Chapter 3

Strong hands gripped my shoulders, shaking me gently. "Sawyer, Sawyer, wake up." Justice's voice was urgent but soothing, cutting through the haze of my nightmare.

My eyes fluttered open, and I stared into Justice's concerned gaze. His brows furrowed, and his eyes searched mine for signs of distress.

With a gentle touch, he brushed a stray hair off my sweat-slicked cheek. "You're having a nightmare. You're safe. I promise." His words were a comforting balm, but the lingering terror of the dream still clutched my heart, and my tattoo wouldn't stop burning.

I nodded numbly, my throat tight and sore as my breath came in short, ragged gasps. I tried to speak, but no words came out.

Around us, the passengers frowned or cast curious glances in our direction, their expressions ranging from concern to annoyance at the disturbance.

Damon leaned over the back of my seat, his eyes wide with worry. "What the hell's happening? What did you do to my sister?" he demanded.

Justice glanced up at him, his hand still resting reassuringly on my shoulder. "Nothing. She had a nightmare," he explained in a calm, measured tone.

The stewardess rushed over to us, her heels clicking on the aisle floor. "Is there a problem?" she asked in a pleasant tone, but her disapproving look suggested otherwise.

"We're fine." Justice gripped my trembling hand. His voice was sharper than usual.

She gave me a firm look. "Please don't do it again."

Justice cast her one of his handsome smiles. "Could you bring us a shot of whiskey and some water?"

"Of course." She looked at him dreamily before she cast me another disapproving glare. I scowled at her as she headed back to her station, my blood boiling. Did she think I wanted to have a fucking nightmare?

"Wait, what's that on your throat?" Justice's voice was laced with concern as he gently moved my hair away from my neck, his fingers brushing my skin.

I cleared my dry throat, wincing at the raw sensation. "What?" My voice came out strangled as if the demons still had their fingers wrapped around me, squeezing the life from me.

Justice's eyes widened, his face paling. "You have red fingerprints around your throat. Were you strangled in your dream?"

A cold sweat broke out across my body, and I stiffened in my seat, my heart pounding against my ribs. I got hurt in my nightmare? That wasn't good. At all. My mind raced, trying to make sense of the impossible. How could a dream leave marks on my body? That had never happened to me before.

I rubbed my sweaty forehead. "Shit, I feel like I just stepped out of Freddy Krueger's Nightmare Circus."

"Tell me what happened," Justice urged.

Damon and Lisa leaned over the back of our seats to listen. I quickly told them about the dream.

The stewardess returned with a tiny bottle of whiskey, annoyance flickering in her eyes as she handed it to me. I didn't normally drink whiskey, preferring wine, beer, or vodka, but I didn't hesitate to take a shot from the small bottle. It burned my throat, the warmth spreading through my chest and belly, but it stopped me from shaking like a frightened little girl.

I felt Justice's worried gaze on me, and Damon's hand rested reassuringly on my shoulder from behind. The other passengers had mostly lost interest in my little drama, returning to their books, screens, and conversations. The whiskey dulled the sharp edges of my fear, but it couldn't erase the memory of those phantom fingers around my throat or the unsettling realization that my nightmare had somehow followed me into the waking world.

"There's one good thing about all this." Justice took the empty bottle from me.

I swallowed the water as fast as I could. "What could possibly be good about this?"

Damon's lips twisted into a smirk, but his gaze was steel. "Maci's scared," he stated simply. "You don't go marking people and making threats unless you're scared. Scared of what we can do, scared of losing. This shadow dragon has power, sure, but she's throwing everything she's got because she knows we're onto her. We're a threat."

He gave my shoulder another quick squeeze. "And you know what we do to things that are scared and cornered? We push back harder. They make mistakes when they're scared. Maci's no different. She's desperate, which means we've got her right where we want her."

Justice nodded. "I believe he's right."

Damian's gaze softened slightly. "Thanks for the endorsement, fang. Maci's damn right to be scared because she's not dealing with any old group of hunters. She's up against people who've got nothing left to lose and everything to fight for. That's us. So let's use that. Let's turn her fear against her."

His exuberant confidence failed to boost mine. He hadn't seen the hatred and determination in her dark eyes. They were almost black.

Lisa gave me a sympathetic look, but she didn't say a word.

The captain turned on the seatbelt sign, and the stewardess headed over to us as if she were the playground monitor, ready to scold us again. As Damon and Lisa took their seats, the stewardess slowed and checked the other passengers.

