She’d stopped breathing.
Not out of fear, but something similar.
Rather than push the subject, I decided to offer her another olive branch in the form of a lesson. “Close your eyes, Aflora. I’m going to teach you the dream charms.”
MY THUMPING HEART made hearing Zakkai’s whispered spell difficult. But I eventually caught on to what he wanted me to say, and uttered the incantation in my mind while focusing on Zeph. His proclivity for defensive magic made him an ideal candidate to fend off Zakkai should he choose to go against his promise.
I’m not going to hurt them, Zakkai murmured through our link. You’ll see.
If you betray me, I’ll never trust you, I replied.
I would never use you to hurt them because it would put you at risk, too. He uttered the words with such finality that, for a moment, I almost believed him on instinct.
Then my brain reminded me that he wanted to kill Kols, and I went back to being concerned about this dream.
It’s not working, I said.
Because you’re overthinking it and worrying about me instead of focusing on your Warrior Blood, he replied. Just take a breath and relax, Aflora. Imagine where you want to go and try again.
He made it sound so easy. Under any other circumstances, I would have agreed with him. But having him beside me and knowing what he intended to do made me wary to engage my mates.
A rush of emotion warmed my bond to Zakkai, the sensation catching me off guard as he flooded my mind with his thoughts.
All of them at once.
His frustration over me wasting time fretting over an inconsequential item, followed by his assurances that he meant me and the others no harm, and finalized by a surge of protective energy that highlighted his need to keep me safe.
That final strand of his thoughts displayed the conflict he refused to engage—harming my mates through my mind would harm me, too.
“And I won’t do that,” he said out loud. “Give me a chance, Aflora. You knew me once. I might not be that boy anymore, but my vow of protection still remains. Which my soul has proved these last few months. You’ve pulled on my powers more than once. I could have stopped you. But I’ve never put a leash on you. Or a collar.”
Those three words made me shiver. “You know about that?”
“I could feel it,” he replied through his teeth. “There were many moments that I wanted to find you, but I knew you weren’t ready. That was the whole purpose of the song. The moment you sang those words, the countdown began. And here we are.”
“You’re being much more forthcoming now,” I whispered, thinking about his riddles from earlier. Was that yesterday now? Did time really matter anymore?
“I’ve always been forthcoming, Aflora. Even in your dreams, I told you the truth.”
“You phrased the truth as questions.”
“Yes, to make you consider alternatives.”
“You could have just voiced those alternatives,” I pointed out.
I sensed his grin—something I couldn’t see because my eyes were closed, but I felt it through our bond. Or perhaps it was just his amusement and my mind had created the image of his dimples. “There are a lot of things I could have done, little star. I think I deserve some credit for not taking advantage of a very willing situation.”
My skin heated at the meaning in his tone. “I thought—”
“I know what you thought,” he interjected. “Which is why it would have been so easy.” His voice was like silk, wrapping around my nerves and drowning me in warm sensations.
I opened my eyes to find him hovering over me, his room no longer around us. Instead, we were lying on a bed of flowers, the earthy aroma heaven to my senses. “Ohh,” I breathed, my soul rejoicing at the luscious offerings in the air.
Zakkai ran his lips across my cheek to my ear.
“Do you prefer this dream, little star?” he asked, his breath warm and enticing against my skin. “We could do whatever you want here. A fantasy. No rules. No dark destinies. Just us reveling in a bond we’ve never truly consummated.” He kissed the sensitive pulse point of my neck, sending a jolt down my spine.
My thighs clenched around his muscular hips. He still wore his boxers, but nothing else. And I was naked beneath him—something that should have concerned me, but the bed of earth felt too good against my skin to complain.