“Your world?” I asked, certain I had misunderstood him.
Blake sat up, watching me carefully.
“It is a lot to take in, Anna,” he said. “There is plenty of time.”
I took a deep breath.
“I just—I don’t understand. I was born here, as a human. How can I be anything else?” I asked.
Blake reached out, touching my cheek. “You are warm.”
I looked away. He was probably right. I didn’t feel well. But I didn’t care. I wanted to understand this.
“My home is not on this planet. It is, however, connected to this one and has been for a long time. This is why our cultures and DNA share deep-rooted similarities yet significant dissimilarities. Mages, whose power lies dormant within themselves in this world, have a lineage that traces back to The Realm at some point in their heritage.
“The Realm?” I asked, looking at him. My head was starting to pound.
“Anna, I think you need to lie down,” Blake said, reaching for me.
I touched my forehead, closing my eyes and trying to calm this raging storm in my veins.
“I’m fine,” I said.
But the pain was only increasing. My vision was fading and the next thing I knew, Blake was holding me in his arms as I slipped into the darkness.
The faint glowof candlelight stirred me from my sleep. Deep red curls fell down the frame of the woman at the window. I blinked, finally focusing on her.
“Ros?” I whispered.
Her gaze shifted.
“Anna,” she said, getting up and coming to the bedside where I was neatly pressed under the covers.
She touched my forehead with her hand, the other gently tightening at my wrist.
“What are you doing?” I asked, staring up at her hand.
When she let go of me, she let out a sigh. “Good, the fever is gone, and your pulse is stable.”
I raised a brow. “Was it that bad?”
“They were both fairly high, but don’t worry—I think you are through the worst of it,” Roslyn said. “Your body is learning to accept the new energy flowing through every cell as they rapidly adapt. It was through those intense emotions that you were able to unlock your everi. Most mages feel traces of it their entire life before truly awakening it. Once it awakens, it's extremely taxing on the body. Despite that, you had one of the most intense fevers I have ever seen someone get.”
“I feel like I’ve been locked up in solitary confinement,” I said, massaging my shoulder. “And like I have another limb all of a sudden but I don’t know what to do with it or how to control it.”
Roslyn chortled, followed by a curious look. “What was it exactly that finally awakened your everi? I’ve been feeling your energy on the verge of breaking through for days now.”
The memory of Blake’s hands and lips being near flashed through my mind.
I flushed and diverted my gaze. “I’m not sure. I was just frustrated, I suppose. Where’s Blake?”
Roslyn stopped fretting over my covers and looked at me. A soft smile came over her. She always knew.
“He’s preparing for your introduction,” she said. “He was here not long ago. He’s been treating you by stabilizing you with his everi. You seem to respond best to his energy signature.”
“Stabilizing me? You mean like an IV or something?” I asked.
She laughed. “Something like that.”
