Destined for Dreams: Book One

by Ginna Moran

  I feel Nadia enter Jacqueline’s mind.

  Nadia’s presence is powerful. It feels different than before. It’s so overwhelming, it’s like she’s going to push me out of Jacqueline’s head and kill me by accident.

  “Hunter?” Nadia’s voice is barely a whisper.

  I ease into Jacqueline’s dream and find Nadia hovering in the middle of a quaint living room. A plush, green couch sits against a long wall adorned with a crookedly hung painting of a waterfall. A white painted coffee table is positioned in front of it with a pile of books stacked over a foot high on one side. A large curtain-less window lets in pale sunlight. It streaks across Nadia’s glittering, white hair.

  She’s wearing a white dress that flows around her knees, and it’s barely a shade lighter than her porcelain skin. Her eyes are a gray so light, they’re haunting and eerie, and lack life. Her lips are blue and she doesn’t blink. She’s like a ghost here to torment me.

  I’m uneasy.

  I grab her hands. They’re stiff and ice cold and I bring them to my lips and blow on them. Nothing happens. If we were in the real world, I could warm her up, but in this dream, I’m just a projection of what I could be.

  I reach up and touch her chin when she doesn’t say anything. “You’re so cold. What happened?”

  She just stares past me.

  “Nadia? What did Jacqueline do?” Her unresponsiveness is getting under my skin. Maybe this is my own nightmare.

  She blinks and draws her eyes to mine. “I’m too weak to feed. If I don’t, I’ll die.” Her voice is faint.

  Pain swells through me like she just punched me in the gut. “You can’t die. I need you. Please, Nadia, tell me what to do.”

  “Help me eat.”

  I look for a door that leads to the kitchen, but there isn’t one. It’s just a room with a window and no other way out. I pick up the coffee table and throw it at the window and it shatters. The noise is so loud, I cringe, but I don’t hesitate. I pick up Nadia and carry her through the window. Her shoulder hits the frame and sparks erupt. The wall begins to smolder and Nadia inhales.

  And then I remember.

  Nadia feeds off the destruction of dreams.

  I swing her around and help her run her fingers over the red bricks. They blacken and burn and begin to crumble as she destroys the house with her touch. Warmth swells from her back and travels to her shoulders and she curls her fingers.

  She gulps in a few more breaths. “Jacqueline set up a nightmare catcher,” she says through swallows. “It almost killed me.” Her hand slides over my neck and she leans her head on my shoulder.

  I frown into her glittering, white hair. Jacqueline didn’t set up anything. “What are you talking about?”

  “There was a nightmare catcher on the floor of her room. It pulled me in and trapped me. If Alyssa hadn’t come, I would’ve died.”

  She’s talking about the gift from Ryder. Jacqueline had knocked it off her nightstand when she plopped into bed. She was too exhausted to pick it up. It never even crossed my mind that it would affect Nadia like she said it has.

  I should’ve nagged Jacqueline to get rid of it when she opened the package. I could’ve prevented this whole thing if I would’ve just put two and two together. “I’m so sorry. It was an accident. Jacqueline didn’t—”

  She presses her finger to my lips. “Don’t you dare defend her, Hunter. She doesn’t deserve to have you as a white knight.”

  I can’t resist kissing her hair. She looks so beautiful this very moment in my arms with the way she narrows her eyes and puckers her bottom lip. Her eyes search mine and I don’t say anything. She’s so mad at Jacqueline that I don’t think she’d listen anyway.

  I shift my eyes to the red and orange flames that lick the walls of the house and it rumbles on its foundation. The roof collapses and I take a step back even though it can’t hurt us.

  And then I hear a scream.

  It’s long and loud and agonizing. I shiver from the shrillness of it. I press my forehead against Nadia’s. Our lips are an inch away and she closes her eyes as the scream rips through the air again.

  “I have to go,” she whispers.

  I don’t move to let her go. Instead, I lean closer and kiss her.

