“I need to get outside.” With that, Olivier dissolved in smoke.
Gahariet just sighed. They would all process their new binding in their own ways.
25
Nightmare
Phuong
Phuong woke up when she heard a piercing scream. Distantly, she realized that she was the one who was screaming.
She saw that Gregor, their raven, was at the foot of her bed. The twins were coming through her door, materializing in human form. They rushed to her bed as if they knew her well enough to come into her bed at night.
How long had she slept? She’d only meant to take a short nap before going to find her brother at the end of the day.
She suddenly realized just how intimate this moment was. Both of them were in her bedroom. But sex wasn’t on their mind. Olivier was reaching for her hand and Gahariet was perched on the edge of the bed. They wanted to take care of her.
“What happened? What’s wrong?”
“My brother.”
“We’ll find him, don’t worry.”
“You can’t find him.”
“Fate will bring him here. Your blood has mixed with ours. Blood calls to blood.”
Phuong was silent for a moment. “I hope so.”
“Anything else happen?”
“I had a really bad nightmare.”
“Yeah?”
“In it, the auction master, Marc, told me that I belonged to him. He said that he’d get me back and keep me forever.”
Gahariet frowned at her. “He must have some of your blood.”
“What? Why would he need my blood? What are you talking about?”
“He must have gotten into your mind with some of your blood when they did that surgery. He can reach into your head. He’ll try other things if he still has more blood.”
Gahariet was looking at Olivier now.
“There were other…dreams?”
“What were they?”
Phuong felt cold in her bed. She wrapped her arms around herself.
“I saw a nation of ghosts, Yore ancestors. They told me to watch where I stepped.”
“Of course, they were talking about Marc,” Gahariet said.
/> “They told me that I was a princess, but that can’t be right. I’m nobody.”
“You’re a princess…our princess and a future queen. You’re definitely somebody.” Olivier reached for her and brought her close, tucking her head on his shoulder, careful not to touch the back of her head this time. His hand stroked her back in slow circles.