Lucy's hand tightened in his. "It's waking up."
The forest outside fell completely still.
No wind.
No birds.
Just breath.
Then, like the moment between heartbeats when everything stills, the child opened its eyes.
They were not blue, not brown, not green. They were all colors. Swirling, shifting, as though the universe itself had been poured into irises no bigger than a thumbnail. The glow expanded, a wave of warmth that washed over them all. And in its wake, something shifted.
Rose gasped and dropped to her knees.
So did Emma.
Lucy bent forward, her eyes wide, her body trembling.
Each of them felt it - deep, primal, electric.
The dreaming moved through them.
Memories of passion, of union, of whispered love in dark corners. Moments of surrender. Of strength. Of laughter. Of tears. Every kiss. Every touch. Every connection.
It had remembered.
It had taken their truths and created something impossible.
