He grinned. “Exactly. I wish more people understood that, but most have a difficult time seeing a view outside their own.”
“I’m glad you’re different than the other Nightmares and don’t mind interacting with Dreamers.” I frowned at his hollow, humorless laugh. “What’s so amusing?”
“I don’t enjoy interacting with Dreamers, and I avoid doing so as much as possible. I believe Dreamers should exist and I respect them for what they do, but that’s the extent of it.”
I stared at him, thoroughly confused. “But you and I are here together right now.” I motioned to the books stacked beside us, books which still remained unopened. “You’re even assisting me.”
“My choice to be with you right now has nothing to do with the fact that you’re a Dreamer…it has to do with you.” He gave my nose a playful tap.
My heart gave a stranger flutter. “But why?”
He said nothing more, simply looked at me in the intense way he often did, causing the connection between us to deepen. I ached to explore it further, and even though the meal we’d shared together was thoroughly pleasant, it wasn’t enough. I didn’t want our time together to end.
Yet all too soon we were interrupted by a rainbow-colored summons, which wove through the tables and stopped in front of me. I slid it open, allowing the message written in large, childish font to uncurl. Where are you, Eden?
Stardust. I bit my lip to suppress my sigh. Perhaps my cloud was a bit too protective. “I should go before she comes looking for me.”
Disappointment squeezed my heart. I wasn’t ready for my outing with Darius to end. While I’d enjoyed my time in the Dream World thus far, there was something different about being with him…something more.
Darius looked just as reluctant for me to leave. “She shouldn’t see us together.” His words and wary tone only confirmed my fears: our relationship, whatever it was, was just as forbidden as I feared.
I eyed the stack of books still resting untouched on the table. “We never studied.”
His sober expression melted into another crooked grin. “I suppose that means we’ll have to go on another outing.”
I smiled girlishly at the promise. I finished off the last of my tea before fiddling with my locket in order to pay Darius back for the meal, but he rested his hand over mine, stilling both it and my heart.
“Please, allow me to pay for you. After all, we’re friends…aren’t we?”
His words only confirmed the feelings that had been steadily growing between us, and in that moment I fully realized what they meant: despite it being forbidden, Darius had become more than my weaving partner.
As I turned to leave, I caught more disapproving glances from those in the tea shop, confirming that none of my friends could find out about us. I didn’t need another reason not to fit into the Dream World, a place I wanted more than anything to stay, not just because it was now my home…but because of him.
All the more reason to keep our relationship a secret.
Chapter 20
My heart pounded furiously, and it was everything I could do to control the anger raging through me. More evidence had been discovered of the tipping balance—not only had more nightmare flowers sprouted like weeds in the Cultivating Fields and the dream dust thefts had increased to almost one per night, but Stardust had uncovered that the Nature Artists’ paints were beginning to lose their vibrant colors.
Icy fear had squeezed my chest at the news, urging me to once again come to Earth to experiment with my dream abilities in hopes I’d discover a way I could use them to help the world I loved. Stardust was less than enthusiastic about the outing, and kept casting me several apprehensive glances as she flew down to Earth, as if expecting my searing emotions to erupt at any moment.
Finally it seemed she couldn’t contain her disapproval a moment longer. “I know you’re worried about the shifting balance, but I’m not sure this is the way to help.”
I gritted my teeth. “I have to do something; I can’t just let the Nightmare Realm take over. I don’t know where my unique powers came from, but if I can use them to help the world I now call home, I won’t rest until I’ve done so. There is magic in the dreams I’m capturing. I may not know how to access it, but when I figure out how, I need to have as many as possible so I can do my part to ease the devastation caused by the nightmare events.”
Stardust was quiet a moment. “I admire your determination to help, but I worry you’re spending more time focusing on the balance than on the Mortal you weave for. No quest, however noble, is worth risking getting suspended.”
“If the balance tips so far as to threaten the Dream World, I won’t have a place to be suspended from.” Besides, with the recent help Darius had been giving me, I was certain I’d win my first weaving soon. But his assistance was still a secret, so I remained silent on that point.
We reached Earth and landed in the boughs of my dream-watching tree, whose leaves were tinged in the first pink buds of spring. It was late afternoon, not the prime time to search for dreams—another reason Stardust found this entire errand foolhardy—but searching for dreams was far better than remaining helpless in my room with only my anxiety for company.
Once I settled in the tree, I was left unsure what to do. I searched the air around the bustling villagers below. No sign of dreams. I sighed and leaned against the trunk. No matter how well-meaning my intentions, they were entirely useless without a plan.
Stardust peered over my shoulder and down below, never mind she wouldn’t be able to see any dreams still wandering at such a late hour, even if she had the ability to see them at
