Page 106 of The Sorrow of Shadows

Our conversation is interrupted by the screams of a nearby resident. Both our heads snap toward the sound and we are headed for the door, our tea forgotten.

It doesn’t take long for us to locate the source of the screams. We reach Jade’s room and see Elijah already standing outside, his hand on the knob, preparing to enter.

He pushes open the door and the three of us enter together, our senses on high alert and looking for the danger. Her room is empty aside from her, though. She’s asleep but screaming and crying out.

“I think it’s a dream,” Elijah whispers.

“It’s not just a dream; it’s a night terror. She’s been through quite an ordeal. I’m not surprised she’s having them,” Ayden says.

“How do you know that?” Elijah questions.

“Dream weaver, remember?”

“More like dreammanipulator,” I mumble.

“Only for you, darling,” Ayden chuckles.

Ignoring his comment, I ask, “How can we help her?”

“Youcan’t,” he replies. “But I can.” He moves toward her bed on silent feet.

I reach out and grasp his wrist. “Wait,” I whisper-yell. “How do I know you won’t mess around in her dreams and make it worse?”

He glares at me. “You really don’t trust me, do you, Princess?”

“I don’t have a lot of reason to trust you,” I quip back.

“You don’t have a lot of reason not to trust me, either,” he says, his eyes softening. “I would never intentionally make someone hurt worse than she already is. Trust me when I say, there’s not much worse I could do than what she’s already seeing in those terrors.”

Right then, Jade screams and cries again in her sleep.

“Can you see what she’s seeing?” I ask.

“Yes,” he replies softly, his voice laced with melancholy.

“Okay,” I nod at him, “I trust you to help her.”

I release his wrist and let him cross the room to her bed. Kneeling beside her head, he takes her head between his hands and lets his magic work.

I can’t see any physical manifestation of his power, but Jade’s body immediately ceases its thrashing and her screams quiet. She stills and falls into a peaceful slumber.

The door clicks shut behind us, and we breathe a collective sigh of relief.

“How long will your magic hold?” I ask him.

“Only for the night,” he replies solemnly.

Silence blankets us as we find our way back to our forgotten tea, and I’m filled with conflicting emotions for the Prince of Prudia.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

BREYLA

“What are we doing?” I whisper to Elijah, who is currently leaning on the door to my mother's chambers.

He startles, jumping back from the door. “Shit, Brey. Warn a guy when you’re sneaking up on him.”

“What fun would that be?” I scrunch my nose and grin.

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