Des'Tai: Book Two

106: Faye

Tossing and turning, I found myself too excited to fall asleep. I'd been rolling around in Mallory's bed for over an hour, willing myself to pass out. And then my brain would start wandering, and I'd realized I wasn't actively trying to doze off.

"Dammit!" I shouted as I sat up, punching my fists into the soft mattress beneath me. Kicking off the weighted blanket Mallory insisted helped her sleep better, I flopped back down. Maybe I was too warm under the damn thing?

I couldn't say it was Mal's decor that had me uncomfortable despite the many eyes I felt were on me. My best friend had an affinity for dragons, and her entire room was littered with them. She had a giant dragon tapestry hung on one of the walls, the opposite wall having a large bay window. On each side of the window, however, was an identical set of framed pictures of Cherry Blossom Trees and a dragon draped around the trunk. I'd given them to her as a gift many years ago. Above her bed was a shelf full of dragon figurines, some that were dark and menacing while others were majestic and beautiful.

Thank Goddess dragons weren't real. I'd read enough Siofrian folklore to know it was a complete myth.

Rolling onto my side, I tapped my phone and noticed it was now after 12:30 in the morning, which meant it was close to 4:30 on Siofra. Why did they have to be four hours ahead?! And why did Ty have to be such an early riser? If I did fall asleep in the next half hour, it's close to five in the morning there. He'd most likely wake up within the hour—stupid internal clocks and whatnot.

Taking a deep breath, I shifted onto my stomach and tried to get as comfortable as possible by keeping only my feet under the black blanket, which also had a dragon in flight on it. Maybe the dragons were the problem? I'd slept in Mal's bed more times than I could count, and I'd never had this problem before.

I knew why I couldn't sleep, and it was because I was so eager to see him, touch him. I could already hear the sound of Ty's voice, the way he said 'my Faye' when he stroked his knuckles down the side of my face. I could nearly smell the intoxicating scent of his skin and the comfort I felt just being in his presence.

The longer I continued to allow thoughts of Ty to absorb into my thoughts, the heavier my eyelids became. Rather than focusing just on the things I loved about him, if I thought about the man himself, the easier sleep came.

The sudden onslaught of the dream world we'd shared from the night before engulfed me, and I found myself inside the white room, a dense fog surrounding me. Something was different about tonight, though. I could sense Ty, but the room surrounding me wasn't coming into focus the way it had the night before. It was like he was just out of reach.

I tried to call out to him, but my voice struggled to escape my lips. As I attempted to move forward towards his energy, something shifted, and I found myself standing in front of a large room full of people wearing the loudest and most obnoxious clothing I'd ever seen. Everyone was dressed to the nines from their footwear all to the headpieces they wrapped in their hair. Men and women alike wore make-up and jewelry as if they were attending a formal ball.

I found myself being forced to sit, and a glance down showed I was wearing a flowy gown designed in a swirling gold and silver pattern. Although I couldn't see it, I could feel my hair was pulled up high on my head.

"Enjoy your meal, darling," a deep voice whispered in my ear, sending a shudder down my spine. Glancing to my right, I swallowed hard at the man sitting next to me. King Oren blinked up at me; his soulless baby blues stared deep into mine. He was an attractive man with angular features. His pale skin nearly glowed against the darkness of his perfectly styled obsidian-colored hair. His crown glinted in the light and looked far too heavy for his head. I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe. "Everyone is watching us." Although his voice was soft, almost gentle, Oren's eyes gave him away. They were cold and calculating.

Glancing out into the crowd, I searched for my Mate. How was I seeing this so clearly? Was Ty dreaming? I tried to force myself to stand, but I wasn't in control of my own body. I felt anchored in place. I could feel my heart pounding inside my chest. My hands were cold and clammy as I picked up a flute and took a drink. There was no taste, and I realized I was just going through the motions of what someone else had done.

"Pay attention, my love," Oren's smooth voice made my skin crawl.

'Ty, where are you?'

'Faye?'

He could hear me. He was here.

Oren suddenly stood as he clinked a wine flute with a butter knife, the ringing so loud in my ears I cringed.

'Wake up, my Faye! Wake up!'

The urgency in Ty's voice was panicked; he was shouting. Raising my head in search of him, my eyes locked onto a pair of jade orbs that nearly glowed before a mess of bright red hair came into view. I'd know that woman anywhere, and yet I was frozen in place. Eva. I had the urge to run, to scream, to...cry? However, I simply sat quietly in my seat. Oren had been talking, but I couldn't quite lock on to what he was saying.

'Ty quit dreaming. Focus. This isn't real, baby. I'm on Earth, not in Seran.' I was pleading with him in my mind as he continued to shout for me to wake up.

I could feel my body getting tense, and I told myself I needed to wake up. The fear lacing my Mate's voice was frightening, so I tried to force myself awake.

I became aware Oren was no longer standing beside me but was behind me as his voice hit the back of my head. He was angry, his words forced.

"What do I do to those who do not stand with me?!"

I felt something brush against my neck as my head was pulled back. Glancing down, I noticed my dress was absorbing something bright red. Reaching up, I touched my neck and was shocked to find it was hot and wet and sticky. Was I bleeding?

Recognition took hold, and I stood up quickly. I wasn't in pain, but the screaming of women around me had me panicking. As the multitude of bodies scattered around the room, I searched for Ty. His presence was so strong it had me feeling weak in the knees.

'Ty, this is not real! I'm not hurt! This is just a dream!'

My eyes met two bright silver orbs in the far corner of the room just as movement beneath my dress grabbed my attention. Glancing down, I gripped my stomach, which suddenly felt hollow and empty.

"I'll see you in hell, Katinar," Oren's menacing voice captured my attention before the room around me faded away and I shot up straight out of Mallory's bed on a scream. Stumbling and tripping on something, I fell to the ground. Scrambling back to my feet, I launched at the wall and flipped the switch on.

Mallory's bedroom came into focus as light flooded the room, making me squint. I was shaking and out of breath. What the hell had just happened?

My phone suddenly lit up and began vibrating wildly on the bedside table. I dashed across the bed and swiped the screen without seeing who the caller was.

"Artie?!"

I was met with a few beats of silence before my Mother's voice hit my ears, "Faye Lynn? Your sister is in labor, would you like your father to come pick you up? Sofia is asking for you."