“I don’t think your guards will defend you right now.”
“Can we get through dinner without threats, please?” Leo said irritably.
Evelyn caught Moeller’sI told youexpression and glared at him.
“My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty,” Damien said dramatically.
Evelyn’s bracelet went cold again.
I’m not going to wear this stupid bracelet if it can’t tell the difference between lies and sarcasm.
But wait… my bracelet was warm during my magic lesson and in the Invenion. That means nothing else Moeller and Damien told me this afternoon was a lie. So Damien’s favorite vision was dancing with me, and Moeller really doesn’t know where my mother is. If he doesn’t know, how am I supposed to find her?
67
Dream
Evelyn tossed and turned, unable to wake from her nightmare. Leo was screaming at her, but she couldn’t hear his words. There washatein Leo’s eyes that scared her more than any of the horrors she had seen so far.
Then Evelyn stood in the tower library.
Why am I here? Am I dreaming again?
“I know you missed me,” Haydn purred.
Evelyn whirled around. “Did you bring me here? I just got into bed.”
“It’s a dream, my love. You wanted to see me, so here I am.”
“But…” Evelyn studied her surroundings. “This doesn’t feel like a dream.”
“Can you read the titles of the books?”
Evelyn approached a random bookcase. She could see letters on the spines of the books, but they swirled and changed when she blinked.
“I am dreaming,” she whispered to herself.
Haydn spun Evelyn toward him, then threaded his fingers into her hair and pinned her against the shelves. She could smell the pine scent he always wore.
Should I be able to smell him in a dream?
“Stop, Haydn. We already talked about this.”
“It’syourdream,” he crooned. “This is what you want.”
“No, it’s not. I married the person I wanted.”
“But he’s not here, is he?” Haydn whispered the words in her ear, and his breath tickled her skin.
“Dreams don’t feel like this,” Evelyn managed to say.
“Of course they do. Dreams are whatever you want them to be.”
He kissed her neck and she struggled to maintain any sort of control.
“I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can,” Haydn said lightly. “It’s only a dream. No one will ever know.”
