Evie was curvier than she was—much to Iz’s chagrin, as she could haveuseda few curves—so the pajamas flowed loosely around her, which only made them more comfortable. It was like she was floating on some kind of silken sea.
The motel, thankfully, came with a basic toiletry kit. She was able to brush her teeth, which—after a few hours of acquiring distinct coffee breath and eating chocolate and jerky and cheese-and-peanut butter crackers—was very welcome. She eyed the small paper-wrapped soaps with a real sense of longing, but she decided she was too tired. If she tried to take a shower now, she’d probably pass out in the tub.
Luckily, her last human shower still seemed to be in effect, like even her deodorant had been preserved in shift space. She checked under her arms out of sheer curiosity and noted that they were still smooth.
Someone ought to write a paper about what was preserved in shift-space and what wasn’t.
She knew she had to be tired if her mind was drifting to imaginary scholarly articles.
She turned out the lights. The dark didn’t bother her, which was a pleasant surprise. It was only the loneliness that itched at her, and the anxiety of not being able to know for sure that Logan was okay.
What if Sebastian came during the night and tried to recapture him? Logan was as worn out as she was, and he would be vulnerable in his sleep. It would be so easy for something to happen to him, and she wouldn’t evenknow, not for hours.
And she was alone.
Despite the blankets, she shivered—and despite the shiver, she felt a nervous sweat prickle at her palms.
He’s just on the other side of the wall. It’s okay that I can’t see him. He’s fine. I’m fine. He’s just on the other side of the wall.
She tossed and turned, reciting all that in her head like a mantra. She kept opening her eyes to look at their shared wall, like there was a chance it might turn transparent for her and show her that Logan was right there and just fine. She watched it in between blinks, until the blinks got longer and longer and the wall seemed to recede into the shadows as she finally fell asleep.
Sleep was no relief, though. The darkness wrapped around her, thick and tight and suffocating. It filled her eyes and mouth like some kind of poisonous smoke.
Rock, Iz thought.
She was breathing in the vaporized rock that she and Logan had melted in their escape. Sebastian’s cave was still inside her, coating her lungs. She tried to cough it up, but it stayed right where it was, an immovable weight on her chest.
“You can’t get out,” Sebastian snarled at her. He was in dragon form now, blood-red from snout to tail and monstrously huge. “You can’t find me. You especially can’t beat me. You’re just a silly little girl.”
I’m not, Iz tried to say, but she couldn’t breathe, let alone talk.
“You can’t help your so-called mate. You can’t even help yourself. Look at you. What a waste. You really should have stayed in my collection, just a pretty little ornament with no purpose.”
Shut up!
She sputtered and spat, trying to clear away the smoke.
“What do you think is going to happen when we run into each other again, Isabelle?” She hated the way he drawled out her name, like he was savoring every syllable of it. “Do you really think you’re going to come out on top? God knows you didn’t before. A silly little girl lost in the woods...”
Then she heard Logan’s voice in her head:Burn it away.
He sounded calm and steady.
Burn it away. Remember, together we can burn a whole lot hotter than he can. We can mess up all his plans, no matter how good they look at first. Just burn it away, Iz. Breathe out, and I’ll breathe out with you.
She believed him, but she couldn’t catch her breath. She could hear Sebastian laughing at her, mocking her. The panic was burning her alive.
“Iz! Iz, Iz, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”
Logan’s voice pulled her out of the smoky darkness. She shook off the last of the feverishly intense dream and shuddered back into her own skin, letting the mundane reality of the motel room sink in. The early morning light made the window-shade glow.
She was out of the cave, but she didn’t feel free. She was still in a strange place, and everything felt unfamiliar and surreal, like it was all just another dream she could wake up from.
Except Logan. Logan felt real, and he felt like home.
He felt like the deep breath she hadn’t been able to take in her dream, and without even thinking about it, she reached up, drew him down to her, and breathed him in.
At first it was soft and desperate. Their lips brushed, and even that little bit of touch sensitized her, making her feel like every nerve ending in her body had just come alive. She wanted more.