Differential Damsel

Someone has kidnapped Differel's Dream-husband, Victor Plunkett, and has demanded a huge ransom for his release. She has no intention of paying, and she mounts a rescue operation with the help of her BFFs, Eile and Sunny of Team Girl. If he's unharmed, she might not kill them. This is a short story, with a Preface, a Bonus story, and Story Excerpts.A long time ago, Differel Van Helsing met and fell in love with Victor Plunkett, a diplomat with HM Foreign Office. She married him and bore him a son, but he was killed by an assassin that had targeted her and their child. She grieved for many years and refused to marry anyone else, but when she learned how to Dream, she discovered that he had "retired" to the Dreamlands and become the Marquis of Elissa, an archipelago of islands controlled by the Kingdom of Punica. They remarried, and while she can only be with him when she Dreams, she is content for the first time in decades.Her love for him is so great that she would sacrifice her life to save him, but will also kill anyone who threatens him. As such, when he was kidnapped and held for ransom, she decided to rescue him rather than pay, with the help of her BFFs, Eile and Sunny of Team Girl.She has vowed that the kidnappers, whoever they are, will pay the ultimate price, but if he is unharmed she might be merciful.Maybe.In the Bonus Story, Differel and Team Girl pursue a pair of shapeshifting predators that are preying on Dreamers. But how can they find creatures that can look like anyone, including themselves?