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You won’t get another chance…
Pain sliced through the side of my head.
… fell in love with him while Kaden took your sister…
I groaned and rolled over, covering my head with a large pillow.
… remember that I love you…
My head pounded.
… seek revenge for the sister that’s not even of your blood…
Voices whispered, begged, and screamed in my mind.
You are running out of time.
I swore, tossing and turning. If I could just make it stop. I heard heavy footsteps, and then the bed sank next to me. A sharp pain pierced my brain again, and I whimpered. A large, warm hand settled on my forehead. I stilled, the dull ache melting away, leaving a soothing calm over my whole body. I sighed, feeling as if I might survive this, and fell back asleep.
* * *
A hot beam of sunshine across my face pulled me from sleep. I stretched and sat up, my eyes half closed. My eyes shot open as I remembered where I was. This wasn’t a dream. I leaned forward, rubbing my hands over my face. At least the voices were gone, and my head didn’t hurt. What was happening to me? I lay back down on my side, the silk sheets wrapping around me.
My eyes focused, and an ache formed in my chest, the room spinning around me. There, in an intricate silver frame, was a picture of Gabby and me at the beach.
My breath faltered. I had promised her we would visit this beach again after we’d found the book. It was the only picture Kaden had allowed me to keep in Novas. I grabbed it and brought it closer, my finger tracing her smiling face. I felt my eyes prickle, but my lips tightened in anger.
I needed answers, and staying in a bed on a world not my own would not get me them. With the picture frame in my hand, I rolled out of bed. A breeze entered the room through the large window, sunlight dancing across the floor. I strode toward the door, my bare feet making almost no sound. Voices from below caught my attention, and I stomped down the flight of stairs, the long nightdress dancing behind me in my fury.
The voices grew. I recognized Samkiel’s, and the feminine one belonged to Imogen.
Without my permission, a memory clawed its way to the surface of my mind. Pain tore at me, ripping at my heart and mind. I stopped short, grabbing my head with another wince. The night I’d gone to Kaden only to find him with another. That had been the first night, but there had been another and another after that. He had taught me that love was not meant for creatures like us.
I forced anger to replace my pain and squared my shoulders, gripping the picture frame against me a fraction harder. I marched down the steps, not caring if they heard me coming. If this wasn’t a dream, I wanted out of this place and off this world. My head swam, but I ignored it and stayed upright, striding across the open foyer.
This wasn’t just a home but a damned palace. It was so massive you could fit a thousand people or more in here, and they would still have room to move about, unbothered by each other. The walls were no longer crumbling, and they glowed with a warmth missing in the desolate space he had lived in before.
Light poured in through a massive window to my right, casting a golden glow over the assortment of chairs and the large lounge sofa in the middle of the room. A fireplace took up nearly one wall, and thriving potted plants added spots of color and freshness.
I stormed past the living area, my ire only growing at the beauty of this place. Their animated conversation slowly died when I entered the kitchen. It was an odd meld of Onuna and Rashearim styles that somehow worked. Imogen was removing various fruits and goods from a bag while Samkiel rested across the island, a soft smile on his face as she said something I didn’t care to hear. How easy would it be to go back to that? What they had was what he needed, what he deserved, not me, pain, or darkness.
His eyes met mine, and he slowly stood up, worry creasing his brow.
“You’re awake. How are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?”
“What is this? Where did you get it?” I waved the picture frame in the air, ignoring his question.
Imogen stopped placing fruit. She stilled, her body tensing, probably remembering what had happened the last time we’d met. Would she protect him as viciously as I had? Jealousy sliced through me, and I growled at the unwelcome reaction.
He lifted one finely formed brow and sipped whatever he was drinking before saying, “Novas.”
Imogen’s eyes shifted between us, and she took a step back.
“You went to Novas?”
“Yes. I searched for you everywhere.”
I lowered the frame before realizing what I was doing.
