Rory read the note repeatedly. “Sam, who is Bellina?” she yelled, not expecting him to answer.
He appeared at her door, sympathy painting his features. “May I see the note?”
She placed the paper in his outstretched hand, and when he read it, he scowled. “My wings look nothing like a buzzard.”
Despite herself, Rory laughed. “Can you tell me if the note is real?” It felt like a stupid question since it was tangible evidence, but she wanted to hear him say it.
After handing the paper back to her, he walked to the door and said, “It is.”
Rory’s breath caught as she watched him go.
Looking back down at the paper, she carefully placed it back into the book that wasn’t Cora’s. Her dreams were real because if her brain had tried telling her things from her time in prison, someone as important as Bellina would have surfaced.
Remembering her new dress, she grabbed it and took a shower to get ready. When she was primped and polished, she slipped under the covers.
Not taking any chances, she grabbed the potion from her nightstand and drank more than necessary.
Her last thought before sleep pulled her under was,“He’s real.”
19
VINCULA
Wildflowers coveredCaius and Rory’s bedroom floor, and he looked around, hoping everything he set up transferred to the soulscape. A long breath pushed past his lips when he saw the twinkling lights, refreshment table, and music box sitting exactly where he left them.
“Caius,” came Rory’s frantic voice from behind him, and when he turned around, he was stunned.
Her hair hung straight around her face, and her skin was radiant against the golden silk of her floor-length dress. He wanted to stare at her for an eternity. “You look good enough to eat, Miss Raven.”
Alarm bells blared in his mind when he saw the expression on her face as she hurried across the room. “What’s happened?” he demanded.
“You’re real,” she claimed as she closed the distance between them. “Don’t deny it because I know I’m right.” Her teeth dug into her bottom lip, and he could tell she was staving off tears.
Wrapping his hand around the back of her neck, he pulled hercloser. Their lips were only a breath apart, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Am I?”
Her hands pushed against his chest. “I found your names.”
Keeping his composure, he smirked at her. “Are you stalking me, Miss Raven?” He couldn’t keep his distance and moved into her space again. “Tell me. Were you looking for my pictures to hang above your bed?” Her eyes flared, and he brushed his lips over hers. “Do you want to touch yourself as you stare at my face?”
She drew back. “Do you always think with your dick?”
“Yes,” he answered immediately, and she pursed her lips as he fought a smile. What she told him was monumental, but he couldn’t let her panic. Teasing her always calmed her down.
Caiuslonged to tell her that, no, he didn’t always think with his dick because his thoughtswereconsumed with all of her, not just her body. He missed everything about her. Their late-night talks in bed, her temper, her teasing, the way she’d bring him sweets or a book if he had trouble sleeping. He loved this woman more than he’d ever loved anything, and without her, he felt broken.
“In the treehouse,” she snapped, and he grinned widely. There she was. “The names you carved into the bookshelf. I found them.”
Her golden dress swished as she paced back and forth. “I thought this was a dream.” She twirled her finger in the air and redirected her steps toward him. “I thoughtyouwere a dream.”
When she looked up, he winked. “I am.”
Her scowl was as beautiful as her smile.“Will you be serious?Seraphim, are you always this arrogant?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but she pressed a finger to his lips. “It was a rhetorical question.” When he nipped at her finger, she pulled it back. “How is this possible?” she whispered. “You’re real. Iknowyou are.”
He shrugged out of his suit jacket and laid it on the bed. “It’s possible because you are myAeternum, and this is our soulscape.” Her eyes were glued to his chest. “My eyes are up here, Miss Raven.”
Jerking her head up, she glared at him. “It’s not my fault your shirt doesn’t fit properly.”