  She melts into me and wraps her arms tighter around my neck. Her lips are soft and hungry and she kisses me deeper. Our tongues meet and she tastes like cinnamon and sugar, and I imagine it’s what the dream tastes like to her.

  She pulls back and cups my face in her hands. “Why can’t this be easier?” Her eyes shift away and she glances at the burning house. “Why can’t this be real?”

  I flinch. “It is real. I’m real, you’re real. It’s real.”

  She shakes her head. “We’re part of a dream.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I say.

  She half smiles. “It does. We can’t stay here forever. And if you get your body back, it’ll never work out. We were only meant for dreams.”

  I want to tell her that she’s wrong. That it can work. That we can make it work. I want to tell her that I’m falling in love with her and that I need her. Not only to get me out of here, but I need her because she makes the world right. She’s shown me balance and how every super is not the monster the board has made them out to be. With her, I can change things.

  “Don’t leave, please.” I need her to stay.

  “But I have to go.”

  NADIA

  Another scream rips through the air, but I can’t find the will to turn my back on Hunter. I can still feel the warmth of his lips, how strong his arms felt around me, and how his need to be with me was so palpable, I could feel it in my soul.

  I kiss him again before pulling back. “It’ll only be for a while. I promise I’ll be back and I will save you. I won’t let anything stop me.”

  He sets me down, but doesn’t let go of my hand. “I miss you already.”

  I smile and squeeze his hand before gliding away. The hunger in me burns with such intensity that I look forward to tormenting Jacqueline for what she has done to me. I don’t turn to look back at Hunter. I don’t want him to see the menace in my eyes. I don’t want him to see the monster that Jacqueline brought out in me.

  Jacqueline kneels on the ground in front of an unconscious boy. She wipes black soot from his face with tears streaming down her cheeks. The boy looks similar to her, like he could be her brother. I lick my lips and glide closer.

  Jacqueline turns to face me and cries out, blocking the boy, and I reach out and touch her shoulder. The sky cracks and rains down smoke and fire. I’m out of her dream as everything begins to burn.

  18. OUT OF CONTROL

  NADIA

  I stand over Jacqueline’s sleeping body. I can’t just leave here like nothing happened. I can’t pretend that she didn’t set the nightmare catcher, and I can’t forget about Hunter. My world collapses around me and I’m being buried alive by the pieces I can’t hold together.

  I can’t stay here.

  I can’t leave Jacqueline, either.

  I can only do one thing.

  The door creaks open and I jerk to face Alyssa. I catch my reflection in Jacqueline’s vanity mirror—my wild hair is light blond, almost white, and my glassy, blue eyes are almost colorless. My expression is one of a monster, dark and angry, malicious and void of anything good.

  “We have ten minutes to get out of here,” she says, gripping her fingers on the door.

  I dig my nails into my hands. “I’m not leaving Hunter.”

  Alyssa’s eyes glaze over and she stares past me for a second. “Then we have six minutes.”

  She rolls Jacqueline over and yanks her into a sitting position. The remnants of the nightmare I created are still impacting her and she won’t wake up for a few more minutes. We each take an arm and lift her up between us, sharing her weight. My heart races and my knees tremble, but it’s already too late to change my mind.

  We enter the empty hallway and make it out of the dor
mitory without anyone seeing us. They’re probably heading to the dining hall at this hour. The sun has already set, but it’s still light enough that Alyssa leads us straight to the barrier, near the fields, and we stumble forward within the cover of the trees.

  Jacqueline’s dead weight is a lot heavier than I expected, and in my weakened state, I’m winded easily. Alyssa stops every few feet and I pant. It’s hard to catch my breath. I can’t even glide. It would make it so much easier without tripping over my own feet.

  “We have three minutes to grab the talisman before Daisy comes to retrieve it for the night.”

  I grimace. I don’t think we can make it.

  Jacqueline moans.

  My heart stops.

  “Jacqueline? Jacqueline can you hear me? You need to move your feet. We only have minutes to get out of here. The council knows everything,” Alyssa says. She’s pretty convincing, and I almost believe that Jacqueline is the real fugitive.

