expected me to be so in- his-mother’s-face.
But now that I’d begun, I fired with both guns blazing. “Why help me when you know what I’m capable of? Why haven’t you kicked me off your property? Or insisted that Alec stay as far away from me as possible?”
Matt rubbed his hands together. “Here we go.”
Marie pursed her lips. “Alec knows the danger and is young enough to still be drawn to the fire. But what will be, will be. Nothing I do can will change your destiny. Only you can do that.” She adjusted her wire-rimmed glasses. “In this situation I see no other way. Your skills are needed to keep my town and my family safe.” She quirked a brow. “So let’s get on with it.”
My skin tingled. I looked up. Alec leveled his attention on me for several pounding heartbeats, long enough for my breath to catch at the expression on his face. Part fear, part desire. And entirely irresistible. I pressed my heels into the floor to keep from walking across the room. How easy it would be to stand beside him, to clutch his hand, or forget we had witnesses and just slide into his arms.
To seek shelter there.
I pushed the breath from my lungs in a curse, trying to shock the need for him from my system. Keeping my distance was going to be harder than I thought.
Releasing me from the heat of his gaze, Alec faced his mother. “Eryn has shown courage, coming here when she knows you don’t trust her. She’s willing to try. Can’t you show her some tricks, anything that might throw the night mare off when she challenges it?”
“If we’re lucky, yes.” Marie straightened her shoulders and then went around the kitchen, opening cupboards. She gathered a few bundles of herbs, a clay bowl, and several white candles. “We’ll set up in the guest room. Eryn’s been there before, spent time at rest, so it should be comforting.”
A chill crept up my spine and pressed a cold hand on the back of my neck. Like the night mare had settled in for the ride. “Why would I need comforting?”
Marie paused. Her grip on the candles tightened. They scraped together, jutting at odd angles in her hand. “Dreamwalking is a skill that takes years to master, and you want me to throw you in the deep end. This is dangerous, Eryn. In that realm you’ll learn things about yourself that your waking mind seeks to hide. You can travel to the past, the future, and every time in between. Without some sense of peace to ground you, you could be lost in the dream world, with no way to get back to your body.” She brushed by me and proceeded into the hall.
The rest of the crew fell silent as Marie’s footsteps creaked on the wooden stairs to the second floor.
Alec rocked on his heels, waiting for me to make a decision. “I’m going, I’m going,” I said. I pointed a finger at him, then
at the rest of the crew. “But I don’t want an audience.”
Alec smiled. “You won’t have one. Matt and Brit are taking Paige to visit Kate. Hopefully she can fix the spell before we drop you guys off at home.”
Matt eyed Paige, looking doubtful. “Yeah, or you’ll have to explain why she’s got old-timers disease about fifty years early.”
Paige didn’t even glance up from her cell. She was definitely texting now, her thumbs moved swiftly over the keyboard.
“What about you?” I asked Alec. “Where are you going to be?”
He was all smiles. “I’ll hang out down here. Yell if you need me.”
“I won’t.” I whirled to follow Marie up the stairs.
I lay down on the same brass bed I’d woken up in a few weeks ago. I kept my eyes shut tightly. The strike of a match. The sharp scent of phosphorus followed by melted candle wax.
“Just relax, Eryn,” Marie said, moving quietly about the darkened room. “There’s nothing to be scared of. We’re just going to do a little test of your dreamwalking skills.”
I gave a low laugh. “I never do well on tests.” Well, that wasn’t exactly true. I’d rocked one physics test, but I’d had a little
But now that I’d begun, I fired with both guns blazing. “Why help me when you know what I’m capable of? Why haven’t you kicked me off your property? Or insisted that Alec stay as far away from me as possible?”
Matt rubbed his hands together. “Here we go.”
Marie pursed her lips. “Alec knows the danger and is young enough to still be drawn to the fire. But what will be, will be. Nothing I do can will change your destiny. Only you can do that.” She adjusted her wire-rimmed glasses. “In this situation I see no other way. Your skills are needed to keep my town and my family safe.” She quirked a brow. “So let’s get on with it.”
My skin tingled. I looked up. Alec leveled his attention on me for several pounding heartbeats, long enough for my breath to catch at the expression on his face. Part fear, part desire. And entirely irresistible. I pressed my heels into the floor to keep from walking across the room. How easy it would be to stand beside him, to clutch his hand, or forget we had witnesses and just slide into his arms.
To seek shelter there.
I pushed the breath from my lungs in a curse, trying to shock the need for him from my system. Keeping my distance was going to be harder than I thought.
Releasing me from the heat of his gaze, Alec faced his mother. “Eryn has shown courage, coming here when she knows you don’t trust her. She’s willing to try. Can’t you show her some tricks, anything that might throw the night mare off when she challenges it?”
“If we’re lucky, yes.” Marie straightened her shoulders and then went around the kitchen, opening cupboards. She gathered a few bundles of herbs, a clay bowl, and several white candles. “We’ll set up in the guest room. Eryn’s been there before, spent time at rest, so it should be comforting.”
A chill crept up my spine and pressed a cold hand on the back of my neck. Like the night mare had settled in for the ride. “Why would I need comforting?”
Marie paused. Her grip on the candles tightened. They scraped together, jutting at odd angles in her hand. “Dreamwalking is a skill that takes years to master, and you want me to throw you in the deep end. This is dangerous, Eryn. In that realm you’ll learn things about yourself that your waking mind seeks to hide. You can travel to the past, the future, and every time in between. Without some sense of peace to ground you, you could be lost in the dream world, with no way to get back to your body.” She brushed by me and proceeded into the hall.
The rest of the crew fell silent as Marie’s footsteps creaked on the wooden stairs to the second floor.
Alec rocked on his heels, waiting for me to make a decision. “I’m going, I’m going,” I said. I pointed a finger at him, then
at the rest of the crew. “But I don’t want an audience.”
Alec smiled. “You won’t have one. Matt and Brit are taking Paige to visit Kate. Hopefully she can fix the spell before we drop you guys off at home.”
Matt eyed Paige, looking doubtful. “Yeah, or you’ll have to explain why she’s got old-timers disease about fifty years early.”
Paige didn’t even glance up from her cell. She was definitely texting now, her thumbs moved swiftly over the keyboard.
“What about you?” I asked Alec. “Where are you going to be?”
He was all smiles. “I’ll hang out down here. Yell if you need me.”
“I won’t.” I whirled to follow Marie up the stairs.
I lay down on the same brass bed I’d woken up in a few weeks ago. I kept my eyes shut tightly. The strike of a match. The sharp scent of phosphorus followed by melted candle wax.
“Just relax, Eryn,” Marie said, moving quietly about the darkened room. “There’s nothing to be scared of. We’re just going to do a little test of your dreamwalking skills.”
I gave a low laugh. “I never do well on tests.” Well, that wasn’t exactly true. I’d rocked one physics test, but I’d had a little
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