The candles playing over his finely chiseled, sensual features illuminated his inhuman beauty. His eyes were the striking, electric blue she remembered. He was the most gorgeous person she’d ever seen, and he radiated an aura of power, both magnetic and frightening.
Avery had never hated him more.
“I was wondering when you would all come,” he murmured in his sensual voice.
His fine-boned fingers rested on the table, and he crossed his legs as he leaned against the table and smiled at them. Beside her, Karen shivered and stepped back. The coven gathered closer as they glowered at him. What he’d done to them before was bad enough; what he was doing to them now made the past two times they dealt with him look like a day at the fair.
Regan smiled at them as he pushed himself away from the table, and with an elegant flick of his wrist, he caused the candles to blaze higher so they illuminated his midnight black hair.
“I’m glad you came,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for all of you. Did you like my gift to you?”
The coven glanced at each other.
“Gift?” Avery asked in confusion.
“Yes. I took care of that pesky little problem you had. I should have done it in the maze, but I didn’t realize how serious the problem was until recently.”
“Do you mean—” Avery gulped. “—Talia?”
“Yes, she’s my gift… to you.”
Avery’s stomach rolled so violently she feared she’d throw up, but somehow she managed to swallow her bile. “No… you shouldn’t have… no!”
The sympathetic smile Regan gave her set her teeth on edge. “It had to be done, Avery. If you saw some of the dreams she had about you and the things she considered doing to you, you’d be thanking me. It was only a matter of time before she acted on them, and I couldn’t allow that to happen. You belong to me, and no one is going to take you away, especially not some deranged little human.”
He glanced at Reid before turning away dismissively. Avery realized Regan had seen Talia as a genuine threat to her and therefore him, but he didn’t consider Reid one. Probably because he’d taken Celia away from her love, Reid’s ancestor, Adrian.
So far, he’d been unsuccessful in tearing Reid and Avery apart, but he wasn’t as strong now as he was then. Maybe Regan believed that if he were strong enough to walk the Earth again, he would have no problem separating her and Reid. However, he couldn’t break them up if Talia went completely off her rocker and killed her first.
The coven shifted around her, and when she looked at them, she was sure the revulsion on their faces mirrored hers.
“That’s not a gift that’s… that’s…. You’re a monster!” Avery blurted.
“Oh, darling, I think you won’t find me such when you see what I saw,” Regan purred.
“See what?” she demanded.
Regan snapped his fingers, and from out of nowhere a movie screen rolled down behind him and images played across it. She watched as Talia tackled her in a graveyard before beating and tearing at her like a rabid dog. The manic glee on Talia’s face caused Avery’s stomach to roll again, and she put her hand against her mouth to keep from vomiting.
She didn’t recognize herself, but Talia kept battering at her and muttering “He’s mine” under her breath. When she finally finished, Talia held handfuls of Avery’s hair when she sat back and smiled. Karen and Rosie turned away from the screen, and the rest of the coven shifted uncomfortably around her.
When Regan snapped his fingers again, the screen vanished. “That was only one of her dreams about you.”
It took her a little time before she could respond. “She slept in my room.”
“It’s why she had to die. It was only a matter of time before she decided to live out her fantasies,” Regan said. “And all of you are too pathetically weak to do what needed to be done with her.”
Avery didn’t know how to respond. In his own sick, twisted way, Regan killed Talia to protect her, and he might have saved her life. After seeing that, Avery knew it was only a matter of time before Talia attacked her.
“You’re welcome,” he said.
Avery bit back a curse.
“How long do you plan on doing this to us?” Sandra asked.
“As long as it takes,” Regan said. “My, Avery, I’d almost forgotten how beautiful you are.”
Avery’s shock faded when she recognized the hypnotic tone he used when trying to invade her mind. “Stop it!”
“Stop what?” he asked.
“Stop all of it!”
“I can’t do that, Avery. Eventually, you’re going to come to me, or I’ll drive you all mad. I might kill a couple more of your friends too, but this time it will be just for fun.”
“We’re surviving, and we’ll continue to survive,” Reid said.
“Are you?” Regan lifted an elegant eyebrow as he leaned against the table again. His broad shoulders and height were enough to intimidate anyone, but with the vast aura of power encircling him, he was unnerving. “Avery’s gotten you this far. Without her, you wouldn’t have survived, but how long do you think she can keep it up? I was nice today and let her get some rest; I won’t do it again.”
“We’re going to defeat you,” Avery said.
“Are you?” he asked as he examined his nails. “You already have a traitor in your midst, and you have no idea who it is. No, Avery, I’m going to defeat you, and when I do, you’ll be mine.”
“That is not going to happen,” she said. “I hate you.”
He released a deep, husky laugh. “Love and hate are closely linked; the flip side of one is the other, which means you’ll learn to love me.”
Reid stiffened beside her and tension emanated from the coven. Power swirled and built within her until her hair danced around her face. “I’m going to kill you,” she vowed.
He smiled at her as he drummed his fingers on the table while he yawned. “I don’t think so, darling.”
