Page 162 of Ex Somnis

“I don’t know!” Nevan actually sounds panicked now.

“Mom.” Jasper is already moving, but I reach her first.

“Hey.” I curl my fingers around her wrists gently. “Stop. I won’t let you treat him like that, okay?”

She blinks like she’s waking up, and her grip loosens.

“He doesn’t remember.” I keep my voice calm when I pull her hands from his face. “But we’ll figure it out. I promise.”

She turns her head and looks at me. “No.” The word comes out barely above a whisper, then louder she adds, “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” I ask, confused, letting go of her.

“Little dreamer. Words are doors.”

“Doors,” I repeat, my gaze finding Jasper over her shoulder, but he shrugs like he has no idea what she’s saying either.

“Most of them stay shut. Some do not.”

“Okay?”

“Don’t promise things lightly.”

“Why? What is it with these promises?” I ask.

Her smile is sad. “Because dreams cannot tell the difference between a wish, a vow, and a prayer. Never promise anything until you’re certain that your eyes are open. Promises made in dreams are almost as binding as soul contracts.”

Ah, fuck.

“The difference is that a soul contract cannot be broken by just anyone.” Her eyes find Nevan again. “But a promise can.”

Hope flickers briefly in my chest.

“But only by the person you made it to.”

The hope dies instantly.

Well, if that isn’t unfortunate.

Seraphine reaches up and brushes a strand of blond hair away from Nevan’s face. The gesture is strangely gentle after everything else.

“So you would do very well to remember, my earthborn.”

Nevan stares at her. Fuck, we all stare at her, but she turns and picks up Jasper’s scrap of paper, lets a finger glide over the words before she sets it back on the table, then hums a low note to herself. “Would anyone like some tea?”

“No, thank you,” Nevan mutters, but I am too stunned to speak.

Jasper looks at his mom with an expression that I can’t fully read, then Seraphine pats his cheek and walks into the kitchen. The sounds of her moving around in there float through the door.

“Well,” I say eventually. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.” Nevan nods. “Agreed.”

“Okay, that is new information, but new information is good in our case.” Jasper starts rearranging things on the coffee table. He adds another crystal, more incense, then places the scrap of paper with the words on it in the center of everything and steps back to evaluate.

“You think anything about this is good?” Nevan scoffs.

“Yes, but first we’re doing Chakra work. It’s mostly for energy and memory. I’ve used it in the past for past-life recall, but honestly, if it can surface a past-life from your subconscious, it can surface a suppressed memory you made in there, probably.” He adjusts something. “Probably. This is new territory.”