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“Robby? Yeah.” I shrugged. “You get used to it after a while, and he’s a fantastic manager.”
Dio’s brows furrowed. “Manager of what?”
“Robby did most of the sales aspects of our business. Finding us gigs, arranging our contracts and travel, accommodations, things like that. He also helps set up our portable rig and runs the lift if we need it.”
“I take it you’ve known Robby for a while, then?” He ran a hand through his curly hair and sighed.
I wanted to go to him, comfort him, though I wasn’t sure what bothered him. I didn’t know this version of Dio well enough to guess. He sagged against the railing overlooking the rest of the ship.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure. It’s as if my limbs have no energy.”
“Well, you were torn apart for like ten years. It might take some time to recover from that.” I joined him, leaning my forearms on the railing.
Dio was significantly taller than I was, with broad shoulders that looked like he’d once carried a great deal of lean muscle. I could almost see him as the winged panther his essence had appeared to us as. Powerful, lithe, stalking through the forest or grasslands after prey. He’d always loved playing tag and any other game of chase as a kid.
All three of them had been playful. Nic had always been a bit more serious and reserved, Dio more assertive, and Baz had been eager to please. A total opposite of how not-Baz had treated us.
“Maybe,” Dio replied after a minute. “I feel it might be something more.”
“What made you separate yourself from your essence?”
“Honestly, I don’t remember. This was after Baz had gone crazy and kicked us out of Nightmare Castle. Nic and I fled, and we chose to separate so we could help as many of the beings in Nightmare as we could. That went well enough, though it became difficult to keep in contact with each other.
“Then one day, some of Baz’s creatures came after me. They shouldn’t have been able to overpower a prince, but they were more than I could handle, and I fled, worried that if they got me, they’d drain my essence. I know I fled to the conscious realm, but the rest is foggy.” He fell silent for a moment, staring at his clasped hands. “I’m sure I thought it was a good idea. It might even have been necessary. I don’t know how I managed it, and I certainly would never do it again.”
“Maybe you need more energy. I know how to syphon it. Maybe I can give some back to you? If you want me to try.”
Dio tightened his jaw as he thought, then glanced to the lower part of the ship. His eyes narrowed when he saw Geraint, and he shook his head.
“No, best not.” He turned and left before I could say anything else.
Well, fine, if he didn’t want me to try to help him, I wouldn’t.
The breeze picked up, and the deck tilted, distracting me from my thoughts.
The sails snapped in the wind before catching and filling with air. They billowed and the ship slowly built speed. Breath catching in my throat with wonder as the ground fell away below us, I stared, awestruck.
Dream viewed from the air reminded me of a fantasy painting, all bright colors and beautiful settings. I couldn’t wait to explore the land more in depth.
As I watched, I noticed some areas that were smudged out, as if someone had taken an eraser to them. The ship turned to avoid one such area. That someone had caused these nothingness storms and was erasing the beauty broke my heart. Even Nightmare was beautiful in its way, and it had been hit even harder.
We sailed for hours, and the sun progressed rapidly across the sky toward the far horizon. Then we seemed to cross some sort of invisible line and the sun rose again, sliding backward. What the hell? I’d been able to ignore the fast movement of the sun, knowing how dreams often went, but the backward flow was a little too much. I climbed down the ladder and went into the big cabin in search of Nic.
The stained glass caught my attention before I could see if my lover was here. Technically, we were married, but I couldn’t think of him as my husband. Despite the game having binding consequences we hadn’t even remotely thought possible, it had just been a game.
I walked farther into the room, hand outstretched, though I wouldn’t touch. The sun lit the colored glass and cast an epic reflection on the thick rug that covered the floor. The scenes, all fanciful ocean images such as mermaids, narwhals, fish with tridents clutched in their fins, seemed to move across the rug as the boat turned and the angle of the sun changed.
“It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it?”
I turned. Nic had sprawled in an actual bed and stared at me. I wondered if I had woken him.
“It’s amazing. This entire room is amazing. Were you up all night?”
He nodded. “I usually am.” He patted the bed next to himself.
I took the invitation and went over, sitting so I faced him. He ran his fingers lightly over my thigh.
