by Mandi Oyster
Samantha’s cheeks turned red. “I thought maybe you just wanted to see if we’d do it.”
“And, you?” Cody shot me an accusatory glance.
I shrugged. “Well, I never expected anything like this. That’s for sure.” After a moment’s pause, I added, “I had no idea either of you was this romantic. Sam’s right. This is nice … unexpected.”
“Glad you like it,” Dan said. “A little hurt about the bowling thing, but glad nonetheless.” He flashed Samantha a charming smile.
Samantha grinned back at him. “As much as we like bowling, this is much nicer.”
Our onion rings and cheese sticks were delivered. They were among the best I’d ever had, but I only ate a couple in anticipation of the main course. While eating, I watched Dan’s ease with Samantha and wondered how he’d feel if he knew what I was capable of. Would he hang out with me if he knew I could shoot a fireball from my fingertips?
I closed my eyes and drew in a long breath. If my dreams kept up, Dan was bound to find out more about me, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready.
“Dacia?” Cody waved his hand in front of my face. “Anybody home?”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I blinked my eyes several times, trying to orient myself. “What?”
Samantha lifted a slender eyebrow. “Dan asked if the four of us would be able to get together over the summer.”
“Sorry. I was lost in the mountains.” I pointed at the view. “I don’t see why not. How far away are you from Sam? I can’t remember.”
Dan pointed at his mouth, then held his finger up. After he swallowed his food, he said, “I live about two hours from Sweetspire. So, that puts me five hours from you two.”
“In Mimosa?” I asked in an attempt to keep my mind from wandering again.
Dan nodded his reply since his mouth was full again.
The waiter returned with our dinner. He sat our plates in front of us and said, “Enjoy!”
My mouth watered at the delicious aroma. The steak was tender and cooked to perfection. Conversation quieted while we savored our food.
I’d eaten a little over half when I pushed my plate away. “I can’t eat another bite. That was really good.”
Cody stood up and reached his hand down to me. “May I have this dance?”
I placed my hand in his and let him escort me onto the deck. Dan and Samantha soon followed Cody’s lead.
“This is great.” I clasped my hands around his neck, and we swayed to the music. “I’ll never forget this evening or our first dance.”
He pulled me closer and whispered in my ear. “Me either.”
I laid my head on his chest, and we danced to several more songs. I felt safe and warm in his arms and knew there was nowhere else I’d rather be.
The next time I opened my eyes, the clouds were pink, red, purple, orange, and yellow. “Let’s watch the sunset.” I pointed to the railing. “You don’t see a view like this every day.”
“Sure.” With his hand on my lower back, he led me to the side.
I shivered.
“Cold?” Cody rubbed my arms. “I can get your jacket.”
“No. I’m fine.” I wasn’t cold, but the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. A quiver of foreboding ran up my spine—I felt like somebody had walked over my grave. It had been a long time since I’d had a feeling like that, and once again, I found myself wondering what was in store for me.
“You okay?” He lifted my chin up. “You seem distracted tonight.”
“I’m fine.” I looked away from him, so he couldn’t see the lie in my eyes. “It’s just so beautiful out here. I keep losing myself. I’m sorry.”
“I haven’t seen you this way since … you know.” He glanced at Dan.
Dan and Samantha were out of earshot, still dancing together. “This took me by surprise, Cody. And, it’s easy for me to space off out here with everything so perfect.”
Cody dragged his hand along his jaw. “You’re okay?”
It was obvious that he didn’t believe me, but this wasn’t the time or place to tell him that dragons had invaded my dreams. “I’m good.” I held my hand out. “Do you want to dance some more?”
Cody bowed. “As you wish.”
While we danced, I struggled to keep my mind from wandering. I didn’t want Cody to think I didn’t appreciate the evening he’d planned. I also didn’t want him asking any more questions right now. I hated lying to him, but I couldn’t talk to him about it here.
Besides, once I told them, everything would change. Once they knew, it would be real.
After a few more songs, Cody and I sat down on a bench. I leaned back against his chest and looked up. Stars twinkled in the darkened sky. Without thinking, I asked, “Do you think any more of my life is written up there, in the stars?”
“I don’t know.” He looked up. “Maybe they say, ‘And they lived happily ever after.’”
“That’d be nice.”
The waiter returned to the deck. “Does anyone have room for dessert?”
“Sure do,” Dan said.
Cody nodded. “Always.”
We went to the table. Cody pulled my chair out for me. He sat, then threw his arm over my chair.
I leaned into him. “Thanks for this wonderful evening.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m trying to figure out how they’ll ever top it,” Samantha said.
Dan nipped her ear. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
The dessert was as amazing as everything else had been. I savored every bite, keeping my attention focused on my friends.
When they finished, Samantha and Dan wandered off. It wasn’t long until The River Otter docked.
Once Matt tied up the boat, he joined us on the open deck. “I hope you had a great time.”
“We did,” Samantha said. I nodded in agreement.
“Enjoy the rest of your night.” He shook each of our hands as we walked past.
