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“I told you, meddling comes with a cost!” she snapped breathlessly. “The timeline is adjusting itself. I set the pieces in motion, but now other-me is… living them out. It’s just part of the balance. Pain has to go somewhere.”

Skye went still. The blood shadows lingered for a moment, writhing faintly, before they pulled back into his skin like ink drawn into water.

“She’s living it?” The anger in his voice was a thin veil over the panic creeping in. “Right now?”

He didn’t know why he was surprised. Taly had woken up that morning.Of course, she was in danger.

Cori slid off the table, brushing past him as she gathered her things. “I have to go now. And so do you.”

“You haven’t changed a single fucking bit,” he snarled, already halfway to the door.

Cori blew him a kiss. “Someone’s got to create the emergencies, Skye. Otherwise, you’d just be a guy with control issues and nowhere to put them.”

He froze, hand on the door. It was like being given a mirror he hadn’t asked for.

Worse—seeing something he recognized.

She read the look on his face and smiled, all teeth. “Go on, hotshot. Time to save the girl.”

“I hate you.” He yanked the door shut with a scowl.

Chapter 47

Blue light fractured all around as Taly was draggeddown, down,downinto the icy depths.

Water shoved into her lungs, but since this was a dream, she could breathe around it. A grotesque, bulbous mass slid through the currents ahead of her, its bloated form undulating with sickening grace as it swam downward.

Taly kicked. Her boot slammed into the grimble’s arm, then its head. She swung the blade in a wide arc, feeling resistance as it connected with something solid. A guttural sound rippled through the water as black blood billowed out around her. She twisted the blade, yanked it free, and struck again.

Too many hands clawed at her—grabbing her legs, pulling at her hair, tearing at her skin. Scratches bloomed across her arms, her face, but she didn’t care. It was a dream. Pain didn’t matter here. Only the fight.

For a split second, the grip loosened. She jerked free, only to feel the water around her suddenly shift.

Then, with a sudden, terrifying pull, the water peeled away.

Not receding, not draining—peeling. Like some invisible force had taken hold and was dragging it back.

Without warning, Taly was tumbling downward. Falling through space, through air, maybe through time itself—

She slammed into hard stone and immediately vomited water onto the stone floor.

The grimble skittered off, trailing black blood on the damp stone as it disappeared into the shadows.

The water was gone. So was the black. In its place was… a temple.

All around, towering columns etched with symbols and text blurred as if she were still looking through water. Pale gold beams of light streamed through high windows, and the ceiling was decorated with ancient murals and carvings. The air was thick with the scent of old stone and the whisper of forgotten prayers, mingling with the faint aroma of incense long burned out.

Taly pushed herself up, scanning the darkness between the columns, dagger in hand.

The Queen’s words once more came back to her. “The grimble’s power grows with time spent inside the dream. The longer you linger, the stronger it becomes. You must act quickly—each moment wasted is a moment given to the monster.”

“Come out, you ugly bastard.” Taly’s voice was low, fierce. It echoed in the strange space.

An awful screech was her only warning. The grimble slammed into her from the side, knocking her off her feet.

They hit the ground hard. Its bloated, bone-white form pressed down, wrinkled skin sagging around a twisted grin.

“Caught you now, didn’t I?” the grimble cackled gleefully. “Oh, squirm! Squirm all you like! I like it better when the meal fights! Tastes of fire and strength, not the nasty sour fear!”