Dark Side of Dawn: The Nightmare Chronicles (16 page)

“He’s a miracle worker,” my sister practically sighed.

“He’s something,” I muttered. I wasn’t going to freak out until I talked to my father about this. If this guy really had power then Morpheus would know—and he would know what to do about him. I hoped. Or maybe this was one more step toward usurping my father’s power. One more way to weaken him.

So much for my good day.

“I thought you’d be happy about this.”

I was having a hard enough time holding it together without Ivy getting petulant and guilt-trippy on me. I promised myself that I wouldn’t freak out until it was necessary and I meant to keep that promise. “I am, Ives. Really.” It was a big fat lie, but it sounded true and that was all that mattered.

She obviously believed me, and for that I was thankful. We talked for a few minutes longer about mom before turning the conversation over to more mundane things, like the rest of the family, the kids and finally, her twenty questions about Noah. Every time we spoke she made a point of trying to find out as much about him as she could.

Noah returned with coffee during this point in the conversation, so I sat there and answered questions
about him as he listened—and sometimes tried not to laugh at my answers.

Finally, I said good-bye and hung up.

“Your sister, I take it?” Noah said.

I rolled my eyes—a bad habit I seemed to be developing as of late. “Yeah. She wanted to talk about Mom. I’m a little worried this guy might actually be able to wake her up.”

He frowned and took a drink of coffee. “I thought that was impossible.”

“It
should
be.”

“You have doubts?”

“I’m proof that the impossible can happen.”

He grinned at me. “Yes, you are.”

I drank my coffee and we sat in silence for a moment. I felt better with him beside me—grounded and strong.

It was Noah who broke the silence. “Do you resent her—your mother?”

“All the frigging time.” I sighed. “I know she has a right to a happy life, and it wasn’t like any of us were children…it hasn’t been easy for her, but sometimes I wish it was a little more difficult.”

Noah dipped his head, in what I assumed was a nod. “I used to have a lot of resentment toward my mother. I still do.”

This was new. My head whipped around to face him. “Really? Why?”

“Because she let him abuse her. Because if she had left sooner I wouldn’t have had my arm broken in two places.” He smiled grimly. “It’s one thing letting someone wail on you, it’s another when it’s your kid. At least it should be.”

“At least she left then.”

He gave me a look that made me feel like I had entirely missed the point. “It wasn’t the first time he hit me, Doc. It was just the first time he’d done something people would notice.”

I swallowed. “How old were you?”

“Fourteen when we left.”

“I’m feeling a little resentful toward your mother as well.”

He shrugged. “She was scared. She did the best she could. Looking back I think she got to the point that it was normal for her. If you didn’t bleed it wasn’t that bad, y’know?”

No, I didn’t. Thank God I didn’t know about that at all. “Sucks seeing them as human, doesn’t it? When you realize that all those choices we judged them for must have been so hard to make.”

He smiled. “I love it when you’re insightful.”

Setting my coffee on the bedside table, I held out my arms, letting the sheets drop so he caught an eyeful of nakedness. “Come show me.”

And he did.

Given the twists and turns my life has taken since facing up to the reality of who and what I am, you would think I was beyond false hope. Unfortunately, I’ve always had the propensity to become an exuberant optimist the moment things look even remotely up.

And this was the misfortune I fell into the next day. The sun was shining as I made my way to work, Venti low-fat latte in hand. Traffic seemed less obnoxious, fewer horns blared. I didn’t bump shoulders with more than half a dozen pedestrians because the sidewalks just didn’t seem to be that crowded despite the lovely weather and time of morning. My hair looked good, my skin was flawless—not a pimple or funky tattoo to be
found—and my lip gloss matched the swirls of red in my blouse. I felt great after a night of great sex with my fabulous boyfriend. I had reunited long lost lovers, and my case load for the day was busy—clients at last!

I should have known the axe was going to fall—or at least take a swing.

My first two appointments went well. Dream diaries, discussion, and everything stayed fairly calm. No breakdowns, which was good. I wasn’t one of those therapists who thought a client had to burst into tears in order to have a breakthrough.

I was feeling pretty good when lunch rolled around. Even better when I found out Noah was waiting for me. But one look at his face when he came into the office—all casual and delicious in a black leather coat, crisp white shirt, and faded jeans—and I knew something was up.

“You’re not here to whisk me away to a romantic lunch are you?” I tried not to sound defeated, really.

He smiled crookedly. “Sure I am. I don’t wear two-hundred-dollar shirts for just anyone, Doc.”

I blinked. To me, that was a lot to pay for a shirt. Then again, Noah was one of those people who liked to have a few good items that lasted, while I liked to change my style and wardrobe with the seasons. That was why he shopped at Armani and Gucci and I shopped wherever the sales were.

“But lunch isn’t the only reason you’re here?” I was a dog with a bone, and not about to let go.

He shook his head, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “No. Can we talk?”

I gestured to the sofa, and after telling Bonnie I didn’t want to be disturbed,
and
suffering through the bawdy wink she gave me, I joined him.

