Wicked Dreams (The Dream Chronicles Book 2)

by J. Clarice

  They reached the headquarters to find it eerily silent, along with the rest of Ever Realm. Cain led cautiously and quickly, wasting no time. It was empty.

  “Where is everyone?” Jenna softly asked.

  Cain hushed her and stopped his movements.

  Voices arose from outside, and they edged to the front to find the entirety of the Rebels nearing.

  “I take it those are no longer on our side?” Jenna murmured.

  “No, they’re fucking traitors,” Jayden spat.

  “Three of us aren’t going to go against a hundred of them. Let’s move.”

  Cain slinked away from the front doors and ran to the other end of the building. The woman followed, and as soon as they burst outside, Cain flew into the air. “Don’t use any power, and don’t look back.”

  Soaring through the air, they couldn’t relish the return of their abilities due to the emptiness of their hearts.

  What more was there to feel aside from fear and grief?

  Without question, Jenna and Jayden followed Cain until he came to a stop.

  “Where are we?”

  “Our last resort,” he gruffly said.

  Jayden had an idea as he walked into what appeared as darkness. Her stomach churned while her annoyance flared. “Why are we coming here, Cain?”

  “As I said, it’s our last resort.”

  Before she could say another word, he disappeared from thin air. Jayden reluctantly continued through and grabbed Jenna’s hand.

  The once brightness of the Havened Realm dimmed to a dull grey. Significantly more stars sputtered out, and the mountains lowered into the black ground.

  “It’s still dying,” Jayden dryly laughed. “I bet she thought everything would right itself once that monster was released. Man, wasn’t she wrong?”

  A commotion caught their attention, and in the town ahead, there were more people than Jayden remembered seeing.

  “Wait…” She squinted her eyes, and when they landed on familiar Dreammares, they widened. “Everyone came here.”

  Jayden took off down the path with the others hot on her heels. Entering the town, she shoved her way past knowing exactly where all the leaders would be. The moss-covered mansion quickly came into view.

  She rushed through its entrance and flew down the large hall until she approached white double doors. Gripping the golden doorknobs, she waited for Cain and Jenna to catch up before shoving the doors open.

  Faces occupied the soft green room that Jayden sagged in relief to see. Grandma Ruth, Chad, Official Samsus, Alich, and Grant, stood opposite Queen Esma, Grandpa Byrne, and Cassandra. Their eyes shot to the intruders.

  They were thinner than Jayden remembered, but she was sure she didn’t look any better.

  “Jayden?” Grandma Ruth questionably called as she scanned the group. “Cain? Jenna? Where’s Scarlett, Trevor, and Jasper?”

  Jayden lowered her eyes as they stung at the reminder. Cain met Ruth’s gaze and lightly shook his head as his throat tightened. A strangled gasp escaped her mouth as she stumbled back. Chad froze with a parted mouth as anguish quickly made a home in everyone's bones.

  Remembering who else was in the room, Jayden instantly armed her bow and glared at the woman before them. “You fucking traitor.”

  “Jayden! What the hell are you doing!?” Chad coarsely questioned.

  Queen Esma’s widened eyes cooled as she realized what was to occur. “You know,” she muttered.

  “Damn right, I know,” Jayden cursed. “I enjoyed killing the bitch too.”

  Queen Esma noticeably gulped.

  “She made a deal with the Rebels and Edgar.” Gasps collected around the room. “She sent her right hand, Jude, to off us and seal the deal. Trevor… Jasper and Scarlett are… dead because of her.”

  She struggled to finish her words but didn’t drop her bow. Flames of anger shot through Jayden as the memories sprung.

  “Is this true?” Grandpa Byrne stepped away from Queen Esma. The betrayal on his face made hurt flash across hers.

  “When it comes to my people, I will do what it takes,” Queen Esma strongly responded.

  “Bullshit,” Jayden scoffed. “You sentenced everyone to an inevitable death when you trusted a two-headed snake.”

  “I did what I believed to be right,” Queen Esma raised her voice. “Scarlett wasn’t fit, and the Realm was already falling apart. Under Edgar, at least we wouldn’t perish as quickly.”

  Jayden lowered her bow and stared at the woman before her in disbelief. They all did.

  “You’re delusional.”

  “Guards take her to the edge of the Realm. She is no longer welcomed with the Havened,” Grandpa Byrne ordered. Queen Esma gaped at him.

  “What?!”

  “If you do what it takes to protect your people, you will keep Edgar from coming here by being near his side. Protect your people.”

  Queen Esma couldn’t hide the emotions that rolled through her. Despite her blind eyes, her features drastically changed from confusion to shock, to hurt, only to end with frustration and defeat.

  She was no longer welcome in her own home.

  The guards escorted Queen Esma from the room.

  Silence befell once again before Grandpa Byrne heavily sighed. “That would explain why she didn’t want you here. I don’t think enough apologies will make up for what she has done, but you have my condolences. You and your people are free to stay with us until things are right again. We’re going to need each other, now more than ever.”

  “Thank you,” Grandma Ruth croaked before excusing herself from the room with Chad following closely behind. He caught her when she collapsed outside the doors and let her grieve on his shoulder. The rest solemnly followed and watched her release her cries.

  The Havened Realm was to be their home until who knew how long. Edgar now had free reign of all the other Realms. Their world as they knew it was over.

  Nothing would be right again.

