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I close my eyes and place my hand on hers.

“I’m so sorry. I wish I could have saved you…. You were my sister….. I love you.”

A tear rolls down my cheek as I open my eyes.

Amara isn’t the one in the casket. It’s me. I’m naked. Everyone sees me.

I stumble back, looking at myself lying dead in the casket. My heart races in my chest. No. No…..It’s not me… it can’t be me.

I turn to bolt out of the funeral home, but I am stopped. My parents block the exit.

My father looks at me with a sad expression, “We told you this would end badly.”

My heart races through my chest as I jump up.

It was just a nightmare. I feel my skin and pull at my hair. The sting is there. I’m alive.

I close the book and set it aside. I must have been sleeping for a while. The clouds have rolled in, and it looks like it could storm.

I turn off the heaters and grab my stuff, heading back inside.

What the Hell kind of nightmare was that? I’ve never seen myself in a nightmare before. It was eerie—the image of my pale. sunken in skin, lying stiff in the coffin, flash inside my head. Unease settles deep in my stomach.

I slam the door shut. I toss my blanket down on the couch and my book on the table. I turn around to get some water and jump when I run into Dante.

“Hey. Is everything okay?”

I don’t realize I’m shaking. The nightmare has me feeling out of sorts.

I nod, taking in a shaky breath.

He eyes me up and down and steps to the side, letting me pass him. I grab the water from the fridge and take a long gulp. I place my hands flat on the island, trying to calm my upset stomach.

“Are you sure your good?”

He stands behind me and snaking his hands around my waist. The way his body molds to mine makes me melt.You aren’t the only one he holds in this way.

My stomach turns at the thought.

“I talked to Lucien.”

I push off the island to face him.

“He convinced Astra to let you come over.”

Tears prick my eyes.He cares. No, she cares.

“O-okay..”

“I can take you to her.”

I nod.

Seeing Astra would alleviate some of the pain, at least temporarily.

* * *

Dante pulls up to the front of Astra’s house and ushers me to the door. I am greeted with the smell of lavender when I walk through the door. Lavender was Amara’s favorite scent.