“What’s up?” I was nervous. Even though things were good, I half expected the “it’s not you, it’s me” conversation. So much for optimism.

Noah leaned his forearms on his thighs and linked his fingers. A lock of inky hair fell over his forehead as he turned his dark gaze to me. “I had a strange dream last night.”

I flashed a cheeky grin, relief washing over me. No gentle breakup just yet. “It wasn’t that weird. Surely you’ve done those things with other women.”

Noah has this way of looking at a person—totally expressionless—and yet the look says very clearly that he got the joke, but it wasn’t funny. He gave me that look now. “Hundreds, but that’s not what I meant.”

Hundreds? He had so better be kidding. “What do you mean, slut boy?”

He started a little, then grinned. “Slut boy. I’ve never been called that before.” He shrugged, going blank again. “I think I met the Warden.”

Well, that certainly killed any humor I had toward
the situation. “What?” It was like Karatos all over again. I remembered the day Noah told me he thought his dreams were trying to kill him and how the world suddenly seemed off kilter.

“There was this woman—tall and severe. Red hair.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “She reeked of power—like you do sometimes.”

I’m pretty sure he only thought that because I was his girlfriend and the only Dreamkin he knew on a personal basis. “Did she say anything to you?” My heart was thumping heavily, and I felt something like a cool touch at the back of my neck—the feeling of my blood running cold.

“Yeah.” He frowned, and met my gaze with some hesitation. I didn’t like it when Noah hesitated. It generally meant bad things. “She said I was your weakness. She said if I cared about you, I should break it off because she had no problem using me to get to you.”

Anger swept over me—and fear. “Bitch.” My right eye twitched. A prickling feeling not unlike the burn of tears started behind my retinas, but it wasn’t tears that smoldered there. A not so gentle reminder of what a freak I was and why the Warden despised me in the first place.

Noah was remarkably calm for someone who had just been threatened. “You have to tell Morpheus. Threatening you has to be against some rule.”

Noah was right. Threatening a member of the royal family should be against the law. Not only that, but she had threatened the safety of a dreamer—Noah. She had to know she was pissing all over her precious rules. So why had she done it? Because she knew going after someone close to me was the easiest way to provoke me.

Karatos had done the same thing. He had killed one of my clients, and tried to possess Noah. I’d be damned if I’d let the Warden fuck with him as well.

Slowly, I turned my head as I rose to my feet. My knees felt wobbly. “Did she say anything else?”

Noah raised a brow at my stiff tone. “She said I was ‘one of them.’ Whatever that means.”

Maybe I should find out. Out of habit, I moved toward the bathroom. My high emotions made my movements short and jerky—like my legs were asleep.

He followed me. “Where are you going?”

I flung open the bathroom door and ripped open a portal slick as snot. “I’m going to have a chat with the Warden.”

“Are you nuts?” Noah demanded. “Dawn, that’s what she wants. She knew coming to me would push your buttons. She’s a bully, remember?”

I whirled around. I should wonder how he felt about all of this. Hadn’t Padera pushed his buttons as well by trying to make him a victim and playing on his baggage? “It’s about time I stood up to her.”

He stared at me. “Your eyes. They look like they do in my dreams.” Then he blinked. “You’re not supposed to be able to do that here, are you?”

My jaw tightened. “I’m not supposed to be able to do a lot of things.” I turned then, all melodramatic and pissed off and stepped through the portal. But instead of taking me to the Warden, I ended up in Morpheus’s study. He was there with Verek, and the two of them looked up at my entrance. Damn my father for picking up on my intentions.

“Where’s the Warden?” I demanded, stepping through, fists clenched at my sides.

My father looked mildly concerned, an expression that would have worried me once upon a time because he was normally good at hiding his emotions. “What’s happened?”

“She threatened Noah.” My jaw was clenched so tight it was beginning to ache. “Where is she?”

Verek stepped forward. “Dawn, you don’t want to confront her.”

I was freaking sick of people dictating my life. Fury ripped through me. I unleashed it unthinkingly, letting the full torrent of emotion sweep the Nightmare up and toss him across the room. He hit the wall like a rag doll. “You have no idea what I want,” I informed him, my eyes feeling like they were on fire.

Verek didn’t say anything as he picked himself off
the floor. He was a big guy and I’d tossed him like he was nothing.

“Dawn.” Morpheus touched my shoulder. My first thought was to toss him as well, but his touch took all of that anger away, calming me. I had to get a grip.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered, suddenly drained. “Verek, are you all right?”

White teeth flashed in his tanned face. “That was fun, Princess. Next time it’s your turn.” It sounded more seductive than a threat like that should, but I didn’t have the time or the inclination to be concerned with that right now. I turned to my father.

“I won’t let her hurt Noah,” I told him. “If she touches him I’ll kill her.” Only I don’t think I could kill her, not really. People didn’t die in this world, they just got remade into something else.

“You’re not killing anybody,” came a familiar voice from behind me.

Morpheus and Verek turned toward the portal I’d left open as I closed my eyes.
Oh shit.
Noah had come through. Again. And this time, I knew it was against the law.

