Afterward, sweaty and exhausted, we curled up with each other in a much calmer way. She rested her head on my chest, and I kissed her forehead contentedly. I decided then that the best thing that could happen would be if Jackie called and told us Alicia had been dealt with, Jill was free, and Sydney and I could live happily ever after in Council Bluffs. I drifted off to sleep, happily dreaming about that fantasy.

It was short-lived, however, as I was soon pulled into a very different kind of dream. Aunt Tatiana’s warning came back to me, about how Nina wasn’t going to just let me walk out on our deal.

“Where have you been?” exclaimed Nina. The farmhouse in Wisconsin materialized before us. “You were supposed to find me.”

I stared around, trying to gather my bearings at this unexpected change in venue. “I, uh, sorry. I got distracted in the real world and fell asleep.”

“Well, no problem,” she said briskly. “I’ll just lead the dream. Remember, you’ve got to wield more spirit this time.”

My eyes widened. “No, Nina—wait—”

But Nina wasn’t listening. She was too caught up in her obsessive mission of finding Olive. I felt Nina call on spirit and bring another person to join us. Moments later, Olive began materializing in the room before us, as shadowy and cloaked as before. And just like before, panic seized Olive, and she began to wrest the dream away from Nina. This time, knowing what to expect, I was more aware of it happening.

Since that last attempt, I’d looked into dream walking as much as I could, though there really wasn’t much to go off of. I’d even chatted with Sonya, and we’d decided it came down to Olive’s will. If her motivation was great enough, she could overcome the spirit user who was controlling the dream she was in. And clearly, that was happening now.

You’re a stronger dream walker than Nina, Aunt Tatiana reminded me. The strongest of any dream walker.

I know, I told her. And as I saw the setting dissolving, I made an impulse decision, going against what I told Sydney I’d do.

“Let go of the dream,” I said to Nina.

Understanding my intent, she complied. I was ready, channeling spirit, and I swooped in to become the dream’s new master. The farmhouse, which had been crumbling, began to rematerialize. Likewise, Olive also began solidifying.

“No!” she cried.

Nina hurried toward her. “Olive! I’ve missed you so much!”

Olive’s face was filled with fear, and she backed up quickly, wrapping the cloak more tightly around her. “No . . . no. Please leave me alone!”

And like that, I started to feel the dream slipping away from me. Despite my hold, Olive’s will was still winning out. Cracks appeared in the wooden walls. The wicker furniture crumbled to dust. The windows filled with sunlight went dark. I called on spirit’s power, pulling more magic through me in order to fight back against Olive’s usurpation. Spirit burned within my body, but she’d already changed the face of the dream. The house was gone, replaced by what looked like a hotel parking lot. A flickering streetlamp cast weak light down on us, eerily supplemented by the red glow of a neon sign hanging in the lobby’s window. What normally might have been busy streets surrounded us, but no traffic flowed on them in this dream. Eerie silence dominated until I spoke.

“I’m sorry, she was too fast,” I said to Nina. “Where are we?”

She took a step closer to me, her face filled with fear. “This is where we were attacked with our dad. When Olive was turned. There were Strigoi—”

Before she could finish, two menacing figures emerged from behind the dark shape of a parked Buick. The phantom lighting made their pale white skin look even more gruesome. I couldn’t see the red in their eyes, but the evil within came through plainly, no matter the dim conditions. They snarled, revealing fangs similar to mine, save that their only intent was to kill.

I gripped Nina’s hand and slowly backed up. “They can’t kill us in a dream,” I said, my mouth suddenly dry. “Not really.”

“No, but we’ll wake up,” she said. “And Olive will be gone again.”

“Not if we annihilate them first.”

Terror filled me, even though I knew the Strigoi were only part of the dream. I’d been too conditioned against them my entire life to feel anything except fear. But what I’d said was true: You couldn’t die in a spirit dream. You would simply wake up. And before that, you’d feel deep, excruciating pain. They aren’t real, I told myself. This is a dream, and I still have some control.

Olive had taken charge of big things—like the setting—but little things were within my grasp. Here, I could wield fire as deftly as Christian or Sydney. A fireball appeared in my hand, fueled by spirit magic. I felt magic surge in Nina too, and I was quick to chastise her.

“No—let me handle this.” If I was caught in this dream, I might as well fulfill the original goal of keeping her away from the brunt of spirit. “Just assist. Don’t wield too much.”

I hurled the fireball toward one of the Strigoi, and it went wide, missing him by about two feet. Okay—maybe I couldn’t wield fire quite as deftly as Christian or Sydney. It had always looked so easy when Sydney did it, and I realized I was thinking in those terms, imitating her throw. But relying on my physical abilities wasn’t the way to go. I had to be much more intentional. I summoned another fireball and this time used spirit to specifically guide it toward the Strigoi. My aim proved true, but the Strigoi, even in a dream, moved quickly. He dodged the brunt of the fireball and only ended up singeing his arm. It was enough to inspire me, though. I called on spirit again, summoning two more fireballs, one to keep going after this target and another to keep the other Strigoi at a distance.

I also managed to anticipate the way the Strigoi would dodge this time, so I adjusted accordingly, sending the fireball right into his chest. Flames engulfed him, and I used spirit to summon a silver stake. Moving to where he writhed on the ground, I called on spirit to shield me from the fire as I plunged the stake into what I hoped was his heart. Either I was right or the fire had already done its job, because the creature suddenly stopped moving and vanished into nothing.

The other Strigoi had tried to advance on Nina while I was distracted. She threw a fireball of her own and experienced the same learning curve I had, missing with her first attempt. It was enough to distract the Strigoi until I could swoop in.