Her heart skipped a beat. She was waking? Finally?

It was all that she’d wanted. But now . . . there was too much more that needed to be said. She wasn’t ready to say farewell to Alexius. Not yet. The thought of it made her heart ache.

“How will I see you again? Will you visit my regular dreams?”

“Yes.” Alexius stepped closer to her and took her hands in his, his expression tense. “There is so much I want to tell you. That I . . . need to tell you, even if I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”

So real—he felt so real. Warm skin, strong hands. He smelled of spices—exotic and entirely unforgettable.

“So speak now, quickly—tell me what you need to say. Don’t keep me waiting.”

“Do you trust me, princess?”

“I can’t think of a single reason why I should,” she whispered, locking gazes with him.

He raised an eyebrow. “Not a single reason?”

She almost smiled. “These secrets. They’re secrets about me. Am I right?”

He nodded once.

“I need to know what the prophecy really said about my magic. All I know is that it said I was to become a sorceress, one able to channel all four parts of elementia.”

“Yes, it did say that. And you can.”

Frustration welled within her. “But for what purpose? I can work some magic, but I don’t want to.”

His grip on her hands tightened. “There’s more to Eva’s prophecy—a part that is most important. Most guarded.”

“Tell me.”

“That you will be the one to free us from this prison and reunite us with the Kindred.” He glanced toward the crystal city, a wary look on his handsome face. “That you will save us all from destruction.”

She searched his eyes. “What do you mean by destruction?”

He shook his head. “Without the Kindred in our possession, the magic that existed here a thousand years ago has been fading away little by little. When it’s gone, elementia is gone. Not just in the Sanctuary, but in all the world. All life is created from the magic of the elements. And without that magic, there is nothing left. So you see, princess? You are the key to our future—to everyone’s future.”

She shook her head. “That’s impossible. I don’t know how to do that. You think I can help save the world?”

His expression grew troubled. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you this. Not yet. She’ll be angry with me, but—but you have a right to know.”

“Who are you speaking about? Your friend Phaedra? The one who interrupted us before?”

He shook his head. “No. Someone else. Tell no one of what I’ve said to you, princess. And trust no one—no one—not even those you feel are worthy of your trust.

“Alexius . . .” His expression was so full of anguish, so full of passion . . . and all of it seemed to be directed at her.

“I wasn’t supposed to feel anything for you,” he whispered, drawing her closer. She couldn’t look away from him. “When I watched you from afar, I had that distance. That objectivity. I lack that now.”

Lucia could barely breathe as she watched him, her skin heating where he touched her.

“You have become very important to me,” he continued haltingly, “more important than I dare admit even to myself. I never understood how an immortal could fall in love with a mortal. It wasn’t logical. I thought them fools to give up eternity for a handful of years in the mortal world with the one who held their heart captive. I don’t think that anymore. There are some mortals who are worth sacrificing eternity for.”

The fire in her cheeks went forgotten. She found she was stepping closer, so close, to him.

“I should never visit your dreams again,” he said, pain crossing his face. “There are dangers ahead that you cannot fathom. But, no . . . there must be other ways to get what is needed. And if there are, I will find them. I swear this to you.”

She had no idea what he was talking about now, only that he had admitted that he was falling in love with her. Hadn’t he? “Yes, you should visit my dreams. You can’t leave me now. You’re important to me too, Alexius. I—I need you in my life.”

That anguish remained in his dark silver eyes. So incredibly intense. So filled with the answers she needed to questions that she hadn’t even asked. And then he cupped her face in his hands and bent to brush his lips against hers.

Perhaps he’d meant it as a chaste kiss, but it quickly became anything but. His hands slid down to her waist and he crushed her against him, deepening the kiss. She touched his face, his chin, and slid her fingers into his hair. He tasted like nectar, spiced honey . . . sweet and addictive. She wanted more. Her hands moved to the ties of his shirt, pulling them free to bare his chest. He had a mark, a glowing swirl of gold, over his heart. “What is this?”

“A sign of what I am.”

So beautiful. He was so beautiful that she never wanted to wake up. She wanted to be with him forever.

“I love you, Alexius,” she whispered against his lips. He tensed at her words and she very nearly regretted letting them escape, but then his mouth was on hers again, hard and demanding, stealing both her breath and her heart. . . .

And then darkness spread across the meadow, obliterating it from view and sweeping Alexius away from her.

A cry caught in her throat.

Lucia slowly opened her eyes to find herself in a large, canopied bed, under soft, white silk sheets. Her gaze was fixed upon a flickering candle on her bedside table.