The Nightmare Inflictor Read Online Free

light for my father and me to follow around the perimeter of the compound. We do it every time he comes back from a work trip. This way we aren’t—I’m not—bothered by sleeping people.
    Dreams don’t faze my father like they do me. He’s mastered self-control and I hope to be half as good as him when I’m his age. I may never be though. My humanity fights too much with my monster side to allow it.
    “How long will you be here?” I glance at my father in my peripheral vision.
    He drapes an arm over my shoulders. “A week at least. Maybe longer. Things have slowed down.”
    I suck in my bottom lip. “That’s good.” I don't want to get my hopes up. Anytime my father tells me he has a few weeks, something always comes up. It’s just the way it is. The council always keeps him busy.
    “I thought you’d be happier,” my father says. “I was hoping we could spend time together.”
    I force myself to smile. “I’d love that more than anything. It gets lonely around here.”
    He squeezes my arm. “It’s lonely on the road, too.”
    I sigh. He’ll never get it. I wish I could tell him how I really feel, but he doesn’t need the guilt of knowing I’m miserable here. It’s not like I can ask him to quit the council either. It wouldn’t be fair to him. I’ll just hold tight until I’m considered an adult and I’ll find somewhere else to go—somewhere safe enough to not have to worry about the crazy HPA always trying to kill me, but immersed more in human society. It’s hard being different in such a confined place. It’s okay to be different in the real world where everyone else is different, too.
    We stop outside the guest apartment and he hugs me. He kisses my forehead and looks between me and the opaque door. I already know what he’s thinking, and I wish he wouldn’t bring it up.
    He presses his lips together. “Coming in, Nadi?”
    I don’t move. “Well...”
    His brows knit together. “I looked over the log and it’s been three days. You need to stay in control and use the volunteers when they’re available. It’ll make it easier for you in the long run and the council won’t have to rush to find someone willing to open up their dreams to you if no guest volunteers right away.”
    I tuck my hair behind my ear. “You don’t understand.”
    He sighs. “What is there to understand? You are what you are.”
    I gaze at the ground. Exactly, Dad, and I hate it, I think. I exhale a long breath and after a few seconds, I say, “I know. Just give me a few minutes, all right? I don’t need you to baby me. I’ll go in when I’m ready.”
    My father rubs his hand over his forehead. “Fine, but don’t skip tonight. I’m tired of having this conversation over and over again. Inflicting nightmares is how we survive.” He turns away and glides inside the guest apartment building.
    I plop down on the stairs and stare up at the glittering stars. The night is always so beautiful, but I love the sunlight even more—maybe because the less I inflict nightmares, the less I can enjoy stepping into the sun. When I’m in need of sustenance, my body rejects sunlight to force me into inflicting nightmares. Sunburns are the worst. It’s Mother Nature’s way of telling me to suck it up if I want to pretend to be human all the time.
    I stare at my pale fingers. I could go another day at least before I’m stuck indoors, but my father would be furious and I don’t want negative emotions to shroud our short time together.
    I rise to my feet and glide to the opaque door. Before I enter, I tug the list of volunteers from my pocket and peer at the first name. Robin Black is an enchantress from Arkansas. I’m a little surprised all of these enchantresses volunteered to be my victims, but I don’t know many so maybe they dared each other.
    The Enchantress Sisterhood is another governing body for the supernatural world and they work with the council to keep everyone safe. They have more widespread safe havens