  Cain walked past the others, droning out their cries and calls. He mindlessly left the palace and continued until he was away from everyone. Standing on a hill as far as he could get, Cain stood with dead eyes and fell to his knees. A single tear escaped the edge of his eye as he faced the darkening space. Remembering the words she’d once told him, Cain let himself break.

  For the sun’s beauty had gone away… and this time, no one knew when it would rise.

  

  Raxon followed his father as he took his first steps out of the Nether Realm.

  The battle was over.

  “Home sweet home,” he breathed in deeply while flicking his tongue to taste the air. “Who has been on my throne while you were gone?”

  The sharpness in his voice didn’t pass Raxon. “My partner. She knows of all your customs and ways.”

  Edgar didn’t respond and instead strode his way to the Dark Realm’s palace. The beginning of nerves flurried through Raxon’s stomach at the thought of his father meeting his love.

  ‘He’d like her. He had to.’

  Raxon made sure to teach her of all the things his father liked.

  They’d be fine.

  Nightmares became alert as they passed, and their roars filled the air as they bowed.

  Their rightful King returned home.

  The columns of their palace came into view, and the jitters inside Raxon hadn’t settled. Why was he feeling this now?

  Flying up the steps, Edgar reached the landing of the throne room. Raxon landed beside him and caught sight of his beautiful woman sitting on the throne; nothing warmed him more than the sight of her. She gracefully rose from her seat and walked to meet the men halfway.

  Ren bowed her head. “My King, My love.”

  She winked and flashed Raxon a delighted smile. “It’s a pleasure to –”

  Her words were cut off by Edgar’s hand wrapping around her throat. Gasps filled the air as he tightened his grip. “You blatantly distract my son, and that simply won’t do. Your purpose
has been served.”

  The tongue Raxon knew all too well extended from Edgar’s mouth and shoved its way down Ren’s throat. Her eyes caught his as her gurgling and choking filled the air. It burned his ears – he remembered this. He’d done it to his mother.

  Shock and fear kept Raxon rooted in his spot. Ren’s eyes screamed for him to help.

  He couldn’t.

  Her insides scraped while he stared. The bond between them peeled apart as Ren’s soul slowly left her body. The emptiness seeped into its new home.

  She stopped wriggling in Edgar’s grip, and he dropped her like the sack of flesh she became. His jaw dripped with her fresh blood, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. “You’re better off alone, Raxon. There is no room for any other love except for that of me and the hunger to rule.”

  He stepped on her body with a crunch as he made his way over to his throne.

  Raxon’s muscles tensed, and the burn that scorched through left him fighting the tears. With great difficulty, Raxon lifted his eyes to his father’s. Edgar sat on the throne, legs spread, and leaned back, making his authority known.

  “A new era is here,” he mused with a smile. “May the wicked dreams finally be set free.”

  The roar from the Nightmares surrounding the palace deafened Raxon’s ears.

  Scarlett’s words echoed throughout his mind as, for the first time, pain and uncertainty gripped his heart.

  “Your father has plans you don’t even know of, and by the time you do, it’ll be too late. I pity you.”

  The reality of his new world hit him.

  What had he done?

  He could feel it.

  She used it.

  Wherever she’d gone.

  It wasn’t over.

  This one was incredibly emotional and tough to free from my mind. There were a lot of long nights, (some) early mornings, bottles of coconut water, packages of mixed nuts, chocolate-covered almonds and peanuts poured into Wicked Dreams. I must first and foremost thank the ones closest to me that brought me these delicious snacks and put up with my craziness.

  Thank you, Mom, Papa, my loving Siblings, Nana, Grandpa, and Dad for being there for me and letting me do my thing. I know at times you wanted to yell at me to get up off my butt and stop being a vampire, but you guys held in *most* of those urges. I thank you and love you all to infinity and beyond. <3

  I couldn’t forget these ladies. Lexi, thank you for being my ‘bts marketing/designing assistant’, ‘up through the unholy hours’ writing companion, and overall, my beautiful close friend. Nova, despite the space between us now, you were a big influence while I wrote this book. You were also, my ‘up through the unholy hours’ writing companion at the time, and it meant the world to me. Both of your encouraging words and checks to make sure I’d get some writing in were the absolute best thing I could’ve asked for when writing this book. I also loved our crazy late-night facetimes – those helped a lot. <3

  A huge THANK-YOU to the book community on Instagram: Hilma, Brooke, Monique, Kenzie, fellow authors, and book bloggers. You all are absolutely amazing, and I thank you for your supportive and encouraging nature.

  Thank you to the people and events in my life that aided in the making of this book. To say the least, pent-up emotions are great for producing some stories, so thank you.

  Last but definitely not least, thank you to you, the reader, whoever you may be. My stories aren’t sunshine and rainbows, and you’ve managed to stick through to the end of this book. The fact that you’ve read this is more than enough (feel free to share with your friends too - teehee).

  Thank you.

  And I love you.

  She is a protective and guiding older sister, a loving and respectful daughter/granddaughter, a caring and empowering friend, and a fighter. She likes to cook and bake new things, sing her heart out in the shower and cuddle with her sometimes not-so-cuddly cats, Oreo and Casper. She has a special place in her heart for designing, dancing, being an assassin, photography, horror movies, and the occasional coffee. She is a self-published author at the age of eighteen years old and somewhat getting a hang of this living to your fullest potential thing. J. Clarice is the writer and adventurer of pain and suffering, otherwise known as, life.