I turned. “You shouldn’t be here,” I told him, my anger focusing on him now. Bringing him into this world was what got me into this mess. “If the Warden found out—”

“She’d do nothing,” my father cut me off, staring at
Noah with frank curiosity. “You shouldn’t have left the portal open, but Mr. Clarke shouldn’t have been able to see it let alone come through on his own.” Huh, and here I’d been taking all this trouble to hide my portals. My boyfriend was turning out to be almost as surprising as I was.

That was a good thing, right? I mean it put us on slightly more equal footing. So why did it bother me?

My father’s reddish brown brows drew together as he circled Noah like he was sizing up a new car. “How did you come through, Mr. Clarke?”

Noah shrugged, watching him warily. “I walked.”

“Interesting.” My father shot a glance at Verek. “What do you think?”

Verek came forward to stand next to me—a little too close. His expression was less curious and more on guard, as though Noah might be some kind of a threat. “It could be due to Dawn’s unusual abilities,” he suggested. “Her ability to cross between worlds extends to any who stumble upon the door. It doesn’t explain how he saw the entrance.”

Morpheus scratched his jaw. “The first time Dawn brought him through, just like she took Karatos out of this world.” His pale gaze met mine. “But this is different. Is it because of the portal, or because of him? This is the first time a human has ever simply walked into our world.”

Oh. Shit.
Noah and I stared at each other. And the surprises keep coming. I glanced at Morpheus. “The Warden called Noah ‘one of them.’ Does that tell you anything?”

Now it was my father and Verek who exchanged a glance. “For the last few decades, there have been incidents of humans crossing the veil,” my father explained. “People who could interact with our world in ways that shouldn’t have been possible. At the same time there have been Dreamkin who have been able to interact with the human realm in the same way.”

I thought of Karatos and his plan to cross over. He wanted to be one of those Dreamkin. He wanted to terrorize the “real” world.

The Warden had mentioned strange occurrences—occurrences she blamed on me. “It’s because of me, isn’t it?” I searched my father’s face for the truth. “I’m not supposed to exist, that’s why this other stuff is happening.”

Morpheus smiled gently as he approached and wrapped his strong arms around me. I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t look at Noah either. I didn’t want him to see the fear in my eyes.

“My dear girl, these anomalies started happening long before your birth.” He stroked my back and I clung to him like a child. “In fact, I think your birth was the result of this phenomenon, not the cause.”

When I lifted my head, he was all feigned surprise. “What? You think your mother was the first human I had a relationship with? No. But the first that gave me the gift of a child.” The way he said it made me feel like something special rather than something wrong. A gift, not a mistake.

“The people who are angry with you, they blame me, though. Don’t they?”

He nodded. “I’m afraid so. But Mr. Clarke has given us something new to explore. Of course, his proximity to you doesn’t help, but perhaps we can test this new theory in other ways.”

I frowned. “What new theory?”

He released me. “That there are those who have the power to pass the barriers between your worlds.” He smiled again as he lightly touched my hair. “You might not be so alone after all, little one.”

Other freaks like me. I didn’t know if that would prove to be a good thing or bad, but right now I was pretty damn glad to hear that whatever was happening was not my fault.

“It doesn’t change anything. If they can’t blame me, they can still blame you.”

My father squeezed my shoulder. I could feel strength and love pouring into me through his fingertips. “You let me worry about them.”

From the light in his eyes and the tightness of his
jaw, I wouldn’t want to be one of “them” for anything. Morpheus was good to me, but he wasn’t known for being a pushover.

He turned me toward Noah and gave me a gentle shove. “The two of you go now. No one will know of this visit. And I’ll have a chat with the Warden, I promise you.”

That made me smile. Wish I could be there for that. “Thank you.”

Morpheus merely smiled. He and Noah exchanged brief nods and then I let Noah exit through the portal ahead of me. Did I feel any better as I walked through to my office once more? I don’t know. I felt different, that was for sure.

What was up with tossing Verek around? And why had Morpheus never mentioned this “thinning” between the worlds before? What did it all mean? I was more confused now than ever. I knew myself less than ever before.

But I knew this: Noah was in danger because of me. The fact that he was special in his own right only added to the danger. Karatos had targeted him, and now the Warden. And after the Warden—if we made it—there would be someone else waiting. Melodramatic? Maybe, but I also knew it was true.

“I don’t think we should see each other anymore,” I blurted.

Noah scowled deeply, a sure sign that he was truly disgusted. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say.” He made it sound like he’d heard me say plenty.

I smiled sadly. “Being with me isn’t safe for you.” No one had noticed his unique abilities until I came into his life. What if being with me somehow magnified what he was? Karatos had insinuated there was more to Noah than met the eye and I’d ignored it. What if Noah knew more than he let on? What if Noah was only using me…?

Okay, that was enough of that crap. I was so not going there.

He shrugged—still frowning. “I’m not safe crossing the street in this city. Hell, I could fall on a paintbrush and impale myself.”

I smiled despite the pressure in my chest, the pain in my heart. I had to protect him. I’d never forgive myself if something awful happened to him. “Now you’re being an idiot.”

“And so are you.”