All the agony, terror, hopelessness, and desperation suddenly stopped, like a candle being snuffed out. One after another after another…
I knew then that what I saw was no dream.
It was the end I couldn’t escape, not even in my unconsciousness. But I couldn’t wake myself or stop what I saw until the last of the agony and terror faded.
Only then was I able to pull myself free. My eyelids fluttered, heavy and reluctant, as dull pain throbbed along the base of my skull and throughout my limbs.
The memory of chunks of earth and rock hurling at me flashed vividly in my mind. I was surprised that all I felt was a dull pain.
Forcing my lips to part, I drew in a shaky breath. The air was fresh, carrying the scent of something woodsy and sweet, like damp leaves and crushed wildflowers, and a faint but continuous hum of energy. My senses immediately sharpened.
I wasn’t in Wayfair.
And I wasn’t alone.
A presence drew closer, bringing a different scent with it—an earthy and smoky one, like rich leather. It wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, making me think of narrow, dusty stairwells and secluded chambers. Of—
My eyes flew open and fixed on a wall of glass and…fluffy, white clouds beyond it. I snapped upright, twisting at the waist. My entire world came to a grinding halt.
All I could think was that what I saw couldn’t be real, but…hewas standing a few feet from me, and I couldn’t move—couldn’t even breathe—as my gaze swept over him, searching for any hints that my eyes were tricking me. He was dressed in a way I’d never seen before, wearing loose, white pants and a light-gray tunic instead of the darker colors of a guard and a layer of armor. But his hair was that sandy shade of blond and was, ashewould say, in need of a trim. His handsome features were sun-kissed and weathered, and his eyes were the blue of the Stroud Sea.
My hands trembled as we looked at each other. I was breathing again. Maybe too fast. I thought the eather should be going haywire inside me, but it was calm. Practically quiet. I really couldn’t focus on that right now, though.
“Poppy,” he said in that low, gravelly voice.
Hisvoice.
Vikter’s.
One I’d never thought to hear again.
“It’s really me,” he said, and then he gave me that slightly crooked grin of his.
I sprang to my feet, moving before my brain could really catch up with what I was doing. Closing the distance between us, I threw myself at him.
Vikter caught me with a deep chuckle, staggering back a step as I face-planted his chest. Clutching the sides of his tunic, I breathed him in as I felt his chest rise sharply against my forehead. I could feel him. He was warm. Breathing.Alive.
“Poppy.” Vikter’s voice was lower, rougher. “You’re shaking.” His arms tightened around me as I felt his chin graze the top of my head. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt you shake like this.”
I was quaking like a newborn colt standing for the first time but couldn’t quell the tremors. “Is this a dream?” I asked, half-afraid of the answer. “Like what Tawny had?”
“No.”
My breath snagged. “Was that a dream?”
He pressed his chin against the crown of my head. “It was a dream of a different sort.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
His raspy chuckle caused my heart to swell. “You will,” he said. “One day, when you least expect it, you’ll understand.”
A shudder swept through me, leaving my knees weak. That answer sounded so much like Vikter that it was ridiculous. “I’ve missed you.” Tears dampened my cheeks and likely his shirt. Iwanted to stop them, to be strong like he’d taught me to be. Like he’d raised me. And I knew he was never that great with showing emotion, let alone dealing with rivers of tears, but I couldn’t help it. The tears kept coming. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I know.” A strong hand folded around the back of my head. “I’ve missed you, and I wish I hadn’t left you like I did. I failed you—”
I jerked back, lifting my head as his final words to me echoed like a painful reminder. “You didn’t fail me.” His face was a bit blurry through the tears as I gripped the front of his now very damp tunic. “Do you hear me? You didn’t.”
A small smile appeared as he cupped my cheek with a palm still calloused from handling a sword. “My sole duty was to keep you safe.” His throat worked on a swallow. “I made a promise, Poppy. One I was unable to keep. And—”
