She took a step, and he whirled around.
He looked surprised. Relieved.
“Heart,” he said quickly, forgetting the last part of his name for her again. Was she no longer “Hearteater,” now that he didn’t have to pretend not to know her secret? Grim took long strides toward her, never once breaking her gaze, and, before she could say a word, he swept her into his arms.
She made a sound she had never made before, and he touched her possessively, like he knew her every inch and wanted more, wanted everything. Soon, his armor was on the floor, next to her puddle of a dress, and—
Isla gasped as she sat up, blinking away the bits of dream like the scraps of dress that Grim had ...
She swallowed.
Just a dream.
Just another—
Dream.
The next day, Isla could hardly meet Grim’s eyes when he visited her in the Place of Mirrors. He came whenever he could, walking into the castle like anyone else, unable to use his flair to get inside. Juniper hadn’t replied yet, but she hadn’t lost hope that he would. The barkeep wouldn’t be able to resist her secrets. Not if he had heard about her powerlessness.
Grim had brought her chocolate from the market. She thought all the shops in the agora had closed after the ball, when the island had started crumbling in earnest. But she supposed Grim could be very convincing when there was something he wanted.
Isla had almost been able to feel his hands on her during her dream. It had been so vivid, the way he had—
“Hearteater?”
She blinked.
He grinned. So wickedly that Isla scoffed. Her eyes narrowed into a glare.
“Did you—did yousendme that dream?” she asked, voice very tight. Nightshades had that ability. With her own eyes, she had seen him create illusions during the demonstrations. “Have you been sending me all of them?”
Isla thought about Grim more than she should. But the number of times she had dreamed of him was absurd. He filled her head nearly every night.
She should have known. All those dreams she’d been having lately ...
“What dream?” was all the Nightshade said. But his eyes looked devious.
She got up from her makeshift bed and stormed over to him. Something about him planting the dream in her mind felt invasive—no matter how much she had liked it—and her hands made angry fists at her sides. “You know very wellwhat dream.”
Grim had the nerve to still feign confusion, though the corners of his lips twitched, fighting not to grin. “I’m not sure what you mean,” he said. “But ... from what I’m hearing ... andsensing... it might be one I would enjoy hearing more about ...”
She fought the urge to stomp on his foot before sending him away for the day.
Isla tentatively stepped out of the Place of Mirrors the next morning.
She expected to find Cleo’s legion waiting, or Cleo and Oro themselves, jumping at the chance to kill her.
But no one was there.
No one was waiting.
Isla didn’t want to leave. It was too soon and seemed reckless. But Juniper had sent a reply—and it had hinted at something worthwhile.
I know who cast the curses,he had written.
It wasn’t the type of information she had been anticipating, but it seemed crucial. All this time, she had been focused on how to break the curses instead of who had created them.
She didn’t know how this would help her win the Centennial. But it was a start. It was the only lead they had.
