Dream Walker (The Coven, Book 3)

by Erica Stevens

  She pulled the belt on her robe tighter as she imagined crawling back into her bed and burying herself under the fluffy comforter. It had been an endless night. She was tired, and her legs were sore from all the dancing she did. This Halloween hadn’t been as much fun as past ones, but she still enjoyed herself. She loved making the boys in school go crazy over her, and she’d done that in abundance tonight.

  She planned to call Henry Berk for a date and maybe Grayson Watson. After that, she would decide if they were worth her time, or if she would return to dating college guys. Humming to herself, Sandra turned around and froze. The sound died on her lips as a strangled cry escaped. Her heart lurched into her throat, blocking off her windpipe.

  The creature standing in the doorway stared at her with blazing blue eyes that pierced her soul and held her immobile. When it stepped forward, its claws clicked against the tile floor, and a low growl issued from its distorted throat.

  A strand of drool hanging from its misshapen jaw swayed with its movement before plopping onto the floor. A contorted mixture of human and wolf, the disgusting creature made her head reel.

  She was so stunned to see it standing in her kitchen that it took her a minute to realize it was one of the werewolves from her nightmare in the maze.

  One of the werewolves from the nightmare she’d endured for years, but that wasn’t possible. When the monster padded forward, Sandra swore it laughed at her as it made a strange chuckling noise. Its distorted snout pulled back to reveal razor-sharp, yellow fangs.

  When its claws clicked against the tile again, her paralysis broke, and Sandra stumbled back. Her shoulder caught the edge of the fridge; the jarring motion knocked her forward, and she lurched for the butcher knives at the end of the counter. Her robe caught on a cabinet handle and yanked her back.

  The werewolf’s head tilted on its gnarled neck while it continued to laugh at her as it stalked her. The clicking of its claws—claws that could gut her in a single blow—made her mouth go dry. She had to get to the knives, or it would kill her.

  She yanked at her robe while her eyes remained locked on the monster until the pocket tore away. Its eyes went to the knives before returning to her, and the chuckling intensified. It may think her attempt to get to the knives was pathetic, but she didn’t care. She ran for the block at the end of the counter.

  Four more feet… three…

  The creature leaned back and hunched before springing forward with inhuman swiftness. Sandra screamed and threw herself at the block of knives. Her violent motion knocked the knives to the floor where they clattered on the tile. Spinning around the floor, light reflected off the blades as they slid beyond her grasp.

  The two-hundred-pound creature crashed into her. Sandra screamed as she was bent awkwardly over the marble countertop. And then it was dragging her down.

  No! No! No!

  The staccato beat of her heart thundered in her ears as its hot breath blew back strands of her hair. Her fingernails bent back and broke as she tried to claw her way free of it. When it growled in her ear, its fetid breath hit her like a punch in the gut. She gagged while she fought against the weight on her back. She could barely breathe as it pressed her chest into the unyielding floor.

  A flash drew her eyes to the knife inches away from her. It was right there. Right there!

  She bit her lip as her fingers brushed the handle. A mighty swipe knocked her onto her back. Dismay over losing the knife vanished when it lunged at her. Sandra threw her hands into its chest and managed to hold it off her as its mouth closed. Teeth skimmed the tip of her nose.

  Sandra dug her fingers into its coarse fur in a desperate attempt to keep it away when it lurched at her throat. She twisted her head away and shoved up with her legs to throw off its lethal attack.

  She was going to die. This thing was going to kill her, and she couldn’t stop it. Her rattled mind desperately sought some solution, and then she had it. All she had to do was use her powers. How could she have been so stupid?

  Sandra drew into herself to find the power coursing through her body. She allowed it to build within her as she pictured what she wanted to happen to this monstrosity. Then she unleashed it with an adrenaline-filled burst that hit the creature.

  She expected it to fly off her or explode into a million pieces. She would gladly take her mother’s displeasure over a mess in her kitchen if she got to see this thing’s guts splattered everywhere.

