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“I guess I’ll never know then.”
I turned toward the light that spilled from the portal and pushed Logan and Neverra through. Kaden roared, and I felt the air move as he rushed toward me. I fell.
It was mere moments, seconds, if any. I didn’t land on a hard surface or a road or another world. Instead, Samkiel caught me, cradling me against his powerful chest. His familiar scent filled my lungs, and something in me that had wound too tight eased.
I had fallen, and Samkiel caught me.
I’d wanted to take us somewhere safe, and the portal had led me straight to him. Truly, though, where else did I have to go?
I glanced up through the portal and saw the cavern full of blood-red eyes glaring back at me. Kaden’s expression, horrible and filled with wrath, was the last thing I saw before it closed.
I wept. I had failed her.
Again.
I made a choice that wasn’t Gabby.
Again.
And I hated myself for it.
* * *
My eyes opened to a light-filled room. I sat up slowly and looked around, running my hands through my hair, gathering it away from my face. The room was enormous and familiar, although I was sure I had never been here before.
My eyes went wide, recollection washing over me. It was the room from Samkiel’s dream, only clean and whole. There used to be holes in the walls and ceiling from where he’d reacted violently, fighting his nightmares. A column marked each corner. Intricately designed, they soared, twisting and curving, before spreading like vines just short of the ceiling. It was larger in reality than in his dreams—an enormous room fit not just for a king but a god.
The area hollowed out for the closet disappeared behind a wall, seemingly curving away from the room. Two large dressers flanked a carved doorway tall enough for Samkiel to walk through without having to duck. Groupings of overstuffed chairs took up one side of the room, and soft fur throws draped over the backs. My heart had been pounding since I woke, my body already aware of what had taken my mind some time to understand. I was not on Onuna anymore. I was on Rashearim.
My head throbbed, and I cradled it in my hands, memories colliding. I fell through a portal, and he caught me. Had I been so far gone again that he’d fed me? Was I in another blooddream?
I threw the covers back, having to almost crawl to the edge of the bed to get off it. It could easily fit eight people, and from the feel of it, it was brand new. A sheer white nightdress swirled around my bare feet, the woven lace and crisscross design across the bodice definitely the fashion of Rashearim. I was clean. The blood and gore of Yejedin washed away. I wondered if he had bathed me and felt a blush scald my cheeks.
As I strode out of the room, the floor was cool beneath my bare feet. A hall opened before me, and I moved toward the staircase leading to a lower level. There were no noises or whispers as there had been in his other dreams, but I couldn’t shake the fact that I wasn’t alone. I turned around, expecting to see someone behind me from the chill that went up my spine, but there was nothing. Deciding it must just be a result of waking up in a strange place, I turned and started down the steps. I trailed my hand along the dark gray wall to steady myself. I picked up the edge of my dress and stopped on the bottom step.
“Fuck.” The word escaped me on a low breath.
I was so wrong. I wasn’t in a house. It was a godsdamned castle. The ceiling soared so high that I had to lean back to see it. Chandeliers hung a few feet away from each other, glimmering in the sunshine that spilled from the open window.
If this was a blooddream, what was I supposed to see?
The air shifted behind me, a tendril of my hair caressing my cheek. I spun and met a wall of muscle, my nose an inch from the realm’s best chest. My gaze traveled up the strong column of his neck, caressing the hard line of his jaw, before staring into the clear beauty of Samkiel’s eyes. He looked exactly how he did on Onuna, not Rashearim. He wore no armor, no long wavy hair, or shrouds of guards around him.
“Why is this still happening?” My heart thudded in my chest, and dread filled me, forcing me to step back. “I don’t want to dream of you anymore. I can’t,” I said, my voice shaking.
His head cocked slightly to the side as he stepped forward. “You dream of me?”
I winced a sharp pain radiating through the center of my head. I grabbed it and stumbled. A solid, warm hand grasped my elbow, holding me up. I felt his touch. Heat radiated from his palm, and I knew I wasn’t dreaming.
“Dianna?”
I tried to focus on him, but his form kept shimmering.
“You’re blurry.”
My head lulled back, and I teetered right on the edge of consciousness. I braced for the pain of falling, but my body never hit the floor. Strong arms wrapped around me as the now familiar darkness slowly claimed me again. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t pleasant for the brief moment I remembered it. Samkiel’s embrace was so warm, so comforting. I had been cold, lonely, and lost for so long. The last thought I had before unconsciousness claimed me was how at peace I felt, and that truly terrified me.
* * *
