Reckless Dreams: Stories from the Dream Realm, #1

By J.R. White

The only thing Karlee Bolt has on her mind is her upcoming beach vacation, but her plans are derailed by dark shadows and a knight with a brilliant, bright light. Karlee is suddenly thrown into another realm and into a battle she has no way of fighting.

A Watcher by right, DjinnShay Court is a warrior that protects the balance between the realms. When the Dreamweaver is suddenly dropped into his lap, Court must change tactics. No longer a warrior that stands between the realms, he must now lead Karlee through the Dream Realm and show her there's more to dreams than fantasy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.R. White
• Release date: Mar 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393159148

Book preview

Reckless Dreams

By

J.R. White

© J.R. WHITE 2020

Terms and Conditions:

The purchaser of this book is subject to the condition that he/she shall in no way resell it, nor any part of it, nor make copies of it to distribute freely.

All Persons Fictitious Disclaimer:

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.

Star Cross Series

Just Beyond Daybreak

Caught by Nightfall

Chasing High Noon

Witching Hour Madness

Knot in Destiny

Saving Grace Saga

Witch Hunt

Fox Hunt

Fire Hunt

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Epilogue

Chapter One

Tucked away in a dark corner of the library basement, surrounded by stacks of books as tall as herself, Karlee Bolt felt like the woman the world forgot. Days spent stamping and cataloging discarded books left hardly a dent in the fifty years of hoarding that had built up in the library basement. Letting out a heavy sigh, she dropped another time–weathered book onto the little cart that served as her desk on wheels. As she pushed the cart down the narrow paths, she reminded herself about her much needed beach vacation. In just a few weeks, she hoped to be sipping a strong drink while wiggling her toes in warm sand.

Karlee had abandoned her pumps hours before and the cold concrete under her stockings made her long for the warm sand even more, but the books would have to be sorted before her vacation. That was why she was still at work hours after closing, lurking around like a phantom. Even if she had to pull a week of all-nighters, she was going on her vacation.

After two years working a third shift job in a local gas station while attending school full-time trying to complete her general studies degree, Karlee thought she would be able to slow down and take a little time for herself. Then the real bill for her education came rolling in and she had been forced to take the first job offer that came along that was paying more than minimum wage. Thankfully, the assistant librarian job also offered a few benefits and after almost a year at the library, she was ready for her long awaited personal time. And nothing was going to stand between her and a nice sun kissed tan.

Karlee was humming happily along to her daydreams and shelving books when a tingle raced across the back of her neck. She rubbed at the tickling area, expecting to find a spider or some other creepy crawly, but came up empty handed. For a second, she shrugged it off and then a soft breeze caused her arms to prickle. Looking around, she wondered if a window had been left open, but she couldn’t remember there being any windows in the basement. She glanced down the hallway in both directions. Maybe it was a ghost, she mumbled, returning her attention to the books.

Before Karlee could get the next book on the shelf, a loud thunk made her jump. Spinning around to face the disturbance, she took a slow step forward. Hello? At first only silence answered her and then a distant click followed by another and then the sound echoed through the disorganized mess. She took another step, but it wasn’t until the lights illuminated the hallway clicked off that she realized what the sound was.

Backing away from the approaching darkness, Karlee turned to run. The clicking of the lights going out behind her grew louder. On the other side of the basement was the door that led outside and onto the street. She ran faster as her heart started to race. As the clicking grew louder and closer, she heard heavy feet hurrying along with it.

The lights directly above Karlee started to shatter. Sparks cascaded down on her and bounced across the floor. Making a quick turn, she could see the door just a few yards away, but just as she was closing the distance, she felt something tug at her hair. Letting out a shriek, she dashed towards the steps that led away from her tormentor. As one foot touched down on the stair, the other was yanked out from under her. She crashed into the wooden steps and felt a cold solid mass wrap itself around her ankle. It began to slither up her leg and she kicked out, desperately trying to clamber away.