  Instead, it remained sitting on her, smiling smugly. Sandra gawked at it. She couldn’t believe nothing had happened. She didn’t see the thing raise a paw until the hairy appendage was hovering above her with its claws extended.

  She was going to die, and she couldn’t do anything to stop it. The descending claw sliced across her arm, and she screamed.

  Sandra bolted upright. Her heart hammered as her breath wheezed. The cold sweat pouring down her soaked her thin nightgown and caused her golden blonde hair to cleave to her face. Momentarily confused by her surroundings, she stared into the darkness until she made out shapes in the shadows and realized she was in her room. Her shoulders slumped as she dropped her head into her hands.

  Only a nightmare, but it was so real.

  Taking a shaky breath, she unsuccessfully tried to ease the pounding of her heart as she shuddered involuntarily. The movement caused pain to race through her arm. Lifting her head, she gingerly touched her fingers to the sore area. Her mind spun when she discovered her nightgown torn and a warm, sticky ooze coated her fingers.

  Sandra lurched to the side and smacked her hand off the lamp on her nightstand. She heard it teeter and managed to catch it before it crashed to the floor. Her fingers fumbled before finally finding the switch and turning it on.

  The pool of light revealed five perfect gashes on her upper arm; blood oozed from the cuts. Gaping, Sandra couldn’t register what she saw as the blood stained her white nightgown. Finally deciding this couldn’t be real, she pinched herself and winced.

  This was real, and she was awake. Her encounter with her nightmare werewolf had followed her into reality.

  CHAPTER 3

  Avery stared at the cozy, weathered Cape house and gulped. “Are you coming with me?”

  “But of course, Madam,” Tina answered and waved her hand in an elegant gesture while she grinned at Avery. Her mahogany eyes shone with amusement and her caramel-colored hair dangled in a braid over her shoulder.

  Tina, Karen, and Lila stood beside her on the sidewalk. They huddled into their coats as the crisp October air blew the fallen leaves down the street toward them. The skittering sound of the leaves and the mostly bare tree branches clicking together while they swayed in the breeze sent a shiver down her spine. The sun shone on them, but the sounds only served to remind her it was Halloween and prime time for Regan to make his next move.

  Her hand trembled as she rang the bell before stepping back. She knew it was foolish to be nervous, but she couldn’t help it. According to Sandra, Alex and Landon had broken up because he’d defended her decision to break up with Reid; she had no idea how he would react to seeing her on his doorstep.

  However, she had no choice, and if he’d defended her, then Alex was a good place to start. The coven was in pieces, and she was determined to bring them back together. The only problem was, she knew many of these pieces weren’t in the mood to realign.

  After a few more rings, Alex opened the door in a white T-shirt with holes in it and a pair of shorts with superheroes flying around on them. Tousled from sleep, his nearly white blond hair stood up in disarray around his sculpted face. He squinted his luminous black eyes as he lifted his hand to block the sun at Avery’s back. Despite his dishevelment, he was one of the best-looking guys Avery had ever seen.

  “Cute outfit,” Karen said. Her sandy blonde hair fell about her pretty face in waves, and her hazel eyes twinkled with amusement.

  Alex smiled as he stepped back to let them in. “I always try to look my best. What’s… up?” he asked aroun
d a yawn.

  “Don’t tell me you just woke up?” Tina inquired.

  “Hey, it’s Sunday!” he protested as he flashed a dazzling grin. “You’re supposed to sleep in on the weekends. I need coffee; do you guys want some?”

  She glanced at the others, and they shook their heads. “No, thanks,” Avery answered as they followed him into the kitchen.

  “It’s almost ten o’clock,” Lila said as Alex opened cabinets to gather his supplies.

  Alex paused in the middle of measuring his coffee to glance at the clock. “Ugh, it’s so early! I need my beauty sleep. You don’t become this good-looking by getting up before two on the weekends. I’m letting you know this so next time you won’t drag me out of bed at the crack of dawn.”

