Destined for Dreams: Book One (20 page)

The door bangs open and Alyssa rushes into the room. She stands in the doorway and searches my face. “You screamed.”

I wipe my eyes. “I was imagining the nightmare catcher again. I can’t get the fear out of my head. I’m scared to face Jacqueline, Lys.”

Her face falls. “I wish you never had to go through that. I should’ve seen it, but Jacqueline didn’t set the trap. It was an accident.”

I rub my arms. “What do you mean?” My eyes flick from Alyssa’s to the open door behind her.

Alyssa crosses her arms and nods. “The nightmare catcher was a gift from a boy she met at the club. She had no idea of its effects.”

I frown. Why was it set up on her floor? Why didn’t Hunter say anything? It takes everything in me not to confront Jacqueline and accuse her of lying. I bet lying is so natural for her that even she believes her own lies.

I blow a puff of air through my lips. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“You’re absolutely sure?” she asks.

I nod. “I have to help Hunter.”

She bites her lower lip and drops her eyes to the carpet. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

My heart falls. “What have you seen?”

Alyssa’s emerald eyes sparkle in the light. “A grave.”

“Whose?”

“I don’t know.” She rubs her arms. “I could be wrong and things could change. You know how that is.”

I stand up and hug myself. The heavy silence between us makes withdrawing into my own morbid thoughts easy. I cross the room and touch Alyssa’s shoulder. “You don’t have to help me if you’re afraid.”

She wraps her arms around me. “You’re my best friend. I’m not going to let you go on this crazy adventure without me.”

I laugh and pull away. “I’m glad because I don’t think I can do it without you.”

HUNTER

Nadia steps into the living room. “I need to talk to you.” She folds her arms across her chest and glares in our direction. She looks human again. Her white hair is back to pale blond and her indigo eyes sparkle in the soft lighting.

Jacqueline leans forward, clutching her knees. “I want to apologize for what you went through. I didn’t know what Ryder gave me was meant to hurt you.”

Nadia fidgets. “You have bigger problems on your hands.”

Jacqueline looks at the floor and fear sweeps over me. She knows exactly what Nadia wants and Jacqueline won’t give me up easily.

“Why can’t you just work something out? I doubt they want to see you dead,”
I say.

Jacqueline sighs in her mind. “It doesn’t matter, Hunter. Just because they don’t want me to die doesn’t mean anything to the board. You remember what I have to give them if I return, right?”

“You could always lie about the council. It’ll take them a while to figure it out,”
I say.

“Jacqueline? Hello? You need to focus.” Nadia shakes Jacqueline’s shoulders and she looks up to meet her gaze. “What’s Hunter saying? I see him in your eyes.”

Jacqueline rubs her hand across her forehead.

“Tell her,”
I say.

“I give up. Why don’t you ask him yourself? You have five minutes. It’s not like I can convince you to be on my side.”

What? Suddenly I feel the pinch of Nadia’s fingers and how warm the room is. I’m no longer just hanging out in Jacqueline’s head. I have all my senses.

I look down.

I’m in control of her body. “How is this possible?” I say. When I speak, I sound like Jacqueline.

“Haven’t you ever heard of possession? I’ve given you my body to use, but don’t enjoy it for too long.”
Her presence is still powerful and it takes me a minute to realize that I can move her lips, blink her eyes, and even talk. It’s the strangest thing having control over a body that isn’t mine. She’s smaller framed, less muscular, and is, well, a girl. It’s kind of awesome.

“Four minutes.”

I smile and look at Nadia. “Nadia? It’s me, Hunter. Before you ask me a million questions to make sure it’s really me, just remember I kissed you outside of a burning house, okay?”

Nadia’s eyes widen and she lets go of my shoulders. “Tell me how to help you.”

“You need to find my body and make Jacqueline put it back,” I say.

“You both lied to me about Nadia invading my dreams, Hunter. I’m not going to help you.”

I grimace. I can’t force her. “I’m not apologizing for that, Jacqueline. It’s your own fault for taking my soul. It’s the only reason she did it,” I say out loud. I grip my knees and focus on Nadia. “You need to find a way to get me out of her without her cooperation. She’s kind of mad about the nightmare stuff.”

