Page 19 of Awakened By Her Guardian

Trapping them in nightmares so he could feed as he spent his power. A never-ending supply.

“Now!” Sandman yelled, running forward.

Ana and the others moved behind him, charging forward as one, their magic combining to drive Nightmare and his evil followers back. Ana grabbed the nightmares around them and cut them off, eradicating them and pulling the replenishment away from Nightmare.

He snarled. His power fought her directly, coiling around her like snakes made of smoke and mist. The magic curled up her body and tightened, trying to choke off her power. She struggled against it, then pushed back with her own while her family joined in the battle to shield those still sleeping from the nightmares.

Behind Nightmare, Frost’s magic surged cold and sharp, like a blade made of ice. Snow whipped across the street and the wind howled.

She realized the magics were feeding each other: fear and ice, despair and cold.

Nightmare’s dread magic coiled around his fingers like purple ribbons, and he smiled at Ana. “Imagine what I could do with you at my side. The destruction we could rain down on this earth.”

The evil followers charged, clashing physically with the good dream walkers, and Ana was separated from her family.

She didn’t give up. She kept pushing her magic outward to stop the nightmares, knowing he would eventually lose power if he couldn’t replenish it.

“Such a waste,” Nightmare said. He thrust his power directly at her, and her vision went dark as she was encased in a nightmare, her body frozen in place as Frost joined his power to Nightmare’s. Her skin prickled, and dread teased her spine.

She saw her family slain at her feet, dark storm clouds overhead, fed by Frost as his evil followers joined in. Nightmare stood surrounded by dread magic, smiling wickedly as Ana screamed for help.

Her magic was dimming.

She was powerful, but her power wasn’t strong enough for the onslaught of Nightmare’s dread magic combined with Jack Frost’s dark warlock magic. She’d never felt such paralyzing fear and such despair before.

Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might break through her ribs. Fear choked her, beating back her magic and siphoning power from her under the intensity of the combined dark magics.

“I told you I could get her if we separated her from her family,” Nightmare said. “Ana, Ana, Ana. How about I kill that wolf down the street? He’s so helpless by himself. No other Guardians. Hell, he can’t even see me.”

“I’ll do it,” Frost said.

She couldn’t see him, but she could hear the smile in his voice.

Everything inside her went as cold as the ice Frost was wielding.

How could she help Gabriel if she was trapped in a nightmare?

She knew what she was seeing – her family slain at her feet – was a nightmare and not real, but she also knew the two powerful males trying to get her to switch sides weren’t above killing innocents.

She needed Gabriel.

But how?

With one last burst of energy, as the sky darkened, the nightmares grew more powerful, and the cold turned her skin blue, she touched the medallion Santa had given her and screamed her mate’s name.

She just hoped he knew what to do to help her.

Because she needed him.

Now.

Gabriel couldn’t see a damn thing.

He could feel Ana ahead of him with her family and other dream walkers, but he couldn’t see her.

His wolf rumbled in worry.

The sky was dark, like a storm was rolling in, but the clouds were an odd purple, and the sickly-sweet scent in the air made his hackles rise.