“I’m not asleep. I got pulled into your dream when you started sleeping, and I can’t seem to get out of it. So, it looks like we’re both stuck here until you wake up.”
I fisted my hands. “Wonderful.” Frowning, I glanced around us. We stood on some sort of battlement, gazing out at a field of sapphire flowers. They glowed beneath the light of a full moon. The scent of fire drifted toward us again, along with the distant sound of cheers.
“Where are we? What is this?”
“A memory of mine from a very long time ago,” he said quietly. “The eve of battle. The last time the Kingdom of Storms took up arms against us.”
“Oh.” Now that I knew what this was, the signs were all there. Along the battlements, I spotted archers at the ready. That fire I smelled was from the enemy camp far across the field. Every now and then, orange flames flicked up into the sky, burning higher from the wind. Kalen was even dressed the part. Having donned black leather armor with steel capping his shoulders and elbows, he looked like a soldier of the night itself.
I thought back to the history books I’d read growing up. There were many tales of war and battles, but I’d grown bored of most of them. They’d always been such dry stories with lists of names and titles and whether they’d lived or died. And with Oberon controlling the narrative, I had no way of knowing if anything I’d ever read was true.
“I’d ask you when this was and what happened, but you made it clear how you feel about the annoying mortal asking you questions.”
His gaze hardened. “This happened a very long time ago. The details hardly matter.”
“It must matter, or we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“All it means is that my power is out of control. Nothing more.”
“I bet it means a lot more than that. It’s kind of a strange coincidence, don’t you think? We get stuck inside one of your dreams that has to do with a Kingdom of Storms attack against you. When the Kingdom of Storms is now attacking again. Tell me what it means, Kalen.”
“I don’t owe you an explanation for any of this.” He shoved away from the wall and strode down the length of the battlement, the fortress stones cast in the silver glow of the moon. I grabbed his arm.
He stopped. “Let go of me, Tessa.”
“No,” I said, tightening my grip around his bicep. “You can’t just shut me out every time something uncomfortable happens. That’s not fair to me, when you were the one whodraggedme into your world.”
“This has nothing to do with you.” He turned back toward me, but I kept hold of his arm. If I let go, I had a feeling he’d just keep on walking away from me. “This war began long before you were born, and I daresay it will continue a long time after you’re gone from this world. Focus on your own problems and on Oberon. I’ll take care of the rest.”
When he didn’t immediately start walking away again, I took another step closer. My fingers twitched against his impressive muscle. “Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s that simple. Everything you do affects everyone else. Including me.”
“Well, it shouldn’t,” he said roughly. “Your life is far worse with me in it.”
I curled my lip at him. “You say that like you’re not the one who tookme from myhomeland.”
“Oh, don’t act like you’re still mad about that,” he said with a hollow laugh. “You’re free from Oberon. You’ve had a chance to see the world and learn the truth about what happened hundreds of years ago. You can act like you’re angry with me, but I know deep down inside, you’re happy I stole you.”
“So smug,” I hissed up at him. “To believe you know anything about me.”
He shrugged out of my grip and started walking. I followed behind, mostly because I didn’t have anywhere better to go. It wasn’t like I could leave.
“I know more about you than you want to believe,” he said, taking deep strides down the battlements. “You’re brave and reckless and full of heart. You’re also—” He stopped and turned.
“What?” I demanded, propping fisted hands on my hips.
“You’re more like me than you want to admit.”
I glared up at him. “I’m not like you. For one, I don’t invade other people’s dreams. Or steal girls from their homeland after lying to them for months.”
With a growl, he leaned toward me, lowering his head so that his eyes were even with mine. “You keep saying that, but you must be confused about what that word means. I didn’tstealyou, Tessa. You were given the choice to run from Oberon. And you took it.”
My heart fluttered beneath my ribs at the heated look in his eye. “Yes, I did run. But I did not chooseto go with you. If I had, you wouldn’t have felt the need to poison me.”
He let out a hollow laugh. “You said you didn’t hate me anymore.”
“Yes, well, I said that before you started acting like an asshole again!”
His eyes flashed, his body curving over mine. “Why are you sovexing?”