Destined for Dreams: Book One Read Free

only other person in the world I’d call family.
    “Why are you ignoring me?” she asks.
    I tilt my head up and stare at her upside down. “Oh, hey, Lys. I didn’t hear you. What’s up?”
    She plops down next to me. “You’re a terrible liar.”
    I blush. Nothing gets by a seer. “Why are you even asking me? You know why.”
    She blows her blazing red hair out of her face. “Because you’re my best friend and I’m not all knowing. Things can be interpreted wrong.”
    My eyes shift to the forest nymph. She kneels in the dirt and lowers her head until it’s an inch from the ground and whispers something. I press my lips together and try to gather my thoughts. I hate talking about this. I hate it.
    “I—I’m sorry.” It’s the best I can do.
    Alyssa arches her brows. Her green eyes shine in the sunlight, like two glittering gemstones, and she smiles. “Don’t ever apologize to me. I was worried about you.”
    “Don’t be. I know what I’m doing.” It’s always like Alyssa to check in on me and see how I’m doing, especially when my father is out on business. She’s always been this way since she found my father and he brought her here over a year ago. She’s my age, seventeen, but you’d think she was going on thirty.
    She rests her hand on my knee. “You were starving yourself.”
    I meet her gaze. “I was not.” Please, let it go. “I’m fine, really. I was just experimenting.”
    I reach out and rest my hand on hers. She twists her lips to the side, and I expect her to argue some more, but instead she just nods. She turns away and stares at the forest nymph for a few seconds before saying, “There are a lot worse things you could be.”
    I crinkle my nose. “I live off terrorizing people in their sleep. How can I be any worse? You know it’s going to be hard for me to resist you now, right? Your dream was amazing.” I swallow, my mouth watering at the memory. My cheeks flush and I shift uncomfortably. Control yourself.
    Alyssa smirks. “It really was terrifying. Maybe next time try not eating Lucas.”
    I cringe. If I didn’t know her, I’d think she was unaffected by the situation, but the way she stiffened when I touched her assures me that she really is bothered by the nightmare I created for her. I don’t blame her though. If I continue, she’ll hate me for it. A person can only go so long, dreaming about the death of someone they care about, before it affects them in real life.
    “You knew what to expect, Lys.” I push my blond hair from my eyes.
    She stares at the sky. “I was kidding. It’s not that big of a deal. I see a lot more horrible things in my visions. Lighten up, Nadia. You’re not a monster.”
    She’ll never understand. Now that I fed from her dreams, I won’t be able to stop unless I move on to someone else. Her dreams will call to me. They awakened the monster within me and its hunger will consume me until I let it have what it wants. It’s how nightmare inflictors choose their victims. It’s easiest to prey on the people closest to us; the people that allow us in.
    “How can you say that after last night?” I ask. “Who did I appear as anyway?”
    “My Uncle Drew.”
    I don’t ask why her uncle would be her worst nightmare and she doesn’t explain either. Alyssa doesn’t talk about what her life was like before coming here. All I know is she ran away from home and convinced my father to bring her here. She knew everything—who the council was, what it did—everything. My father convinced the council to let her stay and the compound has been her sanctuary since.
    I push to my feet and offer Alyssa my hand. I can’t sit here and pretend what we experienced together was okay. “Want to get out of here?” I ask after a minute. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to stand the sun. I need to take advantage of it while it lasts.
    Alyssa beams a smile. “Are you serious? You never want to leave.”
    I shrug. “I guess not being confined