Her words came out like a question. She hadn’t been tired. In fact, shenevernapped. Usually, it was impossible for her to shut off her brain long enough to do so. For her to lean back and close her eyes without even remembering seemed like a wild notion.
The unease brewing in Cade’s eyes told her he agreed. He brushed his fingertips across her forehead and then under her nose. His mouth tightened when he inspected his clean hand. “I don’t feel anyone else. You weren’t making any noise, either, but that doesn’t mean…”
Bridget shook her head. Every sign of magic that should be manifesting on her person wasn’t. Bile stung her throat. “What’s happening to me?”
Because it had to be more than just dreams. Everything about them felt soreal. Bridget could still feel the heat of the sun in Olysa and the slice of the blade she’d used on herself. Even when she found herself in Cavamyne, scents she shouldn’t know lingered in the air.
The muscles on Cade’s neck were strained as he said, “I don’t know. But we’ll figure it out. We leave for Andarre in a few days. Maybe being away from all this will help.”
The unwarranted hope and belief on his face almost killed her. Especially when every time she looked at him, the vision he’d shared from his father flashed through her head. Bridget winced as she remembered watching herself kill him. It seemed so impossible, but she couldn’t ignore the growing dread in her gut. What if she continued blacking out? What if all her dreams were leading to that moment by twisting her brain into something unrecognizable one by one?
The thought had Bridget shooting up off the bed. “Do you know where Marin is right now?”
“She’s probably in her room or with Stellan,” Cade said, following her to the door. He grabbed her hand before she could open it and twisted her around to face him. There was a small smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Now I know you said you weren’t jealous over the whole sham engagement plan with Marin, but there’s quite a determined glint in your eyes right now that might make me think differently.”
Bridget half-heartedly shoved his chest. “What if I was?”
“Then I guess I’d have to find a way to prove to you that there’s no reason to be,” he said, pulling her closer.
“And how exactly would you do that?”
Cade’s darkening eyes sent heat rushing to her core. “Don’t tempt me,” he whispered. His lips brushed against hers.
Bridget’s breath hitched. The desire for him to show her exactly what he had planned almost overwhelmed her. Her stomach fluttered as she thought how easy it would be to give in and press her lips against his. To shove him back on the bed and let him help her forget about all the dreams plaguing her.
But as her eyes locked with Cade’s, the sound of the sword piercing his flesh echoed in her ears. She needed answers. And Marin was the only Shaman who’d always been upfront about their intentions with her. Bridget let out a shaky breath. It was almost painful to pull away from him. “That almost worked.”
Cade only looked slightly disappointed. “Do you want me to come with you?”
The question froze her. It was her instinct to sayyes, but she hated the idea of him knowing just how much the vision had affected her, especially when he was so adamant that it would never come true. She must have paused longer than she thought, because he suddenly leaned forward and groaned against her neck.
“Your rejections are killing me.”
Bridget pecked his cheek. “I’ll find you later.”
She dashed out of the room before Cade could stop her, feet thudding softly against the stone floor. She didn’t slow until she rounded the corner past the library. Only then did her breath begin to even out, her muscles gradually uncoiling with every step. As she descended the sweeping staircase to the lower floor, she let her fingertips brush the carved railing.
For the first time, Bridget realized she wasn’t hiding as she walked through the palace. She was just… walking freely. It was unsettling how foreign that felt. Vases filled with violet blooms lined the corridor, delicate petals curling toward the light like little crowns. She paused, admiring the rich color, before continuing into the palace’s west wing.
This part of the hall was quieter than it should be. There were no indications she was even in the right place. Bridget hesitated at the last hallway, nerves bubbling in her stomach. She was about to turn back, to find someone who actually knew where Marin lived, when a door creaked open beside her.
Marin’s pale face peeked out. Shadows pooled under her eyes, and her hair was twisted in a loose, careless knot. She looked exhausted.
For a moment, guilt stabbed through Bridget’s chest. She shouldn’t have come. Marin was clearly unwell. And here she was, ready to pour more problems onto someone already carrying too many.
“You’re not very good at hiding your thoughts,” Marin said. “Don’t worry, I’ve known you were coming for a very long time.”
Well,thatwasn’t comforting either. Bridget’s neck heated as she obeyed the wave of Marin’s hand and followed her into the room. It was smaller than Cade’s, and darker. There was only one window covered by a deep blue curtain. Tiny yellow lamps were scattered on every surface, creating looming shadows as Bridget sat down on a velvet chaise next to the small table where Marin poured a glass of wine. She handed it to Bridget and sat down in the armchair across from her.
Bridget took a sip of the red liquid and forced herself not to down it in one go. “So how are you doing?”
The corners of Marin’s thin lips turned up. “That’s not what you came here to talk about… But I’m fine.”
Bridget eyed the black mark on Marin’s arm. It seemed to have grown since she’d seen it. It now curled up her arm like a snake. Guilt brewed in Cade’s eyes every time it was mentioned. “You did that to yourself to protect Cade,” she said. She could still hear Archer’s screams from the blood spell. “Why?”
Marin stared at the glowing lamp next to her for a very long time. Finally, she tilted her head. “We need him. I’ve seen more of the future than my father. I’m not afraid of it,” she said, her voice calm and matter of fact. “And I’m not blinded by guilt or the past to see it clearly. What we see… It’s not always straightforward. Sometimes they come in metaphors. Or riddles. I’ve perfected untangling them. That’s how I knew what to do at Cavamyne.”
Bridget’s heart flipped in her chest as she remembered the unbearable pain in her side and the air leaving her lungs as she went through the gate. She unconsciously rubbed the scar.I have to get the timing right.Marin’s words hadn’t made sense to her then, nor had her incessant chanting before she’d sent her through to the human realm. Now, it finally hit her that she’d been breaking the curse.
