“I did not.”
“Someone did, then.”
“The fates play games with us all.” He started swirling around again.
“I can free you,” I said.
Coming to a stop, his bushy dark eyebrows rose. “You? I see a fae dragon rider, perhaps a trainer, slumbering in her pretty bed while her mind travels. I doubt you know how you got here, let alone how to cast such a spell.”
“I traveled. Do you think that’s easy?”
He huffed.
“There’s more to me than what you see.” I lifted my chin. “I can free you.”
“Very well.” He dipped his head forward. “I welcome you to try.”
I pinched my eyes closed and gathered power from the deepdarkness within my well, sensing that someone the king had pinned in his sitting area was not your average marscapole. Once I’d compressed the churning, magical mass into something I could easily handle, I opened my eyes and blasted the spell across him.
He shuddered—and slipped from the portrait to tower majestically beside me, so tall he had to crook his head to the side to keep from hitting the ceiling.
It still stunned me that I could do this.
He stretched out his front hooves and lowered his head in a deep bow. “I, Gaineos, thank you.”
“Oh, you’re welcome,” I said equally quietly. He was right that I needed to leave, but so did he. The king would be furious when he saw what I’d done.
“If you ever must pass through the dreamless realm, call me, and I will guide you.” A blink and he’d flitted from the sitting room.
The door to Ivenrail’s bedroom creaked, slowly easing open.
I shot back to Weldsbane and my bed, finding myself lying on top of the blankets. My hands trembled, and my legs felt weak and unsteady. A shiver ran through me, not from the cold but the sheer, raw realization that Ihadtraveled in my sleep.
I’d nearly been caught.
Relief tangled together with leftover dread in my belly, making it churn.
Vexxion stirred on the bed, and he mumbled something in a voice too low for me to hear.
I climbed beneath the blankets and snuggled against him, sucking in his warmth while pretending he was still with me.
It took me a long time to fall back asleep.
Waking early the next morning, I sat and stared at him, hoping that when his eyes opened, he’d truly see me. When he remained motionless, his breathing even, I swiped away my tears and lay back down, wrapping my arms around him.
“Vexxion,” I whispered. He smelled the same, a mix of fresh air, sunshine, and hope. But he remained stiff in my arms.
His eyes snapped open, and he stared toward the ceiling, not looking my way.
I drew in power and sent it into him. Over and over until I couldn’t reach any more without leaning over the side and stretching my arm to the point it might rip from the socket.
“Come back to me.” I pressed my forehead into his arm. “I love you. I need you. I can do this alone. Iwilldo it alone. But the thought of never feeling your touch, of never laughing with you again makes me want to join you wherever you wander.”
If I could find my way to the ether, I would do it this instant.
But this wasn’t about me or us. My mission was much bigger than that. I was not only weak, but I was also greedy. I’d had a taste of his love, and I wanted more.
“Rise, Vexxion,” I said mechanically, watching as he did as I asked. He stood beside the bed, staring across me as if I wasn’t there, though I sensed he awaited my next order.