Cody drove with one hand on the steering wheel and one holding mine. I watched out the window, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his hand with my thumb.
“What’s wrong?” Cody asked.
“Nothing.” I smiled, trying to convince him I meant it.
By the time we got back to campus, it was after 11:30. We got out of the car, and Cody and Dan walked with us toward the women’s dormitory.
“You can’t come in,” Samantha said. “Marcy will flip out.” Marcy, our hall monitor, for some unknown reason, hated guys being in the dorm after hours.
“She’ll deal.” Cody held the door open.
“What kind of guy doesn’t walk his date to the door?” Dan asked.
I smiled at him over my shoulder. “One who doesn’t want to get into trouble.”
“We’re not afraid of Marcy.” Cody laughed.
We snuck through the hall, somehow managing to make it past Marcy’s room without her realizing there were guys in the building.
Samantha kicked off her heels as soon as she crossed the threshold. “Does anybody want something to drink?”
“Water,” Dan answered.
“Me, too,” Cody and I said at the same time.
“You guys picked a great evening for this.” Samantha twisted the cap off her bottle and held it in front of her mouth. “You couldn’t have asked for better weather.”
We sat and talked, not wanting the night to end, until around two when Dan stood and yawned. “I’m going to call it an evening. Do you want to walk out with me, Sam?” He held his hand out to her.
“Yeah.”
When the door closed, Cody looked at me. “I’m not ready for this to be over. We live close, but it’ll be different.”
“Yeah, I’m sure our parents wi
ll have plans for us, and I was thinking about getting a part-time job for the summer. But, it won’t be too long before we’re back here again.”
He pulled me onto his lap. “Leave some time for me.”
“You know I will.” I snuggled into him.
Samantha came back into the room. “Marcy just turned the corner. If you left now, you could probably sneak out.”
“Guess I’ll have to be quiet.” He rubbed his hand down my leg. “I’m not leaving yet.”
“If you’re not leaving”—Samantha sat down and turned toward us—“we should talk about Dacia’s nightmares.”
Chapter 3
Unearthing Incubus
Samantha and Cody focused on me. I slumped forward, and the excitement from the evening disappeared.
Cody slid his arm off my shoulders and folded them over his chest. “Nightmares?” His voice had a hard edge.
Samantha leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “She’s been keeping them to herself, but in the past week, I’ve seen two pairs of burnt pajamas buried in the trash.”
“I’m sorry.” I scrubbed my hands down my face. “I didn’t want to worry you two.” I wrapped my arms around my stomach. “I was going to tell you, but I wasn’t ready yet. I guess that’s why you were so concerned when I was spacing off, huh?”
“Yeah.” Samantha nodded. “I’ve seen that look before. Something was troubling you. Wasn’t it?”
I stared at the floor. “We were having a good time, and I wondered what Dan would think if he knew the truth about me. With these dreams”—I pulled my hand through my hair—“he’s gonna find out.”
“Dacia—” Cody grabbed my chin and turned my face toward him “—don’t shut us out. We want to help.”
“I know, but I was in denial.” I pulled on the hem of my dress. “I wanted them to just be dreams, but after waking up from one last night … I think they’re more.”
“Is it …” Samantha’s voice caught. She cleared her throat. “Is it Nefarious again?”
“No—” a humorless laugh escaped my lips “—I almost wish it was. I know that I can beat him.” Cody stroked my arm from my shoulder to my elbow and back again. “These started after Nefarious. In the first one, I was flying on a pegasus. A fireball shot past us. A black dragon chased me. I’ve had several dreams since. They all have different dragons, and … I think I’m going to have to face them.”
“Wow.” Samantha sat back and shook her head. “I don’t know how you handle it.”
“Like I said. Denial.” I shrugged. “But, now I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do when I’m home. My parents won’t understand me waking up from nightmares burned or covered in blood.”
Cody’s hand stopped midway through its course. “Nope.”
“It’s not just that either. When you had dreams about Nefarious, you woke up screaming all of the time,” Samantha said. “What if that starts happening again?”
“I don’t know.” I stood and paced in front of the chairs. “I wonder if it’s too late to sign up for summer classes.”
“This why you asked about the stars?” Cody asked.
“Yeah. I don’t …”
Our conversation was interrupted by pounding on our door. “Cody Hawks, I know you’re in there. Come out now.” Marcy’s voice reverberated through the wood.
Cody climbed the ladder to my loft. He piled my pillows around him to hide. “Not here,” he whispered.
“Cody.” Anger emphasized his name.
I opened the door a crack. “Marcy,” I tried to sound aggrieved, “Cody isn’t here. We went out. He dropped me off at the door. Samantha and I are sitting here talking, so please quit pounding on my door.”
“Oh, I—I thought I heard him in there.” She peeked past me. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Goodnight.” I closed the door and walked back to the chairs. “That was way too easy. You’ll have to be really quiet.”
Cody descended the ladder, sat in Cookie Monster, and pulled me onto his lap. “Can’t believe she left so easily.”
“Me either.” Samantha bit her lip. “Back to earlier, though. You know Cody’s right, don’t you? You need to let us know what’s going on.”
