“Meaning he would jeopardize Aflora if the situation required it,” I translated, my irritation renewed. Not that it’d necessarily left. “Right. We’re done with this conversation. I’m going into her dreams. If you two want to join me, then do.”
I lay down and closed my eyes.
Something was wrong, beyond the obvious. And I wasn’t just going to sit here debating when I could get to the heart of the matter.
In Aflora’s mind.
MAGIC CURLED around me in a cocoon of color.
Purple.
Green.
Cerulean.
A splash of red.
I reveled in it, soaking up the energy my soul so badly needed, while also prodding at my renewed connection to earth. It smelled fresh and sweet, the source a welcome hive of sunshine that warmed my skin.
Beautiful, I thought, twirling in my bed of flowers and inhaling all the fresh scents. It rejuvenated my depleted spirit. Yet I couldn’t recall how or why this rejuvenation was needed.
Strange.
Oh, but the sun! I missed the sun.
I paused. Why do I miss such a vital element of life? I tapped my lip, whirling around a little slower now, trying to determine what felt so off about this place.
It reminded me of something.
A safe place.
A meadow of flowers with a home hidden in a tree.
Shade, I breathed, sighing as violet energy flared around me. Sadness overwhelmed me, a sense of betrayal lurking beneath the waves of energy.
“Aflora…” My name came to me on a breeze, the deep, masculine tones reminding me of a Warrior Blood.
Zeph, I thought, my heart skipping a beat. Oh, yes. Zeph.
But he wasn’t in my meadow. Except his green magic flickered around me, the dark hue reminding me of a forest of evergreens. My lips kicked up at the thought, the scent of his woodsy cologne touching my senses.
I followed the trail created by his masculine presence, searching… searching… searching.
However, a trickle of purple light gave me pause. Shade.
His minty aftershave swirled around me, beckoning me toward a darker section at the edge of the meadow. I hadn’t noticed it before, the sun having lit up all the corners earlier in the day.
Hmm, something wasn’t quite right about this little nook.
But his presence grew with each step, his shadowy energy seducing my inner fae.
Dark magic.
I curled a cerulean strand around it, testing the tendril of smoke, and smiled as he tugged back.
Come dance with me, little rose, he was saying. Or that was how I interpreted the invitation, anyway.
My bare feet brushed the last hint of sunny grass before I stepped through the dark threshold into Kols’s Academy bedroom.