Her eyes drop to my hand and the impulse to pull away hits me, but I work through it and Chelsea sits.
She’s staying!
“I can eat later.”
“Good. Because I’m not finished convincing you to let me help with the nightmares.”
I shake my head. “It’s not that simple. You would have to take part of the magic into you, and it’s risky. I barely survived taking on Nightmare, and you would only need a fraction of the power.”
“I can handle it.” She lifts her arm and shows me her bicep. “I’m tough.”
“You are. No one’s denying that. But this is different.”
You’re too weak, Eryx. She’s not.
You just want to have her all to yourself.
True. But I won’t harm her.
It wouldn’t. I know that. And if I let Nightmare have this, then maybe it won’t pull any more tricks like it did on the balcony at the ball, like it did when our magics aligned and we…
Chelsea must be thinking the same thing because she says, “Will the magic obey me?”
“I don’t know because you’re not taking it.”
She rolls her eyes. Atme. “What other choice do you have?”
“Wait until I’m stronger.”
“And what happens if you wait?”
You’ll spontaneously combust,Nightmare reminds.You have to take the nightmares in. You have to.
I look away and sigh. “I can’t wait.”
She bites down on her bottom lip.
Oh, those lips?—
Shut up, Nightmare.
I exhale and lie back, bringing her hand to my heart. Her eyes drop to the circular scar on my chest, the black mark of Nightmare.
She stares at it. The mark that proves I'm not fully human anymore. The brand that shows I'm bonded to something ancient and hungry.
Most people flinch when they see it. She doesn't.
Her fingers brush the edge of it, tentative. "Does it hurt?"
"No. Not anymore."
Her eyes widen in surprise, but I don’t let go. I’ve only just found Chelsea, and if I release her, what if she leaves and never comes back? What if I never had her to begin with?
You are such a sap.
I kiss the inside of her wrist, and she goes very still. “Nightmares have to be filtered, diluted. The energy builds if it’s left alone—stronger, harder to tame.”
“Hm, sounds like we’ve got our work cut out for us, then.”
