Page 35 of Visions & Shadows

“It wasn’t nothing. You stopped breathing,” he snaps, actually sounding angry because I won’t tell him.

When I climb off the bed to put some space between us, another dizzy spell hits. I breathe through it and once it passes, I grab my jacket and shrug it on.

“Let’s get out of the room,” I say while pushing my feet into the nearest pair of sneakers. “I need some fresh air.”

Ryan gets up and quickly puts on his boots.

We stay quiet as we walk out of the bedroom and through the house. A headache starts to pulse behind my eyes, and when we finally leave through the front door, I suck in a deep breath of the cold air.

The moment we’re sitting in Ryan’s truck, he says, “Talk to me. What did you dream about?”

“It was just a nightmare,” I mutter while he starts the engine and steers the truck away from the curb.

“It’s important that you tell me,” he insists, and it has me frowning at him.

Important, my ass.

Shaking my head at him, I lift my hand and rub my chest where it’s still aching from whatever slammed into me in the dream.

Did someone shoot me?

“Jane, talk to me,” Ryan sounds impatient, his eyes flicking between the road and me. “Now.”

“Dammit, can you just chill,” I snap at him. “God. I just woke up from one hell of a nightmare. Give me some time to process it.”

When Ryan pulls over to the side of the road, I realize we’re close to the waterfall.

I don’t mind. The peace and quiet out here will do me a world of good.

We get out of the truck, and as we walk toward the waterfall, I can feel tension coming off Ryan in waves.

I pull my jacket tighter around me, glad for the full moon giving us some light so we can see where we’re going.

God, it’s cold.

The moment we reach the waterfall, Ryan lets out a sigh and says, “What I’m about to tell you might sound crazy, but just bear with me.” Lifting a hand to my face, he tucks a few strands of my hair behind my ear. “To really hear me, you need to listen with that part within you that feels like you never belonged here. Listen with that piece of your soul that tells you you’re different from others.”

Confused as fuck, I ask, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Vaalbara is a real place. It’s our home. Your people are waiting for you to return, and I’ve been sent to bring you home.”

The. Fuck?

With a raised eyebrow, I gawk at him for a moment, wondering if he’s lost his mind.

“Did you get drunk while I was sleeping?” I finally manage to ask.

He shakes his head, a serious expression tightening his features. “I need to take you home.”

He’s actually starting to scare me, and it has me snapping, “Th-that’s enough, Ryan. Is this some k-kind of sick joke?”

He shakes his head again, his voice remaining calm. “I'm serious. You’ll need to clear your mind of everything so I can take you home.”

I take a cautious step away from him, regretting that I came out here with him.

Crap, he can kill me, and no one will be around to hear my screams.

When Ryan darts toward me, he moves so fast I don’t even have time to make a sound. His arms wrap tightly around me, trapping my body to his in a steel embrace.

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