  “Crack of dawn my ass.” Tina snorted. “And not too conceited, are you?”

  “I do own a mirror,” he replied, but his tone and lopsided smile tempered his words.

  Avery slid into a chair as the tension eased out of her. Lila sat next to her and stretched her legs out before her. Over the summer, Lila had nearly been paralyzed in a diving accident. She’d come a long way since then and could now walk without the aid of a cane, but sometimes she grew tired fast.

  “You okay?” Avery asked her.

  “I’m fine,” Lila assured her with a smile as she massaged her right thigh. “Little too much dancing last night, but I better get back in shape if I’m going to college.”

  Before the accident, Lila already had scholarship offers from colleges for her diving skills. Lila had feared she would lose them, but she’d recovered enough that the colleges hadn’t pulled their offers.

  Lila’s doe brown eyes were warm, and her chocolate brown hair fell forward as she rested her hand over Avery’s. “Don’t worry about me.”

  Avery squeezed her hand and held it for a few seconds before releasing it. Karen and Tina remained in the doorway while Alex stood before the coffee pot with his supplies. Avery had missed Alex’s cheerful banter, and she realized it was ridiculous for her to be nervous about coming here.

  Initially, she intended to get Mario, Sandra, and Eric first as she knew they would help her to reunite the coven. But then she decided it might be better, and less intimidating, to have fewer members of the coven with her when she started this.

  Avery turned her left hand over, and her sleeve fell back to reveal the birthmark on her inner wrist. She rubbed her fingers over the mark. When she became a member of the coven, she learned what her birthmarks represented.

  The circle with eight lines leading toward an intricate knot in the center represented the Wheel of the Year. The Wheel indicated there was no stop and start to the calendar, but it moved from day to day without end.

  The knot in the center of the wheel was the triquetra, an ancient Celtic symbol used to symbolize the maiden, mother, and crone. It also symbolized the infinite cycle of life and was known as a rune of protection.

  All the members of the coven had the same birthmark on their right wrists, but Avery was the only one to bear it on her left hand and the only member who was double marked; she had an identical mark on her left hip too.

  She was also the most powerful member of the coven thanks to a spell her great-great-great-aunt Celia cast before dying with Regan over a hundred years ago. The spell ensured that the black magic Celia possessed, after joining Regan, would find its way into one of her future family members and infuse them with its strength. That power had found its way to Avery.

  “So,” Alex said, “are you going to tell me what’s up, or did you just come here to pick on me?”

  Feeling strengthened by her mark and the reminder of Celia’s sacrifice, Avery lifted her head to meet Alex’s curious stare before replying. “It’s time to regroup the coven.”

  Alex smiled at her. “Well, well, well, it seems our courageous leader is back. It’s about time.”

  She gaped at him before recovering. “I’m not the leader.”

  “Really?” he inquired as he returned to the coffee pot. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” she said as she tried not to squirm.

  Alex’s words struck too close to what Sandra wanted for the coven also. The only problem was, Avery did not want the responsibility of being the leader. Plus, she was far too new at being a witch and still had too much to learn. There was no way she could be in charge when she didn’t know a quarter of the rituals, spells, properties of herbs, crystals, colors, and everything else that made up being a witch.

  “Why don’t you try a little coffee with your sugar?” she suggested when Alex dumped his fifth spoonful into the mug.

  “If I’m going to be any use to you, then I’m going to have my coffee my way. Otherwise, I’ll be useless all day.”

  He finally finished putting enough sugar to kill a bear into the mug and returned to his chair. “Ah,” he breathed as he blew on the coffee before taking a sip. “Coffee is the greatest creation ever.”

  “There are a billion years of evolution that would disagree with your statement,” Tina said.

  “That billion years of evolution created the cup of life I’m holding,” he replied.

  “You’re so weird,” Lila said.

  “I’m also a caffeine addict, so let me enjoy myself.”

  Avery chuckled as she leaned back in her chair. “I missed you, Alex.”

  He paused with his mug halfway to his lips before lowering it again. “I missed you—and everyone else.”

