For a moment, Gideon said nothing, only gazed at me with unreadable intensity. The silence pressed in, so thick I could nearly taste it. He stood there like a magnet pulling me in, but why?
The street was still, as if the entire realm of Shadowick waited with bated breath for his reply.
At last, he stepped closer, so near that I could see the faint lines of amusement and danger crinkling at the corners of his eyes. I hated that it intrigued me.
My heart hammered, but I forced myself not to step back.
Gideon leaned in, and his voice dropped to a hushed murmur that pulsed through my veins.
“Why, it’syouI want, Maeve. All of you.”
The words sliced through me like a bolt of dark lightning.
A tremor worked down my spine and tangled with the fury, guilt, and longing I’d shoved deep inside. A thousand retorts jumbled my mind, but all that happened was that a quiet hush fell as his statement hung in the air with a cloak of terrifying promise.
The scene dissolved before I could utter a single protest or question. The fog curled up my legs and enveloped me in a dizzying rush of confusion and magic.
Gideon’s silhouette, all smug confidence, wavered in the haze.
“Then bring my father back to us in Stonewick.”
Gideon’s icy blue eyes locked onto me, but I refused to look. “And what do I get in return?”
I swallowed hard and lifted my chin to meet his gaze.
“Me.”
A glimmer of satisfaction twinkled in his eyes. “Yule’s last hour, at eleven.”
“You will bring my father.”
He gave a half nod. “For a trade.”
I reached out, but the dream, or whatever half-reality we inhabited, collapsed too fast.
My lungs seized as the ground vanished beneath me, replaced by that familiar free-fall sensation until I landed in my bed.
Gideon’s smile stayed in my mind’s eye, haunting, coy, triumphant.
Little did he know…
Then, with a sharp gasp that rattled the walls, I woke. My heart thundered in my chest, and the comfort of my bedroom surrounded me.
For a moment, I could still taste the fog in my mouth, still sense Gideon’s breath on my cheek.
A different kind of fear etched into my soul as I closed my eyes.
I’d made a mistake.
Chapter Six
“Are you okay?” The words sounded distant as my eyes fluttered open. “I heard you calling me.”
The first thing I saw was Keegan, sitting at the edge of my bed, his brow creased in concern. He’d been there for a while, long enough to catch me mid-nightmare. A heavy shame settled in my chest as I realized I must’ve been thrashing in my sleep. I wiped sweat off my brow.
“I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to apologize for, Maeve. I’m just worried about you. You’ve been through a lot in a very short amount of time.”
