The darkness enveloping me is exactly what I've been wanting to avoid for the past eighteen hours. I tried so hard to stay awake, but as soon as Elias came in and told me I was safe, I listened to him and now, here I am in a dream. Exactly where I didn't want to be. But I know he's there, in the waking world, making sure nothing happens.

I just hope nothing happens in here, where I'm not so sure I can control everything.

"Delia?" a voice comes through the fog in the....wherever I am, and I jump at the name, remembering my dream from last night.

But it isn't Elias's voice. Or the Dark Elias...or whoever the fuck that was. It's someone else. "Cordelia? Babydoll?"

Babydoll. It's my dad.

"Dad?" I ask, hating the shrill panicky tone of my voice, like I'm six years old again and lost in the damn woods. "Daddy, where are you?"

"I'm right here, just turn around."

I do, and sure enough, my father is here, right in front of me, like it's no big deal that he's in my dream on this deserted island thousands of miles away from home.

And as I look around, I realize that's where we are. The fog has lifted and we're on the beach, my bare toes in the sand, the wind whipping my silver hair around my face. My father's hair is making the same motion, and I'm struck by how similar we are, down to the shade and texture of our hair and hue of our eyes.

"Dad," I whisper as he pulls me into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I knew you'd need to talk to me...that you'd have questions," he says, and a sheepish tone creeps into his voice.

I swallow and step out of his embrace, the shock and relief at seeing him wearing off as I remember the anger I felt toward him and my mom when Elias explained to me what I am.

"You think? How could you and Mom send me here, to this island full of actual paranormal creatures and not tell me what I am? To pretend that this was just some quirky singles' adventure?"

"We never meant to disrupt the course of your life. If you accepted only your human side, that was fine by us. There was always a chance that your power would not surface. I've spent decades unable to pass through dreams as I once did. It is because of you that we are communicating now."

"But how would I ever have a chance to accept the other side of me if you never even told me about it? This was the way you were going to tell me? By sending me into the fucking lion's den?!"

He drops his head and stares at his white tennis shoes. The sag of his shoulders and the way they expand with his deep breath pull at my sympathies. I don't want to be mad at him. I don't want to punish him for what he did. But this is a lot for someone to learn about themselves in just a week's time.

"We couldn't tell you when you were younger for fear that you would let it slip with your friends. If the wrong person found out, you would have been in danger. It's the reason we chose to stay in the mortal realm. By the time you were old enough to understand the consequences, would you have believed us? I had no way of proving it to you. You would have thought both your mother and I needed psychological care. This was the only way."

I sigh and look at the indigo sky above us, where there's no moon, no stars, no birds or any indication that this is even real except the wind on my face. He's right. Based on everything Elias has said, I would have absolutely been in danger if I had let things slip. And no, I wouldn't have believed them if they had told me later in life. There were times I thought my mom needed a reality check for sure, and she was just ghost hunting.

I lay my hand on his forearm. "You're right, Dad. I understand. I just—" I blow out a breath and shake my head. "It was a shock. And now people are dying around this island. It's just a lot. And on top of that," I keep talking, not letting him get a word in because I know he has a million questions that just won't stop, so I might as well get it all out in the open. "I met someone. Just like y'all wanted me to. Except...he's a vampire. And we are really just 'fake dating' to keep his best friend off his back, and he's protecting me from whatever the fuck is out there, but I think...I think I really like him, Dad."

Dad pulls at the collar of his shirt like it is getting too tight for him. "That is a lot to unpack, but let's start with what is bothering me the most. What do you mean someone is killing people on the island. We sent you there because it is the safest place for you to learn about others like you. No one would dare cross that boundary with other supes watching. The discourse it could cause between factions could lead to wars. No one in their right mind would risk that, not even to possess a Dreamwalker."

My chest tightens and now I'm somehow even more terrified than before. "Then I guess someone isn't in their right mind because two people have died already. Brutally. And..." Zeus's beard, he is not gonna want to hear this. "I've been attacked twice. Well, the first time I am 100% sure there was someone in my room. I ran out in a panic without my inhaler and they were chasing me through a cemetery...in the middle of the night." I shudder at the memory. "Elias, the vampire I told you about, he saved me. He carried me home and I was able to do my breathing exercises until I could get my inhaler. Then, when we were on a date the other night, we went for a night swim in the pool. Something grabbed me and took me all the way to the bottom of the deep end. It almost drowned me. Between the two of us, Elias and I got me untied and back to the surface. I had an asthma attack then too." Tears fill my eyes and I swipe them away. "It's been rough, Dad."

"I'll try to contact the counsel of spells and potions about breaking the spell on the island. I will get you home, Cordelia. Until then, stay with the vampire. Try to find someone to train you to shield your mind. The stronger you become the safer you will be."

I nod, pretending like any of this makes sense to me. Shielding and powers, this is the kind of stuff my mom loved. Now I know why. "I met a siren. She might be able to help me."

Dad's form wavers, his body going transparent. He pulls me into his arms and kisses the side of my head. "You are a smart woman, Delia. If something feels off, you don't question it. Run. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Dad. I understand. And I'm not mad, okay? I'm not mad at you. Or Mom. Do you hear me? I love you."

"Yes. I hear you. Love you too, babydoll."

And with that, he's gone.

I hang my head and a tear slides down my cheek. I don't bother lifting my hand to swipe it away this time, but I feel it leave my skin anyway. I tilt my chin and open my eyes, and the beach melts away.

Now I'm surrounded by blankets, pillows, and Elias's familiar, woodsy smell.

"Why are you crying, belle rêveur?" he whispers, the pad of his thumb sweeping under my eyelashes.

I sit up and throw my arms around him. "Elias. You're here."

"I promised I'd stay. I'm not leaving, not even if you beg me."

He brushes his lips over the shell of my ear, sending a chill down my spine. Athena save me, the way he makes me feel with such an innocent act. I can't imagine all the things he would make me feel if I let him lose control. I do want him to lose control. He is the only thing on this entire island that can make me forget that someone is hunting us. And I want to forget—even if it means I'm falling into the arms of the person who wants me dead.

But before I strip off my clothes and offer him my body as a sacrifice, I have questions. I need answers before I let him in again. Everything he tells me could be a lie, but I'd believe every word if it meant I would have that deceitful mouth on me in the end.