Chapter 50

Luca freezes for a moment before scowling at me and dropping his hand from my shirt, crossing his arms over his chest before he sinks back into the couch cushions, glowering.

“No!” I say, throwing myself over the arm of the couch and stumbling my way to the door, my face still pale from my shock. “Um, sorry it’s good to see you, Jackson! I’m glad you could come.”

I hear footsteps behind me and turn to see Ben and Rafe coming over. Luca, perhaps predictably, stays on the couch, though he’s moved to lean against the far arm of it so that he can watch the goings–on at the door, his arms still crossed.

“You’ve got a really nice setup here,” Jackson says, his eyebrows raised as he looks around the room.

“Thank you,” Rafe responds, reaching out a hand. I see the corner of Jackson’s mouth twitch upwards at Rafe’s relative warmth as he shakes my brother’s hand. But it’s gone in a flash. “Where is your room located?” Rafe asks.

“I’m closer to this guy,” he says, nodding to Ben.

“Really?” Ben asks, surprised.

“I’m four doors down,” Jackson says, leaning against our doorway. Ben looks even more surprised now, perhaps wondering if Jackson is just very perceptive? Or if he, Ben, hasn’t been perceptive enough..

“You’re letting a draft in,” Luca calls from his place on the couch. “Maybe it’s time. to shut the door.”

A little shocked, I glare at him over my shoulder, because the door has been open for hours. “Would you like to come in?” I say to Jackson, gesturing towards the room. “We don’t have any food left, but…”

“That’s okay,” Jackson says, nodding at me and pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “I just came to give you a copy of my schedule. Maybe you could tell me a time, tomorrow, when we could meet for the homework?”

“Come to dinner tomorrow,” Rafe offers instantly. “Ari really doesn’t leave the room much. He’ll be here all night. I’m sure you can find a quiet space to work.”

I turn slowly to glare at my brother, but sigh when he just glares back. He is definitely not going to let me go galivanting around in the castle alone with my

mate.

“Yes, Jackson,” I say, taking the schedule from his hands anyway. “Please, come for

dinner.”

“All right,” he says slowly, frowning as he looks between Rafe and me, probably wondering about our weird over–protective cousin relationship. “See you tomorrow, then.”

“Bye!” Luca shouts from behind us, his word harsh and obviously making I clear that he wants Jackson gone now.

I roll my eyes, but keep my focus on Jackson. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for this,” I hold up the now–useless schedule in my hand.

“You’re welcome,” he says, nodding to me before moving away. I smirk a little as he goes, thinking he needs to work a bit on his pleasant good–byes.

Rafe doesn’t say anything as he moves away from the door, heading back to the center of the room and gesturing for Ben. But Ben pauses, frowning at Luca.

“Why are you so rude to him?” he asks. “What did he ever do to you?”

“Dude’s got bad vibes,” Luca says, scowling. “I don’t trust him.”

“You’re the one with bad vibes tonight,” Ben says, frowning at Luca, whose jaw drops open, probably surprised that Ben – who he could take out with a single punch – is calling him out for bad behavior. But I just sigh as Ben walks away to go work with Rafe more.

I settle in on the couch across from Luca and glare at him a little.

“Ben’s right, you know,” I say, keeping my voice soft. “You have been in a mood all day, and you’ve been taking it out on everyone else. Get your shit together.”

“Get my “Luca sputters, leaning forward to glare at me. “Get my shit together!? Are you kidding me, Ari!?”

My scowl deepens as I narrow my eyes. “This is weird for me too, you know!” I hiss leaning forward, admitting for the first time in person – however tacitly that the dream state really is real.

Luca groans and presses his eyes shut, gritting his teeth, his whole body going tense. I kick him, glancing over the edge of the couch at where Rafe slowly has Ben go through the gestures of a cross– body punch.

“I am serious!” I whisper–hiss. “We cannot have this conversation here! This is not public information!”

Luca’s eyes fly open, instantly glaring at me. “Fine,” he snaps. “Then we are having this conversation tonight. And I would suggest that you have a great deal of chamomile tea very soon, because I am not going to wait around for you in that boring–ass fog forest for hours while you do your best to stay awake and avoid this conversation –”

I sit up a little, surprised. “Wait, so,” I hesitate now, trying to figure out the meaning behind his words, “you can go there and like, hang around? Even before I get there?”

“Yes, Shrimp!” he snaps, grabbing one of the pillows and throwing at me. I gasp a little as it hits me right in the chest. “And it’s really boring! There is nothing to do there except wait! It sucks!”

