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Disoriented, I don’t know which way is up as shadows begin to spill from the vortex one at a time, getting larger and more prominent with every passing breath. I open my mouth to tell them to stop, but nothing comes out. They’re uncontrolled, unrelenting, and manic.
My heart races faster and faster as I try to calm the impending doom that looms over me. It squeezes my chest so tight, I’m sure I’m about to pass out, but just as I expect to fall into nothingness, my magic comes alive in my veins. The purple orb inside of me grows until my hands whoosh out at my sides, palms up as if to stop the madness.
“Stop!” I yell, my vision clearing as an odd sense of calmness washes over me. Finally, I take a deep breath, and the largest shadow of them all comes racing toward me. It reaches for my face, but before it can touch me, my eyes ping open and I startle awake.
My palm falls flat against my chest, my heart racing just as fast in real life as it was in my dream. Looking up at the ceiling, Itry to loosen the constricting grip that the shadows have on me. The sheets shuffle beside me, startling me from my thoughts, and I tilt my head to find Zane’s sleeping form.
The memory of last night comes rushing back. After everything that happened, we decided it was better to be together than in our separate rooms. Which is why I now have a new bed that’s been adjusted to suit all of us in my room. On the other side of Zane lies Brax, and when I glance to my right, Eldon and Creed are spread out, too.
None of them raised any concerns when I asked for us to sleep together, fear clawing at me at the thought of being alone, and to my surprise, I managed to fall asleep quite easily. Staying asleep, however, seems to be another issue. A recurring one that clings to me whether I like it or not.
Taking a deep breath, I try to let my eyelids fall heavily again, but the fresh wave of adrenaline heating my body is making it nearly impossible. Movement on the far wall catches my attention and, a moment later, the room is drenched in shadows and dark silhouettes, just like my dreams.
They dance along the walls, over the bedsheets, and over the ceiling. There’s no sound, there never is, but if there was, I can only imagine a murmur of giggles or snarls, both leaving me uneasy with the unpredictability this all brings.
It’s strange watching them. It’s like I can’t breathe, but at this exact moment, I don’t feel scared by their presence.
“Are you okay, Dove?”
I startle at Zane’s question, glancing back at him with a tentative smile.
“Yeah, I just…” My words trail off as I wave my hand around the room, looking back at the outlines swooping across the ceiling.
“What?”
My eyebrows pinch in confusion and I turn to look back at him. Realization washes over me, and I gulp. “You can’t see them, can you?”
His hand reaches for mine, squeezing in comfort as the puzzled look remains on his face.
“See what?” Two words, and it’s all the confirmation I need. I clench my eyes closed, taking a deep breath. “Raven?” he pushes, still unsure of what has me all twisted inside.
“The shadows, the silhouettes, the darkness. You can’t see any of it.”
“Where?”
I pry my eyes back open to look at him in the darkness of the room. “Everywhere.”
“Where is everywhere?” he asks, concern rich in his voice.
I wave my hand around the room. His eyes trace every inch of the space, but I know he doesn’t see any of it.
“Do you feel like you’re in any danger?” he finally questions when he’s swept his gaze over the room enough times to know that he can’t see what I see.
“No.”
“Are we assuming it’s connected to your magic? We know it’s a struggle for necromancers, the darkness I mean, is this it?” My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I consider his question and, in reality, it’s the only viable explanation. It all started after I saved Brax. It became less frequent in the past week or so, but having healed Burton last night, they’re back in full force. I finally nod and his hand clenches tighter around mine. “Then we have to trust in it.”
“After last night, I don’t want to think what will happen with my magic, how dark and twisted my dreams and reality will become at the hands of Erikel,” I admit, the words flowing from my mouth without pause. It’s the first time I’m letting the truth ring in my ears, and I can’t say I like it.
“After last night, Dove, I love you more than ever.”
I gulp, his strong words stealing my breath until I manage a rasp. “Why?”
He shifts to his side, releasing my hand to cup my chin. I turn to face him, too, nestling my hands against his chest between us.
“Because you exposed yourself for one of us. No other reason than that. Not to be painted as a warrior goddess on some bullshit white horse riding in to save the day. But you laid yourself on the line for Creed, just like any of us would do for you, which is why it doesn’t bother me that I mention love and you don’t say it back.”
Guilt twists my gut, disappointment in myself getting the better of me, but he has to understand. I’ve never uttered that word in my life. Not to my papa when I was small, not to my mama. No one. Plus, growing up in Shadowmoor, there was no desire to grow attached to anyone because death was waiting just around the corner. I guess that’s the same here too, but the four of them left me no choice.
