at my renewed connection to earth. It smelled fresh and sweet, the source a welcome hive of sunshine that warmed my skin.
Beautiful, I thought, twirling in my bed of flowers and inhaling all the fresh scents. It rejuvenated my depleted spirit. Yet I couldn’t recall how or why this rejuvenation was needed.
Strange.
Oh, but the sun! I missed the sun.
I paused. Why do I miss such a vital element of life? I tapped my lip, whirling around a little slower now, trying to determine what felt so off about this place.
It reminded me of something.
A safe place.
A meadow of flowers with a home hidden in a tree.
Shade, I breathed, sighing as violet energy flared around me. Sadness overwhelmed me, a sense of betrayal lurking beneath the waves of energy.
“Aflora…” My name came to me on a breeze, the deep, masculine tones reminding me of a Warrior Blood.
Zeph, I thought, my heart skipping a beat. Oh, yes. Zeph.
But he wasn’t in my meadow. Only his green magic flickered around me, the dark hue reminding me of a forest of evergreens. My lips kicked up at the thought, the scent of his woodsy cologne touching my senses.
I followed the trail created by his masculine presence, searching… searching… searching.
Only, a trickle of purple light gave me pause. Shade.
His minty aftershave swirled around me, beckoning me toward a darker section at the edge of the meadow. I hadn’t noticed it before, the sun having lit up all the corners earlier in the day.
Hmm, something wasn’t quite right about this little nook.
But his presence grew with each step, his shadowy energy seducing my inner fae.
Dark magic.
I curled a cerulean strand around it, testing the tendril of smoke, and smiled as he tugged back.
Come dance with me, little rose, he was saying. Or that was how I interpreted the invitation, anyway.
My bare feet brushed the last hint of sunny grass before I stepped through the dark threshold into Kols’s Academy bedroom.
I blinked, startled by the shift. Then gaped at the three shirtless men in Kols’s bed.
“This must be a dream,” I whispered to myself, noting their chiseled features and gorgeous faces.
Kols with his auburn locks of thick hair and golden irises.
Zeph with his dark strands and forest-green eyes.
And Shade with that perpetual smirk and icy gaze. He sat against the bedpost at the foot of the bed, his legs clad in a pair of black boxers.
Kols and Zeph were against the headboard, the silky sheets low on their hips and leaving a suggestion of nudity below.
I glanced down to find myself similarly dressed in a threadbare tank top and boy shorts, nothing else. My lips twisted in consideration. “I’m usually naked in our dreams.”
“We’re trying not to distract the purpose of this dream,” Zeph said.
“Oh.” I cleared my throat. “Well, you all are…” I waved a hand at their bare chests and cleared my throat again. “Sorry. What’s the purpose of what now?”
Kols chuckled. “I think she’s fine, Zeph.”
“Come here, pixie flower,” my Warrior Blood mate demanded, holding out his arm.
Normally, I’d balk at him, but I really wanted to comply this time. So I shuffled toward the bed and crawled on top of him to steal a much-needed hug. Although, I couldn’t remember why I wanted one. And touching him had my eyes welling up with tears.
I buried my face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his familiar scent, and shuddered against him.
“I don’t think she’s fine at all,” he said, his arms closing around me in an embrace underlined in heat and power.
Safe, I thought. I feel safe here.
Among my mates.
Except, it wasn’t real. This was all in my head, and that caused my heart to ache with a sense of acute loss. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I admitted, swallowing thickly. “I… I… feel… I feel so sad.”
“He’s enchanted her mind,” Shade murmured, his voice low. “I can see the bands of his magic threaded through her thoughts.”
“He?” I repeated. “He who?”
“Zakkai,” Zeph said, palming my cheeks to pull my gaze to his. “He’s taken you to a paradigm. I could feel your pain. Did he hurt you?”
“P-paradigm?” I recognized that term. But I couldn’t define it. Just as I knew Zakkai, yet his description remained just out of reach. “This…” I trailed off, frowning.
Everything was so dreamy and perfect and pretty.
My mates were mostly naked.
Mmm, I wanted to lick them all.
Wait, I thought, shaking my head. That’s not right.
I’d gone from… from something… to… Did they all have to be