*Zara*
As soon as I opened my eyes, I knew sothing wasn’t right. I sat up, looking around and squinting into the darkness that surrounded .
I wasn’t in my bedroom. I had sohow ended up in the middle of a field with tall, green grass. The breeze was sohow strong and gentle at the sa ti as it caused the blades to sway ominously.
I searched the area, trying to figure out what I was doing in the middle of a field at night. I was sitting beside a river and for a mont, I stared at the reflection of the night sky that shimred on the surface of the water. I let out a sharp gasp.
Sothing was glowing on my back, just barely visible above the top of my thin white nightgown. I turned so that my back was fully facing the river, watching over my shoulder as the sigils on my back burned brightly. My dress fell, revealing the entire markings, which looked warped and disfigured, the swirls turning into angular jagged lines.
I could only stare as panic and fear welled up inside of . I started to writhe, desperate to get the terrifying marks off . Maybe I could go into the water to extinguish the bright light, I thought. Before I could move, the bright markings suddenly burst into flas.
I scread, the fire scorching my skin imdiately, but I could no longer move. I tried to throw my body into the river, but it was as if my whole body was frozen despite the hot flas licking my skin.
I gasped violently as I opened my eyes again. This ti, I awoke in the room I shared with Noah. I flew from the bed and made a mad dash for the full-length mirror across from . I lifted my nightgown in a rush, to see nothing but my smooth bare back.
My heart was still hamring wildly as I forced myself to take deep, calming breaths. It had been nothing but a nightmare... a vivid, unsettling nightmare.
I was trembling but definitely not from the cold as I crossed the room to the clear door leading out to the balcony. I pushed the royal blue drapes to the side, gazing out at the sunrise that bathed the lands of Drogomor in a golden light.
It was a gorgeous sight, but I couldn’t even enjoy it as the terrifying images from my dreams refused to leave my mind. It caused desperation to build up within to understand their aning.
It had been several days since my mother had told about the nightmares that plagued as an infant. I was still wrapping my head around the fact that a dream dancer in Winter Forest had been the one who placed the sigils on my back.
They had been put there as a protective charm of sorts, a soothing symbol to help sleep peacefully as a baby. Ironically, they seed to be having the opposite effect now that I was an adult.
I blew out a breath and looked toward the now-empty bed. Noah, as he had been doing for the past several days now, had once again left extrely early, no doubt to avoid yet again. I shivered slightly in my thin nightgown, wrapping my arms around myself, longing for soone to hold and comfort as I recovered from the night terror.
Questions filled my mind. Could it be possible that sohow, the sigils might also be interfering with my mate bond with Noah? An even more horrible thought struck at that mont. What if the markings etched onto my skin sohow affected the baby?
I needed to do sothing about it. I had allowed myself to be depressed about Noah’s coldness toward long enough. It had been too easy to just bury myself in my Luna studies instead of facing this problem head-on. It was tempting to just convince myself that since the sigils have been on practically my whole life, I could continue to ignore them.
This wasn’t just about anymore, I realized as my hands dropped to the bump beneath my nightgown. I couldn’t afford to be selfish anymore.
I had to find answers, and I was certain that the mystical dream dancer living deep in the northern Winter Forest would be the one to provide with them.
I dressed quickly in a simple mint green gown with lace on the hem and sleeves before making my way down to one of the offices. I was less likely to be bothered there. If I stayed in our bedroom, a maid could walk in searching for , and it would only cause alarm if I locked that door to make the call.
After a couple of rings, a kind female voice answered. “Hello?”
“Hi, my na is Zara Star,” I said to the receiver. “May I speak with Sasha Black?”
“Hi, Zara. I’m so sorry, she’s not in right now,” the woman on the other line said. “This is her daughter, Willow. My mother is often away on business. I would be happy to pass along a ssage to her though.”
“Oh,” I said, not at all prepared for that response. “Yes, thank you. I really need to speak with your mother about the sigils she placed on my back when I was a baby. I just wanted so information regarding the nature of them and stuff like that. I’d be happy to call back later as well though.”
There was silence on the other end.
