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Darius reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers. “I’m here to cheer her up. I know the location of Ebony’s hideout is top secret, but because it was for Eden, I tracked it down.”

I bit my lip to keep back my smile. He made it sound like some grand investigation rather than something as simple as having followed us here, undoubtedly stretching the truth to earn my cloud’s good graces. Sure enough, she surveyed him with a rare impressed look.

“I suppose I can’t be annoyed considering you’re here for Eden.” Despite how upset she’d been towards me after my stunt in the Cultivating Fields, her tone was still soft with concern. “She’s been feeling a lot of remorse for her choices. I keep telling her it’s because she’s in the wrong place, but she keeps insisting she’s really a Nightmare, even though we both know that’s not true.”

“She’ll come to discover herself before long,” Darius said with complete confidence. “That’s part of my plan, anyway.” He smiled at me as he gave my hand an assuring squeeze.

I returned it before tugging impatiently on his arm. “Where are you taking me?”

“Nemesis dear, do I need to explain the concept of asurpriseto you? Because I’m beginning to wonder whether you understand its finer points.” He gently tugged on my hand and led me towards Stardust. “Are you up for an early morning flight to cheer up your owner?”

He reached inside his bag and pulled out a package of moonbits, which he waved tauntingly in front of her. Her wide eyes followed the movement hungrily. “Curse you for knowing my weakness for those delectable pieces of heaven. Where to, Spiderweb?”

“Yes, where to?” I asked impatiently. He chuckled and squeezed my hand again before leaning down to whisper his mysterious location in Stardust’s ear.

She grinned. “That’ll be the perfect place to take her.”

I leaned closer to try and catch some of his words, but he whispered too quietly for me to hear. He cast me an amused smile as he pulled away from Stardust. I gave him an innocent look, but by his chuckle I knew he wasn’t fooled. He climbed onto Stardust and wrapped his hands back around my waist to pull me beside him.

My breath hooked and my heart pattered rapidly. Darius wassnugglingwith me, and like the first time, it was far more wonderful than I could have ever imagined.

He caressed his nose along my neck until he reached my ear. “Are you ready, my Eden?”

My mind was blank save for the sensations raking my body from Darius’s cozy hold. I managed a nod before my breath caught again as Darius’s arms tightened around my middle to pull me against his firm chest.

I snuggled deeper into his embrace. “I’m so glad you’ve come.”

While his comforting hold didn’t cease, for the first time since his arrival he looked wary. “I’m not only here to cheer you up: we need to talk.”

Oh no. I’d heard that exact phrase in countless nightmares just before the dreamer’s significant other broke up with them. Darius and I had barely been exploring what was likely a beautiful paired relationship, and already it was shattering.

He saw my reaction and rubbed his hand soothingly up and down my arm. “Not to worry, I’m not going anywhere. We’ll go on a lovely ride to an enchanting place that will help you realize there’s still magic to be found around you, even when things seem dark. There we’ll talk and have a wonderful time.”

He gave me an affectionate squeeze before pulling me down to lie beside him on Stardust, who flew us from my tree home to soar through the chilly morning air towards our mysterious destination. Darius hooked his arms beneath his head and glanced at me with a mischievous grin.

“I hope you appreciate the risk I’m taking for you.” He leaned over to whisper in my ear. “I’m not sure I trust your cloud’s flying.”

I giggled and a grin lit his face. His arm looped around my waist to snuggle me against his side, and with a contented sigh I laid my head on his shoulder. I wasn’t sure where he was taking me or what he wished to discuss, but no matter what it was, I couldn’t imagine anything being as magical as this moment with Darius.

Chapter 24

Darius’s surprise destination turned out to be the Milky Way Pool, a place high in the galaxy between the Nightmare and Dream Realms. It stretched endlessly, surrounding us in frothy hues of pink and midnight swirls floating on top of an intricate sea of stars, whose light fell across me like gentle ocean waves.

Darius helped me off Stardust before she floated off to play moon ball with a nearby group of clouds. He took my hand and led me along the circumference of the pool quite a distance away from the other Weavers, most of whom looked paired. Heat blanketed my skin that Darius had taken me to another romantic destination, even as I felt pleased by the thought.

We paused at the edge of the pool that ran alongside the midnight sky and endless stars. Darius nodded in approval. “Secluded and peaceful. Perfect.”

We settled on the edge and I tentatively copied him and slid my feet inside. It was incredibly soft, making my skin feel as if I was being kissed by clouds.

“You brought me here to talk about something?” I didn’t want to shatter the beautiful spell that had settled over us, but my curiosity as to the reason for Darius’s summons couldn’t be contained a moment longer.

He sighed. “I did.” He twisted around to face me, taking my hand to hold between his. “Did you perform an illegal Weaving for Maci?”

My heart lurched. “How did you know about that?”

“After I left last night’s Weaving, I returned to watch you. I’ve sensed you at each one ever since your suspension, but especially last night; your strong determination made your presence quite palpable.”

I leaned closer. “Can you sense me the way I can sense you?”