Chapter 48

Long after Jasce falls asleep,I lie awake next to him, thinking about that haunting dream. Even climbing on top of Jasce and trying to forget didn't erase the memory from my thoughts. His heated kisses only provided a temporary respite before the scenes returned.

I sit up and wrap my arms around myself, seeing that cursed pool of water, watching helplessly as it pulled me under. I still hear my screams as pain ripped through me.

It had been so real, so vivid. Even now, my heart pounds against my chest, and my skin aches, as if thousands of daggers stab me over and over. I rub my arms, trying to warm them, but the bone-deep chill remains.

My pulse roars in my ears as I turn to observe Jasce sleeping next to me, oblivious to my torment. He hadn't been there in that watery hell with me. I had ran and ran after I climbed from the pool, frantically searching for him, calling his name, but I couldn't find him anywhere.

Dread knots in my chest as I climb from the bed and move to sit near the window. Even the moon is absent tonight, hiding behind a thick veil of clouds.

I have had plenty of nightmares over the summers, but this one was different. It had felt so real, as if I was there, thrashing in that icy pool.

It's not real. It's not real.

I mutter those words beneath my breath as I lie down next to Jasce and slide across the mattress until my back is against him. His heat instantly warms me and eases my worries enough for me to drift to sleep.