Her nerves sang with fire. Every heartbeat heaved agony like ironhooks.
Lightning swelled. Her soul fractured open.
The orb pulsed.
A shape leaned in—shadow and teeth—and then another. And another.
She tried to surface, to remember, to rise, but there was only light and pain.
Endless and empty.
She bolted upright, limbs flailing against the shadows crawling over her skin.
Where am I?!
Her hands clawed through the darkness, pushing at the lingering presence, as if she could tear it off before it swallowed her whole.
“No!” The word ripped free as she twisted sideways, caught in a tangle of sheets and sweat. Her body jolted off the edge of the bed, shoulder first, before gravity yanked her the rest of the way down—directly on top of the man sleeping below her.
She landed hard, an elbow driving into his sternum, punching the air out of him in a startled grunt. Her other hand struck his shoulder, still raking at the air as he jerked awake beneath her.
“Aimee?”
She barely heard him, toes scraping across the mat, searching for leverage that wasn’t there. Her heart pounded, ribs constricted around the drumming as her eyes strained for focus, drawing shapes from the dim room—starlight through an open window, a small table, a simple rug.
“Where am I…” Fists drove into the supple folds of the thin blanket next to the man, gripping the fabric like an anchor in the dark.
“Shh, shhh.” Kazuma’s hands came up, cradling her face. “Shhh, Aimee. You’re okay now. I’ve got you.”
His voice was steady, calm, and her fingers loosened.
The tension in her spine gave way as her eyes locked on his—dark, familiar, deep enough to fall into.
She exhaled, and the world stopped spinning.
“Kaz?”
Her focus sharpened as his face settled into view—the furrow in his brow, the crease beside his mouth, all of it shaped by concern.
She swallowed.The nightmare.
Remembering anything from whatever came before landing in this world was nearly impossible, butthat—
A shiver crept through her. She squeezed her eyes shut. She rememberedthat.
“I’m here, Aimee.”
His thumbs swept gently under her eyes, catching the remnants of tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured.
Adjusting her weight, she sank deeper into his lap.
Oh.Her eyes widened as her mouth went dry.
The press of him beneath her was unmistakable—thick and hard against the thin barrier of his pants. Larger than she’d imagined, and impossible to ignore.
Her bottom lip caught between her teeth as her hips tilted forward on instinct, drawing friction through the sudden ache thrumming in her core.
