A deep groan slips from my lips at the knock on my bathroom door, and I slam the faucet off.
“Come in.”
“It’s about time to…you okay?” Kyzen asks when I don’t bother lifting my bowed head from above the sink.
“Fine. My head’s killing me, but it’ll quit. Eventually.”
“You had another nightmare?”
“Unfortunately.” I grit my teeth at the bark in my tone and pat my face dry. “I’m sorry for how that sounded. But yes, I did, and I’m over this shit happening.”
“I know you are. Do you want to tell me about it?”
His understanding wraps around my coiled muscles, and I release a deep breath. Do I want to talk about it? Absolutely not, but I’m going to because for some odd-ass reason, talking about it always helps.
This has happened several times now. When I open up, it’s like the tension in my mind relaxes since I’m not holding it all in. In the occasions I decided not to tell them and chose to suffer in silence, the headaches lasted for hours.
I can’t do that to myself today. We have too much to do.
“It started just the same as the others. Haunting green eyes stalking me, but this time, I kept running through doors that never seemed to end. Over and over, I ran, while Mellcom and Seduction chased me. It makes no fucking sense to me. I didn’t even run through doors in Seductions or in the imitation room.”
My head rests against his chest when he tugs me to him, and I focus on the beat of his heart.
“I don’t mean to sound cliché but…” I snort and a small smile curls across his lips. “You know the old mortal saying, when one door opens, another closes. Maybe your mind is trying to tell you something. Do you think about him, or them, more than you’ve told us?”
“Not really. I have had nightmares that I haven’t told you all about, but other than that, they truly don’t take up space in my mind. I don’t allow them to. The only time I do is when I see Mellcom and can’t help it.”
“I’m happy to hear that, but obviously, they’re taking up some unconscious space.” His fingers trail down my cheek, and I lean into his hand. “Maybe you should reconsider talking to—”
“It’s time to go. We need to do what we’ve got to do at the healing villas, then get to the Court. I don’t want the Attendants waiting too long for us. I’m sure they’re already nervous as it is.”
I briefly glance at his pointed stare and arched brow. I was willing to discuss my nightmare. Not about opening myself up to Iric’s power.
Thankfully, he drops it and ushers me out of my bathroom, then my bedroom.
Amick, Creed, and Riven are standing at the counter, waiting for us, and I give each of them a tight smile as their gazes roam all over me.
“What’s wrong?” Creed asks.
“Nothing, I’m fine.”
“She had another nightmare and is fighting off a headache.”
My eyes cut over to Kyzen and his shrug.
“That’s why you just pushed your food around your plate at breakfast.”
“Aww, dear Death. Were you afraid she didn’t like the way it tasted?” Riven picks, earning himself adeadlyglare.
“No. She likes everything I cook, but I could tell something was off since she wasn’t eating.”
“Well, I’m better now. The headache is easing and by the time we get to the Court, it’ll be gone.”
The four of them just stare at me, and I roll my eyes with a harsh huff. A responding hoot flutters through the air as V flies over to Amick’s shoulder. He uncurls his claws from around a vial and Amick steps toward me with it.
“Drink. You need to be at your best today. No sense suffering through a headache for nothing.”
“Those are supposed to be hidden with the Binding,” I say, pointedly staring at my Vedarya, who either did as Amick asked, or planned this himself. He ruffles his feathers and flies back to his nook rather than explain, so I focus back on Amick.