I settled into my seat again, trying not to worry like a nervous, expectant mother, but the dream gripped me like a second skin.

Justice patted my thigh. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I managed, my voice sounding unconvincing even to my own ears.

Lightning flashed outside the window, bathing the plane's wings in an eerie white glow, followed by a low rumble of thunder that seemed to vibrate through the cabin. The plane jostled again, and I gasped, my heart leaping into my throat.

Around me, a few passengers murmured nervously, their eyes wide with concern. I couldn't shake the feeling that Maci had something to do with the sudden storm, a manifestation of her dark power reaching out to torment me again.

"You're safe," Justice murmured.

I frowned and glanced at him. "What?"

His eyes were intense. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

Thunder crashed outside, and I jumped.

He glanced out my window and clutched my shaking hand as rain pelted against the window. "Or even a little lightning." He draped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close.

I should have pulled back, but he was warm and strong and smelled so damn good. My heart raced at his proximity, and I leaned into his touch, craving the comfort and security he offered.

For the rest of the trip, I didn't have any more bad dreams, nor did anything happen on the plane. Justice had become a shield against the dark forces threatening to tear me and the people I loved apart.

The captain announced we were approaching Edinburgh International Airport, and a sense of relief settled over me, my tense muscles slowly unwinding. We were here, and Maci hadn't cut open the plane like a can opener or had her demons rip us to shreds. Yet, as I allowed myself this brief moment of respite, I knew our journey was far from over.

The real battle was only beginning, and I couldn't shake the feeling Maci's nightmare realm was closer than ever, waiting for us in the misty streets of Edinburgh.

Justice removed his arm from around my shoulders, and I immediately missed his warmth, the sense of safety and comfort his touch provided.

"Are you ready for what lies ahead?" His eyes searched mine for any sign of hesitation or fear.

I drew a deep breath, squaring my shoulders and meeting his gaze with a determined nod. "As ready as I'll ever be. We've come too far to turn back now."

"You won't be alone, and I won't let anything happen to you." Justice's quiet conviction made me want to believe him.

I turned away and stared out the window to get my first glimpse of Scotland, my heart racing with anticipation and trepidation.

As the plane descended through the early morning mist, the rugged Scottish Highlands emerged from the swirling clouds, a vast expanse of untamed wilderness stretching out before us. The landscape was a patchwork of deep valleys, craggy peaks, and sprawling moors, each feature sculpted by centuries of wind, rain, and ice.

The mist clung to the hillsides like a ghostly shroud, obscuring ancient ruins and hidden glens beneath its veil. It was a land steeped in history and legend, where every stone seemed to whisper tales of brave warriors, tragic love stories, and supernatural beings that roamed the wild, untamed reaches.

As we drew closer to the earth, I noticed the glint of lochs nestled among the hills, their still, dark water mirroring the leaden sky above. Thick forests of pine and oak hugged the shorelines, their branches reaching out like gnarled fingers as if trying to grasp the secrets of the past.

"Every time I come here, Scotland is shrouded with mystery and danger. Just once, I'd like to come here without the weight of the world on my shoulders," Justice murmured, his gaze distant and shoulders slumping as if bearing an invisible burden.

I wanted to place my hand on his arm, offering a silent gesture of support and understanding, but I wasn't ready to share the secrets of my heart. Not yet. I promised myself that if we got through this together, we would return and pretend hunters, demons, dragons, and even vampires didn't exist. I'd make him forget his troubles any way I could.

I shifted my thoughts to the landscape spread out before me. Its haunting, almost otherworldly beauty took my breath away, but beneath its serene exterior, I sensed an undercurrent of danger and mystery. In the Scottish Highlands, the boundary between the natural and the supernatural seemed to blur.

As the plane banked to the left, something red and black caught my eye, a fleeting shape that vanished into the mist as quickly as it had appeared. Right on schedule, my rose tattoo started to burn as if to warn me. Danger, danger. I blinked, my heart racing as I pressed my face closer to the window, trying to catch another glimpse of the phantom figure. I wasn't sure if it was real or a trick of my imagination, but I swore it had been a dragon, its leathery wings spread wide as it soared through the clouds.

"Did you see that?" I whispered urgently to Justice.

He frowned, his gaze scanning the sky. "See what?"

I shook my head, my blood turning ice cold. "I thought… I thought I saw Maci. She's expecting us, and we have to be ready for anything."

Justice nodded grimly, his jaw clenched. "We will be, Sawyer."