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He held out a syringe filled with clear liquid and a stopper on the end.
“Take it.”
I did.
“Once he’s in this chamber, he will order no disturbances till morning because he’ll want all night with you.”
I swallowed but had no spit left.
“Get close enough to stick him with this. It’s a high concentration of poison and sedative. The sedative will knock him out. The poison will do the rest. Don’t miss the mark, or he’ll kill you instead. I’ll be waiting outside this door.”
“Commander?” One of the guards opened the door and stepped in. I hid the syringe behind my back, staring submissively at the floor.
“All is in order,” he barked, swiveling and marching through the door. “See that no one enters until the master returns.”
“Yes, Commander.”
They left, sealing the doors with a loud clang. I winced, gazing around the room, feeling trapped in a very opulent cage. Only one way out, and I couldn’t escape by force. I glanced down at the weapon Gaius had given me. I’d have one chance, and I couldn’t fail.
My head drooped. The drug made my legs shaky. I climbed onto the bed, scooting to the headboard. Unstopping the syringe with trembling fingers, I then placed it carefully underneath the pillow. I curled into a ball and lay there, fear gripping me hard. All the failed scenarios tripped through my mind: the syringe slipping from my fingers, the creature holding me down by my wrists, my captor pulling me from the bed and overpowering me. Maxine Mendale’s bloody and mutilated body flashed to mind.
“No,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut.
As soon as I closed my eyes, a pull, deep and strong, compelled me to relax. I did, slowing my breathing. Before long, my pulse eased, and serenity swept over me. As if two hands cradled me in their palms, keeping me safe, I followed the sensation, wanting to be held, slipping further into a dream.
Jessen and I were at the park. Sunshine poured from a summer-warm sky. Jess looked around sixteen, sitting with her back against an oak tree and a book open on her knees. Six years her junior, I skipped in the sunlight, picking white pansies from the field.
“Don’t go too far, Moira,” she warned, turning back to her book.
“I won’t,” I promised, picking and smelling, then prancing farther afield with light steps and a light heart to make a crown with yellow buttercups.
A cool woodland edged the park. I glanced back at Jessen, engrossed in her book, then stepped closer to the woods. Something waited for me there. My whole being yearned to be in the shade of those trees.
Seeking the one who awaited me, I walked faster. When I crossed from sunlight to shadow, dropping my flowers at the edge, I became the young woman I was now. And found the one waiting for me.
“Kol!”
He opened his arms. I leaped into them, feeling them close around me in a possessive embrace. He nuzzled into my hair, holding me as if I were the dearest thing in the world to him.
“Kol,” I whispered. “I’m so afraid.”
“I know, Moira.”
I pulled back to see him, eyes pure blue-silver, whites and all. He cradled my face. This felt…real.
“This isn’t an ordinary dream, is it? You’re dreamwalking.”
“Yes. Please, Moira, tell me you’re all right. They have not hurt you, have they?”
Though I still felt safe in his arms, even in this dream, I could read every line of pain etched in his face. His fear was as great as mine.
“I’m all right,” I assured him, kissing him.
In this dream, our lips met with tenderness, something we’d not experienced together in reality. Before I could get lost in his passion, he pulled away, still cradling my face in his hands.
“Tell me where you are. They’ve removed the tracker. I’ll go mad if I don’t find you soon.”
“I know they did. I’m not sure where I’m at. It’s a large, winding cave that goes deep under the earth. I believe they dug their own tunnels deeper. The walls seem to be made of a shining sort of rock, maybe limestone. It’s cold in the tunnels, but there is one part of the cave where there are natural steaming pools. That’s all I know. But Gaius is here. We have a plan to escape.”