  We gain speed as she stumbles with us. She grunts as we jog, but doesn’t stop or even question what we’re doing. “Be quiet, Hunter. I’m moving as fast as I can,” she mumbles.

  Hunter. She said his name again. I want to say something to him, but don’t. We’re not off the property yet and she can still fight us.

  “Almost there,” Alyssa says, dragging us faster.

  We stop at the gate to the forest and Alyssa grabs the small talisman from the tree. She tosses it to me, and I tug it over my head and open the gate. I take it off and throw it back to Alyssa and she maneuvers it over Jacqueline’s head and pushes her through. She falls into my arms and I half drop her to her knees. I yank the talisman from her neck and throw it to Alyssa. She runs through the gate, throws it near the tree, and helps me pull Jacqueline back to her feet.

  Leaves crunch behind us and we dash a few feet into the forest. I gasp and clutch the trunk of a tree. The nightmare catcher weakened me so much that I’m already going to need to feed as soon as I can. I’m out of control.

  “Can you make it to the car?” Alyssa asks.

  I nod.

  We help Jacqueline deeper into the forest until we come to the small clearing and dirt road. Alyssa yanks off the car cover and throws it into the trunk. I help Jacqueline slide into the backseat and Alyssa jumps behind the wheel and starts the car.

  Jacqueline slumps over, still exhausted, and my stomach burns with a fire so intense, I can’t even consider not invading her dream this second. I place my hands on her temples and the world shifts.

  Everything is black. I’m hovering in pitch darkness and have no sense of direction. It’s disorienting and freaky and absent of anything to feed on.

  “Nadia?”

  It’s Hunter. I can’t see him, but the smoothness of his voice wraps around me and my fear melts away. “Where are you?”

  An electrifying sensation crawls over me and a pinprick of light grows in front of me until the darkness turns to pure white and then I’m standing on an empty dance floor in the middle of what looks like an old warehouse.

  “You’re back,” Hunter says.

  “I couldn’t control myself.”

  “Jacqueline’s a lunatic,” he blurts. “She’s incoherent and emotional. It’s hard to tolerate her.”

  I turn and meet his gaze. His hazel eyes look brown in the colorful lights blinking from the stage. He grabs my hands and brings them to his lips.

  “It’s worse than I thought,” I say.

  “She kept complaining about how she can’t think. She forces me into the void the moment I say anything. I can’t live like this.”

  The void. I was in the void before Jacqueline started dreaming. It’s exactly how that place felt. My chest tightens and I rest my head on Hunter’s shoulder. “I wish I could pull you out with me. You’re dealing with this because of me. I’ve come too frequently. She’s losing touch of reality.” I knew the consequences of visiting Hunter, but I didn’t care. I still don’t. You’re a monster. I shake my thought away. “I need to give her a break.”

  He sighs. “Please don’t forget about me.”

  I tilt my head up to look into his eyes. “I won’t. I’m going to get you out of here.”

  I kiss him before I pull away as Jacqueline’s dream kicks into action and people begin to swarm the club. I grab a woman in a tight black dress and boots. She explodes into a cloud of dust and I gulp in the air, tasting the sweet flavor of the dream.

  People start screaming and running. Jacqueline presses against the closed door. She pounds her fists on it and struggles to turn the knob. It breaks off in her hand and she twirls around to face me. Her eyes are wide, her mouth agape, and I smile.

  The world explodes around us and I reach out and cup her chin, taking satisfaction in destroying her dream. Her lavender eyes bore into mine and I drink in everything I can before the air shifts and I’m out of her dream.

  “We’re almost there,” Alyssa says.

  “Where?” I shake my head to get the image of Hunter from my mind.

  “The Haven. It’s more than a club. Cian can give us a room. We’ll be safe there for now. I saw it.”

  I squeeze my eyes shut. I’m still so hungry and if I invade Jacqueline’s head again right now, there won’t be anything to feed on.

