I glared at him, refusing to accept the roaring pains of my empty stomach and the aching muscles of my feet and legs. Two days. Had it really been two days of my mindless pacing and numbing awareness of everything around me?
“The winds indicate that our crossing is near,” Fjorda said, adjusting the wheel. “We needed to sail the length of the Inner Kingdoms to the northern border. I don’t dare enter the waters of the human lands.”
“Why not the human lands?” I asked.
“Don’t try to change the subject.” Fjorda chuckled as a spray of seawater fell over us from a crashing wave. “Regardless of your station, here on my ship, you follow my command. You’re ordered to return to your barracks and rest.”
I placed my hands on my hips and glowered at him.
“Make that face all you want. It’s not as intimidating as you think, with the roars of your hunger cutting through your silent threats.”
I flinched as my stomach rumbled, clutching at my aching center and finally allowing myself to feelsomething.
“Go,” Fjorda instructed. “There’s food already waiting for you in the quarters you held during your initial stay aboard my ship.”
I turned to walk away but paused. “What if I can’t sleep? What if I am afraid to?” I confessed, biting my lip to try and keep steady.
“Was it not your dreams that led you to your mate in the first place? Where you found solace and comfort in your times of need?”
I pivoted, looking over my shoulder at the alluring sea captain. “It was.”
“Then allow them to return and comfort you once again.”
I nodded as he bowed his head toward me in farewell. I turned and began marching toward the rooms Dax, Castor, and I held during our initial stay on theOpal. Upon opening the door to my small, cozy room, my senses were filled with the amazing smell of fresh food waiting for me, just like Fjorda promised.
Without wasting another moment, I dove into the delicious plate delivered just before I arrived. The cooked fish and steamed rice soothed the relentless ache in the pit of my stomach. By the time my plate was devoured, night had fallen upon the sea, and my eyes could no longer keep themselves open. For two days, I had marched across the ship, locked inside my mind, tormenting myself.
Reluctantly, I lay my head on my pillow, giving in to my exhaustion and allowing my mind to drift into a dream.
Chapter Five
Skylar Cathal
I half expected to see the hanging valley beneath the Meja Mountain in my dream, but, to my surprise, that was not where I ended up.
A black slip dress allowed the breeze to dance along my knees, cooling me from the heat of the warm summer day. The rolling waves of the churning ocean currents splashed playfully against the olivine crystallized sand beneath my feet, bringing a serene smile to my face that lifted my darkened spirit.
I chuckled, glancing at the sand settling between my toes as the waves washed over my legs. I buried my feet farther in the layers of sparkling emerald grains with each cascading crescendo drifting over the shoreline. Leaning my head back, I inhaled the familiar scent of salty sea air, allowing this special place to surround me in a layer of tranquility that calmed the reckless animal spirit inside my chest.
This was my beach. A place of solace I could always count on to bring me peace.
“Spitfire?”
I froze.
A chill ran along my spine as hope dared to flutter in my heart.
“Spitfire,” the voice rasped again. “Please, Gods, tell me it’s really you.”
I didn’t dare breathe. The sound of his voice felt like a caress across my skin.
“Skylar?”
I turned so fast the world spun. My eyes widened in shock as I gawked at the sight of my mate standing across the way.
This was a dream, right? Or was this, on some level, perhaps real?
“Daxton?” I dared to whisper.
