Page 81 of The Edge of Dawn

His soft chuckle reverberated through her. It’s very different. I can’t tell what you’re thinking, but I can feel your emotions to some extent. You need to work on suppressing that aura of yours. You’re like a beacon.

I don’t know how to do that yet. Heat entered her cheeks. Does that mean others with the… Talent can sense what I’m feeling? In fact, the notion was mildly horrifying.

Likely. But I doubt they’d care much, and they’re more likely to intentionally ignore you.

She hoped to hell he was right because their secret little conversation was in danger of getting out of hand.

Jade, listen to me.

What?

I’m going to teach you how to catch a wave.

A wave?

When we sleep, our consciousness exists in a place between worlds. Even those without the Talent will go there. There’s power in sleep.

Well, I wish I could harness some of that power because sleep doesn’t seem to be very fond of me.

Nonsense. You just aren’t in sync with your power. You’ve been trying to do too much with too little knowledge. Let me teach you, Jade.

His words were filled with tempting promises. She tried to tell herself not to be fooled—that he might have his own less-than-savory reasons for doing this—but desperation swayed her in the other direction.

She was overflowing with this pent-up tension; this terrible itch she couldn’t scratch.

If she didn’t do something, anything…

She would break.

Damn you, Dragek. It’s all your fault.

What? He asked, and there was almost a certain mock-innocence in his voice; she couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not.

Whatever it is you think can help me get to sleep… just show me.

Very well.

Suddenly, she felt a softness all around her. It was warm and fuzzy, tingling across her skin, buffeting her so she felt weightless.

What are you doing?

Trying to show you what it feels like.

What on Earth are you talking about?

The void that exists between all worlds. That’s where your consciousness exists when you sleep.

A shudder of anticipation coursed through her. Dragek was talking about something far beyond her imagination. Since meeting him, she’d realized the laws of reality were different from what she’d always believed.

Very different.

There was an entire Universe she didn’t know about.

Even simple things like sleep…

You’ve been avoiding it because you’re scared to stumble into the dreams of strangers. That’s why you struggle to fall asleep. You’re afraid, and fear is incompatible with restfulness of the soul.

Jade thought about the times she’d tried to fall asleep. Her racing mind and pounding heart would keep her awake for hours, and she’d be doubly cursed with the knowledge that she’d feel like shit the next day.

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