Dream Spell

By Sarah Doughty

April Carver is surviving by hiding amongst humans, just as she wanted, but when she's pulled into a dream spell, her carefully constructed world comes crashing down.

When light witch April Carver finds herself in a dream spell, she knows it's significant, but doesn't realize the man who cast the spell and waits for her is her mate, Ian Harlow, the man she spelled herself to forget.

As her memory comes rushing back, she's faced with the reality of truth and the dangers that come with it. April must reconcile her true past -- the one she forgot with the love of her life, Ian -- with the one she created for herself, and makes a startling discovery along the way. But when tragedy strikes, she will have to make the hardest decision of her life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sarah Doughty
• Release date: Apr 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311780324

Sarah Doughty

The night calls to me in moonlit whispers and my daydreams answer.Conjuring words from the ether is like breathing — my weapon — my therapy. It allows me to weed through all the pain, in an effort to find myself again.My name is Sarah Doughty and I suffer from complex PTSD, depression, and debilitating anxiety. And if I don’t have a migraine, I have a headache. Every. Single. Day. Though I am terrified of the night, crowds, and much more, this darkness has become my home.If writing is my breath, then my books are my life. While my poetry focuses on singular events meant to evoke feeling or spur memories, fiction is where my heart lies. Though my books are a way for me to escape my mind and experience a magical world, deep down the problems are very real. And in many ways, my characters are vivid and alive, which in turn helps me see the world in a better light.I've shared them online for anyone who wants to read them — for free, to offer someone else hope, or the same, temporary escape as they did for me.

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Warnings

Triggers: Please note this book is meant for adult audiences. It contains sexual content, murder, and a brief scene of graphic violence.

Spoilers: This is a standalone novella in a larger series universe. This book can be read at any time, but it is recommended to read Just Breathe first.

The Earthen Witch Chronicles

by Sarah Doughty

Just Breathe

Focus

Home

Listen

Safe

Stronger Than Blood

Enduring The Flames

Zoe*

Dream Spell**

*a prequel novella

**a standalone novella

For Janine Giske, may you one day find the one that will love you unconditionally and protect all you hold dear.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.

- Edgar Allan Poe

A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.

- Colin Powell

I close my eyes, then I drift away, into the magic night I softly say. A silent prayer, like dreamers do, then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you.

- Roy Orbison

Chapter 1

Living a secret life was never easy.

I was living proof of that. But I wanted that kind of life.

There I was, wearing a frayed tank top and faded flannel pants, washing bottles and setting them on the drying rack, hearing the beginnings of cries coming from the baby.

Good morning, Robert said as he fiddled with his blue tie and walked into the kitchen to my right.

Coffee's on the counter, I said over my shoulder and headed to the living room to scoop Lily up into my arms. But it did nothing to soothe her.

Screams erupted from her tiny body and, despite rocking her and speaking to her softly, she still didn't calm down. So I caressed the top of her head and closed my eyes.

Power leaked from my fingertips as I said, low, Sanft wie die Wellen, sanft wie der Wind. Sei still Kleines. Alles wird gut.

By the time I finished and the power fell away, Lily was looking around with renewed interest, those clear, hazel eyes were bright as her little limbs moved around, trying to catch my long hair as it fell over my shoulder.

You sure are good with her, April, Robert said in between sips of coffee.

I turned toward him. It's all about staying calm, I said, forcing a smile.

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either.

Lying to my husband wasn't something I enjoyed. But he was human.

I wasn't.

I was something else.

A witch.

And that was a secret I could never share with him.

What did you say to her anyway? Is it some kind of old lullaby? he asked.

Sort of, my grandmother used to sing it to me. It means ‘Gentle as the waves, gentle as the wind. Be still, little one. All will be fine.'

It wasn't a complete lie. My grandmother taught me most of what I knew about magic. German, as she explained to me when I was little, was one of the oldest languages of the craft and thus tended to be more powerful, so most witches continued to use it.