There was nothing but darkness behind Karlee. Even the thing that held onto her and was scratching at her skin seemed to be made of shadows. She screamed as she felt the first hard tug. Reaching up, she grabbed the edge of the top step and held on. Another hard tug jerked her, nearly ripping her away from the relative safety of the stairs. Just when she thought her leg would be torn off, the door above her burst open and she was blinded by a brilliant flash of light shooting through the darkness.

Be gone, shadow spawn! a deep voice boomed, and Karlee felt the thick shadows jerk franticly away. Scrambling up the steps, she saw the shining man who had saved her and ran straight into his arms. A strong arm wrapped around her and she found herself tucked against the man’s side.

From beside the stranger, Karlee could see the source of the brilliant light. It radiated from a small stone he held in the palm of his hand. Beyond him, she could also see the illuminated darkness left in the library basement. The light allowed her to see the collection of books and the wreathing shadows that had chased her. Misshapen human shadows were wriggling in the light as if it was burning them. Staring at it, she felt fear rake over her, violently sending her heart into her throat and blocking the scream she couldn’t seem to conjure.

The man slammed the door, hiding the horrid sight from Karlee and in one smooth motion, took her hand and turned towards the road. I have to get you out of here, he said as he started to pull her away from the library and down the sidewalk.

Following along, Karlee stumbled and smashed her toe into the concrete. Ignoring the shooting pain, she found her voice and asked, What was that?

He didn’t turn around to answer her. Instead, he kept moving and said, The Ikto Clan found you before I could get back.

Staring up at the long braided hair trailing halfway down his broad back, Karlee was suddenly very aware that she was being pulled along by a large man. Her bare feet and the much too occult like attack were only side thoughts for a second. He was following the sidewalk, briskly walking from street light to street light and barely pausing when they crossed a road. She felt the tears in the feet of her stockings that would never be repaired and the cold ground had nearly numbed her toes.

Who was this man and why had he burst in out of nowhere to save her? He had said something about a clan, but what was that about? Did he mean a gang? Was she being attacked by a street gang? Blinking a few times, she stuttered out, What’s going on?

He spared her a quick glance over his shoulder before answering, You were attacked by a group of shadows from my clan’s enemy and they will not stop coming after you just because I am here.

Mr. Mystery Man was still pulling her along and after the vague answer, Karlee was starting to feel like she’d jumped from the kettle into the fire. Most of the fear that had engulfed her a moment before had rushed away and now something much closer to self-preservation was taking over. Jerking her arm away and stopping, she rooted herself in place in the bright light of a street lamp. The man turned when he felt her hand pull away. She resisted the urge to cross her arms over her chest and tap her foot. I want to know what is going on and I want to know who you are, she said sternly and hoped he couldn’t hear the fear in her voice.

Finally, he turned to completely face her and Karlee was able to take in his full form. His clothes weren’t out of the ordinary, jeans and a white t-shirt, but his stance was off. His large hand rested at his side like he was ready to pull a gun from a holster that wasn’t there. Instead, a case of some sort was strapped to his belt, ready for his reaching hand. His broad shoulders were squared and his feet parted with one slightly ahead of the other, emphasizing his height. The man looked like he was channeling a mythical warrior about to head into battle.

Now that she had his complete attention, she said, Alright, I want to know who you are first and what that was.

I’m DjinnShay Court and we should be somewhere more private before we start this conversation, he said, glancing around the street. Karlee noticed his dark eyes settle back on her and the weight in that one look nearly made her buckle, but there was no way she was taking this guy home and offering him coffee. No matter how sexy he looked, she was not that desperate.

Pointing down the road behind him, Karlee said, About as private as this is going to get is that small courtyard. It’s right next to the police station and there’s plenty of light. She knew the courtyard pretty well. For the past year, she took her lunch break there and watched the everyday small town life roll on by. Court looked over his shoulder at the area she had pointed out. I’m not going anywhere else with you until I get a lot more answers, Mr. Court.

It’s just Court, he said, turning back to look at Karlee. The bench over there will be fine for now. Before she realized it, Court had taken her hand and was pulling her along again, but this time at a somewhat slower pace. She finally noticed the pain shooting through her feet. Without looking, she knew she had a bit of a limp as she followed the man down the short walkway that circled the tiny courtyard.

