I opened my mouth to ask what he’d done when the sight in front of me changed. Then again, and again, and again. The images changed too fast for me to process fully. I saw a lot yet nothing at all at the same time. A beach with a cliff. A cave. A wooden cabin in a forest. The ocean. A beach shack.

I sighed. “Hit me again,” I whispered.

Red lightning lit up my chest. When the light faded, I found myself standing in the middle of a forest. It was breathtakingly beautiful, with trees towering over my head like skyscrapers. The light moving through the trees was a faint blue color and little fireflies swirled through the air. I looked down and found myself wearing a long, red satin gown that grazed the grassy path. My hair whipped around my elbows. It was quite a few inches longer than I actually wore it but was the right shade of bright-pink. It was incredible. I’d never been anywhere like this and now I didn’t want to leave. Perhaps that was the danger they’d spoken of.

Darkness spread between two trees and I smiled. Everest. He emerged from the dark looking radiant and perfect in all white. Seeing him in just a button-down shirt that was unbuttoned a few at the top and rolled up to his elbows made me squirm a little.

Those white and blue eyes narrowed on me as he stepped onto the trail where I stood. “What are you doing, Francelina? This is not safe.”

I pointed to Myrtle’s diadem on my forehead. “She told me. And I’ll leave quickly, but my mind . . . it is . . . unsettled . . . when unconscious.”

The harshness in his eyes faded away instantly. His whole face softened. He reached up and brushed his fingers across my cheek. “Do not fight it. Do not try to dissect it. If I can help you, I will, but you do not come looking for me in here. I will find you.”

My eyes watered against my will like little traitors. “I needed to see you. I need you out of here.”

He cringed and cupped my face in his hands, the warmth in his touch chasing away what was left of that chill. He smelled like cinnamon, and it made my mouth water. “I cannot leave yet. My secret must remain. And you cannot come for me—in reality or in dream.”

“I know, I know, I just . . .” I miss you, but I didn’t say that out loud. “Everest . . .”

He brushed his thumb over my bottom lip. I leaned into his touch. “Cooper and Deacon can monitor your dreams, if you’d like, but the answer you seek will only reveal itself when it is time.”