Page 158 of The Edge of Dawn

She’d felt the power of that ancient, mysterious portal as the boundaries of reality became twisted and warped.

What a fucking trip.

How could she be sure she hadn’t just dreamed it all?

The krisalix, the incredible unfurling of her newfound power; the fact that she was the only one who had been able to get through to him in that moment, when everything could have been lost.

After all of that, she’d become so exhausted she could barely think straight. She’d had no choice but to let go, to return to her mortal body, which wasn’t strong enough to withstand the immense psychic strain she’d been under.

She’d passed out.

Noa and Elgon must have taken care of her because she was here now, and she felt absolutely fine.

She’d just experienced the deepest, most refreshing sleep she’d ever had in her life. So deep she hadn’t even dreamed or sleepwalked into someone else’s dream.

Jade let out a deep sigh as she stretched her limbs, almost forgetting that just a few days ago, she’d broken bones in her foot and her hand.

She didn’t feel any pain at all.

Her body was completely healed.

She felt great. Rejuvenated. Her mind was perfectly clear.

Everything was wonderful except for the restlessness that gnawed at her insides. The longer she was awake, the more frantic she felt. A piece of her was missing. There was an insistent need that grew stronger with every waking moment.

Heat danced through her body. All of a sudden, she felt a gentle, throbbing ache.

Oh, my god.

Dragek!

She sat bolt-upright.

Where was he? Could she reach him? In desperation, she reached out with her ka’qui, barely aware of how naturally it came to her now.

All she knew was that she wanted to feel his presence again.

She searched for his familiar aura, which was imprinted on her so profoundly that seeking him out felt as natural as breathing.

Almost instantly, she found him.

He was here, on the Fleet Station!

Her heart fluttered wildly. Excitement surged through her as she hastily got out of bed, rising to her feet.

Dragek? She tried to do mindspeech, but nothing happened. Even though she could feel his presence, he was completely unresponsive.

Dragek?

Panic swirled through her.

Jade hastily pulled on a robe and ran barefoot out the door, barely noticing as the intricate mass of interwoven black fibers separated, allowing her to pass.

She rushed down the corridor, not really knowing where she was going, vaguely remembering that the room where the humans hung out was somewhere around here.

That’s when she realized she could find Dragek simply by following the familiar signature of his aura.

On this vast station, where thousands of souls burned brightly, his aura was the most brilliant of them all. She knew it like the back of her hand, as intimately as her very own thoughts.

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