Loving Nightmares

LOVING NIGHTMARESINSTITUTUM SEQUUNTUR SOMNIA M. SINCLAIR LOST & BOUND PUBLISHING Defeating Nightmares: I.S.S. Series (#4) Copyright © 2023 by M. Sinclair in USA All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced/transmitted/distributed in any form. No part of this publication shall be shared by any means including photocopying, recording, or any electronic/mechanical method, or the Internet, without prior written consent of the author. Cases of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law are the exception. The unauthorized reproduction/transmitting of this work is illegal. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Editorial Team: Refined Voice Editing & Proofreading Created with Vellum CONTENTS DescriptionISS Classified Brief1. Arabella2. Arabella3. Razar4. Arabella5. Arabella6. Arabella7. Arabella8. Amun9. Arabella10. Arabella11. Arabella12. Ashur13. Arabella14. Arabella15. Arabella16. Cy17. Arabella18. Arabella19. Damian20. Arabella21. Zain22. Arabella23. Blackwell24. ArabellaEpilogue 1Epilogue 2Institutum Sequuntur SomniaNightmare ClassificationAfterword DESCRIPTION I would go to war to protect the nightmares I loved. War was at our doorstep threatening to kill my father, and with him were enough humans that if battle ensued, it would make national headlines. Ones that would only further divide and enhance the hatred between humans and nightmares. War had to be defeated, I just didn’t know how. My answer comes in the unlikeliest of avenues—traveling across the world to a remote island to find a group of people I’d never met but couldn’t consider strangers. With their help, we would be able to break the compulsion that allowed War to hold the humans hostage…and hopefully bring an end to this for once and for all. Loving Nightmares is the final book in the ISS series. Join Arabella and her possessive nightmares as one human woman finds the monster within herself to protect those she loves. The ISS series is promised to feature terrifying monsters that include everything from the literal monster under the bed to Lucifer’s overbearing son, the prince of Hell. If you love large harems, brilliant, sassy, but slightly naive female main characters with no fear, and a thrilling adventure filled with steam, vengeance, and a happily-ever-after, then you are absolutely going to love this. Warning: This medium-fast burn RH contains several dark themes from swearing, violence, and sexual themes suitable for +18. ISS CLASSIFIED BRIEF Terror organization MAM, Man Against Monster, has surrounded the institute in an attempt to infiltrate and carry out attacks on residents. Intelligence advises that more forces are on their way for an extended attack effort. Unable to currently estimate or predict the volume of the additional forces en route. Update: A contingent of ISS Alpha terrors has traveled west to the Oceanic Forest in search of god terrors. Return time undetermined. Update: The god terror, War, has deployed forces to surround the institute. Threat of warfare is imminent. 1ARABELLA War was going to kill my father. That wasn’t a metaphorical statement, either. No, the god terror War was holding my father hostage as I stood behind our warded line of defense. Defense against those threatening our home. The night was icily quiet as every nightmare present realized that the institute’s director, the man single-handedly responsible for their ability to lead a normal existence, was now in life-threatening danger. Not only because a god terror had him, but because the humans now possessed a weapon that could harm nightmares—kill them. Could kill him. Visions of Damian’s injury had my stomach twisting in knots as I imagined just how bad this situation could turn and how fast. It didn’t matter that these humans were being influenced by War. The threat they posed was absolute, and I had never felt so much rage. As I held my dad’s gaze, I found I couldn’t read his expression, let alone understand what he was thinking. I suppose that shouldn’t have been terribly surprising, as James McCroy was known for his stoic behavior, but that had never stopped me before. I’d always been able to tell where his mind was, and the fact that I couldn’t now unsettled me. It should have helped that I now knew he was a neo terror, that he was far more durable than a human, but the humans’ new weaponry negated that. He could be hurt—badly. How I had lived my entire life not recognizing my father was a nightmare was beyond me. Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing. Then again, he was literally a new type of terror, so I hadn’t had any idea what to even look for. My understanding was that the man controlled the entire institute, possibly even drew power from it, allowing him access to resources to defend himself and others living here. He made the institute a sentient being…that he was now outside of. Shit. Could he even draw upon its power from out here? This was just getting worse and worse. I stepped forward, Mykia the hellfox letting out a defensive growl from my shoulder as I moved my gaze to War’s smug face. The family resemblance to Irina—Peace—was evident in his vibrant red hair and golden skin that seemed to sparkle, but other than that, he was a world apart. Irina, my father’s mate—a concept I was still getting used to—was delicate in build and not the eight foot military general that War appeared to be. I could never consider him a leader, though. “Arabella,” Razar said in warning, his voice a low rumble in my ear. I gently squeezed his hand but made no other move to interact with him, keeping my gaze on the true threat. He was worried I would continue forward, but I had no plans to do so. Putting myself in War’s grasp would do nothing but cause more problems. “So what do you say, Arabella? How about we have a true war, and I’ll let your pops here fight like a man rather than