Chapter 14: Reign

Chapter Fourteen

Reign

I ’ve never practiced honing my nightmare abilities. Some things come naturally, like putting myself into the deep form of meditation necessary to enter someone’s dreams. Connecting with Greer’s mind takes longer, but it happens with focused concentration and pure intent.

My eyes open, and I blink rapidly while trying to get my bearings.

Her nightmare plays out, and it’s not a pretty sight.

That shitty maker of hers pins her to the bed, drinking her dry as she struggles and begs him to stop. He didn’t even have the decency to compel her, and the more I study him, the more it seems he’s actively getting off on her fear.

Being a mimic means I can literally feed on anxiety and terror, due to my half-nightmare lineage, but that fuckface doesn’t need to scare her to feed.

My fists clench at my sides.

When I was younger, my father told me I could control the dreams that I access.

My shadows spill from my skin, plucking her maker from the bed and tossing him to the floor. A bit of intent later, and I’ve built a makeshift wall to block him from accessing her. There was likely some easier way to accomplish it, but he’s now removed from the situation.

Blood stains the wound on Greer’s chest where he bit just above her breast, and I will the environment to change.

We end up near a small pond. The hot, humid air leads me to believe we’re in a jungle. I have less than no idea how this is where my mind decided we should be, but it’s better than the room Greer died in.

The siren is in tiny boy short panties and a camisole that’s stained with blood. Her eyes widen, and she takes a step back when she spots me.

I don’t even know if she’ll recognize me. We met after the memory I plucked her out of. I should have put more time into testing out these skills.

“I didn’t want anyone to see that,” she whispers. “I didn’t particularly want to relive it.”

“Do you remember me?” I ask, approaching slowly with my palms raised.

She nods. “Reign.”

“That’s right,” I agree, trying to seem less imposing. It’s essentially impossible. With her being barefoot, the height difference is even more extreme, but she doesn’t back away. I reach her, and my hands come to rest on her hips. “Let me take that pain away.”

Nightmares feed on negative emotions, like pain, guilt, shame, or even bad memories. Theoretically, I should be able to remove those emotions and even gain a power boost from them. I’ve never yearned to shoulder someone else’s misery, but I do hope I can figure it out.

My stomach buzzes with a hunger that makes me believe my system understands how to feed from her pain, even if I do not.

Leaning down, I capture her mouth. The brush of her lips against mine is tantalizing, but I also crave the agony that sits heavy on her chest.

Black smoke spills around her tongue, and I swallow it like a greedy, full-blooded nightmare. My skin vibrates with additional power. It’s intriguing to recognize how much stronger I could have been all these years if I’d allowed myself to feed my demonic side. It simply never interested me before, but offering Greer respite fills my chest with a warmth that I think might be pride.

I’m not sure when my hand migrated, but my fingers tangle in her long hair as she melts into my chest.

At some point, I stop feeding, and the kiss becomes solely for enjoyment. She lets out a soft whimper that echoes against my lips.

Brushing my thumb over her cheek, I pull back. “Are you feeling any better?”

Her head bobbles up and down. “I am, but I’m so confused. How did we get here?”

I chuckle.

“I’m not sure. If this place has no meaning to you…” I’m well and truly baffled. I’ve never been here in my long life, at least not that I can recall.

She smiles shyly, fluttering her lashes. “I’ve never been to the jungle.”

There’s still blood staining her camisole—which must have been what she was originally turned in, because it’s not what she was wearing in our house. My eyes narrow as I recall how that mess got there. I believe I intended to take her somewhere to clean off, but the murky water does leave something to be desired.

Pulling her closer, I focus on the beach I visited in Faere when I was a child. My shadows swirl around us in a darkening pattern, and in a blink, the sounds around us change.

The low crashing of the waves against the shoreline replaces the frogs and insects of the jungle. Even the scent transitions as I study the glow of the moon on Greer’s pale cheeks.

She gasps, glancing between us. Her fingers land on my bare chest, and I roll my lips together to keep from laughing. Apparently, my magic decided to do away with our clothing. Not that I mind, but Greer pulls an arm to cover her heavy breasts. The silvery half-moon fang marks shining in the low light are a stark reminder of why we’re here. I haven’t seen her fully undressed or even partially clothed, outside of this dream, so I have no way of knowing if the marks exist in our reality.

Greer’s stunning gray eyes slip down, and she notices the bite, based on the frown that mars her pretty face.

“Shall we test out the water?” I ask, trying to find a way to distract her.

My body snaps into action, lowering an arm and wrapping it around her ass. Though she’s curvy for a female fae, I lift her with ease.

I take off toward the water as she struggles to wrap her arms around my neck.

“I’ve never been here, either,” she says, peering up at me with wide eyes.

“My family pack vacationed here when I was a fledgling,” I say, using the fae word for child . “They still might.” I shrug as the water laps at my ankles. It’s a comfortable temperature, and I exhale in relief, realizing I didn’t fail to pick a proper season for skinny-dipping. “I haven’t been home in many centuries. I’m sure you know, the fae aren’t kind to halflings, but this was always my mother’s favorite vacation spot. She loved to read on the beach while my siblings and I played in the water.”

The ocean in Faere isn’t as salty as in the human realm, but the scent still permeates the air as I move.

Greer’s fingers dig into my neck, and she melts against my front. “Okay, that’s colder than I was expecting.”

My fingers skim down her lower back to cup her ass as I walk us deeper into the water. Her skin is warmer than it was, and I can only assume it’s a side effect of whatever is occurring in the real world.

Novak is handling that. My job is to keep her occupied while he does the hard stuff.

“Is it too much?” My voice comes out huskier than I’ve heard it in a long time.

“No. Don’t worry, I’ll live.”

I fucking hope she’s right. There’s nothing I can do now, except leave that up to Novak and Seiran.