Nadia presses her lips together. “Okay, I’ll figure something out, but where is your body?”

I don’t know the answer to that. The HPA has affiliations at several hospitals all over the country and multiple labs, too. “You’ll have to call my brother, Mason. He’ll tell you.”

“And what if he doesn’t?” Nadia’s eyes line with worry and she touches my knee—Jacqueline’s knee.

Alyssa hands me a notebook and a pen from the cluttered shelf near the window. “Tell him that my mom, Dr. Sullivan, offered my life force to a super and that she’s been lying about everything all this time. Also, tell him to wait for me to wake up with my car keys, my wallet, and a bag of clothes.” I scribble down his cell phone number. “Don’t call from here though. It may not be safe.”

“Time’s up.”

It’s like the wind is knocked out of me when Jacqueline takes back control. I’m disappointed. I had a thousand things I wanted to say, to ask, to do, but now I’m back in my mind prison.

It sucks.

“Hunter?” Nadia asks.

“Sorry, it’s me,” Jacqueline says.

Nadia frowns and tucks her hair behind her ear. “So are you sure you’re not going to cooperate? It’ll be so much easier.”

Jacqueline turns away and leans back on the couch. “I—I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

NADIA

I look at Alyssa and shrug. “Any ideas?”

Her lips twist to the side. “Sin-eaters aren’t the only soul manipulators out there. You can go up to The Haven and see if one will talk to you.”

“Now’s a perfect time, too,” I say. All the night owls will be there, which means the chances of finding someone who deals with souls might be there. I lean closer to Alyssa and add, “See if you can get her to sleep. I need to talk to Hunter when I get back.”

She nods. “I’ll see what I can do. Just be careful when you’re there. The night patrons are an interesting bunch.”

20
. WE'RE ONLY TWO PEOPLE

NADIA

Cian raises his eyebrows when he sees me enter the hall and I wave. I don’t know how much he knows, or if he even knows. I also forgot that he’s friends with my father and I regret coming up here.

“Nadia, my dear, you’re looking lovely. I’m surprised to see you.” He takes my hand and kisses it. “Are you here with Alyssa?”

I smile. “Yeah, it’s a spur of the moment kind of thing.”

He grins. “I see. Well, if you need anything, you know where I am.” He opens the door and a rush of music pulses around me.

I lean down and say, “Actually, if you could keep quiet about me being here, I’d appreciate it.”

His brows knit together. “Are you in trouble?”

“If the council doesn’t know, then no.”

He nods. “I’ll keep my eye out, then. Tonight feels like an invite only night anyway.”

I glide through the door and spin on my feet when I hit the dance floor. It’s much more crowded tonight, but there’s an invisible wall around me, like the other creatures don’t want to get too close. It would usually bother me, but not tonight. I don’t think they’re doing it out of fear, but respect. They’re all monsters like me after all.

The atmosphere of The Haven has changed dramatically since the last time I was here, which isn’t exactly strange, but it still makes me uneasy. I scan the crowd for anyone who could be a threat to me while also keeping my eye out for a creature that deals with souls.

I’m uncomfortable dancing by myself so I dance through the crowd toward an empty booth in the far corner next to the door that leads to the kitchen. I sit with my back to the wall and watch bodies sway to the hypnotizing music.

A woman emerges from the crowd and dances seductively a few feet away. Her eyes meet mine and I refuse to break eye contact. Her coppery-blond hair is pulled tightly into a top knot. A silver and white beaded headband and dangling silver earrings glint in the strobe lights. Her golden skin shimmers against her white, eyelet lace shift dress that’s cinched at the waist. Her nude wedged heels make her a good five inches taller, so that she’s over six feet tall in them.

My hands tremble in my lap. She’s gorgeous, but dangerous, and just the creature I’ve been looking for. She’s a succubus, an energy feeder, and she has her eyes set on me.

I stiffen. She’s not dancing around just to get my attention. She’s hunting me. I recognize the moves of a predator. I’m one too. She’s gauging to see if I could possibly be an easy target. It’d be a better fate than Hunter’s though. At least she wouldn’t keep a soul hostage.