  Trepidation washes over me, sinking deep into my bones. It was crazy to kidnap Jacqueline and run away from the compound. My actions are bound to have consequences and they may even affect my father’s future with the council. She tried to kill you. No one would believe me. I’m always going to be a monster in the council’s eyes.

  “Can you think of anywhere else?” I wring my hands together. “I’m out of control.”

  She glances at me in the rearview mirror. “You have to trust that I’ll get you through this.”

  “I can’t. Not with you, Alyssa. Look how I’ve already affected Jacqueline. Hunter said it’s worse than it looks.” I lean my head on the cool glass of the window.

  “Then I’ll find you someone.” Alyssa cranks her neck to look at me. “You need to eat.”

  I blow a puff of air between my lips. I can’t argue. I need nourishment, especially if I’m going to help Hunter, but I just wish it wasn’t so embarrassing. It’s much easier when the dreamer isn’t aware of what is going to happen.

  Alyssa pulls into the parking garage and waves to the parking attendant. He gives her a pass and she parks near the top of the garage, away from the regular tenant activity. She gets out first and then leans in and says, “Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  I’d stay in the car all night if she would let me. It’s less tempting to stay hidden amongst empty cars than going into a building full of sleeping people.

  Jacqueline moans next to me and I stiffen when her eyes flutter open. She shifts in the seat and runs her fingers through her mess of dark, curly hair. She blinks a few times, her lavender eyes shifting to hazel and back, and then she focuses on me.

  “Is this real? I’m so confused,” she says after a long silent minute. “Where are we?”

  I rub my hands together. “The Haven. The council knows about your deal with the board, Jacqueline.” I lie because if I tell her the truth, I’m afraid I’ll strangle her for trying to kill me. I need to be her friend while the rest of the world is her enemy so she’ll trust me. “Alyssa’s getting us a room so we can figure things out.”

  I jump at the sudden tap on the window and turn to see Alyssa. She opens the door and helps me out, and then stares at Jacqueline who doesn’t move. Alyssa pulls a small necklace from her pocket and tosses it at Jacqueline. “You need to wear this.”

  My knees quiver and I stumble. “Is it safe?”

  Alyssa nods. “Come on. I managed to get a room.”

  Jacqueline puts the necklace on and her eyes widen. She waves her hands in front of her face and tears drip onto her cheeks. “What is this?”

  Alyssa grimaces. “An action control talisman. I’m sorry, I had to. I don’t trust you. Now get out of the car and w
alk ahead of us and don’t say a word.”

  Alyssa managed to acquire an elf-spelled talisman that will influence Jacqueline to follow our orders. While it can’t force Jacqueline to do bad things, it can make her follow simple commands like no talking, no running, and no fighting.

  Alyssa slides her arm around my shoulders and helps me walk while Jacqueline quietly shuffles in front of us. She helps me climb the stairs, but before we reach the top, the world shifts.

  I’m so dizzy. My vision is shadowed and black stars swirl in front of me. My knees buckle and I stumble.

  I close my eyes. I can’t do this any longer.

  HUNTER

  “Why are they doing this to me?” Jacqueline thinks. “Please, let me say something, anything. Come on, Jacqueline, just open your mouth. You can do it. Say something. Say anything. Open your mouth!”

  Jacqueline’s emotions run hot and fast around me. She’s terrified, confused, nervous, and really, really pissed.

  “They know you made a deal with the board. Of course they don’t trust you,” I say.

  “But I haven’t done anything to them! I wasn’t going to go through with it.” Her voice rings so loud around me, I almost jump into the void myself to get away from it.

  “Calm down, Jackie. I’m sure this will all get figured out.” I want to tell her what I really mean when I say it’ll get figured out, but I don’t. I still have to share her head with her and I’m sure I’ll be permanently put in the void when she finds out that she’s really here because of me.

  “How do you know, Hunter? I need to leave, now!”

  I laugh. “How does it feel being trapped? Not good, hopefully.”

  Jacqueline screams in her mind.

  “Nadia? Nadia?” I can hear Alyssa, but I can’t see what’s going on because Jacqueline is staring at the ground.