The Nightmare Inflictor by Ginna Moran Read Free Book Online

and points it at me.
    I can’t help smiling at his bravery.
    He jumps to his feet and steps in front of Alyssa who doesn’t move. She stares at me without emotion. In this dream world, I’m not Nadia Petrov. I’m Alyssa’s worst nightmare. I stop ten feet away and cock my head to the side.
    Alyssa’s dream boy is perfect. His dark brown hair is cut short on the sides and is styled neatly with hair gel. His almond shaped, coffee brown eyes narrow as he glares at me and his jaw twitches as he twists his mouth into a scowl. He’s tall, over six feet, and tan from hours outside.
    The veins in his muscular arms swell as he squeezes the broken bottle and he rolls his shoulders, preparing for a fight he can’t win. Alyssa stares between us and reaches out to touch the boy’s leg. He turns his head to glance over his shoulder, then turns back to me.
    I don’t move.
    Alyssa clears her throat. “You should leave, Lucas.” She stands and grabs his shoulder.
    He tenses. “I’m not leaving you. Can’t you see you’re in danger?”
    She smiles softly. “You’re mistaken, babe. It’s not me he’s after.”
    Alyssa is afraid of someone—a man. Without mirrors to see myself in the dream world, I don’t know who I appear to be, but since they didn’t run away screaming, I’m guessing I’m not a hideous monster. Alyssa isn’t afraid of monsters—she’s terrified of a man. I wonder who...
    Before he can question her, I glide over the dried leaves and cup his face in my hands. He explodes into a cloud of black dust and I suck in breath after breath of his essence.
    My hunger dissipates and I’m left facing Alyssa. She doesn’t run, but just stands there with tears gleaming in her eyes. Her red hair blows in a breeze and she stares at the ground where remnants of her dream boy lie mixed with rotting leaves.
    She covers her mouth with her hand. “You killed him.”
    My mouth drops open. Things are clearer now that I’m not starving, and a horrible pit settles in my stomach. I can’t believe I’m standing here destroying Alyssa’s dream. I need to leave, and the only way out is to finish off the dreamer and consume the nightmare.
    I cup her face.
    Tears spill from her vibrant green eyes and her mouth falls open in a silent scream. Within seconds, she drops to her knees and falls over, pressing her face to the muddy ground. Shining light radiates from her and I inhale the rest of her nightmare as the dream world around me crumbles.
    My stomach heaves and my eyes snap open. I’m back in Alyssa’s room and she tosses and turns under her comforter. Before she wakes up, I’m already gone and opening the door to my room.
    I feel alive, full, and normal again. I stare at my hands. The color has returned and my skin is flushed. I sit on the edge of my bed and resist looking in the mirror on my vanity table because I don’t know how long I’ll look like myself. I don’t know when I’ll create another nightmare.
    Soon. I never want to starve myself again.
     
     
    HUNTER
     
    “You’re a terrible host,” I say. “The least you can do is take me somewhere fun or hold something more interesting than your diary in front of your face.”
    “Shut up,” Jacqueline thinks. She wouldn’t dare speak out loud. Not to me. It would make her look as crazy as she really is, and she wouldn’t stand for it.
    “Oh, wouldn’t you just love it if I shut up and went away? Well, Jackie, guess what? You’re stuck with me until you release me back into my body.”
    “Don’t call me Jackie. And, Hunter, you know what the deal was. I took you as collateral to make sure Dr. Sullivan holds up her end of the bargain. I want my freedom as much as you do. You’re lucky I let them keep your body.”
    My mom agreed to spare this monster her life if she would conspire against her own kind and obtain information about a legendary council made up of supernatural creatures the Human Preservation Agency’s board members want to destroy. To