“Leave me alone!” she growled. But before she’d even reached the next row house, Asha had circled around to block her path.

“I will not.” Asha grabbed her arm. Her eyes flared green-gold against the dimly lit narrow street. “Why did you vanish so abruptly? What happened?”

Tanvi stared at her shoes. Her breath ripped out of her, steaming in the chilly air. She thought of the bracelet so she wouldn’t have to think about what she’d just learned.

What she’d heard Asha say. That name. So many things that had no right to be there stuffed Tanvi’s head, getting crammed tighter and tighter until she knew she’d lose it.

“I left Sameer for you!” Asha cried. She shook Tanvi’s arm. “Would you at least do me the courtesy of looking at me?”

The pressure in Tanvi boiled over, and she wrenched away. “I didn’t make you do anything! I came for dreams. You ruined that.”

Asha sighed. “Tanvi, I have no time for this. I am expected back at the palace for my own betrothal party.”

Tanvi almost screamed. Asha, always pushing. Always wanting her way. But she couldn’t make Tanvi think about that name.

She stuck her face in Asha’s. The words tore free, on fire like her breath. “If you want to be stupid enough to chase after some mortal boy when you just got engaged to a prince, that’s your choice. Do what you want. But don’t expect me to blow my chances.”

Then she stalked past Asha, who let her go.

Right now, Tanvi needed to be around another dream runner. To remember what normal was.

Right now, all she wanted to do was forget.

When Tanvi burst onto the stairs in Bhogavati, the gold of the palace walls, dramatic even in the dark, gleamed with an aura of blue-green light. So much light tonight. Too much, showing her all the things she didn’t want to see.

She could’ve slapped herself. She’d lost control and yelled at Asha. But who cared what Asha did? Asha didn’t matter. Nothing but the bracelet did.

Still berating herself, Tanvi skulked toward the dream runners’ private entrance. The guard on duty, the same one from the other night, flashed her a strange look. “Back so soon? It must have been a particularly fruitful mission.”

Tanvi waited for him to wave her through. She just had to get to Jai’s room.

The guard inspected her lowered face. “Show me what you brought.”

Her head jerked slightly. She didn’t have any wares to show him.

“Well?” he asked.

Every bit of her wanted to bolt. She’d let her panic show, a total rookie mistake. All these stupid feelings she wasn’t supposed to have—they were wrecking her life. And now she had to give this guy something before he got too suspicious.

His eyes narrowed. “I told you to show me.”