Welcome to the Empire. Where the Prophecy is law, and betrayal is the only way to survive it.
*****
Two thousand years ago, the Prophecy of Fire and Light foretold the coming of the...
Alex's head began pounding once again, as if the very mention of Reylor made her blood rush, but she wrenched her hand out of his, her rage rising.
If Treyan sensed her discomfort, he didn't show any signs as he continued to press his point. "This is beyond you hearing him in your apartment—you're acting like you've seen him before. Like you've met him." He peered at her a moment longer. "As if you're scared of him."
His voice was harsh, panicked, and urgent, and she took a defensive step away. He said don't tell him her dreams, but did that involve not discussing those she saw in them as well? "No, I've never met him," she finally admitted once she found her voice.
"But you have seen him." Not a question.
"I don't know if I've seen him, in person, per say, but—"
Treyan cut her off. "Where?"
Alex knew her response was going to sound ridiculous any way she spun it, so she shrugged it off. "It could have been during that dream I had last night..."
Without warning, Treyan grabbed her arms tightly above the elbow, and pushed her back against the nearby wall. His blue eyes raged as she felt the stone of the wall dig into her back before she could attempt to maneuver out of his strong grasp.
"Was it Reylor in your dreams?" he inquired through clenched teeth.
She swallowed and cleared her throat and bared her teeth. "You just told me not to tell anyone my dreams," she snapped, not appreciating his force or tone.
His hands held her tighter. "Let go," she ordered.
Instead of acknowledging her request, he shook her as if in an attempt to regain her attention on the subject at hand.
"This isn't a game, Alex," he growled. "I need you to answer me. Was Reylor in your dreams?"
"I'm not playing a game, Treyan," she hissed as she once again struggled against his grasp. "Let go of me. Now."
He wasn't having any of it. The fire in his eyes would have engulfed her if she let it. His face was close to hers now, his grip still tight on her arms with an almost inhuman-like strength that she knew she wouldn't be able to break no matter how hard she tried.
But she still tried.
"You need to show me," he finally demanded.
"What? Show you my dream? And how the hell do you expect me to do that?"
Growling, he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead on hers. Despite appreciating his touch in the past, she flinched away this time. This wasn't the Treyan she had come to know, and she wasn't certain she truly knew him at all. But being this close to him, she could inhale his clove and spice scent, and feel his deep breathing brushing against her face, as though he was trying to calm himself.
Perhaps he's finally realizing how much of a prick he's being, she thought as she attempted to remove herself from his grip. "Treyan—"
Just when she thought his tirade was over and she considered letting her guard down, as soon as his name escaped her lips, his eyes flew open and locked on hers.
"I'm sorry."
"What for?" she asked carefully.
With his head against hers, he brought his hands up to hold the sides of her head, and once again she heard him mutter those damn, foreign words that sent her tumbling into the uncontrolled darkness.
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