In Her Dreams

head. “I’m sorry. I never meant to fall for Reve. He caught me off guard.”
“You like him?” Joey asks.
I nod. “But if you don’t like him, if you want me to stop seeing him—”
Joey shakes his head. “He seems nice. A little weird. I just don’t want…” He trails off. “Never mind. I’m going to go play some video games.”
I shove a few snacks into his hands, desperately trying to make up for this. “I promise to explain more later.”
“It’s okay,” he says, giving me a rueful look over his shoulder. “I’m just a kid. No one has to keep promises with us.”
He runs from the room, and I put a hand over my face, trying to figure out what to say to him.
But Reve stands, giving me a reassuring smile. “Can I go talk to him?”
I shake my head, but Reve is already moving.
“I know what it’s like to be a young warrior,” Reve says. “And I’m the one who caused this trouble. Let me fix it.”
My overprotective side wants to go watch, but I would trust Reve with my life. Especially seeing him instantly accept Joey.
He didn’t overreact or get jealous or act like Joey was some imposition like even Joey’s father did.
In my dreams, my best scenario was obviously a world where I could have Reve and not cause any harm to Joey.
But perhaps even better would be having Reve in our lives to help both of us.
I don’t know why I didn’t imagine it before.
“If he doesn’t want you here, if he doesn’t feel safe, then I need you to go,” I say as Reve’s back disappears down the hallway to Joey’s room.
Reve’s head peeks out as he turns to face me. “I promise. I agree to that. And I’ll leave the door open just in case.”
Then he’s gone again, and I lay my face on the table for a second, wondering what could go wrong next.

4
Reve
“Joey?” Even his name is cute, I think as I knock gently on the door of my soul bond’s son.
He has her hair. Her eyes. So this is what Jerrek meant about having a bonus. Truly, it’s amazing to see a little dream warrior here, one who will need someone to guide him in using his powers.
In becoming who he is.
My heart is full just knowing I get another soul bond along with my dream mate. Someone I can love for all time.
But I understand that there is something weird about the human realm, about them considering children burdens or blaming them for the sins of their fathers, so it seems Jen was afraid for me to know.
She never needed to be. This child, this extension of her love, will one day grow into a magnificent warrior. And he has been lucky to have so much of her love.
But all day, ever since I shoveled the walk, I’ve been thinking about the human that is presumably Joey’s father.
The malice in his face. The way he said Joey should have been aborted, which I now know after “Googling” on my phone means killed in utero.
There are complications to mating in the human world, and it seems hard to be a parent because no one in the community cares for each other’s kids.
In the dream fae, all kids are a blessing and a joy to be guided and guarded until they turn into the queens or warriors they were always meant to be.
Matings are careful events preceded by many years of love between a couple. So every child born, which happens rarely, is treasured by everyone in a kingdom.
Poor Joey. Poor Jen. They should have had so much more.
Not that the dream world is perfect, but someone would have stopped that pathetic nightmare before.
Meanwhile, I’m still standing outside the door, and Joey hasn’t answered.
“Look, I’ve been seeing your mom, but she didn’t want you to know about me.” I rest my fist on the door. “And I’m sorry, and I’ll go if you want me to. But I saw something today with your father. I don’t want to leave her if I don’t have to. If you and her want me out of your lives, then eventually, I’ll go. But there is a malevolent presence around here, and I want to see you both safe first.”
The door slowly opens, and narrowed brown eyes glare up at me. “You talk weird, you know that?”
I nod. “Very weird. I’m not from this world.”
Joey cocks his head. “What?”
I realize that I probably shouldn’t just launch into what dream fae are since, in Joey’s mind, I’m just a slightly, or maybe very, odd human. “I’m not from around here I mean.”
He looks me over. “You’re tall. And your eyes are weird.”
I grin, always loving the honesty of a child. “Thank you.”
“I wasn’t—”
“Joey, can I come in and talk to you for a minute? We’ll leave the door open, and you can leave whenever you want.”
“Sure, but if you hurt my mom, I’ll punch you,” he says, glowering as he sits on his bed and gestures for me to sit on a small chair, which I would surely break if I did.
Instead, I sit on the floor, crossing my legs and resting my hands on my knees. “I’ll never hurt your mom. So is my staying okay with you?”
He shakes his head. “I want it just to be us.” He looks to the side. “I don’t even know who you are, and you hate my dad.”
I frown, but I owe him the truth. “I’m someone who wants to treat your mother much better than he ever did.”
“What would you know about it?” Joey glares at me. “What has she told you?”
“Nothing,” I say. “Except that she couldn’t be serious with me even though she wished she could be.”
Joey lowers his head at that. “It’s my fault. I just don’t want to see her hurt again.” He raises his head, his jaw tight. “And once I’m a bit bigger, I can protect her from dad.”
I nod gently,