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I wanted to resist, but the strange pull that always existed between us compelled me to play along. “You’re amazing.” The words both burned and danced on my tongue.

“Finally you admit it.” His teasing vanished in an instant. “I have another payment in mind, if you’re agreeable.” Darius cast Stardust a sideways glance before leaning closer. “I was hoping I could take you somewhere. If you can manage to slip away from your protective cloud, meet me in front of the fountain on the Dream World Main Street. Please?”

My stomach twisted with a strange fluttery feeling and I managed a breathless nod, the sudden bubble of joy I felt dispelling the last of my disappointment from the evening. His eyes lit up as he smiled, lopsidedly and rather sweetly, and I smiled back.

* * *

Foreboding tightenedmy pounding heart as I made my way through the throng of Dreamers crowding Main Street, searching the vibrant styles for Darius’s spiderweb attire. My anticipation was nearly swallowed up by my sense that I was doing something forbidden. Surely Dreamers didn’t go on outings with their weaving partner, no matter how charming they might be or how friendly or warm they tended to make one feel…

But my hesitation vanished the moment I found him leaning against the fountain. His gaze lit up when he caught sight of me, causing my heart to give a strange tumble. If this was forbidden, the experience was so far rather pleasant.

“Hello, Eden,” he greeted the moment I reached him, his grin soft.

“I hope wherever you’re taking me is worth the effort I expended to slip away from my rather observant cloud.” I tried to sound stern, but I couldn’t quite contain my teasing grin.

“Somewhere more private than the middle of Main Street.” He frowned as his gaze flickered across the crowds, and only then did I feel the heated stares of the passersby, narrowed suspiciously at me standing so close to a Nightmare.

In an instant the joy he caused me to feel vanished, replaced by the feeling I hated above all others—the general sense of being different, and thus not belonging.

I lowered my gaze to the white cobblestones, my cheeks warm with a blush. Darius sidled closer. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I should have had us meet in a less conspicuous place.”

Despite my discomfort, I already couldn’t regret meeting him. “You promised to take me somewhere. I’m sure you’ll make it worth my while.”

He nodded. “You’ll love it.” He seemed truly thrilled at the prospect.

He led me away from the watching crowd. The moment we had more privacy, he tucked my arm through his, causing my heart to pound wildly. I’d never been escorted anywhere before, and even though this was Darius, I liked it, perhaps a bit too much.

As we walked, Darius leaned over to whisper into my ear. “I’m afraid that throughout our outing, we’ll have to maintain a guise for why we’re truly together; since I’m the Head Nightmare’s son, it would be improper for us to be seen as friends. For all intents and purposes, I’m here under my mother’s orders to investigate you.” He winked.

I managed a weak smile, but I couldn’t help but wonder… “Did Head Nightmare Ember really give you such an assignment?”

His teasing grin faltered and he sighed. “She did, but I have no intention of following through. I’ll simply report to her how elusive you were being with imparting any useful information and keep the details I do learn about you all to myself.”

Darius led me past the shops lining the street in tidy, colorful rows. We passed Pins and Needles, where I’d purchased my weaving supplies, and Mirror Mirror, where Angel and Iris had helped me discover my style, before turning onto another street where the rows of gaudy shops sat snuggled close together.

Despite having walked this street a handful of times, there were still so many delightful details greeting me from the shop windows we strolled past. A display of tantalizing sweets adorned the window of the candy shop Sugarplums and Gumdrops. Stacks ofLegends and Fairy Tales to Tantalize and Amazewere arranged in the window display of Once Upon a Book; a toy shop built like a jack-in-the-box had a flock of Dreamer children goggling at the front window at the new self-building meteorite blocks for sale; a poster promising “Secure protection for your dream dust from even the darkest forces” adorned the front of the bank; and the theatre advertised the upcoming performance ofThe Nightmare of the Auditoriumin curly calligraphy.

Despite having so much to take in, I couldn’t resist stealing a peek over my shoulder, both apprehensive of the baffled glances of the Dreamers we wandered past as well as nervous that I was being followed by my suspicious pet.

Darius cast me a concerned sideways glance. “Are you alright?”

“I’m not fully convinced I escaped my cloud; I’m afraid she’s morphed into a disguise that will allow her to follow me to her heart’s content.” If the reactions of the strangers we passed in the streets were bad enough, they were no match for Stardust’s should she learn of my outing with Darius.

He actually chuckled. “It’s sweet how protective she is of you.”

I considered that; no one had ever beenprotectiveof me before. “She’s been a good friend.” As had Angel and Iris. All three had caused me to experience what had previously been a foreign concept for me: friendship and belonging. My heart swelled at the thought.

His hand rested over mine for a moment. “I’m glad.”

We turned a corner onto a cobblestone street where the shops became more spread out. Just up ahead lay Darius’s surprise destination, Teacups and Treats, a tiny café tucked inside a porcelain building shaped like a teapot. My eyes widened the moment I stepped inside, where I was greeted by a vision of white lace tablecloths, vases of teapot-shaped flowers in vibrant colors, and teacups which clanked merrily as they floated through the air.

Darius’s grin grew as I gazed around in wide-eyed wonder. “It’s lovely,” I breathed.

“I’m pleased you like it. It’s one of my favorite places in the Dream Realm. I often came here to study when I attended the Academy.”

My brow puckered. “But I thought Nightmares never entered the Dream Realm.”

“They usually don’t, but the Academy—which is located between the realms—is near enough to the Dream Realm’s capital that Nightmares occasionally visiting is not uncommon.”