I lay in the darkness of my bedroom, eyes closed, every ounce of concentration focused on one thought: Kaelen. I pictured his face—those piercing green eyes, the strong jaw that tensed when he was worried about me, the rare smile that made my heart skip. I imagined our forest, the place where we'd met in dreams before, where we could be ourselves without the complications of the real world.
"Kaelen," I whispered again, more desperately this time. "Please hear me."
Minutes passed—or maybe it was hours—before I felt the strange, weightless sensation of slipping into a dream. When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the familiar clearing. Tall pines surrounded me, their branches swaying gently in a breeze I could barely feel. Wildflowers dotted the ground, and moonlight bathed everything in silver.
But I was alone.
My heart sank. Had it not worked? I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling vulnerable in my thin nightgown.
