Page 147 of Sweet Nightmare

A few people grumble out answers that sound affirmative, and I guess that’s good enough for Danson because he doesn’t ask a third time. Instead, he reminds us that we’ve got five minutes to get our shit together and get to the door, and then he dismisses us.

I lost my backpack and phone in the portal, so I don’t have anything but the misappropriated clothes on my back. But I do grab a duffel bag and stuff it full of extra hoodies for all of us while Jude and Remy do the same with snacks and water bottles.

Five minutes pass in what feels like five seconds, and suddenly it’s time to go.

“I’ve got a really shitty feeling about this,” Jude mutters as we line up with everyone else.

“To be fair, it’s not like there’s a whole hell of a lot to have a good feeling about right now,” Simon tells him.

“Right?” Ember blows out a long breath. “We’re stuck on an island with a bunch of assholes who try to kill each other at the slightest provocation. A category-five storm is bearing down on us, and we’re completely cut off from any form of communication—no weather reports, no internet, no phones, no lights.”

“Sounds like any old, regular camping trip to me,” Remy deadpans.

“If by camping trip you mean the Hunger Games, with Mother Nature as one of the participants,” I tell him, “then yes, this is absolutely like camping.”

The others laugh, but only for a second, because Danson weaves his way through the double line of students to the main door. “We’re heading straight for the fence and from there to the north side of the gym. Don’t stop for any reason. Don’t turn back for any reason. And do not, under any circumstances, get in a fight for any reason. Got it?”

But whether we’re ready or not doesn’t matter anymore, because just like that, Danson opens the door, and we all pour outside, two at a time.

Somehow, it’s even worse than I ever imagined.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE

KNOW WHEN TO

PICK YOUR FRIGHT

Rain slaps me in the face. Whole sheets drench my clothes and my hair, making it impossible for me to think, especially when paired with winds that make every step total agony.

The temperature has dropped, so the sticky heat is gone. But the cold rain just makes it a million times more uncomfortable, which I didn’t think was possible.

All around me, people are gasping and swearing and fighting to keep going against winds that seem determined to knock us off our feet. I think about shifting into my manticore, just because it gives me more body mass, but now doesn’t seem like the time to complicate the situation.

So instead, I just hunch my shoulders and bend forward as I hope for the best.

Beside me, Ember—who is much shorter and slighter than I am—keeps getting pummeled by the wind. And while phoenixes have a lot of really cool things about them, physical strength isn’t one of them. So, for every two steps she takes, the wind sends her back until it feels like she’s walking in place.

“Stay behind me!” I shout, stepping forward to block the wind from her present version as much as possible, while her past and future continue to be blown to hell and back.

Jude adjusts himself as I do, and for the first time, I realize he’s been using his big body to do the exact same thing for me.

“Thank you!” I shout to be heard above the roaring wind and ocean. Ridiculously, my heart pitter-patters just a little bit as I wait for a response from him. But in the end, Jude doesn’t say anything. He just casts a long, unwavering look over his shoulder that somehow has the power to make me hot and cold and fluttery and steady all at the same time.

And just like that, another piece of the proverbial wall I’m trying so desperately to keep between us crumbles.

Except for that moment on the beach, we’ve had no time to talk since everything went haywire. And though jumping through a crumbling portal to save someone is about as serious as it gets—I have no idea what that means for our friendship or anything else.

But right now all that matters is getting somewhere safe before the next level of hell hits.

We finally make it to the fence, and as we’re waiting our turn to file through, Jude turns and stares at me with a look so intense I start to think reading minds is another one of his powers. Then he leans in so close that I can feel the heat of his breath against my ear and says, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Keep your eyes out for the Jean-Jerks.”

I can’t help laughing because he’s taken to calling them by my nickname, too, but also, I agree with him. “You think they’re going to do something gross, too?” I ask.

“I think they’re going to do something reprehensible,” he shoots back. And I can’t argue with him. That’s pretty much the definition of the three of them.

The next five minutes pass uneventfully. Though I stay vigilant, there’s no sign of the three fae, thankfully, and it isn’t long before it’s our turn to go through the fence. But we’ve barely made it a hundred yards from the gate when I hear a familiar noise.

My ears perk up as chills work their way through my body. Because there’s only one thing on Earth that I know of that makes that particular noise.

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