The woman stops dancing and tilts her head to the side. I narrow my eyes. She’s not going to back off.
It’s what I want though. I need her to come closer. This may be my only chance to find out if I can help Hunter without Jacqueline.

My chest tightens. The woman saunters closer and a wave of dizziness rushes over me and I cover my eyes. It’s gone as quickly as it came, and when I look back up, the woman is standing at my booth with her hands pressed flat on the table.

She leans over. “Your energy...it’s mesmerizing.”

I lick my lips. “Join me.”

The succubus slides in across from me. Her silver jewelry shimmers in the colorful lights. She looks me up and down and smiles. “You’re very brave.”

I sit straighter. “I could say the same thing about you.”

She blinks, taken aback. “I’m sorry, I thought you were...” Her voice trails off.

“An easy target?” I glare.

She starts to slide from the booth and I reach across the table and grab her arm. Her eyes shift to the dance floor and then back to me and she freezes. “I was confused by your human half. I could’ve sworn you were pure a minute ago, but I see it now. This is all just a misunderstanding.”

I’m the most human after I’ve fed off a nightmare, but I’m still irritated that this energy eating succubus thought it would be okay to drain my essence in the middle of a crowded club. No wonder the council is picky about who they accept.

“It’s okay, succubus,” I say. “We all make mistakes, but just know that Cian frowns upon stalking patrons in his club. He’ll be upset about this.” I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ll say anything to intimidate her. I doubt she’ll help me out of the goodness of her heart. She thought I was food a second ago.

Her eyes widen. “Please, I can’t lose this place.”

I let go of her arm and touch her hand. “I won’t mention it if you let me ask you something.”

Her eyebrows knit together. “Go on.”

“I heard that your kind can possess humans.”

She nods.

“Has a soul ever managed to escape?”

She taps her fingers on the table. “Not with me. I consume them.”

My stomach flips. That wasn’t the answer I was looking for. “But is it possible?”

She stands up. “You’re asking too many questions.”

I push to my feet and block her from walking past me. “Please, I need to know.”

She sighs. “It’s called projection. It’s rare, but what I heard about it, a soul can project away from their body to avoid being consumed by my kind. But they have to come back. The body is the anchor to this world. Without one, the soul will die.”

The succubus pushes past me and disappears into the crowd. I blow a puff of air through my lips. I’ve never heard of projection before, but it may be a way to help Hunter. If he could free himself from Jacqueline, he could go back to his body.

The only problem is that his body isn’t here and it’d be the only thing that would anchor him to life. He will die without it.

HUNTER

“You need sleep,” Alyssa says.

Jacqueline shakes her head. “I’m fine.”

“You look terrible and you’re rambling incoherently. You need sleep.” Alyssa walks across the room and flicks off the light switch. “I want you to lie down and close your eyes.”

Jacqueline groans, but is forced to do what she says because of the charm. “You can’t make me sleep.”

Alyssa’s silhouette crosses the room and stands over Jacqueline. “No, but you’ll get bored soon enough. No more talking for now. Get some rest.”

Jacqueline stares at the back of her eyelids. Her annoyance and fear close around me. She’s terrified of not being in control of her body. I find it satisfying though. It’s the perfect punishment for her.

“You’re enjoying this,” Jacqueline thinks.

I don’t answer. If I do, it’ll keep her entertained enough to stay awake. Sleep is the only reprieve I get from her. I’ll take it where I can get it.

After a few minutes, Jacqueline drifts off to sleep. I don’t think she could resist even if she tried because of how exhausted Nadia’s nightmare inflicting makes her.

The door creaks and I hear hushed voices.

“Did you find anything out?” Alyssa asks and excitement swells around me. It’s Nadia. I can sense her presence.

“She’s asleep,” Nadia says, not answering Alyssa’s question.

The world shifts and Nadia intrudes Jacqueline’s head. I didn’t know how much I missed her until she’s standing before me with her white hair blowing behind her and her pale gray eyes staring into my soul.

She’s wearing a light blue sundress, not the same outfit she wore when I saw her in the real world, and she’s barefoot. Her alabaster skin is flawless and she offers her hand for me to take.