Chapter 41

When I next open my eyes, I’m half unsurprised to see that it’s the golden–leafed birch forest.

I groan a little, covering my face with my hands even as excitement runs through me. Because – I mean – I’m only here because I want to be, right? The dream state only appears if you call for it, call for your mate to meet you here.

Right! My wolf shouts. He’s coming too!

“Oh no oh no,” I murmur, dragging my hands down my face and looking around for him. I mean, it’s all getting very real now-

Luca is clearly figuring out that something is up with these dreams

And the way he put his hand on my calf tonight? And subtly mentioned dreams, watching me as he did?

God damn it, but we are getting into some tricky territory.

“Hello?” his voice rings through the forest. “Shrimp, are you here?”

My wolf gives several happy yips of excitement as I put my hands on my hips, looking down at my nightgown, my hair falling over my shoulders.

You can end it if you want toooo, my wolf says, her voice sing–song. But you don’t

want too00.

“God damn it,” I growl to myself, but when I lift my head I’m laughing a little too.

Because I really, really do not want to end this dream.

And so instead I will my clothes to change, my nightgown shifting into the black pants and top of an Academy cadet, my hair tucking itself away under the standard black cap – which is optional for cadets, but which I will never be without.

And then I step out from behind my tree and into the clearing. “Over here, Grant,” I shout, my voice a little tired.

I see him immediately as he spins around, his eyes catching on me at once in the clearing. He smirks as he starts to walk over to me. “What is this place,” he says, and I can tell he’s a little bit thrilled to be here too, which makes me smile. My

I mean, at least he’s happy to see me. “I never, ever have a dream about the same person in the same location.”

“Really?” I ask, crossing my arms and cocking my head to the side, watching him look all around at the beautiful trees, the strange ambient lighting that seems to have no source, the fog that floats around at the edges and by our feet. “Where do you usually dream about me?”

“Usually like, on Mars or in the Roman Empire –” he stops suddenly and turns his face back to mine. “Nicely done, Shrimp. Maybe you’ll make a good little spy after all.”

I laugh and wrinkle my nose at him, unable to help it.

“So,” he murmurs, taking a step closer to me. “Is there anything to do here? Or do we just…hang out?”

“There is no here,” I say with a sigh, looking up into his gorgeous face, “so, we can’t

brown really expect there to be anything to do.” I letting myself stare into his warm eyes, tightening my arms around each other so that I resist each and every urge to touch him.

“Well, I can think of something,” Luca murmurs, taking another step closer and reaching out a hand towards my arm –

“Luca!” I gasp, flinching away.

“What!?” he says, laughing and closing the distance. “Seriously, Shrimp – you’re a figment of my imagination – why on earth are you playing hard to get!?”

I grit my teeth at him, glaring a little. “I’m not playing, Luca – I just genuinely think it’s a bad idea!”

“How could it be a bad idea!?” he laughs at me again and reaches out both hands. this time, placing them on my upper arms, his fingers wrapping around the back and slowly sliding down towards my elbows. “Honestly, it’s just an experiment – I have got to figure out what this bizarre attraction to you is

–

“Well,” I say quietly, my stomach filled suddenly with butterflies as those sparkles suddenly appear in the air – the embodiment of the…whatever it is between us that happens when we touch. “What if it’s not an experiment?”

“How could it not be?” he murmurs, pulling me a little closer – and, damn it, but I

let him. I can’t not – god, it’s just too hard to resist. I can smell him, and the closeness of him, the warmth of him

It’s just too damn much, and I’m weak with wanting him, being the only one putting up any barriers here.

“Luca,” I sigh, letting myself lean into him just a little bit, looking up at him with wide eyes as one of his arms slips around my back. “What if it’s not a dream? What if it’s real?”

“You know I kept thinking all night?” he murmurs, ignoring my words and tightening his arms around me until I’m pressed warmly to his chest, my head. bending back on my neck so that I can look up at him.

Despite myself, my hands unclench, one pressing flat against the soft cotton of his hoodie, the other finding its way to a spot on his waist, my fingers curling into the fabric there. And I can’t help it, I give in. “What were you thinking about all night, Luca?” I breathe, my voice lower than it usually is.

“About how to get you away from your god damn cousins,” he murmurs, smirking down at me, his hand brushing again over my cap like it did this afternoon after I’d entered the doors to the academy, though this time his palm drifts down the back of my neck, making me shiver. “How to like, get you to come see my room you alone for ten fucking seconds

“Luca,” I say, laughing a little and shaking my head, “and what the hell were going to do if you did?”

get

you

“I don’t know,” he says, grinning and laughing at the ridiculousness of it himself. “I have no idea, Ari – I just can’t stop thinking about you – wanting to touch you, it’s absolutely insane –”

I exhale, guilt roiling through me

Because, I mean, I’m tortured by the impossibility of our connection too least I know what’s going on.

but at

“Luca,” I murmur, shaking my head and dropping my eyes, pulling away a little. “This is –”

“No!” he protests, his hands tightening, pulling me back. “God, Ari, if I only get you in this weird dream, at least let me try to figure this out —“

And then he dips his head, bringing his face so close to mine I can feel his breath against my skin clearly intent on –

“No!” I shriek, shoving him hard and ducking out of his arms, stumbling away.

“Ari!” he shouts, frustrated and stepping towards me. “What the hell is going on!?”

“You stay right there!” I shout back, pointing a finger at him and continuing to step backwards as he advances.

“No!”

“Do it!” I snap, but then I bang into a tree and curse, lifting a hand to the back of my head where it smacked into the trunk. “God damn it, that hurt –”

“See!?” Luca protests, closing the distance and coming close enough that there’s barely any space between us again, pressing a hand against the tree and leaning over me. “This place – it’s weird. Like, why can I feel this tree – why did it hurt you!? And if you really are a figment of my subconscious, why the hell won’t you do what I want you to do!?”

“Because I’m real, Luca!” I shout, my head aching a little bit adding to my

frustration and making me blurt out the truth. “This is all real! This is actually me – Ari! I’m not part of your subconscious – I’m in this dream too!”

Luca freezes for a second and then he laughs at me, taking a step back and crossing his arms. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious,” I growl, still rubbing at my head and glaring back at the tree, which I’d swear wasn’t there earlier. “It’s a subconscious state for both of us. So, I don’t think you should…do what you were going to do…”

I blush furiously, unable to even say the word kiss.

He smirks at me, shaking his head.

“Because!” I continue, glaring up at him. “It would be exactly the same as if you did

it in real life!”

“All shit my subconscious would say,” Luca says with a smug shrug, “if it was trying to convince me not to kiss a boy because I’m straight.”

And then he leans in, and I press myself back against the tree with a deep inhale of .noveldrama