Page 17 of Precipitous Nightmare's Valentine Dream

“Do any Dreams have horns? What Dreams would have…” Comforting furrowed her brows, trying to figure out the answer to this clearly confusing puzzle.

“Oh. My. God.” Shimmering slammed a hand over her mouth. “You didn’t. Oh, Lumi. You did.”

There was no escaping it. Shimmering had guessed what the others couldn’t begin to fathom. Luminous had to come clean.

“He’s a Night Terror,” she admitted.

Their gasps made her want to defend him, want to explain how good he was. Not just in bed — which was clearly a top-tier experience — but as a person.

Precipitous was sweet and thoughtful and funny and intense and…

Ah, hell. Was she falling for him?

She had a mission to complete. A chance at being something more than a simple DayDream, more than just someone who delivered pre-set scenarios to mortal minds. She had a chance to be a true artist, to design new dreams, to make her mark on the fabric of Dream Time.

Luminous grabbed Shimmering’s hand.

“The king can’t know,” she whispered. “He’ll send me home before I’m done. He’ll forbid me from walking the realms between worlds.”

Her thoughts swirled wildly.

If the king knew about her illicit affair with a Nightmare creature, he might lock her away in the Dream Lands forever. She wouldn’t even get to say goodbye. She’d never see Preci again.

That thought brought a rush of panic she hadn’t expected.

“Of course,” murmured Shimmering, and the others nodded. “We’re here for you, Lumi.”

“Whatever you need,” Comforting assured her.

“We’ll keep your secret,” added Golden.

But it was too late. A voice from behind them made that all too clear.

“What secret would that be, little Dream?”

The four Dream women turned, and Lumi’s friends scattered into dream sand as they saw who stood before them all.

The Dream King raised one perfect golden brow at Luminous Dream and waited, arms crossed and bejeweled crown askew, for her answer to his question.

Chapter 14

Walking to the Palace of Nightmare King

Precipitous Nightmare

The road to the palace of the Nightmare King ran through every level of the realm.

One could step onto its cobblestone surface near the Circus Macabre, ride a dread beast along crumbling ancient streets of an abandoned ruin, or tread a muddy path in the Marsh of Forgetting only to end up walking straight up that storied walk to the front gates of the palace itself. To be quite clear, all roads in the Nightmare realm led to the place where the king himself dwelled.

And when a summons comes demanding an appearance at that dark castle, no one in any realm dared ignore it.

Precipitous received such summons often. He’d never dreaded the journey so much as he did now.

Fortunately, friends had chosen to accompany him.

“I have broken rules that are not meant to be broken,” said Precipitous as they walked the uneven path that smoothed itself ever more the closer they got to the palace.

“Oh stop being so dramatic,” replied Effie, and the burnished bronze clockwork rodent upon her shoulder nodded in agreement. “I agreed to come with you and speak in your defense. I didn’t agree to listen to a pessimistic diatribe the entire way.”

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