and prepare her for the kind of control necessary to visualize and build her own astral place. To be honest, sitting with her in the growing sunshine, meditating with her, coaching her through mindfulness—hell, this is the stuff dreams are made of.
I learned meditation as a teenager, when the stress of my past became too much to handle on my own. I needed something to chill out my mind, calm my fears, and ease the anxiety I still had over my time being held captive and tortured by the witches. I was just a kid when it happened, but the older I got, the harder it became to deal.
Meditation helped, more than I think I ever expected it to.
It’s nice, passing on my own methods to Sable. It’s nice to have someone to sit here and just be with, and it’s even better that the one I’m with is my mate. My favorite person in the whole damn world.
After she feels ready, we move on to the next part, most of which I can’t help her with.
“Do you know much about visualization?” I ask her.
“I know what it is, but not exactly how to do it,” she tells me, wrinkling her nose a little.
I take my time and consider my words, trying to figure out how best to describe it. Visualization was part of my studies in meditation, but I’ve always thought it’s one of those things that’s easier to do than to explain.
Finally, I settle on saying, “Close your eyes and imagine Ridge’s living room couch.”
She raises an eyebrow, a small smile dancing on her face, but she follows my instructions. Her hands are resting comfortably in her lap, and her expression is the calmest I’ve seen it in weeks. She takes several deep breaths, letting each flow in and out slowly and smoothly.
“Okay,” she confirms after a moment. “I’m thinking about it.”
“Picture it entirely,” I tell her. “From every angle. There’s stuffing coming out of one corner, and a patch on the left arm that’s a different color than the rest. The corduroy almost looks striped, doesn’t it? Some lines darker, some lines lighter, depending on the angle.”
Sable nods as I speak, and I can see her eyes moving behind her eyelids. Better yet, magic is rising beneath the scars on her body, which I take to mean she’s got a handle on the visualization.
“Can you see it?” I ask her. “Can you see the room around it? Can you smell the woodsmoke from Ridge’s fireplace?”
She nods again, smiling. “I can. It’s like I’m there.”
“Good. You just visualized his couch,” I say with a grin. “So now, you have to take that same method and build. Create something new, specifically inside the astral realm.”
Sable opens her eyes, and there’s a touch of worry in the tightening of her brow.
“You can do this,” I assure her.
“Right. I can do this,” she agrees, though she doesn’t really sound like she means it.
The sun rises higher in the sky. I drain my now-lukewarm coffee and polish off another cinnamon roll while I watch Sable work. Perspiration beads at her hairline, and every so often, her face screws up like she’s concentrating extra hard.
I don’t know how to help her with this part any more than I already have. I can be here and give her encouragement, but ultimately, it’s up to Sable to build her astral realm.
Around eleven, I hear her stomach growl with hunger and decide she needs a break. She’s pale and sweaty, looking as if she just ran a marathon.
“Sable.” I speak her name gently, careful not to startle her out of her trance-like state.
After a short pause, she lifts her chin slightly, eyes still closed. “Hmm?”
“I think we should break for a while. Give you a chance to recuperate. We can get back at it this afternoon.”
“Okay. Let me just…” She goes silent for another few minutes, and then finally, opens her eyes. “I want to see if I can go back there. Just really quickly.”
“Be careful. Don’t overdo it,” I warn her as she closes her eyes again.
A few moments later, a grin spreads over her face, and her eyes pop open. Excitement gleams in their blue depths, tentative but palpable.
“I did it. I went back! It wasn’t perfect, but it’s a good start.”
I smile back at her, pride welling in my chest. “Hell, yeah, it is.”
For the next several days, as battle plans commence, Sable and I continue working. By the end of the first