Savannah turned and curled into my side, gripping my one hand tight enough with both of hers to leave a bruise, and yet not tight enough at all. “They need to sleep. And we both need to sleep too.”

I shook my head. “How am I supposed to sleep after what just happened with Frankie? After a dreamwalk like that?”

She dropped my hand and crawled up to lie across my chest, her ear right over my still racing heart. Her arms curled under me to grip my shoulders. “We’re just gonna close our eyes and try⁠—”

“Just close our eyes?”

“Ma’am, we gon’ fake it ‘til we make it. ‘Cause those dreams won’t le’me’lone otherwise.” She craned her neck back to look down at me. “Go on. Close ‘em.”

That made me chuckle, so I listened. I wrapped my arms around her, pinning her to my bare chest, and closed my eyes . . . praying I saw nothing but sweet darkness.

Everina Dream Mien

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

FRANKIE

I ducked and rolled but Jackson anticipated my move and swept my legs out from under me the second I got upright. My back hit the mat with a thud, knocking the breath from my lungs for a second. But I didn’t let that slow me down, I threw my hands up and pushed my magic out. Jackson twirled his falchion sword in a fancy move I’d never seen and caught my magic on his blade before tossing it to the wall.

The fact that Tenn thought I was on Jackson Lancaster’s level for combat was by far the greatest compliment I’d ever received. Sure, I was a trained fighter, but most of my skill came in the form of controlled rage and power. Lancaster had skills. He had finesse. I now desperately wanted to watch him battle it out with Tenn because what a show that had to be. No one was the kind of fighter Tenn was, but he was next level. The grandson of the archangel of war. He had angel wings for Goddess’ sake. It wasn’t actually a fair comparison. But Jackson? He was a mortal legend, and I was fairly certain he was younger than me. Dude had skills upon skills. If this were a video game, Jackson would be the big final boss you had to defeat before you faced off with Tenn to win the game.

And I was having the time of my life today.

I cackled and leapt to my feet. The second I was upright, I charged for him. We parried back and forth across the mat, my sais against his daggers. The sweat beading on his forehead sent pride soaring through me. I ducked under his swing, then did a jump swing to bring my elbows down on his back—a move I’d learned from him a few minutes prior.