The scene that I had just witnessed in River’s dream… It should’ve been one of the most ecstatic moments of my life. But it had been nothing but torture. Like someone twisting a screwdriver through my heart.

And it came like a splash of ice-cold water. Experiencing that scene so vividly, as if it had actually been happening, had sent my mind and emotions into a tailspin.

Meeting River’s friends and relatives. The ring. Being engaged to River. It was everything that would never happen. A moment that River and I would never share.

A glimpse of a life that we would never lead.

For Christ’s sake, I’m a ghost. A damned-to-hell ghost.

I could never be with River. I would never be with River. Dreams like that were nothing but a torment for the both of us. When I’d first walked into the dream, the scene had appeared to be a regular family reunion, and if River had not spotted me, I doubted that it would’ve taken the turn that it had. I guessed that her fantasy would have revolved more around having her father present—presumably out of jail—and all of her family sitting together around one table. It was only my deciding to intercept her dream that caused it to morph into something torturous.

I gazed at River’s face, which now bore a clear expression of disappointment. Disappointment that I’d abandoned her, no doubt. Maybe she even took my leaving as a rejection.

I found myself drifting out of her cabin and into the empty corridor. Sitting on the floor, I stared unfocused at the opposite wall.

I didn’t know what would ultimately become of me—I didn’t possess the emotional fortitude to think of it right now—but there was one thing I knew for certain: I had to stop haunting River’s dreams. It was utterly selfish. I had to limit myself to only entering her dreams if there was something that I urgently needed to communicate to her. And even then, I couldn’t give in to the urge to turn it into a love scene by kissing or embracing her. In fact, I ought to refrain even from touching her.

In the meantime, I would keep my promise.

I would stay with River for as long as she needed me. And, with all that I had, I would fight to bring her back to safety.

Sofia

When the dragons, Aiden, Derek and I returned to the island, it seemed that Amaya’s spell of sleep had worn off everyone. We spotted crowds of people walking about in a daze, bewildered as to what had just happened. Apparently Amaya’s spell hadn’t been strong enough to persist for long—just long enough for them to swipe Derek, Aiden and me from The Shade.

I yelled for Corrine and Ibrahim as I spotted them.

“Sofia? Derek? What’s happening?” Corrine asked, rushing toward us with Ibrahim.

I explained what had transpired before drawing their attention to Jeriad, who needed urgent medical attention. Corrine hurried to his side. The shifter was still groaning in agony, one hand clamped over his injured eye. I feared Amaya’s curse might have sunk past his eyeball and penetrated the inside of his head. I prayed that Corrine would be able to fix him and he wouldn’t become permanently blinded.

Jeriad was in so much pain, he appeared to be bordering on unconsciousness. Corrine and Ibrahim looped their arms through his and supported his weight. They were about to turn their backs on us and head to the Sanctuary—by foot of course, for even in his injured state he’d be mortally offended if they transported him by magic—when the shifter grunted, “The girl. Where is she?”

Everyone froze.

“Girl?” I asked. “What girl?”

At first I thought that he might simply want Sylvia, his human lover, by his side, but then he replied, “Benjamin’s girl. River.”

“What about her?” I breathed.

He winced, clenching his jaw as though it was a struggle just to speak. “She was riding on my back. In all the commotion, I think she must have slipped.”

Goosebumps ran along my skin. I locked eyes with Derek.

Oh, no. No, no, no. Not River!

“Where exactly do you think she fell?” I asked, rushing up to Jeriad and gripping his shoulders, momentarily forgetting he was in pain.

He shook his head, frowning deeply. “I-I do not know. Everything happened so fast and our hides are so thick, we can hardly feel what’s on us and what isn’t.” He drew in a deep breath. “It’s hard to pinpoint the moment that she slipped off during the struggle.”

“We must return and search for her!” I exclaimed, my voice shaking in panic. I hadn’t even known River for long, but after all she’d done to help my son, I’d developed a strong maternal attachment for her.

“You need to recover,” Corrine said firmly, even as her brown eyes filled with fear. It was true that I was still feeling weak from the sun, but my skin wasn’t that bad. I would heal. Right now, my mind was in too much of a frenzy over River. I had wondered how the dragons had known to come. Had she been the one who’d instigated their arrival? Maybe she’d had another strange, prophetic dream. The thought only crushed me further. She risked her life to help us, and we left her behind.

As Corrine vanished, leaving Jeriad with Ibrahim, I prayed that she would find River still floating somewhere in the waves near the cluster of rocks, unnoticed by both Jeramiah and the hunters. Because it was possible that either of them could have taken her.

“I hope Corrine will find River before we have to tell Nadia what happened,” I murmured.

Ibrahim continued with Jeriad toward the Sanctuary, and we followed—except my father. He backed away from us, avoiding eye contact. “I’ll heal on my own,” he said, his voice hoarse.