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It seemed no matter what I did, I couldn’t escape having someone pull the strings in my life.

My aunt and uncle, my old boss, unspoken rules that kept me silenced, unable to share what I’d seen with the world around me without being locked away or given medication and labeled mentally ill. I thought it’d end when I moved to Elyrdin.

Instead, the noose tightened.

More rules, more people dictating what I could or couldn’t do with my life, people who wanted to take away what little happiness I’d achieved. At least this time I wasn’t facing it all alone.

That was the only reason I kept fighting.

Kept pushing for the life I deserved. The life I deserved with them.

Rinlora’s gasp sucked me out of my darkening thoughts. “Rae?”

I lifted my head, meeting her eyes in the mirror and felt myself grow lightheaded as I saw what made her face turn ashen.

I stared at my reflection; at the twin black voids staring back at me.

The white sclera and gray irises had disappeared beneath solid black, reminding me of Cyn and Ash’s alternate form. Dark veins spread from the corners like thick spiderwebs. They curled over my temples and stretched across my cheekbones, branching toward my hairline like poison spreading through my system and disappearing into my hair.

As soon as fear jolted through my system, the darkness receded. I blinked once, and my eyes were back to normal.

Had my anger triggered the change?

“I won’t tell anyone,” Rinlora whispered from behind me, reminding me she was there. “I won’t tell anyone. Just hold on and I’ll make this right. I’ll get you back to them.”

50

DREAMWALKING

ZEKE

Rotten vines and brush crunched beneath my boots as I trudged through the dense, cursed forest.

Feranzis.

I knew I wasn’t actually outside Elyrdin’s walls, but the cold air making my skin tingle felt so real.

The last thing I remembered was resting in bed with Cyn, barely able to keep my eyes open. He’d curled up next to me, complaining about his muscles spasming.

Bondrot had its hooks deep in me, and I worried that if we didn’t get Rae back soon, I wouldn’t recover.

Ash was dying.

We’d already had two close calls with him. The vallants had brewed him a few potions that helped him breathe easier, but when he had a seizure last night, I hadn’t been sure he’d make it much longer.

The vallants had forced him into a magic-induced sleep for his own safety after he had another seizure this morning.

As for me, I wasn’t bonded to her yet, but we’d grown too close for the separation not to affect me more severely than Cyn or Ezra.

Would I die? I didn’t know.

Right now, I felt fine. Another sign this was a dream.

A blur of yellow no larger than a cat crossed in front of me and disappeared into the darkness. Moments later, a disembodied cackle cut the silence, followed by a horrific crunch. Nothing escaped Fate in Feranzis.

The scent of plums, black raspberries, and roses saturated the surrounding air, following me with every step I took.

Rae.