It's been eight years since Story Sparks last had a dream. Now they're back, tormenting her as nightmares she can't remember upon waking. The black waters of Lake Sandeen, where her Uncle Peter disappeared decades before, may hold the secret to Story's hidden memories, or a truth she'd rather not know. On a bright summer afternoon, Story and her two best friends, Elliott and Adam, take a hike to the lake, where they dive into the cool water and never reemerge. What they find is beyond anything they've ever imagined could be possible, a world where dangers lurk in the form of Big Bad Wolves, living Nightmares and meddlesome witches and gods.
Now Story must remember who she really is and somehow stop two worlds from ultimate annihilation, all while trying not to be too distracted by the inexplicable pull she feels toward a certain dark-eyed traveler who seems to have secrets of his own. The fates of the worlds are counting on her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Green's Solace, Tressla
"You look like you're about to pass out. Did the Elven Queen give you some of her wine?" Nicholas's warm whisper and beard stubble against her ear gave Story a start and she jumped apart from him before recovering her senses.
"Oh, it's you," she said, putting a hand to her chest and shaking her head at him as he chuckled, his warm velvety laugh making her chest ache. "You nearly scared me to death," she said, but she smiled at him, feeling her already warm cheeks grow rosier as his strong hand found hers and squeezed while he scooted in closer to her.
"Sorry, but you looked like you were about to fall over. Dew Drop Wine?"
With her back against a tree, Story had nowhere to go, and she was increasingly aware of his closeness, his one arm snaking around her to draw her to his side while his other hand played with her fingers, drawing caresses along her palm. He turned to look at her, their faces only inches apart as his dark gaze stared intently into her own.
Swallowing, she looked away quickly and then met his eyes once more. Goose bumps rose along her arms as her skin responded to his lightest of touches. Unable to tear her gaze away from his, she managed to shrug and smile lamely. "You know, dew drops-they're water. I thought she was just giving a fancy name to water."
He smiled darkly and Story knew she was done for. Elliott had nothing on this guy's smolder, she thought. Quest and responsibilities aside, she couldn't be expected to have this much willpower. If he kissed her, and she suspected he might, she would probably just melt and demand he ravish her right there.
"But when you started drinking it, you must have known better," he teased her with a whisper, his lips so close to hers the warmth of his breath beat against her own parted lips.
"Yeah, but it was so yummy," she whispered back, staring up at him like a deer in headlights.
His only response was a smile before he swooped down on her like an owl in the night, his strong arms pulling her close. When their lips met, she felt she would burn alive, his passion and hers connected in an all-consuming blaze. She slid her arms around him as well, and they pulled each other so close that a normal fire between them would have been quelled by the lack of oxygen.
Going Under | Evanescence
Remember | Emilie Autumn
Into the Mystic | Van Morrison
Howl | Florence + the Machine
Transylvanian Concubine | Rasputina
Desert Rose | Sting
This Night | Black Lab
Wicked Games | Chris Isaak
Little Earthquakes | Tori Amos
Without You | Breaking Benjamin
Breathe | Midge Ure
Little House | The Fray
Leave Me in the Dark | Keri Noble
Galileo | Indigo Girls
Shake It Out | Florence + the Machine
No Trace | MS MR
A Sight to Behold | Eisley
Redeemed | Charlotte Martin
Special thanks to Lara Southgate, Nicole Munson, Melissa Flickinger, Bethany Root and Ronald Mendolera for guiding me to a number of the songs that now make up the perfect soundtrack for Fractured Dream.
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