Page 10 of Queen of Legends and Lies
A surge, a spark, a jolt of energy lighting up my veins.
My heart jumps, and I forget to breathe.
A voice emerges from the emptiness. “Hey, Duchess. I miss you too.”
Hisvoice. Rippling through the darkness, gentle but strong.
Joy erupts inside me.
Sterling’s here.
I blow out the breath I’ve been holding. “Is it really you?”
Oddly, I can sense my body lying in the bed. I’m on my side, a pillow cool against my cheek. Breathing slowly, I fight to relax, to stay in this state, to stay here with his presence. This dream, this vision, this alternate reality. Whatever this is, I want it to last.
“It’s me.” His familiar, loving aura envelops me, and I swear I can smell his delicious leather, soap, and spice scent.
Emotion clogs my throat, robbing me of the ability to speak.
He cups my face, thumb brushing away my tears as if they’re nothing more than morning dew. “Why so sad?”
A ragged laugh, edged with pain, escapes me. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s Xenon or the drachen. Maybe it’s the way the world is falling down around me. Maybe it’s because I just saw you…at Flighthaven…corrupted.” I press my hand against his, pinning him between my cheek and palm.
We’re touching but not. I can tell my cheek, my physical cheek, is still against the silk linens and not his battle-calloused hand. This is more like an impression of him. And an impression of me. How I feel I am, not how my body is. Strangely, though, in this realm, I still have wings along my back, as does Sterling.
Maybe these aren’t our bodies but the manifestation of our magic. Spiritual representations of us.
“I’m not sure what we are here, but I know Iamhere. Just as I know I was stuck in my body before I felt your presence and came to you. There’s no need for your sadness.” Even as he rejects my grief, his whisper is a balm. “I wasn’t at Flighthaven.”
“Yes, you were. I saw you. I fought you. I?—”
“I. Wasn’t. There. That wasn’t me, love. Remember that.” His spirit, unmarred by the corruption that has taken control of his physical form, anchors to mine. A tingling warmth spreadsthrough me at his words. “I’m so fucking sorry for what I did. But what you were fighting was not the real me.” He presses his palm against my chest. “I’ve been here this whole time.”
Clinging to his words like a lifeline, I try to staunch the next wave of tears. He’s here, somehow. The real Sterling. The man I love. Not that empty-eyed monster who would have killed me at the snap of Xenon’s fingers. I have no idea how any of this is possible, but I’m not willing to waste an opportunity.
Especially not one that could help with his rescue.
“Well, in that case, maybe I should catch you up on matters. I was at the royal council meeting tonight. You were right about how awful some of them are.”
Sterling places a finger on my lips, his silent command halting my words. “Tell me nothing. I can feel the presence of another. Not here exactly, but within my body. It’s not safe to speak of anything that may help Xenon and the drachen.”
My mouth snaps shut, the stories dying on my lips. My heart splinters at the thought of his suffering. The knowledge that layers of dark enchantment separate us and trap him is almost too much to bear. “Are you…in pain?”
He brushes my cheek with his knuckles, and I lean into his touch.
“It’s like being adrift in an uncaring sea. Sometimes, there’s movement, echoes of screams, glimpses of horror through a veil so dark it might as well be a wall.” A shudder passes through his form. “But mostly, it’s just emptiness. A void where reality should be. Then I felt you. And somehow, here I am. I’m guessing you’re dreaming, which means you’re safely back at the palace.”
“Yes.” Tears threaten to spill down my cheeks again, but I hold them in. “I’m going to save you.”
“I have no doubt.” I envy his confidence. “You’re the most capable, brilliant, beautiful woman I’ve ever met. I fully believethat you will find a way, not only to free me but also to destroy the drachen.”
“I wish I had as much faith in me as you do.” The spark of hope he’s kindled refuses to die out.
He drifts closer, wrapping his arms around me like he’s afraid I’ll vanish. “Shall I show you just how amazing you are?”
Before I can answer, his lips meet mine. It’s as though I’ve been plunged into the sun’s core.
Heat floods me, and every nerve ending flares to life.
