Page 61 of The Secret Life of a Witch

Heat blasts through me, starting in my chest and working outward, making my limbs go limp.

“You evil troll …” My voice echoes away as I teeter sideways toward the ground. “Why does everyone keep putting me to sleep?”

Instead of hitting the rocky floor, I fall straight into Max’s arms.

Scooping me up, he turns and carries me away from the crack in the wall.

“Where are you taking me?” I mumble through the dizziness sloshing around in my head.

He continues walking with his eyes trained ahead. “To my room.”

“Why?” I murmur sleepily. “What’re you going to do to me?”

He chuckles, a low sound that reverberates throughout my body. “Well, to start with, we’re going to talk.” He holds me tighter against his chest. “Then, after that, we’ll see.”

I’m not sure what he means about anything, but before I can ask him, darkness funnels around me and drags me under.

EVALEE

Ihate that this is happening. I hate that everything feels out of control. I hate that everyone has lied to me.

I hate…

I hate…

I hate…

I hurt…

I hurt…

I hurt…

“Eva,” Ryleigh’s voice graces my ears. “Can you hear me?”

Usually when she speaks to me, I feel calm. But right now, all I feel is anger. So, instead of opening my eyes, I lie motionless.

“Eva, please,” she begs. “I know you’re mad at me, but this is important.”

I don’t want to listen to her, but the plea in her voice makes me feel bad.

Dammit! I hate having a conscience!

Sighing, I blink my eyes open to wispy clouds lazily floating across a glittering purple sky. I’ve been here before, when Hunter put a sleeping curse on me. And like before, the placemakes me instantly feel calm and at peace. Then, again like before, the clouds shift and begin to run like wet paint.

I jump up and shield my head with my arms as drops of clouds splatter across my skin.

“Again? What the hell?”

“It’s just how this place works,” Ryleigh says apologetically.

I turn in a circle, trying to spot her across the field lined with trees. “Okay, but what is this place? It sounds like you know, and honestly, every time I come here, I get a weird sense of déjà vu.”

“That’s because you’ve been here before.” Ryleigh’s shadow appears in front of me. “When you were younger, I used to bring you here.”

I inch through the grass toward her. “Why?”

“To calm you down,” she whispers, sounding remorseful. “When you were first taken from the demon lair, you had nightmares every night. So, I finally slipped into your dreams and brought you here. After about a month of this place, you stopped having nightmares … It’s something I can do—travel into peoples’ dreams.”

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