There’s no world or scenario in which it doesn’t end in a tragedy, Kazh’s earlier words ring in my ears.
Instead of answering Jax, I slam the door shut on our connection and focus my attention back on my plate.
How can I not look like I’ve seen a ghost when they’re everywhere I turn?
I’ve losttrack of time completely. Since the moment my head hit the pillow, all I’ve done is toss and turn in my bed.
Sleep has never felt as distant as it feels right now.
With a heavy sigh, I toss the blanket off me and roll over onto my back so I can stare at the dark dome-shaped ceiling again.
It’s been some time since I looked at it. I better give the wall on the right side of the room some rest.
I was so determined that finding a dragon and bonding it would solve my problems until we got here. Now, I’m not so sure anymore.
I keep replaying the day of the Trial of Wisdom over and over my mind. What happened between me and the dragon. What I felt. How I felt.
It was so fast, and the moment was so heated…what if I remember it wrong? What if the spark of connection I felt then was only adrenaline?
How can I fucking believe that the dragon will bond me when I met it for all of five fucking minutes?
Inhale.
Exhale.
I can’t get enough air into my lungs. It’s as if a fucking dragon has its butt planted on my chest.
Slowly, I close my eyes.
One…two…three…
I count the breaths in my mind. Slow and steady.
Just as I feel myself drift off to sleep, Daegel’s face surges to the front of my mind. His dark eyes wide, glassy, throat bloody.
With a jerk, my eyes snap open. I put a hand on my chest to try and calm my heart and steady my breathing.
Jax clears his throat, startling me.
“You’re awake?” My voice cracks at the end.
“You’re projecting too intensely.”
I cover my face with my hands. “Oh, fuck, Jax. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry, darling.”
I hesitate. “How much did you…hear?”
Jax doesn’t answer immediately. And when he does, my throat squeezes. “Enough.”
I exhale loudly. It’s one thing for me to be miserable alone, with my own thoughts. But having someone else see and feel everything I do in moments like these…
I hate it.
Jax clears his throat. “I get it, okay? Nobody would like to have their thoughts open for someone else to read anytime. But you and me, we’re in this together. For good. You said it yourself. Until the end of days.”
“We’ll learn to control it.”
