of course you should have, Nightmare scolds. She wanted a kiss! I could see it in her eyes, and you went and pecked her on the cheek. Did you see her dress? She wore that for you, and you went and bombed the whole night.
My shoulders tense. I told her she could decorate.
Next time tell her to decorate you—with whipped cream.
Oh my God.
I drag a hand down my face. I’m lying in bed listening for sounds of Chelsea breathing, signaling that she’s fallen asleep.
You are so screwed.
Correction—we are, I point out.
Finally you’re accepting what I’ve known since the beginning. Now either jack off or go to sleep. I’m done with you for tonight.
I close my eyes and tell myself to drift off into a pure, dreamless sleep. Tomorrow I’ll work more. Tomorrow I’ll pull the nightmares from the world. But for tonight I just want to rest.
When I finally hear Chelsea’s breathing deepen, I let go and allow myself to be pulled under.
Expecting darkness, my senses sharpen when I find myself in my dream room, lying atop the chaise.
I’ve been pulled into a dream. Not just any dream—my own dream room.
The place where I process nightmares. The place no one should be able to access but me.
A prickle runs down my spine.
Someone's here.
Standing in front of the window is a hooded figure.
Helena.
A pit opens in my stomach, and I sit up quietly, hoping she doesn’t hear me.
Attack now! Do it before she sees you.
Inside me, Nightmare is charged and ready to destroy. I throw my arm out, shooting dark energy toward her.
And that’s when she steps into a pool of moonlight and lifts her hand. My magic dissolves, splashing to the floor like water.
Impossible. No one can block nightmare magic in a dream. Unless—
"You stole it," I grind out. "When you killed my father. You took some of his power before it transferred to me."
She laughs. "Just enough to protect myself from his successor. Just enough to hide. Just enough to walk into your dreams whenever I please."
I start to rise, but I’m frozen in place, and all I can do is watch in horror as the figure approaches, tsking in reproach.
“You thought you could curse my home and I wouldn’t notice?” she says.
Oh, shit, Eryx. We might be in trouble.
Fury ignites my blood. “You think you can walk into my own dream and scare me? Me? The king of nightmares? This is my domain.”
There’s a pause. “Then why are you paralyzed?”
I hate it when my enemies are right. “And I didn’t curse your home.”
“No, but you tried. That’s enough.” She makes a wide circle around me so all I can hear is their voice. “You’ve been very busy these past years, Eryx. Looking for me. Finally finding me. Plotting your revenge. But my favorite part of everything you’ve done is…get married.”
The hairs on the back of my neck rise to attention.
Oh no, Nightmare whispers. We’ve got to get out of this, Eryx.
I fight against the paralysis, but it’s no use. I can’t break free.
“What a surprising thing you’ve done,” she continues.
“I thought for sure you were so terribly broken when I killed your father that you’d never find happiness.
But then you married her. A Castleview witch.
" Her voice drips with disdain. "And your magic—it's changing.
Growing stronger. The wedding created a bond I didn't anticipate.” She pauses.
"If I wait much longer, you'll be too powerful to kill.
So I'm striking now, before your bond solidifies.”
She stops directly in front of me. Every ounce of me wants to stand and snap her neck. “I hoped when I came for Nightmare's power—the power that should have been mine—you'd be too broken to fight back. But you found her. You’re bonding with her. And now you're actually happy.”
She spits the last word like poison.
"That complicates things. Can't have you at full strength when I rip Nightmare from you.
“Oh, you’re so mad,” she says in a mock-sweet voice. “This is fun, coming to you in a dream and taking control so that you can’t hurt me. Not like you want to.”
Not like I want to, Nightmare roars.
She takes a step closer, bending so that we’re eye level. “If you come for me, it’ll be the greatest mistake of your life. You never should’ve found me. Because what I will do to you, Eryx Nightshade, is take every bit of happiness you have and shred it to pieces.”
“Go ahead and try,” I grind out.
She straightens. “I think I will.” She turns and walks away. When she reaches the window, the figure whips around. “Starting now. Tell me, Eryx—do you know how your wife is doing?”
My blood goes cold. “No, not her!”
She cackles. “Better wake up. You’ve got less than two minutes to save her.”
She vanishes through the window like smoke.
Two minutes.
Break it, Nightmare screams. Break everything. Now!
I stop fighting the paralysis. Instead I do what I should have done from the start. I pull Nightmare’s power inward, creating a vacuum—and then—
The room explodes outward, glass and shadow fragmenting into nothing, and I wake up, gasping.
My gaze scours the room. Moonlight splashes in from the window, pooling on the gray stone.
Chelsea, Nightmare yells.
I whip my head toward the door. It’s still open.
And I hear it. A crash and then—
Chelsea screams.