  He looked to the window over the sink. Outside the window, Landon’s house was clearly visible.

  “I even miss Sandra and Isla. Never thought I’d say that, and don’t you ever tell them I did,” he said.

  “Did you and Landon really break up?” Avery asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Was it—” Avery gulped. “Was it because of me?”

  “No. I mean, she wasn’t thrilled with me for defending your decision but…”

  “But what?” Avery prodded when he looked to Landon’s house again.

  Alex’s eyes were steely when they returned to her. “But there must have been something already wrong there if that was enough for her to end it.”

  Avery didn’t know how to respond, so she decided to let it go. She hoped Alex and Landon figured things out, but that was for them to decide. “Why did you defend me?”

  “If you hadn’t broken up with Reid to protect him from Regan—and I’m right about that, aren’t I?”

  “Yes,” she admitted.

  “Thought so. But even if that wasn’t your reason, you have the right to decide who you’re going to date. Landon knows that, but the two of them are so close that when someone hurts one of them, they’re not always reasonable about it. I imagine Reid’s not too happy with me right now either.”

  “So reuniting the coven should be a breeze,” she said sarcastically.

  Alex laughed. “More like a hurricane, but it can be done.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. I should have said that it has to be done. This is a bad day for us to be so divided.”

  Goose bumps broke out on Avery’s arms as she glanced out the window. A flat gray sky was sliding in to cover up the blue and block the sun. This was a bad day to be divided.

  “How do you plan on getting everyone together?” Alex asked.

  “I don’t know,” Avery admitted. “Sandra will be easy; she told me last night she wants it. Mario and Eric won’t be difficult. Rosie hasn’t completely shut me out, but I’m not sure how she’ll react. Isla, Shawn, Landon, and Reid will be the tough ones.”

  “I don’t think Shawn will be as difficult as you think if we approach him. He knows that because he’s never been trapped in the Nightmare realm, he’s a big suspect for releasing Regan from the skull. If he thinks we trust him, he’ll come back,” Alex said.

  That freaking skull!

  Avery ground her teeth together as she recalled the main reason the coven was divided. One of them had taken the skull they boun
d Regan to after first facing him in the Nightmare realm and released him from it. Once free, he’d come back for them and dragged some of them into a maze full of their nightmares.

  Now, he was still out there, and no matter how hard they searched for it, they had no idea where the skull was or who set him free. The person had to be a member of the coven because they knew where to locate the skull and possessed the magic to set him free. The distrust this created tore the coven apart, and when she found out who did it, she would make them pay.

  “Just so you know, I don’t think it was him,” Alex said.

  “Why not?” Avery asked.

  “It’s too obvious. I mean, maybe that makes him guilty, but I don’t see Regan clearly pointing the finger at his accomplice by not torturing him like he did the rest of us.”

  Avery had thought the same thing many times, but out of everyone in the coven, Shawn was the one she knew the least.

  “But the skull and the traitor are things we can figure out later,” Alex said.

  “I’ve tried to find it, but it’s like it vanished,” Avery said.

  “So have I,” Alex admitted. “We may never find it.”

  Avery tried not to feel hopeless over his words, but he might be right. “And if we don’t?”

  “Then we’ll figure out another way to stop him, and we will figure it out. Until then, we have to be back together and on speaking terms before Regan comes back. I’m surprised nothing happened after midnight, but it’s only a matter of time. Who’s next on the coven reunion tour?”

  “Sandra,” she said. “If we’re going to talk with Shawn, it will be good to have her with us, and she’ll be annoyed if we don’t include her.”

  “And Sandra is no fun when she’s irritated,” Tina said.

  CHAPTER 4

  Avery’s mouth fell open when Sandra answered the door. Sandra, who was always perfectly dressed, manicured, and groomed, stood before them in a bathrobe and white bunny slippers. Avery couldn’t tear her gaze off those slippers with their floppy ears and pink noses. Sandra wore bunny slippers.