I didn't know that Carver was German, he mused. Carver was my maiden name.

And he was right, Carver wasn't German. Yes. That was my father's last name. My grandmother's was Reichs.

Without saying anything else, he turned his attention back to his coffee and the smartphone perched on his palm.

Robert Johnson was handsome, but not the type of man that would make the eye of every woman that caught sight of him linger. He stood at five feet ten inches, just a few inches taller than my five and a half foot frame. His dark hair was trimmed and in perfect shape, his face clean shaved, and his deep brown eyes were sharp.

He looked like any other businessman, wearing his black pants, shoes, and cream colored dress shirt with that blue tie that didn't match. I didn't comment on his appearance. It wouldn't have mattered.

You'd better get going or you'll be late, I said, eying the clock on the stove behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder as he took another sip of coffee. Oh, shit, he muttered, and put the cup on the table, grabbing his briefcase and shoving his phone in his pocket as he went. See you tonight, Mrs. Johnson, he called as he descended the stairs toward the garage, forgetting again to close the gate at the top to keep Lily from tumbling down.

I sighed and rolled my eyes as a coo escaped from Lily. Looking down at her, I smiled as I secured the gate while she captured a small chunk of my hair in her hands and began to twirl it around her little fingers. She loved my hair.

It was long, flowing well past my shoulders and down my back. The reddish tints to it just seemed to draw more attention from the happy baby. I didn't mind, though.

Alright, baby girl, let's get you changed, fed, and burped.

As I worked, I let my mind wander. I remembered the day we moved in to that brownstone condo right after we found out I was pregnant. It was close to Robert's work. Close to everything. But I didn't like it. I wasn't entirely sure why.

There were good schools and Robert's family nearby. It was the right place to grow some roots. Yet, I still didn't want it. But I was tired of running and that was my chance at a normal life.

The second we walked in, I knew he wanted to buy the place. And I didn't protest. It was his money, his choice. And I wanted him to be happy.

The kind of place I wanted was nowhere near there, and I knew that dream would never happen.

But there we were, looking around the brownstone that was built in the thirties, standing proudly amongst all the other brownstones that looked just like it, save for a few minor details.

The rooms were cramped, and there was no back yard. The realtor showed us the view of Ashford Park across the street from us as we stood at the living room window, and I knew that was enough for Robert. He made the offer, it was accepted, and we moved in a month later.

Ending up pregnant was the last thing I expected.

That was because witches and other supernatural creatures, or others, couldn't conceive unless we wanted to. So it came as quite a shock.

I never worked a spell to allow it to happen, because I didn't want it to happen.

The thought of having children never crossed my mind before I met my husband and I wasn't even sure if that was something I wanted. Whether it was with him or not.

But it didn't take me long to realize it wasn't that I didn’t want children, it was that I didn't want children with him.

I loved my husband, in a way. I hardly knew him, but he was human and could offer me the kind of life I wanted. Lily was what I would call a happy accident.

Being with Robert made me feel normal. And I was far from it. So when he said he loved me and asked me to marry him when I told him I was pregnant, I said yes.

A lot could change in nine months.

We met and found out I was pregnant a week later. He did the honorable thing and asked me to marry him. The brownstone was purchased, we were married and moved in a month later. Then Lily was born five months after that. She was three months old.

One of the drawbacks of being a supernatural creature attempting to live my life with a human was that my metabolism was faster than normal. It wasn't a surprise to me or the doctor — a Healer, one of the neutrals — that Lily arrived when she did. Six months was considered full term for others.

Despite all the dangers that surrounded supernaturals, the neutrals were there to help. The ones that were neither for nor against us.

Robert didn't know about my status as a witch and considered it a miracle when she arrived after six months without any signs of being premature.

My head was spinning, but living a normal life was my goal. As normal as possible, anyway. And that was my chance to do it.

Living a life as an other was lonely and dangerous. Having a chance to leave that behind wasn't something I could pass up.

There were