Page 17 of Visions of You

Jaron looked up at her then, his eyes wide with surprise. He fingered the soft yarn of the scarf, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He didn't mention that dragon shifters never got cold, so the scarf was unnecessary. Instead, he wrapped it more tightly around himself like the precious gift it was.

"Thank you," he said softly.

Malkira patted his shoulder. "You're welcome, child. Remember, never let other people define your worth."

Jaron nodded, his smile growing wider. He stood up, clutching the scarf close to his chest. "I won't forget," he promised.

He took the scarf home and awarded it pride of place in his growing hoard of yarn.

The next vision, finally, showed him something that hadn't happened yet. He saw himself and Jaron walking together through a moonlit park. The details were hazy, as they always were in visions of the future, but Keegan could feel the warmth and affection radiating from himself towards the dragon shifter.

They were talking, their lips moving. Keegan couldn't make out the words they spoke, but he could see the way their hands were intertwined, fingers laced together in easy intimacy.

As they walked, Jaron reached into a bag he carried and pulled out a familiar blue scarf—the same one Malkira had given him all those years ago. With a tender smile, he wrapped it around Keegan's neck, his fingers brushing against the vampire's skin in a feather-light caress.

Keegan smiled and leaned in, pressing a soft, gentle kiss to Jaron's lips. The dragon shifter's arms came up to encircle him, holding him close as they lost themselves in the moment.

Keegan gasped as the visions shifted once more, this time flooding his mind with an endless array of possible futures. In each one, he saw himself and Jaron together, their lives intertwined as if there was no other way for them to be.

The different possibilities blurred together, one bleeding into the next like watercolors on a canvas.

In one, they were curled up together on a couch, Jaron's head resting on Keegan's chest as they watched a movie. Keegan's fingers were tangled in Jaron's hair, idly playing with the soft strands as they laughed at something on the screen.

Another vision showed them in a kitchen, Jaron wearing an apron and covered in flour as he attempted to bake a cake for his younger sibling who'd come to live with them. Keegan was perched on the counter, watching with an amused grin as Jaron cursed under his breath and tried to salvage the disaster.

The next moment, Keegan saw them both dressed to the nines in suits that had clearly been tailored to fit them perfectly. They were dancing together, their bodies moving in perfect sync as if they'd been doing this for years. Jaron dipped Keegan low, then pulled him back up and spun him out before tugging him close again.

Yet another glimpse revealed a quiet moment, the two of them sitting on a beach, Jaron's head on Keegan's shoulder as they watched the water roll toward them in lazy waves, their hands clasped together.

There were other visions too, of walks in the park, lazy Sunday evenings in bed, curled up together reading or talking or simply enjoying each other's company.

He saw birthdays and anniversaries, laughter-filled game nights with their friends.

Snapshots of a life Keegan had never dared to imagine for himself.

As the visions began to fade, Keegan found himself on the carpeted floor of his room, staring up at his ceiling. The taste of dragon blood lingered on his tongue while his head was swimming, his body tingling as if he'd been plugged into a high-voltage wire.

Reality felt unbearably cold without his mate by his side.

That was what Jaron was, undeniably.

The missing piece of his soul, the partner fate had intended for him, but…

Keegan blinked, struggling to clear his head as he sat up.

But how could those visions come to pass if Jaron was going to kill him?

Keegan reached for his powers, but he was drained. He couldn't check if he'd missed any potential thread in his future thatdidn'tlead to his demise at Jaron's hands, but it had to exist. It had to.

How else could he have seen what he'd seen just now?

Was it possible that all of those visions would come truebeforeJaron inevitably killed him?

Keegan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The future he'd seen…

He wanted it.

But was it worth dying for?