Find Me If You Dare (Dreamcatcher Book 2) (6 page)

I know the warding spell to keep Nightmares out,
Nolan replied.
As soon as we get inside, I’ll put it up.

When all eyes were on me, I nodded and took off for the entrance, not letting go of Kayla’s hand. Together—and still invisible—we ran through the iron gate. Immediately, the Nightmares reacted, awoken from their stupors by our scent. In unison, they hissed, the sound like a thousand rattlesnakes in front of a microphone. I swallowed.

Stay close to me,
I said to Kayla, letting go of her to pull daggers from my belt. Dreamcatcher blades were the only weapons I possessed capable of killing a Nightmare, and I was going to need both hands.

I sliced at the beast in front of me, chopping off its arm as a ball of fire flew past me into the monster at my right. The flames caught the fiend square in the chest, and it screamed as the blaze burned hot and fast. In seconds, the Nightmare was nothing more than a pile of ashes.
What the…?
I glanced behind me. Kayla grinned and raised an eyebrow.

A wide smile spread across my face. How had I forgotten she could see them, too? Bringing her along might have been a smart decision, after all.

Together?
I asked her.

She nodded, her hazel eyes sparkling in the moonlight.
Bring it on.

Side by side, we fought our way through the horde. As Kayla dealt with those to my left, I targeted the others in our way. The heat from Kayla’s flames was hot against my skin, each blast a reminder she was holding her own. Never before had spontaneous combustion been so comforting.

A Nightmare raced toward me, screeching and baring its fangs. I threw a dagger between the beast’s eyes. Sharp claws ripped the air inches above my nose, and I ducked, barely missing the blow. I dug my knife into the monster’s back as I stood, kicking another out of my way. As I ran, I ripped my blade from the monster I’d felled with my throw.

Claws caught the back of my arm, the pain like a thousand bee stings.
Shit
. I spun around, grimacing. The one-eyed beast swung at me with Hercules-like power, and I leaned away, dodging broken ribs. Too close. When the monster reached back to swing again, I stepped forward and stabbed both blades into its chest. Black blood oozed from its wounds, and the Nightmare collapsed with a gurgle.

A quick glance around showed the Nightmares swarming fast. We needed to get out of here.

I turned as a Nightmare sneaked up on Kayla. My breath caught. She wasn’t going to see it coming.

Kayla, get down!
I screamed. When she crouched in front of me, covering her head, I flung my blade into the beast’s neck. The monster roared and clutched its throat.

I grabbed Kayla’s hand, leaving my dagger behind to ensure she got to safety.
Come on, let’s move.

We sprinted up the stairs to the asylum’s door, striking down the last few Nightmares in our way. We burst through the entrance to find Nolan, Sam, Chad, and Seth on the other side. In a panic, I swung around, ready to go back for Lian and Ivan, but they entered the building a moment later, Nightmares hot on their feet.

“Move, move, move!” Nolan yelled, pushing Lian and Ivan farther into the foyer. He slammed the doors shut and shouted an incantation, keeping his palms on the large, metal door. A soft, yellow glow enveloped the building in a flash of light, and then Nolan stepped back.

“Everyone all right?” I asked between breaths.

At a glance, there were a lot of scratches, and spattered, black blood covered my teammates. But there didn’t appear to be any serious injuries. Most of my comrades just nodded, as sweaty and out of breath as I was.

“Wait, Sam’s hurt,” Nolan said.

My stomach dropped.

“I’m fine,” Samantha replied with a hiss, grasping her side.

I pulled her hand off her wound. Beneath her tattered shirt were four deep gashes from her belly button to her back. Blood raced down her hip. My eyes flicked to her face. She was pallid. How had I not noticed she was injured?

I glanced at Nolan, but he shook his head. “My Spirit magic sucks. I can’t heal her.”

My stomach hardened as I returned my attention to my understudy. “You are not fine. You need to get to Caelum right now.”

Samantha shook her head. “The mission—”

“We can handle it.”

“Daniel, I can help,” Kayla said from behind me.

I caught her eye. “I don’t think you have the energy for this, love.” She could heal cuts and bruises, yes, but repairing damaged tissue? She’d faint before she could finish.

“Take some of mine,” Nolan said, holding his hand out to Kayla. “I’ll be weak, but if it’ll save Sam, then do it.”

My eyes widened. I’d heard of Transference, but I’d never seen it done. From what I knew, it was extremely painful for the witch or warlock who was being siphoned, and it usually took them two to three days to regain the magic they’d lost. My lips parted, and I stammered to speak. Was he really offering what I thought he was?

Kayla put a hand on my chest.
Daniel, we’ll be okay.

Nodding, my jaw tight, I stepped aside. Kayla placed one hand in Nolan’s and the other on Samantha’s waist.

“Know how it feels to draw on your own energy?” Nolan asked her. “As soon as you say the spell, you’ll be able to feel mine. Pull some into yours, then let go. I’d rather you didn’t kill me.” He winked.

