Page 104 of Realm of Dreams & Shadows

I frown, because if he’s telling the truth, that means Chase has hated his brother for years for all the wrong reasons. And if he’s lying, then this Nightmare King is even more vile than Chase believes.

“You’re saying that for a thousand years you never saw your brother? Had no idea that your guard hadn’t freed him but had sent him off to be tortured?”

“None.”

“A thousand freaking years. How am I supposed to believe that?”

He actually laughs. “Time is not the same for me, my love. The blooming of a single flower may take a million years, whereas a mountain may erode into nothing in less than a day. He was on his dragon, filling the sky and interfering with my plans in no time at all, I assure you.”

“Plans?”

Adric cocks his head. “You care for him.”

“You know I do.”

He nods. “Believe it or not, I do too. But there are things you need to know.”

I frown, realization crashing over me. “I didn’t end up here because I wanted to ask you about those horrible scars, did I? You pulled me here for another reason altogether.”

“I did, yes. But how convenient that we were able to discuss your concerns, too.”

“Send me back.”

“Not quite yet.”

“Dammit, Adric. I’m not your toy to just yank off the shelf when you want to play. Send me back to my realm now.”

Instead of answering, he kneels in front of the pool, looking down into the obsidian water, now glowing with a soft light. I remain standing, my arms crossed, as images ripple across the water—jagged cliffs, another angle of this dark castle, a storm-thick sky. And there—cutting through the clouds—is Chase’s dragon, wings wide, its golden eyes catching the light even from here.

But Chase is not astride the dragon.

“It has only ever been an illusion, my Bride,” Adric whispers, his breath teasing my ear.

“What?” The word seems to stick in my throat, and my body goes tight. Whatever the answer, I don’t want to hear it.

“His protection,” he says, as a shiver trills down my spine.

I snap my gaze toward him. “What does that mean?”

He merely shrugs. Then he twines his fingers with mine and pulls me to him. “Adric, no,” I murmur as he slides one arm around my waist. He ignores my protest, instead pulling me closer so that his breath teases my cheek as he whispers, “So many questions. So many secrets. Go, my Bride. Go and ask my brother.”

“Ask him what? About the guard?”

He draws back, his face showing no emotion at all. “You already know I did not torture my brother. I’m innocent. Ask him. Ask and learn which brother has unclean hands.”

I shake my head, fear curling inside me. “What are you talking about?”

“The Brides,” he says. “Ask him about the ones who came before you. Ask how he extinguished their flames.”

A bubble of panic rises in me. “What do you mean?”

But no answer comes. Instead, the scrying pool flares red. Heat and light swallow the cave. His words burn through me⁠—

—and I jolt awake with a gasp, then realize I’m sitting on the side of Chase’s bed, his room dimly lit from the glow of a streetlamp outside the thin curtains.

I turn to shake him awake—only to realize that he’s not there.

“Chase?”