Page 74 of Cursed Dreams
The moment his arms wrapped around her, something inside her gave way. The tightness in her chest, the frustration, the days spent yearning for answers, it all broke open.
His form was warm and solid, the fabric of his tunic soft against her cheek as he drew her in close.
She buried herself against him, unable to explain the way her heartbeat faster than it ever had, or why the smell of him, earth, wind, starlight, was somehow both unfamiliar and home.
He chuckled softly, the sound rumbling through his chest, and she felt the vibration where their bodies met.
“I don’t understand this,” she whispered against him, her voice breathless. “Why I need to see you like this. Why I…” Her voice trailed off. She couldn’t bring herself to say obsessed. But the word echoed in her thoughts.
Caelum rested his chin lightly against her hair. “You feel it too,” he murmured. “The thread between us.”
Thalia’s arms tightened around him before she slowly pulled back, just enough to see his face.
“Where have you been?” she asked, eyes searching his. “Why haven’t you come to me?”
His expression turned wistful, a sadness passing through his gaze. “I tried,” he said gently. “But you were… closed off. Too focused. Guarded.”
She frowned. “I’ve been trying to see you. Every night. I’ve gone to bed hoping I’d find you again. I—”
He lifted a finger to her lips, smiling. “You’ve been thinking. Not feeling.”
She blinked, unsure what to make of that.
“I’ve had so many questions,” she said quickly, the words tumbling out. “I don’t know where to start. I want to know about you, how this is even happening, how you healed Aric—”
“Thalia.”
She stopped.
Caelum’s laugh was soft, low, and fond. “Slow down.”
He brushed her hair behind her ear with a gentleness that sent a warm ache spiralling through her chest. “We have time.”
She stared at him, unsure how someone she’d only just met, at least in mind? Spirit? Whatever this was, could feel so entirely hers.
“You did heal Aric, didn’t you?” she asked, searching his face. “He’s stronger than ever. He’s going home. That was you, wasn’t it?”
His expression was unreadable for a moment, and then he gave a crooked smile. “I’m pleased he’s well.”
That wasn’t an answer. Yet something in the way he said it, the way his eyes softened, Thalia knew. It was him!
She threw her arms around him again, this time less desperate, more grateful. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for saving him.”
Caelum chuckled again, amused and warm. “You’re welcome, Thalia”
She pulled back, narrowing her eyes at him playfully. “How do you know my name?” she asked, nudging his chest with a finger. “I never told you. Not even in my dreams.”
His smile grew, a glint of something old and secret dancing behind his eyes.
“That,” he said slowly, “is a long story.”
Thalia’s breath caught as Caelum’s gaze drifted toward the shimmering canopy above them, his expression shifting into something more distant, like he was deep in thought.
“I fought in the wars,” he said quietly.
“The Dragon Wars?”
He nodded once, slow and deliberate. “Yes.”
