A hesitation. “Can I come in?”
Lucas sighed. She was nothing if not determined. He pulled the sheets up over his legs. “Okay.”
The door opened. Aria walked in with her usual combination of warrior grace and pure female bounce.
Lucas adjusted the sheets a little higher as she perched the curves on the end of his bed and regarded him with her beautiful amber gaze.
“You had a nightmare?”
He hadn’t intended to tell her, but his fool mouth opened. “I dreamed of Nikolai.”
Her eyes widened. “Was he okay?”
“It was a dream, Aria.”
She cocked her head. “Are you sure?”
No. No, he wasn’t. In fact, he was pretty sure it hadn’t been. He took a deep breath. “He wasn’t okay. He told me Galeran has taken control over his power.”
Her fingers curled into fists. “Well, we knew Galeran took him for a reason.”
Lucas swallowed. “Galeran has him in chains.”
It hit Aria hard, he saw it in her eyes as he continued. “He said that Galeran wants to use his power to clean up the realms.”
Her brows rose. “But if his intent is honorable, why is Nikolai in chains?”
“He made that exact point as well.” Lucas rubbed his face. “I don’t think this was really a dream.” He teetered on the edge of admitting the mystifying link he’d been experiencing, but he couldn’t quite do it.
She sought and held his gaze. “If you are dreaming of him, and they are living dreams... it might mean something.”
His heart did an odd flip, and he was suddenly very glad he hadn’t mentioned the visions. “Like what? Nikolai and I are hardly friends.”
Her brows dropped. “Maybe the three of us are connected. Like Dani and her two Dragons.”
Lucas experienced a moment of pure panic. No way he could do that. Bonding with Aria—maybe. But Nikolai? He shook his head. “You two have a connection. I’m just along for the ride.”
She pulled a lip between her teeth. “It’s not me who is dreaming of him,” she pointed out.
“Maybe you would have, if you were asleep.”
“Maybe.” She looked away.
Lucas took a deep breath. Because at the moment, the link he was experiencing with Nikolai didn’t matter. “He’s in big trouble, Aria.”
She closed her eyes. “Yes. Whatever Cara has planned, I hope it works.”
* * *
Aria sat on the ledge and scratched Mai.
The little shrew loved it, but was so tiny that Aria only used one finger in the activity.
Aria leaned close. The bright-blue eyes blinked at her. “Is your master coming to tell us what to do? Nikolai needs our help.”
If an extended nose wiggle meant something in Shreweuse, Aria was oblivious to it. She sighed and looked to the sky. The urge to spread her wings and fly was nearly as overwhelming as the desire to ask Lucas to join her.
Aria decided against doing either, because she wasn’t at all convinced her urge had anything to do with flying. She’d had a cup of tea before coming out here and poured in a healthy dose of the herb. So far she’d been overdosing on it, but it didn’t seem to be helping. At least, her restlessness just kept getting worse instead of better. When she was around Lucas, her fingers itched to touch him. Her body ached to do much more.