“I know.” I twisted my bracelet around my wrist. “I just … I want a normal life. Sarah never said there’d be more. I thought once Nefarious was gone, I’d be free. I don’t …” I took a deep breath. “I don’t want to go through that again.”
“Have you talked to Sarah?” Samantha leaned forward.
“No, I haven’t. I suppose I need to.”
“It would be a good idea. Maybe she knows something about what’s going on,” Samantha said. “Maybe she can help. You can tell Dan, too.”
“Dan’s a good guy.” Cody squeezed my arm affectionately. “He’ll deal.”
I threw my hands up. “Oh, yeah? Then why were you so worried Matt was going to say too much?”
“Guys.” Samantha glared at us. “Don’t start this. I’m sure Dan would be …” She looked up, like the words were written on the ceiling. “Shocked, but I don’t think it’d change anything.”
I stared at the carpet, knowing Samantha wouldn’t like what I had to say. “Maybe, but you’d be surprised to find out how many people have run from me because of them.”
Samantha crossed her arms, her fingers squeezing her biceps. “Dan’s a better person than that.”
“Don’t be mad, please.” I rubbed my neck. “I’ve been through this before, and you and Cody are pretty much the only ones who have accepted me for who … no, for what I am. I hope Dan will, but I can’t count on it.”
“Fair enough. Just don’t count him out yet.” Samantha released her arms. The white marks from her fingers stood out. “Now that we’ve gotten all this out in the open, I’m going to get my jammies on and go to bed.” She grabbed her stuff and walked to the door. With her hand on the knob, she turned back. “Oh, Cody … thank you for such a wonderful evening. I’m sorry I brought this all up tonight, but it needed saying.”
After Samantha left, Cody and I sat in silence, looking anywhere but at each other. “Pride,” Cody muttered. “That’s why I don’t want Dan to know.”
I reached for his hand, but he jerked it back.
“You have to trust us.” A muscle in his jaw jumped. “No more hiding. No lying.”
I stood and walked away, keeping my back to him. “I’m scared.”
The chair rocked back. Cody walked over and slid his arms around me, resting his chin on my head. “We’re here for you.”
I turned, holding him, finding comfort in his warmth. “I can’t do this again. I needed them to just be dreams. I thought I was done.”
“I wish.” He pulled me closer. “I’ll help you. No matter how many monsters you face.”
The slow rise and fall of his chest helped relax me. “You should go.”
“No.” His tone warned me not to argue. “I’m staying.”
Chapter 4
Sleeping Is Bad For Your Health
While Cody slept in Cookie Monster and Samantha was snuggled up in her bed, I clutched Glacier and stared at the ceiling, too afraid to sleep. Besides not wanting to face my nightmares, if I woke up screaming or injured, Cody would never let me be alone. We went through this with Nefarious, and as much as I loved being around him, there were times I needed to go off on my own.
The urge to get up and go for a walk nearly pulled me to my feet several times, but if Cody or Samantha woke and found me gone, they would panic. Why couldn’t I have been smart enough to hide my stupid pajamas somewhere Samantha wouldn’t find them?
A little voice in my head answered, Maybe you wanted her to.
d
The sun rises above the skyline. Clouds explod
e in a wide array of colors, a sunrise to rival the beauty of the sunset we saw last night. A peaceful sensation sweeps over me, and I’m glad I snuck out of bed.
Birds race to the air, as if they each want to be the first in flight. One off in the distance soars closer, dipping and diving as it glides across the sky. The silhouette grows larger. My heart races. My breath comes out in short, harsh gasps. It’s not a bird. I sprint from the bench, hiding in the shadows beneath the trees.
The enormous beast lands, and the ground trembles. I don’t dare move a muscle as I study the dragon. Standing on all fours, the beast is taller than an elephant and at least twice as long. Its emerald green scales shimmer in the sunlight. A spiked fin runs from its nose to the tip of its tail. With talons the length of my arm, it’s an efficient killing machine.
Sniffing the air, it strides toward the bench where I’d been sitting moments earlier. Its bright green eyes scan the area. I cower back when they settle on me.
The monster springs. Lightning bolts explode from my fingertips. While the dragon is distracted, I turn to flee, but I’m not fast enough.
The dragon’s claws tear through the air, slashing my back. Pain slices through my body, toppling me. I lie on the ground, unable to move. Panicked breaths rip at my throat. Spots dance in my vision. Just as I hear the whoosh of fire shooting through the air, everything goes black.
Darkness surrounded me. Distant voices pled with me to wake up. Try as I may, I couldn’t answer them. I couldn’t move. My consciousness hovered above my body.
“Dacia,” said an unfamiliar voice that sounded closer than the others. “Dacia,” it said even clearer this time. “I want Nefarious.”
What? How can he know about Nefarious?
“If you give him to me, I won’t send my pets after you,” the voice said. “If you refuse, my dragons can be very convincing.” He laughed, and cold shivers crawled up my spine. “One way or another I will have Nefarious. There’s no need to endure this pain. Give him to me. End your suffering.”