After giving Gabby the dream, Elias lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. The glow from the streetlight outside cast shifting shadows across his room, but his mind wasn't on the darkness around him.
It was on Karla.
Revenge was tempting—too tempting. But if he went too far, if he lost control, it would all come crashing down. He needed to be smart about this. Careful.
He rolled onto his side, eyes narrowing as a thought began to take shape.
What if he didn't need to force her to suffer outright? What if he could make her think she had no choice but to obey him?
A slow grin crept across his face.
A dream. But not like Gabby's. This one would be different.
He would keep Karla aware—fully conscious, able to think and feel like she was awake. But in the dream, she would believe something unshakable: that Elias had the right to punish her if she disobeyed. That resisting wasn't just difficult—it was impossible.
And the best part? She wouldn't even realize she was dreaming.
She would think it was all real.
Even better, she wouldn't be able to tell anyone. Not because she couldn't, but because the very idea of telling someone would feel wrong—unnatural. She would rationalize it, convince herself that keeping quiet was the right thing to do.
Elias exhaled, his fingers gripping the edge of his blanket. This was it. A way to make her feel trapped without ever laying a hand on her.
He closed his eyes, focusing, letting the dream take shape in his mind. The power came to him naturally now, as if it had always been waiting inside him.
Karla wouldn't know what hit her.