Page 100 of Gift from the Stone

“Yeah, this time I know for sure,” I tell him seriously as I keep my eyes locked on the wall in front of us.

After slicing the already healed wound on his palm, Lyker presses his hand to the ward and then takes a step back, lining up with his brothers. The smooth stone wall that stands behind the ward begins to vibrate and shake before slowly lowering. And I hold my breath as it makes its slow descent into the floor.

This is it, the moment I meet the woman I’ve been sharing dreams with over the course of the last few weeks. The main reason I sent Lyker here. I’ve had to keep this a secret for so long. When the first dream occurred, I thought I was having visions in my sleep, then when they continued to occur, I knew something else was going on, but I couldn’t say anything about it.

“Who the fuck are you?” a feminine voice shrieks.

“Lyker. Who the fuck are you?” His posture stiffens, surprised that she doesn’t even flinch at the bite in his tone, then his eyes take her in from head to toe in a calculating gesture.

“None of your damn business.” She snarls.

“Anyone in this pack is now my business,” he growls.

“Not me, asshole,” she growls right back.

There’s a moment of stunned silence from everyone as a smile crosses my face.

It’s her, definitely her.

I turn in place, looking around at the bare stone room I just woke up in. Well, I’m not awake. I can tell I’m still asleep, but I was just having a lovely little dream about my Nexus, then suddenly, I appeared here.

“Who the fuck are you?” a female asks from behind me, causing me to jump.

“Ahhh, you scared me. Who are you?” I ask, trying to place my hand over my racing heart, but I find my body to be ghostly. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”

I screech, trying and failing repeatedly to pat myself down and feel my body, only for my hand to effortlessly pass through it.

Unhinged laughter reaches my ears, momentarily distracting me from my full-fledged freak-out.

“Damn, I’m truly losing my mind. Eight years trapped in this fucking cave has finally caused me to crack.”

Taking a good look at her, my eyes widen with recognition. “I’ve seen you before.”

“What? I have no idea who you are,” she says defensively.

“No, no, you wouldn’t. I just got to Elementra not too long ago from the nonmagical realm,” I tell her, a little breathless.

“That’s impossible. There’s no way to travel in and out of Elementra,” she argues.

“You’d be surprised. Pretty sure I’m the definition of impossible, but here I am. I’m Willow,” I tell her, stretching my hand out before mentally face-palming myself and pulling it back.

“I don’t think there’s anything that could surprise me anymore. I’m Aria,” she says, gloomy.

“Really? Have you met someone else who’s one of only two living dragon shifters, with the touch of the sight, and can wield three elements?” I ask with a smirk.

With shocked, disbelieving eyes, she looks me up and down like that truly is impossible. “There’s no way.”

“Well, there’s at least one way,” I say, moving my hands up and down my ghostly physique.

“Fuck, if that’s true, you’re rarer than me. I think this is a figment of my imagination, just another way my mind has decided to play a trick on me, giving me something more to focus on than these four walls,” she rambles, trying to convince herself I’m not real.

“I’m real. And I’m going to get you out of here.” I swear.

Remembering my first dream I had with Aria, the need to finally lay my physical eyes on her has my feet moving toward her as I push my way out of my men’s arms and bulldoze past Lyker and his guys.

“Willow,” she breathes a shuddering gasp, taking a few steps toward me. “Oh, my Elementra, you’re real.”

“I told you I was.” I smile.

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