Driscoll made to move toward his room, but I grabbed his arm and shook my head.
“No nap?” he asked.
“We should talk,” Leoni said.
I opened the door and Driscoll’s shoulders slumped as he walked inside. The walls were a dark maroon, the floor black and shiny like the rest of the castle.
A low bed was pushed up against the wall, red silk sheets stretched across it with a thick black comforter resting on top. I ran my finger over the obsidian stone around the hearth, then my gaze wandered to the big windows, the night sky sparkling overhead. I was tempted to go out to the balcony, breathe in the fresh air, let the stars and their power rejuvenate me. But Leoni was right. We should talk.
I whirled, Driscoll and Leoni both sitting on a maroon settee near the bed.
“What game do you think he’s playing at?”I signed.“Why hasn’t he taken my shadow? Or killed us?”
Leoni translated for Driscoll, who chewed at his bottom lip. “Can we please have this conversation after I’ve slept?” He gestured out to the night sky. “Forget a nap. It’s past my bedtime.” He pointed to his eyes. “Two words: eye bags.” Then he frowned. “Or is eye bags one word?”
Leoni shook her head. “What did he say when you entered his dream? What happened between you two?”
I crossed my arms and paced, trying to think back. I’d done what I always did when I entered someone’s dream. I’d tried to manipulate his thoughts, tried to give him an idea so strong he’d have no choice but to follow through with it.
I remembered holding his hand, trying to use my touch to keep him grounded to me. I remembered leading him down the hallway from his bedroom. I remembered how I’d let my emotions cloud my calm, and whatever hold I’d had on him broke. He’d looked at me like he’d seen a ghost, said... he’d said he didn’t know what I was. Right as I was disappearing.
“Well?” Leoni asked, foot tapping on the ground.
I shrugged.“I don’t know. Nothing of significance happened. I don’t understand why he took your shadows but not mine.”
Those familiar walls crept up that made me clamp my mouth shut. I still didn’t trust them, though at least now that they didn’t have their shadows, I knew they couldn’t take the bolt and run.
Leoni told Driscoll what I said, and they both narrowed their gazes at me but neither said anymore.
“So what are we going to do?” Leoni asked. “Goji mentioned dinner?”
I shook my head.“No. It could be a trap. We don’t go to dinner.”
Driscoll must have understood enough of what I said because he groaned and rubbed his stomach. “Oh, but I’m hungry.”
“Then sneak into the kitchens later,”I signed.“But until we figure out what he wants with us”—with me—“we don’t play his games.”
Leoni placed a hand on Driscoll’s arm. “I agree with Bellamy. It’s not a good idea to dine with him. We need to get our bearings here.” She looked up to me. “I hate to even suggest this but... maybe you should go into his dreams again.”
Driscoll gasped. “Have you lost your mind?”
Leoni spread out her hands. “What could it hurt at this point? We’re still alive. She still has her shadow. Clearly he has an agenda. We need to figure it out.”
“And that’s not going to happen if she goes back into his dreams.”
I thought about Leoni’s words and straightened.“Not to manipulate him. To talk to him. To get information. I won’t try to trick him this time.”
Leoni’s eyes lit up. “Exactly.”
She stood and pulled Driscoll with her.
“What’s happening?” Driscoll asked.
“We’re giving Bellamy some privacy. She has work to do.”
Chapter Eighteen
KAIROTH
