Night Terrors by Helen Harper Read Free Book Online Page A

one.’
    Oh. That makes sense. What remains to be asked is the obvious question. I put my hands on my hips and cock my head, giving her an enquiring – and challenging – glance. Unfortunately, before I can say anything, an upstairs light flicks on. I grimace. Our chatter must have woken up my neighbour.
    I jerk my head towards the front and Rawlins nods. Avoiding looking at the squashed flowers, I sidle out through the narrow gap between the fence and the house.
    ‘So,’ Rawlins says, once we’re safely back in front of my own property, ‘do you want to tell me what you were doing trespassing on your neighbour’s property? Because I’m hoping it wasn’t so you could steal from them.’
    Was she kidding me? ‘You’re the one who’s loitering around here!’ I protest. ‘I was coming out to see who was parked in front of my damn house.’
    She gives me an odd look. ‘Then why didn’t you just open the front door and pop your head out?’
    In case you work for the Department and you’re trying to kill me because I’m the one and only dreamweaver, I think irritably. ‘Two months ago I couldn’t have done that,’ I merely mutter. ‘You should give me credit for coming outside at all. And you’ve still not explained what you’re doing here.’
    She looks away. As she tilts her head, I see her face in the glow from the street light nearest us and I realise that there are faint purple shadows under her eyes. She doesn’t fidget or twitch but there’s an unnatural stillness about her body which suggests she is uncomfortable.
    ‘I just wanted to check that you were alright,’ she says finally. Her voice is a note higher than usual. She’s lying.
    ‘I’m not a criminal,’ I say softly.
    Rawlins snaps, ‘I know that.’ She tosses her head and spins round, then marches back to her car. ‘It’s the middle of the night, Ms Lydon,’ she throws over her shoulder. ‘You should get some sleep.’
    As should you, sergeant, I think to myself. Still puzzled, I watch her get into the car and leave. What on earth was that about?
     

Chapter Four
     
    I can’t imagine a society with absolutely no solidarity. For me, it’s a nightmare.
    Clare Denis
     
    The two good things about waking up in the middle of the night are that by midmorning my house is about as clean as it’s ever been, and I’m yawning like a teenager in an algebra lesson. This could be exactly what I need. Choosing to forego my bed for the comfy sofa, I curl up with my head on a cushion. I don’t want to nap for too long; I still need to fall asleep tonight as well.
    I end up back in the forest by the old campfire. Whatever tracks were there earlier have now vanished, probably as a result of the Dreamlands resetting themselves. I still hover around suspiciously for a short while but no one shows up. None the wiser, I head off at a jog. If I want to be awake again by midday, I need to move quickly.
    I’m less than five minutes from the forest fringe when I see a flash of white out of the corner of my eye. It’s both unexpected and out of place. Within the folds of the forest, it’s permanently night. Not only that, the trees are dark, the ground is dark … everything is, well, dark. Even the mares have black coats. Admittedly, they also have quite sharp white teeth and vivid scarlet hooves and eyes, but they mostly blend in with the rest of the surroundings. I struggle to think of a time I’ve seen white here before. There’s never even been a moon or stars in the sky above.
    My curiosity is piqued enough for me to veer off course and investigate. When I see Lilith draped in white and slumbering across a heavy tree limb, I stop. Of course. I should have guessed.
    Lilith is a succubus, a dream creature who flits in and out of people’s heads, feeding off their sexual desires. I’m not entirely sure whether she can be trusted but she did play an important part in ridding the Dreamlands of the Mayor. I owe her something, even if I’m not