Sitting down, Court pulled her to sit down beside him. Karlee eyed the police station across the street and was surprised when her foot was lifted up. Jerking back around to stare at him, she tried to pull her foot away, but his hand held her in place with ease. You’re hurt, he said simply. She examined the shadow of stubble that lined his strong jaw line. He was staring down at her foot like it was the only thing that mattered.

Sitting there, foot being held firmly on the strange man’s lap, Karlee was a bit more than nervous. It was driving her crazy. What kind of man just grabs ahold of a stranger’s foot and examines it for injuries? Sure, she hurt and had limped a little, but how was that any of his business? Court had ripped the stocking open further with ease and was looking over the scrapes. She wasn’t sure what the bottom of her foot looked like, but she didn’t see any bloody footprints so it couldn’t be that bad. My foot is fine. You still have some explaining to do, she said, trying to jerk her foot away from him.

Court’s grip tightened and he looked up at her. You need to clean the cuts and stay off your feet.

Karlee stared at him, her mouth gaping. Was this guy for real? Trying again to pull free, she said, No. Forget about my foot and start talking.

This time, Court let Karlee reclaim her foot and nodded. Fine. As I said, you were attacked by shadows from the Ikto Clan. I’m here to keep you safe. His jaw tightened a bit more as if he hated having to repeat himself. She put her foot back down on the ground and sucked in a rush of air as the cold ground pressed against her skin again. You should get home and take care of yourself.

Rolling her eyes at him, Karlee answered, That’s exactly what I’m going to do. If he wasn’t going to stop acting crazy and give her some real answers then she was going to get away from him.

Standing up, Karlee turned towards the police station and planned out her destination. A turn by the station and then three blocks before she took another turn and she’d be able to see her apartment complex. All she wanted to do was get home, soak in a nice warm bath and then curl up to get some much needed rest. This whole evening had been nothing but long hours and sleep deprivation starting to take its toll on her. She knew her satchel and shoes were still inside the library, but she could get it in the morning after a good long session with her pillow and a soft blanket.

Her pepper spray was in her satchel too, leaving her on the defenseless side if Court followed her, but Karlee had taken enough self-defense classes to put up a fight if she had to.

Shuffling down the sidewalk, Karlee wanted to think about her upcoming vacation instead of the nightmare her mind had created. Just because a couple of lights blew out in the basement, she’d run off like that and followed some nut job that was probably sleeping in the park. For all she knew, Court was just some oddball walking down the street that heard her scream. He probably belongs in the loony bin, she thought as she passed by the police station.

During the entire walk, Karlee tried not to think about her aching feet. Instead, she focused on the insane events and tried to convince herself that it was Court that was crazy and not her. The weird pops and clicks when the lights had shut off were certainly due to faulty wiring. The library was old and she doubted they had bothered to update the wiring in the basement when they’d renovated the rest of the building. That would explain the weird explosion too: Just a power surge that shattered the bulbs. That’s all it was, and by the time she was walking up the steps and opening the door to her small apartment, she had made herself believe that.

Before dragging her feet into the apartment, Karlee shot a look over her shoulder. There was no sign of the crazy man, but she felt a shiver ripple through her when she spotted the shifting shadows of the trees. She knew it was just the lightest brush of the wind that sent the trees and their shadows into motion, but she still locked the door behind her.

Chapter Two

DjinShay Court couldn’t hear the click of the lock, but he knew Karlee had slammed the deadbolt in place. Hidden down the street with a tall privacy fence shielding him from view, he trusted that she wasn’t crazy — only a crazy woman would leave her door unlocked after an encounter with the shadows of the Ikto Clan. When the door closed, he took a step away from the fence and eyed the jittery shadows of the trees in front of her apartment complex. Even with the wind tossing around a few leaves, the shadows moved just a bit too much.

Scanning the area around the apartment complex, Court took quick note of several stones that rested at the corners of