Page 87 of Legacy of Roses

But the attempt was as unsuccessful as her more subtle efforts had been. She was secured too well. And because of her own lack of foresight, no one even knew she had been taken. By the time anyone came looking for her, it would be too late for Dimitri.

She thrashed again, unable to help herself. But it only twisted her binds tighter. Jace’s men certainly weren’t concerned by her efforts.

She forced herself to stop. Jace had far fewer men than before, but it didn’t really matter if he had the current four or the previous eleven. They were still an insurmountable barrier to her escape. And apparently Jace had enough wealth—thanks to the money stolen from her family—to ensure they remained loyal despite their comrades’ arrest.

Rosalie needed a way to call for help, but they were too far into the woods for a simple cry to have any hope of succeeding. Ifit had, they would have gagged her. If only her father weren’t so far away. If only?—

Her thoughts stuttered to a stop. Her father was far distant, but her mother still communicated with him. Rosalie had never managed it with Jace, but she understood why now. Her love for Dimitri was real in a way her girlish feelings for Jace had never been, so perhaps she could reach him in her sleep?

It was an enticing prospect, but an enormous barrier still remained. Before she could communicate with someone in her dreams, she had to be asleep.

She immediately squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel the exhaustion pulling at her limbs and fogging her mind, but even so, she had never felt less sleepy in her life.

Being snatched from her bed and carried through the woods blindfolded, confronting Jace, and then being tied to a tree had been difficult. But those trials were nothing compared to the battle before her. She had to force herself to fall asleep.

The rough bark at her back itched. The ties around her wrists burned, and the ones around her arms forced her into a position that made her muscles ache. Around her, the woods were stirring to life, animals calling in the distance. Nearby, however, one of Jace’s men had stretched out on the ground and started snoring—a gasping, snorting sound that drilled into her skull.

And worse than all of that were her racing thoughts. The more she thought about needing to fall asleep, the less sleepy she felt.

She tried focusing all her thoughts on her body, slowly working her way up from her toes to her head, as her mother had taught her as a child when she was too energized to sleep. But all it did now was remind her of every aching discomfort and stinging pain.

An image of Dimitri, ill and injured, felled by the Legacy, filled her mind. How much time had passed since first light? When would he begin to feel the effects of her absence?

Her fear sent her thoughts racing again, imagining every horrifying scenario. Forcibly she shut the thoughts down, turning her mind backward instead. The evening before, when she had felt lonely, she had relived their evening around the campfire. She forced herself to do the same again, disciplining every errant thought, and channeling her mind into recreating that enjoyable evening as vividly as possible.

She tasted the delicious food, felt the warmth of the flames, heard the laughter of her brothers and friend, and basked in the solid nearness of Dimitri at her side. And then he was no longer at her side. She was walking up the steps of the manor, but it looked different. It had become her old home in Thebarton’s central square.

“Rosalie!” She spun around to see Daphne rushing toward her, concern etched into every line of her face.

“Daphne?” Rosalie peered at the square behind her friend, but her surroundings shifted and changed, their appearance both familiar and unfamiliar at once. “Are you really here, or is this just a dream?”

“Both,” Daphne said promptly, her usual languor entirely absent. “Don’t you recognize a communication dream? I’ve been searching for you for hours.”

“Is that what this is? I’ve never had one before.”

“You don’t talk with your father?” Daphne was momentarily distracted.

“My mother does, but it’s a connection that usually only works for those with a romantic attachment.”

“Truly?” Daphne stared at her. “The lessons on the Glandore Legacy in Oakden were less detailed than yours must have been here. I only remember hearing you had to trust the personcompletely. The first time my parents had to travel for their work, I immediately started looking for them in my dreams. We’ve always been able to connect without a problem.” She frowned. “Is that really a strange thing?”

“I suppose they did say that trust and love are the most important elements,” Rosalie admitted. “But all the examples in books were married couples. My friends and I just assumed…” She shook her head. “I never tried to do it with a friend or my sisters. But it makes sense that if I can communicate with anyone, I can do it with you. You’re more a sister to me than my actual sisters are. But if it’s so easy, why have we never done it before?”

Daphne snorted. “We’re neighbors or close enough. We see each other almost every day. What need have we ever had to communicate this way?”

“You’re not invisible,” Rosalie said, realizing how long it had been since she’d seen her friend’s face. “And you seem…different.”

Daphne looked down at herself. “Of course I’m not invisible in my own dreams. And thank goodness for that or my parents would have realized something was going on by now. But never mind any of that.” She seized Rosalie by both arms. “It must be well past dawn. I didn’t get to sleep until the early morning which is the only reason I’m still sleeping now. But why are you asleep? I thought for sure you would be here the moment it was light.”

Rosalie stared at her, noting again her uncharacteristic agitation. What if it wasn’t part of the dream’s strangeness…?

“What is it?” she asked. “Has something happened to Dimitri?”

“You need to get here quickly,” Daphne said. “The Legacy has hit him hard. He was already feverish yesterday, and he hasn’tbeen able to eat or sleep. He can’t even rest. He’s been pacing constantly since you left. His body is going to give out soon.”

“What?” A cold chill ran down Rosalie’s spine. “It wasn’t supposed to start so early!”

“Everything will be all right as long as you get here soon,” her friend said reassuringly. “You need to wake up and run straight over here.”

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