I felt my face crumple with confusion. “Hello?”
I heard Willow suck in a sharp breath on the other line. “Sorry, I think there has been so kind of mistake.” Her voice was no longer friendly and suddenly had a sharp edge to it.
My lips thinned. “I’m sorry?”
“My mother is no longer dream dancing,” she said, and it sounded like the woman was speaking through her teeth. “I’m afraid I must ask you not to call here again.”
“Wait, it’s really vital that I—”
I cursed under my breath when I was t with the tell-tale beep that signaled she had hung up on .
The strange phone call did nothing but cause even more panic to flow through . Willow had reacted as if the mysterious dream dancer had sothing to hide. I wondered if Sasha would have agreed to speak to if she was the one who had answered the phone... or if her daughter was being truthful when she said that her mother was no longer dream dancing.
Several more questions passed through my head, but above all of them was the matter of what I was supposed to do now. It was crucial for to contact this dream dancer as soon as possible to get answers.
I needed to do it before the baby ca, in case he or she could possibly be affected by my strange body. I doubted that trying to call again wouldn’t be a good idea. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Willow answered all of the calls from here on out to ensure that her mother didn’t talk to .
I would have to go in person.
The next question was whether or not I should tell Noah or not.
My first instinct was no, it probably wouldn’t make a difference whether I told him or not. I was getting the strong impression that he no longer cared about and if that was in fact the case, he wasn’t going to care.
Still, this was his child that could possibly be in danger. Perhaps telling him was the right thing to do.
I was at a loss, so decided to call my mother and get her opinion.
“I understand your concern about the sigils,” Mother said in her lodic, understanding voice once I had explained the situation. “And I also understand why you think Noah might deserve to voice his opinion on the matter.”
“I thought so at first,” I mumbled with exasperation. “But he’s been so cold and distant lately. Luna Estrella has been encouraging to just focus on myself and on nurturing the baby. She told not to bother concerning myself with Noah, but I still feel like maybe telling him is still the right thing to do.”
“I’m sorry that the two of you have hit sothing of a rut in your relationship,” Mother said, and from her tone, I knew she was comparing the situation to her relationship with my father. “But don’t lose hope, Sweetheart. This does concern Noah as well since the baby is his. He has a right to know, even though I am almost completely positive that the sigils are harmless. Even just the slightest threat to the baby should be brought to the attention of both parents.”
I winced, wishing that she wasn’t right and knowing that I couldn’t contradict her particular line of thinking. As much as I feared being rejected by Noah once again, it was becoming more and more apparent that I needed to finally face him.
It had been too easy to give him all the bla and point out that he was the one actively avoiding . I had to face the fact that I had so control in the situation. If I had wanted to confront him, I would have found a way. I had been too busy playing the victim.
That had to end today.
“Zara?” my mother said suddenly, breaking out of my internal debate.
“Yes?” I asked, my tone apologetic.
My mother was quiet for a mont. “Just rember what I told you about your father and ,” she said in a soft voice. “I don’t want you to misunderstand. You have a wonderful and useful gift that I know has already brought many couples great happiness and will continue to do so, but you must also trust in yourself to make choices in your relationship.”
I looked down at the desk in front of as I digested that. “Thank you, Mother,” I said after a mont. “Thank you for continuing to guide even though I am no longer a child. I really appreciate both you and Father.”
“We’ll always be there for you,” my mother said, her voice breaking slightly with emotion. “We’re very proud of you, Zara. Please take care of yourself.”
“I will,” I said. “You and Father take care of yourselves as well.”
I set the phone back in its cradle and hung my head in defeat for a mont.
I couldn’t hide anymore, but I wasn’t going to make myself completely vulnerable in this situation either. I had to go see this dream dancer no matter what, and I wasn’t going to risk ruining my chances.
I would test the waters, I decided. If Noah chose to co around and go back to being civil with , we could figure out what to do together.
If he didn’t, I would have no choice but to put an end to this fake marriage and figure things out on my own.
I sat on our bed later that night, my legs over the edge as I waited up for Noah for the first ti in a long ti.
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