Page 79 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

“Yes, I’m very tired, Lyra Lewis,” he whispers back, and I laugh.

It is late, and I’m afraid of the challenges we’ll have to face tomorrow. I don’t know if I’ll be able to shut off my mind especially after napping most of the day. Sometimes I think Nyx can read my mind because he starts trailing soft circles across my skin and says, “Sleep, Lyra. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Just enjoy this moment we have together right now.”

He kisses my temple gently, calming me until sleep does find me again, and the last thing I remember is his touch.

Chapter Thirty

Something’s burning! Blood from the trees is raining down on me. I try to wipe away the warm, viscous fluid from my face. I start running as fast as I can, heat from the fire steering my direction. A wolf comes out of nowhere, running in front of me and causing me to stumble and fall. Warm mud coats my hands. I try to get to my feet, but someone grabs me from behind. I twist around as a scream escapes me.

“Shh. He knows you’re here,” says Luke, placing a finger to my lips.

“Who knows I’m here? What are you talking about?” A branch cracks and falls next to us, the sound crackling across the forest like lightning.

“Luke! What are you talking about?” I yell, getting to my feet.

“Don’t come back,” Luke whispers then shifts back into a wolf and disappears into the flames.

“Luke!” I scream. I can’t see anything beyond the smoke and the fire. I try to walk in the direction Luke went, but the fire is too powerful. The wind picks up, and the flames fan out around me.

My mother is suddenly in front of me, her body being swallowed up by smoke. She reaches for me, but my hand is slick with blood and mud. Her eyes widen for a moment, and then she’s gone. I reach into the smoke again trying to find her, but my hands just swipe through the air.

“I was wrong about him.” My mother’s voice echoes in the distance, just a whisper in the wind.

I wake up in a panic, drenched in sweat. Nyx is still sleeping next to me. My mother—how? My mother of course is in Zomea, but she had fear in her eyes and her words—wrong about who? Samael? I need to get some fresh air. I quietly slide out of bed, careful not to wake Nyx or Chepi. I slip on my boots and grab the large quilt off the couch, wrapping it around myself.

Once outside the front door I feel like I can breathe again. I now know I must be going to Zomea. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Why is Luke there and now my mother? I don’t know who he’s talking about and why he’s so vague every time I see him. He has to be talking about Samael. It’s the only thing I can think of, and Luke did appear to me in my dream right before Samael attacked me in my bedroom. But how would Samael know I have midnight mind? How would he know I was in Zomea? The cold air washes away the remnants of the dream, and I try to shake off the uneasy feeling coating my skin. It’s eerily quiet out, but I guess it has to be late after midnight for sure. I take a few steps down the path toward Aidan’s house. I’m not sure why. I’m just curious if I’ll see any activity. Once the house comes into view, everything appears normal. There are no lights on. Aidan must be asleep for the night. I keep walking and find myself down by the barn. I wander inside and give the horses a few pets. I come over to Aidan’s horse, Geri. I recognize him because of the white spot on his face.

“He better be treating you right, boy,” I whisper to him, rubbing his muzzle.

“Who are you talking to, Cheeks?” Aidan’s voice startles me from behind, causing me to freeze up.

“None of your business . . . I was just going back to bed,” I say, turning around to leave. He comes up right behind me.

“Not so fast, Cheeks. We barely got to talk earlier,” Aidan says, putting his arm up to lean on the wall in front of me.

“We don’t have anything to talk about.” I scowl at him.

“I’d say now that your boyfriend is not around, we have a lot to talk about,” Aidan says while lifting a hand up to tug on my blanket. I pull it tighter around me, shrugging him off.

“Let me by, Aidan.”

“Or what, Cheeks?” He smirks at me like this is a fucking game to him. He likes getting a rise out of me.

“Or I’ll scream.” I could probably wake Nyx from here.

“Go ahead. Your boyfriend won't save you. I made sure Hilda put something special in his dinner. He won't be awake for hours.”

A sense of panic takes over me, but what Aidan doesn’t know is Nyx and I got distracted and never ate our dinner. I knew we couldn’t trust Aidan. I look around the barn, quickly assessing for anything I can use to protect myself. What the hell was I thinking coming out here in nothing but shoes and a blanket?

“If Nyx wakes up and you’ve done anything to me, he’ll kill you,” I say to him through gritted teeth, trying to hide my panic with anger.

“Cheeks, you wound me. I thought you enjoyed our encounter last time. I’ve been thinking about that tight pussy of yours,” Aidan says, placing his hand over his heart.

“You're despicable. I'd rather die than—" My words are cut off as Aidan slams me back against the barn wall, his hand gripping my throat. I gasp for air, clawing at his hand to no avail.

“You'd rather die than have me fuck you again? Is that what you were going to say?” He smirks, his hot breath fanning over my face. “Lucky for you, that's not what I have planned for tonight. Although I have a feeling that by the end of the night you might be wishing you were in my bed instead of where you're going.”

“What's that supposed to mean? I'm not going anywhere with you,” I hiss, trying to push him away. But his grip on my throat tightens, cutting off my breath.