My gaze drops to where her hand rests on my arm. Warmth spreads from that single point of contact, sinking into my skin, my magic, my?—
It was the lingering effect from the wedding,Nightmare breathes.Her magic mixed with ours. Don’t you see? She’s our soulmate. Our true love. Our other half. She completes us!
No. That's not possible. Magic doesn’t linger like that. Does it?
You’re asking too many questions,Nightmare snaps.
No, I’m asking the right questions,and Nightmare knows it.
But magic doesn't lie. And neither does the way my power hums beneath my skin wherever she touches me.
I must’ve been silent for too long because she drops her hand—No! Get her to touch us again—and says, “Well, I’ll get out of your hair.”
“No,” I say too quickly. Her eyes flit up to mine, and I clear my throat. “What I mean is that you don’t have to. I just need to fix the windows and I can take you back to your room.”
“I’ve already been there.”
“And you’ve already changed.”
Her cheeks turn pink. “I wanted to wear something nice for dinner. Besides, all Stave put in the closet was lingerie—very risqué pieces, I’d like to add.”
My own cheeks heat. “Yes, well, um. I need to fix these windows.”
I move away and lift my hands, pulling the shards back from where they fell.
She watches silently as I rebuild. “So do these shadows come out a lot?”
With the first window complete, I move to the second one. “Sometimes. Worst part is, I never know when they’ll jump out.”
“Out of where?”
“The dreamscape.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh.” She moves to my resting chaise and runs her fingers over the velvet cushion. “Are the shadows dangerous?”
“This one was.”
“But the ones that slip through? The ones in the castle aren’t? How’s that possible?”
I fix the second window and turn around to see Chelsea watching me. When our gazes lock, she looks away too quickly.
“It’s possible because I destroy the bad ones. The other ones I don’t bother with.”
“Why not?”
“Because…Nancy’s supposed to get them with her vacuum.”
She grins. “I’ve met Nancy, and if I had to guess, I’d say she thinks catching nightmares is your job.”
I roll my eyes. “You have no idea how many times I’ve been over her duties with her. It never sinks in. But she’s been here for twenty years and she’s union, so there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Couldn’t you complain to the union?”
“Have you ever tried complaining to a union about one of their members?”
“No.”
“It’s like talking to a brick wall.” I fix the third window and drop my hands to my hips. “There. It’s all done. Your thoughts?”
