I couldn’t bear this. ‘It’s fine, River. Can we just forget the whole conversation?’
My offer hung between us as he looked sideways to where Alec stood and watched us with a serious expression. Whatever he saw in River’s face made him turn away.
‘Will you text me?’ he asked, angling his head down towards me.
The hope shining in his gaze just about killed me. ‘I will. Bye, River.’
His soft gaze never strayed. ‘Get some rest, Ava.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
Avari
Shadows held me immobile as I twitched and strained against them. River’s dark hazel eyes fixated on my throat seconds before his powerful hand wrapped around it, pinning me to a tree. Black veins bulged along his forearm as foam gathered at the corner of his mouth, and he bared his long canines in preparation to tear into my fragile flesh.
His normally warm irises darkened to a soulless coal before the bone in my neck cracked, and I struggled to catch a breath. My lungs burned as I thrashed against his hold. He laughed, enjoying my struggle.
The world blurred, and the ruthless sensation at my neck no longer bothered me; I didn’t even feel it. A haze closed in from the corners of my vision, and I felt the urge to rest my eyes.
My mother stepped out from behind my mate, smiling. Her teeth were drenched in blood, and it slowly dribbled down her chin. She licked the corner of her mouth and…
I woke up panting. My throat still ached where his hand had been.
‘Bad dream?’ a voice sounded.
I screamed, thrashing like a cornered wild animal. First she annihilated half our court, and now she had come to get me.
The witch sat near my legs but fell hard when I started kicking like a madwoman. Nosy hissed, coiling and ready to strike.
‘Heavenly shadows, what’s wrong?’ she yelled, accompanied by the loud thud of her ungraceful landing, just as father burst in looking for danger.
The Lord of the Isles looked as puzzled as Miriam, who lay on the floor staring, mouth wide open. ‘What’s happening?’
My heart beat so fast I could hear it, and I stumbled for words that could accurately describe the absurdity of the moment. The steady thump-thump echoed around me as I clutched a hand to my chest in attempts to prevent a premature heart attack. ‘Just a bad dream.’
‘Chocolate before bed does that,’ father groaned, looking disapprovingly at my dresser. Sure enough, several opened packs of chocolate bars lay scattered there among two cups, one still half-full of chamomile from when I got back after the search.
Maybe disallowing Clara from cleaning here wasn’t such a good idea. Stopping my brain from going on a little tangent, I turned to my concerned family members.
‘Everything fine?’ Anya’s sleepy voice rang out in my mind.
‘It will be once my heart slows down. Miriam almost gave me a heart attack.’
She sighed. ‘Okay. Goodnight.’
‘Miriam, what the hell? You just watch me sleep in the dark?’ I asked, noting she hadn’t even got up yet.
She settled back near my legs, the darkness of the room swallowing the red of her eyes until they looked black—just like River’s in my nightmare. ‘No, I literally just got back and wanted to speak to you, and you kept tossing anyway, so I thought you might wake soon.’
Oh. That was so disturbing. ‘How about you just knock next time? Did you need something?’
Father turned to leave, stomping away and muttering something about a house of horrors.
‘I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you that easily frightened?’ Miriam asked once we were alone.
I dragged a hand down my face, pulling away the stray strands of hair that stuck to my cold sweat. ‘No. I had a bad dream; that’s why.’
Wincing, Miriam stretched before sitting cross-legged and leaning down as if we were about to share a secret.