I scowl at him, hugging the pillow to my chest. “Fine,” I growl, glaring at him. “I’ll go to bed.”

“Good!” he almost shouts, forgetting himself a little as he jumps off the couch and storms for the door. “So will I!”

The door slams as Luca leaves and I gape after him for a moment before slowly turning back to Ben and Rafe, who stare at me.

“Seriously,” Rafe says, glancing over towards the door. “What the hell is going on with you two?”

“He’s just tired,” I mutter, sighing and pushing myself up off the couch as well. I grab my Chemistry textbook off the coffee table and take it with me towards my nook. “And so am I. I’m going to bed. Sleep tight, guys.”

They murmur their goodnights as I swing my velvet curtain shut and flop onto my bed in despair, burying my face into my pillow.

“Whoa,” I hear Jesse’s voice say out in the room as the bathroom door creeks open. “Where did everyone go?”

Predictably, it takes me forever to fall asleep, not least because Jesse, Ben, and Rafe stay up for a while, talking softly. I get changed into the pajamas that Daphne thoughtfully packed into my uniform box and re–braid my hair once it’s dry, but it’s the Chemistry book, in the end, which really does the trick.

It’s not that it’s not interesting – it’s just that I’ve had such a long day, and the workout Jesse put me through, combined with the minute details of the periodic. table…

My eyes are flickering shut before I know it.

And almost immediately after that…

I raise my eyelids again to blink in the soft light of the birch forest, looking around at the pretty yellow leaves flickering in the wind.

I sigh, wrapping my arms around myself, steeling myself for the hard conversation that’s going to come next. Because I know I owe him an explanation, but god, it would have just been so much easier if –

“Shrimp!” Luca’s voice rings out through the grove, and my eyes go wide to hear the anger still lacing it. “I know you’re here, I can feel it!”

I curse to myself and then gasp as he appears between the trees, striding towards me. I press my eyes shut, willing my clothes to change, my hair to tuck itself up under the cap –

I give little shriek when I feel hands wrap around my upper arms, giving me a shake. But when I open my eyes and look down, I’m relieved to see Luca’s fingers wrapped around the sleeves of my black uniform, not the white nightdress I always wear when I first appear here.

“Talk!” Luca demands, glaring down at me. “Now!”

“Would you stop being so rough with me!?” I snap, shaking myself free of his grip and taking a step back from him. “You’re bigger than me, Luca! It’s bullshit to use that to try to intimidate me

“Are you seriously going to try to talk to me about what is fair right now, Ari?” he spits out, stepping closer to loom over me. “After all of the shit you pulled with this

– this dream!?”

07號

“Hey!” I shout, whipping my finger up into his face, “I, too, was pulled into this dream without knowing what it was, and I also did not know at first that it was real!

So-”

“But you definitely knew before I did!” Luca snaps, grabbing my arm and hauling me closer. And you should have told me! Immediately!”

“I did!” I insist, staring up at him.

“Not until after you let me confess all sorts of weird shit!” he shouts, flinging hist arms out to the side in exasperation. “God, seriously, Shrimp, do you think I would have said half of that shit to you if I had known that you were actually hearing it!?” noveldrama

“Which is why,” I say through clenched teeth, crossing my arms. “I told you it was real, and then decided to never meet you here again!”

“What, like that’s your choice alone!?” he gasps, staring at me. “Do you have control over this place?”

do you

I spread my hands wide and, some instinct prodding me, will flowers to grow. Delicate little snowbells push themselves out of the earth, unfurling themselves from green leaves to hang their little white heads all around us.

Luca gasps, his eyes going as wide as saucers as he looks around.

“Can you do that?” I ask, my voice going softer now.

Luca looks up at my face and stares at me for a long moment before he, too, spreads his hands wide.

Nothing happens.

“What….are you trying to do?” I ask quietly.

“I’m trying to make…daffodils…” he murmurs, looking around. But none appear. I sigh, shaking my head as he looks up at me again. “So this is…your dream,” he says, picking up on things now.

I nod. “I think so.”

“And you pulled me into it,” he continues, studying my face as he takes a step closer.

I shrug, a little embarrassed, but admitting it because….well, I certainly can’t blame him for it. Dream states come from the female wolf, we invite our mates into it, but we’re in charge.

“So,” he continues softly, and a pulse of shock runs through me as I feel Luca’s hands on my cheeks, turning my face up to him. “Do you…not want me to do this?”

And before I can stop him, he lowers his lips to mine.