Dark Side of Dawn: The Nightmare Chronicles Read Online Free PDF Page B

Noah just might indulge his need to be needed.
    And I was worried about what indulging that need might do to us when we were still so new.
    But enough of that. I finished skimming through thefile on my first client and glanced up at the clock. As though watching me on hidden camera, Bonnie buzzed to tell me that Teresa, my first appointment, had arrived. I’d managed to quickly skim her file and the notes her referring doctor had made. She could fill me in on the rest.
    A few of those people involved in my dream studies at the old clinic had decided to visit me for dream therapy on occasion, but most of my case load came from referrals at the moment. Right now, I didn’t have many cases, but that would change soon enough. I hoped. I had a really good deal with Warren and Edward, but I still had an apartment to pay for, food, and an addiction to makeup that needed to be indulged on occasion.
    So I put all else from my head and applied my focus and energy on Teresa and her issues. After her forty-five minutes was up I had another client, and then lunch with Bonnie. By the time we returned to the office I was tired of having little questions pop up in my head when they weren’t wanted. I couldn’t shake the Warden’s summons, or the fact that my father had sanctioned them. I guess I was more concerned than I thought I was. And it certainly couldn’t hurt to be prepared.
    I told Bonnie I had work to do and that I didn’t want to be interrupted, then I locked the door to my office just in case, and went to the bathroom. I took a deep breath and gathered my energy. Then, without usingmy hands, I pulled open a portal between this world and the Dream Realm. I thought of it as a cosmic zipper that I could pull open between dimensions. My father would probably laugh at the comparison, but it worked for me and that was really all that mattered.
    It was literally a fracture of the world, the air before me seemed solid and tangible. It separated like fabric tore down the center, revealing a world beyond this; a world shrouded in mist and darkness, where lights twinkled like stars and anything was possible.
    Once the portal had “unzipped” enough, I was able to step through. It was like stepping through a hole in a wall and into another room, only this room was another world entirely. Apparently I had the power to control the Dreaming, though I had yet to really test that theory. My abilities, such as they were, were rusty at best. I had no idea what I could do—no one did. Only one of my kind, remember?
    Right now that was the least of my concerns. I had to talk to my father. I’m not sure if it was proof of how much trouble I was in, but my portal hadn’t taken me right into the royal palace as it normally did. It took me to the gates of horn and ivory—huge, towering gates that barred the way into the capital city. Dark and majestic, they loomed over me in the darkness as I approached. Behind me, the mist slowly crept, inching closer. Whispering.
    The Dream Realm could be a dangerous place, but its first objective—in the area around my father’s palace—was to protect dreamers. That was the golden rule here. There were Terrors and other entities within this world who would do harm if they could. Weren’t there always? And there were those who wouldn’t hesitate to use me to get to Morpheus. All the more reason not to waste time out here, despite the gorgeous view of the twinkling lights of the kingdom and the breathtaking sight of the palace lit up like something out of Disney World.
    I closed the portal behind me and strode toward the gates. I held my breath as my hands reached up and grabbed the carved ivory handle. When I pushed, the air rushed from my lungs in relief. The gate swung open. At least it recognized me as a non-threat.
    I walked quickly along the smooth stones that glimmered with hints of blue and gold in the moonlight. This road led straight to the palace itself and was lined with outbuildings, homes,