A low laugh. “You are smart to be cautious.”

Silence then. The wisp hovers, waiting. It makes me wonder where he will go when I leave this plane again.

“Where were you before I was Awakened?”

“I rest in Camelot.”

“Merlin sent you to Camelot?”

“Merlin sent me to my dreams.”

I consider this. Sigh. Damnit. “What is the bargain?”

“Summon me, so that I may show you how to control my power. If you do this, I will bring you to memories of Lancelot so that you may visit his heir.”

I shouldn’t be surprised. Arthur made clear that he wants me to willingly come to him. And I made clear that I’d never risk letting him in again. Now that he has something that I want—access to Nick—he’s going to wield it. What choice do I have? I need to see Nick again if I’m going to get him to tell me where he is.

But this offer is tempting for other reasons too; Arthur claims his power can help me stop death. Raw need pulses through me at the very thought. A desire so deep it feels shameful.

I raise my chin. “Fine. I will summon you, but on one condition: you will not possess me again unless I consent. Got that?”

“I understand. And I am glad of your decision.”

“I’m not.” I think back to the blood walk, to Arthur’s supposed first lesson. “What was I supposed to learn from that memory anyway?”

He chuckles. “That dragons are fiercely loyal, and never forget what was taken from us. That eventually, we decide to protect what is ours… and burn the rest.”

And then the old king is gone.

But even as I fly back to myself, I still feel Nick—across memory, across time and space, across life and death.

23

MY SKIN TINGLES. Like sunlight mid-burn. I jerk awake.

“It’s me.”

Sel’s low voice reaches me from across the cabin, and the sensation disappears. He must have been looking at me.

“Oh.” My voice is a rasp in the dark. Rough enough from sleep that, for a moment, it reminds me of Arthur’s baritone. I shudder, and cough to clear my throat.

The safety lights are on, bathing the space in muted yellow along the center aisle. The engine hums beneath us, vibrating gently against the soles of my feet. My body feels drained and weak, like I haven’t slept at all.

But one thought appears bright in my mind: I just saw Nick. I spoke to him. Kissed him. My fingertips graze my lips, remembering the feel and pressure of his. The small thrill is quickly smothered by the memory of the vision that followed.

If I want to see Nick again, I have to summon Arthur.