30. Sabre

CHAPTER 30

SAbrE

"Drink," Cage orders me as he shoves a glass of blood into my face.

My nose wrinkles at the unpleasant scent that's sour, wrong, and makes my stomach churn. I shove it away before hanging my head. I'm sitting on the floor, which is a waste of all the stupidly expensive furniture in our guest suite. It's nice to be in a place that isn't paid for in my blood. It's no doubt paid for in someone's blood, just not my own. But I can't enjoy anything when I feel like death.

Blood itself can't sustain me anymore. I came to this dimension in hopes of feeling rejuvenated, but then we found her.

Our Sigil.

Where are you, little one?

It's been days of silence, only to faintly hear our Sigil trying to call out for help.

For Cain .

Not for us.

Who is this asshole, and why is our Sigil so intent on finding him?

We've learned that Cain is the name of a King, one who rules a city of humans where Chicago used to be. This world is reminiscent of the Human Realm we are already familiar with. The landmark locations are similar, but not much else is.

Outside of common knowledge in this dimension, we've learned little else so far. Which makes me anxious to find our Sigil before something goes wrong. I can't shake the sensation that something big is coming.

And it's not good.

The problem is that she hasn't been in this dimension's dream plane since we met.

"No one stays awake for four days," I complain as Cage kneels at my side and places the glass of blood on the floor within reach. If he's hoping I'll change my mind, he's being far too optimistic.

"Our Sigil shouldn't be underestimated," he tells me. "She needed time, so she found a way to stay awake as long as she required." His voice is impossibly calm, and he's keeping it together much better than I am.

That's because he wasn't as weakened when we arrived here, nor is he the one most dependent on our Sigil. I was closest to the throne; therefore, the burden of a Sigil's energy falls hardest to me.

I fed on her nightmares and the power of all the dreams she had begun to absorb. I know the lore of how a Sigil's power works. They are like an endless well, one that is filled with the life force of others lingering around it. A Sigil is activated in the dream plane, and everyone and everything around her experiences the pull to be drawn into her. She is the medium.

But she is also human, which means Strigoi must take the excess before it tears her apart. That's exactly what we had been doing in the dream plane when we found her.

But this dimension is different. The dream plane is more like an entire realm here. It has territory, rivers, and a richness to it that makes it a place all on its own. I need time to learn it, to navigate it, to be able to find my Sigil now lost within it.

And without enough strength, I don't even seem to be able to enter it again. My vision flashes with red as I try and fail, again and again.

I know I need blood. The glass of red liquid taunts me from where Cage had set it, but that's not the kind of blood I need.

I need our Sigil's blood, which means I need to find her body, not just her spirit within a world of dreams.

My lengthy fangs ache, and my entire body screams to finish what we started days ago. The legend of the Sigil speaks of a perfect mate, one who fulfills every need and is just as dependent on her Strigoi as her Strigoi are on her.

Yet, she has avoided us.

Avoided me .

"We need to know if there are more Strigoi in this dimension," I say as I glance up at Cage. His blond hair hangs loosely around his shoulders and glimmers with health offered by the blood he forced down. But his eyes show hunger within. The soft red glow overtakes his quiet blue irises as he struggles with the perpetual sensation of hearing our Sigil's call.

It's too faint to make out much, but I know she's calling for the other entity again.

Cain.

My lover rests a hand on my shoulder, and his fingers are cold to the touch. "Our meeting with the Queen is set for tomorrow. We can ask her our questions about this Cain then."

"Or you can ask them now," says a voice with a British lilt that has me launching to my feet.

The glass of blood shatters and splashes its contents across the white marble floor. A tiny river glittering with shards flows toward a tall man leaning against the doorway.

I hadn't even heard him come in.

And hadn't the door been locked?

The air around him fluctuates and moves as if he's walking through water. It's the first time I've seen dreams literally cling to a living creature. He drips with them, his entire body obscured by splashes of red and sticky tendrils of shadow.

A larger beast lingers over him almost like a separate entity, but it moves when he moves and watches me with the same intensity.

The dark-haired stranger steps inside—uninvited—and the faint aroma of peaches makes my nostrils flare. It's the first pleasant scent I've tasted on the air since…

Since her.

Why does he smell like her?

"Who are you?" Cage asks. Claws extend from his fingertips and the red in his eyes glows brighter. He's drawing on strength that he should be conserving, but I don't chide him for it in front of the stranger.

I already know who he is.

"Cain," I say, but I don't share the snarl and contempt dripping from Cage.

I understand why our Sigil was seeking out this beast now. He's a dream creature, like us.

But he's also something more . He's an anchor in a dimension that has a dream plane so massive that it is its own world entirely.

This is why we couldn't find our Sigil. This is why she needed him.

This is why we need him.

Cage's eyes widen as he glances at me and then back at the Elite City King. "Do you know where our Sigil is?" he asks.

Cain raises a dark brow. "Sigil? You mean Scarlett?" His tongue flicks out to wet his lip as he adjusts his cuff link. "I saw what you two did to her." He eyes me, then grins. "Especially you, with the large fangs. You could have at least learned her name before tasting what's mine."

To anyone else, those words would sound like a threat, but there's a kinship in his eyes.

He's testing me.

"What's ours," I say.

Cain's grin grows. "Yes, ours." The air shifts as he moves again. He approaches me until he comes within reach. He doesn't seem to care that he's walking through the spilled blood as his shoes crunch over the broken glass.

With the kind of power and energy radiating from him, I imagine he's had his share of bloodshed on his feet.

"We can talk more about this mateship arrangement when we find her. Scarlett is in the Dream Realm, calling for me, but I can't go to her. Not without your help." He unfurls his palms and holds out his hands, one to me and one to Cage. "You clearly drink blood for your sustenance, so I suspect mine will top you off. And Helia tells me you are dreamwalkers. So… let's go for a walk ."

Cage and I look at one another. We've been together long enough to have conversations without words.

Cage's chin dips in a light nod. He's willing to take a risk that this King can lead us to our Sigil.

To Scarlett.

Kneeling at Cain's side, I run my fingers over his palm and turn his hand to the side to expose his wrist. Thick veins throb in invitation, and my fangs ache.

I feed on mortals, but that's because mortals are the ones who are most connected to the world of dreams. Creativity and ambition is practically inscribed in their DNA.

This beast… he is a master of dreams.

When I sink my canines into his skin, the burst of power that burns my throat makes me groan. I latch on and take a long pull, drawing the life force into my mouth.

So fucking good.

Cage does the same, and I sense his presence in a trio of power.

Something snaps the moment we're all together. Cain throws his head back, and an inhuman growl rumbles through the room.

The shattered glass seems to duplicate and expand over the floor until we're standing on a broken mirror.

I look down at my bloodthirsty reflection, only to feel the world spin and change.

And then we're in the Dream Realm.

And falling into a place of blood, of tears, and of endless suffering.

This must not be how portal travel is supposed to work in the Dream Realm, because Cain growls a single word.

"Fuck."