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Slowly, Talan turns to face Kahedin, who shrieks with fear.

Talan stalks closer to the lord, moving with an unhurried pace. He seems to savor Kahedin’s terror, drinking it in, feeding on it.

“No matter where you are, I will always find you,” Talan says in a lethally quiet voice. “I am yourworstnightmare.”

“Yes.” Kahedin shuts his eyes in fear. “Please, Dream Stalker…let me go. I will do whatever you want. I agree to your letter.”

Talan turns to look at me, and I see the shadow of dark horns growing from his head. “And there we have it.”

He steps closer to me, and magic swirls around us as if it’s binding us together. His raw, magnetic power thrums over my skin, making my heart race.

“We can leave now,” he whispers.

But it’s not reassuring. Even after everything I’ve seen here, what scares me the most right now is that he will want to knowwhyI look so utterly human in my own mind.

And I have no idea what I’m going to tell him.

CHAPTER 36

Iwake to warmth—to him. The dream slips away, and I’m back in the little hunting lodge.

Somehow, as we wandered through dreams, I ended up sprawled across Talan, my limbs tangled with his. Now, my head rests on his powerful shoulder. Heat seeps through his shirt, warming my muscles through my thin dress. His delicious scent wraps around me, making my pulse race.

I could move, of course, but I don’t want to.

The fireplace crackles. The moisture from my drying clothes has turned the air humid and sultry, making my muscles go supple against Talan. A slow, smoldering warmth pools deep in my stomach—the heat of being wrapped around him. And despite the haze of sleep still cocooning me, I’m acutely aware of every hard plane of his muscles—the tempting, dangerous power of the Dream Stalker.

I shift slightly, my body brushing against his in a way that makes desire coil through me. Then, his fingers move on me, lazy and teasing. Slowly, they trace the length of my spine as if he has all the time in the world.

I lift my head to see him watching me closely.

His eyes gleam in the dim light, copper burning like embers, his mouth faintly curved in a wicked smile. His expression is pure, delicious sin. “You climbed on top of me, little demi-Fey. Is there something you’re hoping for?”

Little demi-Fey.He doesn’t seem to be demanding answers yet, but that question lingers over us.

I don’t want to answer it now, though. Now, I still feel dreamy and soft, and I want to stay here, enveloped in our pretend world a little longer. I don’t want to break the spell.

Before the full truth comes out, and everything starts to burn.

As his fingers stroke down my spine, my skin warms, aching for more of him. I could shift away from him, but I like the feeling of being on top of him.

“Your magic made me sleepy,” I mumble.

He slides his fingers into my hair, tightening them. There’s a gentle possessiveness in the way his fingers curl. “That’s not the only effect on you. But of course, you’re so reluctant to tell the truth.”

Molten heat slides into my belly. I hate how well he sees me, and how much I want him to keep looking.

And then, in one fluid motion, he moves, and I’m on my back, my breath quickening as he shifts me exactly where he wants me, his body caging mine. One hand traps my wrists over my head, and my pulse spikes.

The other slides up my thigh, fingertips brushing the silk of my dress in an unbearably slow, teasing stroke.

I was always going to give in to him, wasn’t I? Even if I know exactly how it will end, I still want him. I’ll burn with him, even if we both turn to ash.

His mouth hovers close to mine. “I need answers from you, Nia. And I don’t think you will give them all so easily.”

My pulse races. “You once told me I could keep my secrets.”

“I’ve changed my mind. Secrets build fortress walls, and I don’t want to be on the wrong side of yours. I want to know every little thing about you.”