“That was actually going into the dream,” Byron told her.

“The person got chewed in going in. Do we chew him up pulling him out?” she asked.

“What I know is that he’s been looking for ways out of the dream for a while now,” Byron said, quiet. “I know it’s eating him alive. And he’s talked about options since that thing happened with the intruder Cradle brought in.”

“He wants this, huh?” I asked.

Byron shrugged. “Think so.”

Chastity nodded, then nodded more forcefully, like she was trying to amp herself up or get herself to the point of agreeing.

“If you don’t want to, we have other options,” I said.

“I told him I’d help him.”

“With his love life.”

“I’ll help him,” Chastity said, definitively now. “And not just to impress the guy in armor with the nice voice.”

“You’re incorrigible,” I told her, as Byron acted momentarily flustered.

“Just who I am,” she said, smiling a little.

Chastity began pulling off the wicked jewelry she had on her right hand. Studded rings and rings with ornate designs. She handed it to Cassie, then shifted position, sitting so her front was to Cassie’s back, Rain lying across Cassie’s lap.

I saw her take a deep breath.

“Move the mask?” she asked. “Just a bit. Let him have his privacy.”

Cassie did, sliding it aside to show only a bit of eye, nose, and mouth, cheek exposed.

The slap wasn’t even that hard. When Chastity pulled her hand back, a pinky fingernail was illuminated.

I checked his pulse.

Was it faster now?

“Okay,” I said. “That’s something of a good sign.”

Chastity worked for a second to get secure behind her friend. “Got me, hon?”

“Yes. Absolutelymont.”

“We’ll work on that,” Chastity said, leaning forward to kiss Cassie on the cheek, before slapping her own cheek with the backs of her fingers.

She swayed, and Cassie caught her as she went limp, and then Rain stirred, with Cassie trying to catch him too. I took over the duties there.

Rain groaned. It wasn’t a fast wake-up.

“Got you,” I told him.

“Pass him here,” Byron said. “Bigger mount. If that’s okay?”

Rachel grunted in the affirmative.

“You’re close,” I noted, as I finished the hand-off of Rain to Byron, then helped secure the blankets around Chastity.

“Yeah,” Cassie said. “Snuggle buddies.”

“You’re—” I motioned between the two girls.

“Buddies. Only buddies. We’d be best friends if we weren’t so far away. But when we get together we can nap on the same couch and it’s the best nap ever. Or we stay up all night bundled up in blankets, trading off between watching her awful shows and watching my stuff while she insults the characters. I never thought I’d have someone like her.”