Kayla closed her eyes. Having read through Trishna’s spell book fifty times, she already knew the words: “
Accipio munus tuum.
”

Between their hands, a yellow light shone. It reminded me of when I was a boy and had held my thumb over the sun. The rays had framed my fingertip, like an angel descending from heaven. This was no different, yet a thousand times brighter, especially in the dark asylum. I shielded my eyes.

Nolan groaned and fell to his knees. Lian stepped forward to steady him as Kayla let go, and then Samantha’s painful cries filled the chamber. Taking Nolan’s energy worked—faster than I’d ever seen Trishna heal someone, Kayla closed Samantha’s wounds. No wonder witches and warlocks siphoned coven members’ energies for tough spells.

Kayla pulled her hand away and opened her eyes. Around her pupils were two glowing rings of fire. She wavered as Samantha bent over to catch her breath.

I grabbed Kayla’s shoulders. “Deep breaths, remember?”

She nodded and wiped Samantha’s blood from her hand onto her trouser leg. With each blink, the gold glow around her pupils faded. “I’m good.”

“Great. Now if we get attacked, I’m going to be the only one capable of defending anyone,” Chad said.

“Yeah, but now Sam is safe,” Nolan responded, still on his hands and knees. The weight on my heart lifted. He’d taken that like a hero.

“And what do we look like to you?” Ivan asked Chad. “Practice dummies?”

“That’s enough,” I said. “If you three are all right, we need to keep moving.”

When Samantha and Kayla nodded, Nolan climbed off his knees. I turned and, pulling a handgun from my weapon belt, started our trek through the asylum.

ur footsteps echoed off the tiled floor, no matter how hard we tried to be weightless. If there were any witches or warlocks in this place, they’d definitely hear us coming. Especially since Nolan kept stumbling into walls. Sweat trailed down my neck, and I eyed the exits repeatedly. I’d assumed this place would be empty, but after fighting through all those Nightmares, I was no longer sure. I swore internally. We’d already lost Eric this week. The thought of losing someone else made my chest burn.

We peeked in every room for any sign that someone frequented the asylum, but every room was as dusty and rotting as the one before. We ended up on the third floor, making our way through the building.

Could there be a basement they’re hiding in?
Lian asked.

No,
Nolan replied.
Harder to escape at a moment’s notice, and no vantage point of what’s coming. Not to mention, it’d be a hell of a lot of fun making noises from the windows during the day to freak people out.

Well, at least his sense of humor wasn’t bruised.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the toe of a shoe, peeking from behind a cracked door. I held up my hand, stopping the others.
We’re not alone
. I counted down from three, and on one, I stepped forward and kicked the door as hard as I could.

From behind it, a woman screamed, flinging into the wall. My team ran in the room after me. By the time the woman recovered, we were all poised, guns and hands pointed in her direction. Ratty, light brown hair flowed in tangles to the back of her knees, and a white nightgown barely covered her body, ripped in at least twenty different places. Dirt smothered her face, and she stared blankly at us.

“Mom?” Nolan whimpered from next to me. “But you’re…”

“A lot of that going around these days—people coming back from the dead,” the woman said, her voice thick with arrogance. And a Welsh accent.

In the dark, I couldn’t tell if her eyes were normal or black as marbles (a sign of possession). But I knew who we were speaking to like I knew my older brother’s name was James. I’d never forget the way Seth’s voice had sounded the night Richard had overtaken his mind.

“Nolan, that’s not your mom,” I said.

The woman laughed. “Well done, Daniel. I knew I couldn’t get anything past you. I mean, with Nolan knowing where my coven members had been stationed, it
was
predictable you’d show up. Can’t blame me for seizing an opportunity.”

“No way,” Kayla said from my other side.

“Yes, hello,” Richard said through the mouth of Nolan’s deceased mother. “Daddy’s not dead. But you knew that, yeah? How about I make you a deal: join me, and I won’t kill your friends.”

We were back here again?

“Oh, go screw a Nightmare,” Nolan said.

Richard leered. “Well, if that’s the case, I guess I’ll just have to hurt someone.”

My pulse raced. Underestimating Richard had deadly consequences. If he’d planned this trap, we were in for serious trouble.

The woman crouched, extending an arm behind her. My gaze darted around the room. I’d seen telekinesis firsthand the day Alex had almost killed Bartholomew with a coat rack. I knew it was possible. She was reaching for something, but what?

I caught sight of a crossbow, hidden on top of an old dresser. The weapon was aimed at Nolan. I opened my mouth to warn him, but the woman dropped her hand before I could form the words. The arrow flew. I pushed Nolan and tried to spin out of the way—but the arrow lodged beneath my left collarbone.

Sharp pain exploded in my chest. I gripped the metal shaft, doubling over with a shout.

“Daniel!” Kayla screamed as a shot rang out from Ivan’s gun. The woman collapsed to the floor, a bullet between her eyes.

“Oh my God,” Kayla said, placing a hand over mine, blood trickling through our fingers. Her touch bumped the arrow, and I yelped, pushing her hand away.

“Be careful,” Samantha warned Kayla. “Do you see where it is? You could hit his heart.”

“I’m fine. Just get me back to Caelum,” I muttered.

Samantha grabbed my right arm, and everyone but Nolan linked hands. He stared at his mother, her body limp on the ground and his face the color of snow.