She clasped Reid and Mario’s hands. They looked at her before realizing what she intended to do. The coven joined hands, and when Sandra held her hand out to Karen, she took it. Karen may not be a witch, but she was one of them.
“Do you really think you can hurt me?” Regan asked, his eyes twinkling in amusement.
“I know we can,” she told him.
Regan’s smile didn’t falter when she drew within herself and let her power build. She opened herself up to the abilities of the others and pulled on their strength to fuel her magic as she imagined knocking Regan on his smug ass.
A surge of power ripped out of her. Fueled by the abilities of the others, this release was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. The candles went out as the burst of power extinguished them. That burst should have hit Regan with the force of a Mac truck, but he didn’t even sway.
“My world, my game,” he whispered, and the candles blazed back to life.
Avery bit back a scream of frustration. It took all her willpower not to rush across the room and attack him. She wanted to beat the arrogant look off his face and inflict some damage to those beautiful features. However, the malevolent gleam in his eyes caused a flutter of unease to stir in her belly.
Something niggled at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t quite grasp what it was. She thought about the way he’d let them walk out of the maze and the way their powers didn’t work in their nightmares. She recalled all the creatures they’d encountered from the very beginning and the wolf perched on the roof of her car with its blue eyes gazing in on them.
And then she knew.
Realization knocked the breath from her and shoved her back a step as her hand flew to her mouth.
Regan beamed at her as his head tilted to the side. “Avery gets it now.”
She felt all eyes swing toward her as she gaped at Regan. “How?”
He waved a finger at her in admonishment. “I don’t tell my secrets.”
“Avery—” Reid started.
“Karen,” Avery said as
she fought against her rising panic. “Karen, wake up!”
“I don’t know if I can,” Karen said.
“Do it. Now!”
Regan’s laughter followed her as the dream world vanished.
CHAPTER 33
Avery stumbled away from the bed and almost fell as Karen sat up.
“Avery!” Tina cried as she steadied her.
Avery slumped into a chair by the window and bent over as she tried to catch her breath.
“What is going on?” Sandra demanded. “What was that about?”
“Don’t you get it?” she asked.
“Get what?” Sandra demanded.
Avery couldn’t help it; she started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Shawn inquired.
Avery choked back her laughter as tears threatened to fall. She’d never felt this out of control before. “Regan’s absorbing our powers,” she said.
“What are you talking about?” Isla demanded before whirling to face the others. “What is she talking about?”
“He’s absorbing our powers,” Avery repeated. “That’s why they won’t work in our nightmares. That’s the reason he let us out of the maze so easily. He didn’t need us to stay because he already absorbed some of them and had this planned. Regan’s been consuming them since the beginning. He’s been able to keep this up since Halloween because he’s grown stronger every time we’ve encountered him. He’s probably on the verge of piercing the veil between the worlds. Soon, he’ll have enough power to walk freely on Earth again. He’s been using us this entire time!”
“He can’t absorb our powers!” Isla spat.
“Why can’t he?” Avery asked.
They all looked at each other.
“But… is this possible?” Alex asked and looked to Landon.
She stared helplessly back at him. “We have no idea what he’s capable of doing. Maybe it is.”
“My dream walking has only made him stronger,” Avery said. “It’s what he was pushing us to do because the more I use my powers, the stronger he gets.”
“I don’t believe it,” Sandra said, but her voice lacked conviction.
Avery pulled at her cheeks with the palms of her hands as she stared at all of them. “Think about the eyes.”
“What eyes?” Mario asked.
“The eyes in your dreams. I’ve dream walked with all of you, and there is almost always a set of blue eyes in your nightmares. Thinking back, I can remember blue eyes in the trophy room with Rosie and Karen’s room of clowns. Those blue eyes have been there since the beginning.”
“Are you saying those eyes were Regan’s?” Horror choked Landon’s voice.
“Yes.” And then a cold chill ran down Avery’s spine as the hair on her arms rose. “The wolf!”
“What about the wolf?” Reid asked when she didn’t continue.
“The wolf’s eyes were blue like Regan’s, and it was so annoyed when I erected a barrier against it instead of using my powers against it. Regan had enough power to send something into our world on Halloween, and he sent it against me because he required my power. He wasn’t trying to kill me; he was trying to absorb what he could while here, and in the end, I gave him exactly what he wanted. He’s been taking part in our nightmares all along, enjoying them, and gaining strength from them.”
“Holy shit,” Mario breathed.
“He knew I wouldn’t join him and set him free, so he’s found a way to break himself out,” Avery said.
“Do you think he’s absorbed enough to break out?” Rosie asked.
“I don’t know,” Avery answered. “But I do know we just gave him one hell of a blast in there, and it did nothing more than fuel him.”
“Wait,” Sandra said and held up a hand. “Our powers worked against him when we faced him the first two times.”
“Because he wasn’t as strong and wasn’t absorbing as much,” Avery said. “But he was absorbing small pieces of it even then and building his strength until….”
“Until our powers became useless in his world,” Reid said when Avery’s voice trailed off.
“But if that’s true, then why do your powers work in our dreams?” Shawn asked.
