“The Moment the Magic Stirred”
The first tendrils of consciousness pulled me from sleep with soft invisible fingers.
I stirred and slowly opened my eyes. The moment my eyes landed on the low fire in the hearth, I recalled where I was and I turned on my side, searching for Wolfe.
But he was gone.
From the silence in the room I knew he'd been gone for a while.
I’d gone to bed before he got back last night, but a nightmare roused me in the early hours of the morning. The horrors in my mind faded the moment I’d seen Wolfe lying next to me.
I blinked against the dim light filtering through the heavy curtains and smoothed over the indentation in the pillow beside me. The sheets were rumpled, still holding the ghost of his body, but the warmth had long since fled.
Where had he gone?
My fingers curled into the fabric of his pillow, drawing it closer. It still carried his scent and my pulse quickened even inhis absence. I pressed my face against it for just a heartbeat, allowing myself this one moment of weakness in the privacy of the empty room.
Gods… so much had happened. And I married Wolfe.
He was my husband.
My mate.
Today was supposed to be the first day of my nightmare life with Thayden. But Wolfe stopped it. He saved me.
Waking up to all those truths was… it was indescribable.
So was the fact that I washere.
Back inGalaythia.
Back in the magical realm.
And I was a princess.Lady Nightblade.
This wasn’t some fever dream or dying hallucination. It was all real. Truly, I was here and I felt like I belonged.
The reality settled over me like a cloak.
I sat up, the cool air raising goosebumps along my bare arms. Smiling, I looked at the window. The curtains sensed my will and drew apart, unveiling the beauty of the land before me.
A flutter of something bright and wild unfurled in my chest. It was excitement.
Pure, unbridled excitement that was poorly timed, given the number of things I still had to worry about, but it was there nonetheless.
And I let myself feel it.
I threw back the covers and slipped from the bed, my bare feet hitting the cool floor as I rushed toward the tall windows. The thin nightgown I wore, whispered against my legs, as if it shared my anticipation.
When I reached the window, it opened for me and I savored the view and the languid air that welcomed me.
It stole every coherent thought from my mind. Beyond the window, the land spread out in all its otherworldly glory and I propped myself on the bay, drinking it all in.
A strong breeze pulled me from my reverie, followed by a little chime on the timepiece mounted on the wall. It had just gone nine. The house would be awake now.
I pulled back from the window, reluctantly tearing myself away. Part of me wanted nothing more than to spend the entire day reacquainting myself with the realm I'd nearly lost. But I didn't have that luxury.
Ironic that time was my double-edged sword. It was the thief with its hand already in my pocket, but it was also my salvation. Each moment I wasted was another moment closer to forgetting—forgetting Wolfe, forgetting myself, forgetting everything that mattered.
