Page 69 of A Story of Sinners

New orders came from my soldiers daily, letters Aiden sent demanding not only his wife, but Dahlia, too. Aiden was nothing if not relentless in his quest to destroy the wall and retrieve them, though there seemed to be little reason for his aggression. The shadows had been withdrawn from Cambriel, left to hover over the lands the demon had claimed for himself—the Scourged Forest and Barren Lands.

Aiden’s lack of cooperation and the surprising silence from the King of the Otherworld filled me with unease. It wouldn’t be outrageous to presume the two kings had formed a secret alliance and were biding their time before calamity struck.

My chest locked daily at the thought.

Dahlia had refused to speak with Redmond and I ever since that dinner. Her refusal to acknowledge the two of us didn’t prevent our visits to the Dragon Lands, though. It was important we keep an eye on her, and that we did, watching from afar as she took lessons with Eulalia and Fin.

This morning, I’d hovered over the training grounds, observing the subtle changes in her appearance. Her skin held a nice golden tan that muscles stretched and spanned beneath. Her eyes sparkled with a joy I’d never seen before. Her magic was still as wild and reckless as ever, but she maintained a sense of control over it. This morning, she’d even sent a streak of that magic chasing after me upon catching me spying. It was simply adorable, but also a clear signal that she wanted me gone. She didn’t want to be bothered.

So, I quickly sifted away, only to occupy the darkness of my room and reflect on the state of us.

As strong as Dahlia had become, she could easily find a way to escape Faerie if she wanted. Fin had taught her how to sift to an exact location, and it would be easy enough for her to jump around the wall in search of cracks, but deep down inside, she no longer wished to leave Faerie. She wanted to stay close to her friends and, hopefully, me.

I sighed, still in the dark corner of my room where I sifted to hours ago, waiting for her to lay her head down for the night. Though she refused to speak in person, her words flowed like water in her dreams—sometimes angry and resentful, and other times kind, filling me with the type of hope that could be toxic to a male in my position.

Meeting her in the dreamscape was the only thing that kept me going, and after a long night at the tavern with Eulalia and Gabriella, my little crow would soon shut her eyes.

I cringed to think of the bill I would receive in the morning after their night of drinking. Those three could drink any full-grown dragon beneath the table, and they often did.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, biding my time until she passed out. There was nothing to do but wait. Icertainlycouldn’t afford to sleep.

Mere moments later, the golden fields with small bits of lavender formed around me, and I breathed in the fresh air of her dreamscape. I had no idea how or why she came up with this place, whether it was something she’d simply imagined, heard mention of in a tale, or if it took form because of some deep-seated yearning for peace, but it was beautiful.

I strode through the lavender, following along the steady, rushing water of the creek, knowing where she would be: in that special place beneath the golden tree with butterflies for leaves, possibly reading a book or simply enjoying the scenery.

There she was, as expected, but there was no book in hand and no wistful gaze at the scenery. Instead, she rolled around like a cat, playing with the butterflies that greeted her.

She was inebriated. The scent of alcohol clung to her body even in the dreamscape, a smell so strong and overpowering, it couldn’t be limited to only one reality. She wore the fae-style gown Fin had mentioned seeing her in earlier—an ankle length gold dress with thin shoulder straps and sparkles.

It was a gift from me, but she didn’t know that. She had no idea that her entire wardrobe had been a present from me to her. My little crow enjoyed fashion, something she’d never gotten the opportunity to discover prior to her arrival in Faerie.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself,” I interrupted, bracing myself for either a fit of rage or aloofness, but the wide smile she directed my way instead made my stomach flutter with delight.

I breathed and smiled back. Good. It would be one ofthosenights.

“Dream Ryken,” she whispered. “I’m so thrilled to see you!” She jumped from her position against the tree and spread her arms. The butterflies took off as she moved closer, but I sidestepped her approach, not willing to risk touching.

For some reason, the moment we touched in her dreamscape, I was booted from her dreams, only to be trapped inside a nightmare of my own. I didn’t want to risk being stolen away so early in the night. There was still an hour before Redmond came calling for our mission tonight, and I didn’t want to miss a single minute.

She drew to a stop in front of me, stumbling the slightest bit as the night’s events took a toll on her head. “Oh, right,” she said, chewing on her lip. “You disappear anytime we touch.”

I chuckled and ghosted my hand over her arm. “You’re a drunk little skunk. How much damage should I be expecting to my wallet?”

Her eyes sparkled mischievously. She loved having these conversations withDream Ryken. “A lot of damage. Real Ryken is going to be ticked.” She made her way back to the tree, slowly sliding down the golden bark.

“Did you have fun?” I asked.

“So much,” she answered on a sigh.

“Good,” I responded, the hollow part of my heart aching with emptiness, wishing she felt close to that amount of enjoyment with me. “I’m glad you had a nice time.”

Her eyes cast to the sky, tracing the jewel-toned birds soaring just beneath the sun. “I wish real Ryken was more like you. Real Ryken will be furious when he gets the tab and discovers I engaged in anything remotely enjoyable.”

I shook my head and locked eyes with her. “I would like to think he would be happy for you. I know I am.”

Her lips thinned, and her tone grew serious. “That’s why you’reDreamRyken. You are the closest thing I can imagine to a perfect version of my insufferable mate.”

It pained me to hear how she still felt about me, even after all the space I’d given. I tried everything in my power to make amends, everything besides outright locking her away and demanding she speak with me. I could and had often considered doing just that, but that was how we’d gotten here in the first place, to this point of seemingly no return. I’d been too demanding, too controlling. I’d suffocated her.

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