Avery pondered this for a minute, but it was Landon who answered. “Because he’s letting them. He’s allowed us to think we’ve found this loophole with Avery’s dream walking so we can get some sleep and he doesn’t destroy us, but really, he’s just been feeding on Avery’s stronger abilities and fueling himself faster.”
• • •
Avery stared at the history book in front of her, but she didn’t see the words. The Greeks were not something she was interested in right now. Rubbing her temples, she tried to soothe the pounding in her head, but it was useless.
She was still rubbing her temples when she realized the class had become abnormally hushed. She sat for a few seconds, afraid to look up but knowing she had to. When she lifted her head, she discovered Mr. Bolsten, her history teacher, standing beside her desk. Behind his glasses, his dark eyes twinkled with amusement.
He’d never interacted with her before, other than to collect her tests and papers, but now he was smiling at her. “Miss Miller,” he said as he rested his fingers on her desk.
Avery lowered her hands. “Mr. Bolsten, is something wrong?”
“Oh, no,” he murmured, and his eyes fell to her mouth. “Everything is great.”
Avery’s skin crawled, and when she looked at the other students to see how they were reacting to this bizarre interaction, her heart leapt into her throat. They all sat at their desks with their hands clasped before them and their heads bowed as if they were sleeping.
When Mr. Bolsten rested his fingers on her desk, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him again. “Are you ready to play a game, darling?”
Avery’s eyes flickered up to him, and he smirked at her. It took everything she had not to shove away from the desk and run screaming from the room, but she didn’t think her legs would support her.
“Our final game.” When he ran his fingers down her arm, she jerked away from him. He laughed coldly as he leaned closer to her and, as she watched, his face shimmered away and Regan’s replaced it. “This one’s for keeps.”
He blinked, and his eyes went from brown to Regan’s electrifying blue.
“I’m dreaming,” she whispered. This had to be a nightmare; Regan could not be standing in her classroom.
“This is no dream.”
Mr. Bolsten suddenly went very still; the girl sitting next to Avery lifted her head and turned toward her. The girl’s electrifying blue eyes weren’t her own, but her face remained the same as she spoke. “This is reality.”
The girl continued to look at her, but her eyes faded to a more ordinary blue and an inhuman stiffness enshrouded her.
“And what a reality it is,” the boy behind her whispered in her ear.
Avery spun to meet the boy’s inhumanly blue eyes as he smirked at her. His fingertips rested on her cheek. “I can touch you again, darling.” Avery found it impossible to move while he trailed his fingers down to her neck. “I can feel the vibrancy of your power and your vitality. Oh, the things we will do together when you become mine.”
The bell rang, and though Avery heard doors up and down the hall banging open, sneakers squeaking, and voices rebounding off the walls, no one in her class moved.
“The times we will have.”
Mr. Bolsten was talking again, but Avery couldn’t look at him as she grabbed her book and bag before rising. She pushed past Mr. Bolsten and walked along the front of the class.
“Do you—” the first girl she passed lifted her head to say.
“—think you can—” the next girl commented.
“—walk away—” a boy said.
“—from me?” the girl closest to the door asked.
Avery was trying not to scream when she opened the door and stepped into the hall. The crush of loud, moving students was a relief after the oppressive ai
r in her classroom.
She didn’t make it three steps before a boy stepped in front of her. His hazel eyes turned blue when he smiled at her. “I’m not that easy to escape, Avery.”
It took everything she had not to scream when the boy winked at her before strolling away. Knowing that Regan was watching her, she walked proudly, but she worried she was about to collapse.
“I’m back, darling,” a student beside her said, and she didn’t have to look to know the girl’s eyes were Regan’s blue.
“And I’m not going anywhere,” a boy to her left said.
Another boy turned away from the locker he was opening to smile at her. “We’re going to have so much fun—”
“—together,” a girl said and ran her fingers down Avery’s arm before disappearing into the crowd.
“The things we’ll do—”
“—the sights we’ll see.”
“You were meant to be with me.”
Avery’s teeth clamped against the scream building in her throat. At the end of the hall, she spotted Reid, Landon, and Sandra standing by Landon’s locker. She almost broke into a run, but she somehow managed to keep herself restrained.
She was almost to Reid when a lanky boy stepped in front of her. “I’m back, Avery. Your powers set me free, and I’m not going to stop until I have you. I may not have a body, but I can be anywhere and anyone at any time; don’t forget that.”
Avery stared helplessly at the boy as he grinned at her before touching her cheek and strolling on. She couldn’t bring herself to move again as the full horror of Regan’s words sank in. Reid, Landon, and Sandra gave her curious stares before Landon shut her locker and they walked toward her.
“Avery, what’s wrong?” Reid asked.
A boy beside Avery turned when the three of them stopped in front of her. “Hello, Loverboy,” the student purred and rested his hand on Avery’s nape.
Reid did a double take as the boy smirked at him. “What did you say?”
The boy’s smile widened, and he bent to kiss Avery’s temple. Reid vibrated with fury when he stepped toward him, but before he could attack, the boy turned and walked away.
Dream Walker (The Coven, Book 3) Page 16
