SNEAK PEEK

Flames surround me, but for some reason they don’t burn. I don’t quite understand why I’m here, but I feel something beckoning me, drawing me further and further in until I see him.

He sits on a throne made of skulls and stares down at me with a look of boredom. He’s so familiar but so different at the same time.

Unable to quite believe what I’m seeing, I move slightly closer, only to find that a strong force doesn’t allow me to go near him.

"Zane?" I whisper, trying to make sense of what is happening. "That’s you, isn’t it?"

It had already been two years since his disappearance, but I never truly accepted that he was gone. I mean, how could he be when there wasn’t even a body to bury? Or any sort of feeling toward his existence vanishing from this world—wouldn't I be able to feel it given the fact he wore my mark?

This was why I held onto hope no matter the amount of time that passed, even when others continuously told me to let go. And now here he was in front of me, but where exactly was he?

"Zane?" I repeat, attempting to reach out only to stop as what feels almost like an electrical current rushes through me. "Why?"

He doesn’t respond as he continues to examine me, and when the silence becomes too much, a woman, clad in all red with long black hair, strolls forward.

As she moves, her amused red eyes stay locked on me.

"Who are you?" I hiss, keeping my gaze locked on her until she was standing behind Zane. "Get away from him!"

"Who are you to tell me what I can or can’t do with my king?"

To make a point, the woman runs her hands along Zane’s chest, dipping them beneath the black shirt he wears so that they can rub along his skin. And as I stand here watching, a look of pleasure crosses Zane’s face, and his eyes roll into the back of his head before his head is tilting back and her lips are pressing against his.

"Zane!" I snarl, realizing that she had to have some sort of control over him. "How could you…"

I don’t get to finish the rest of my words before I’m shooting up in bed, finding that I’m alone, and what I just witnessed was nothing more than a dream. The same damn dream that had been haunting me since Zane’s disappearance.

It was driving me mad, but anytime I tried to tell the giant or even that cold-faced Blaine that I felt it was Zane trying to contact me, they wouldn’t listen.

However, this was the first time that woman appeared. Did that mean that she was attempting to interfere in Zane’s attempt to let me know that he was alive and needed help?

I didn’t know, but I was going to find out.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I hope you enjoyed this little snippet from Alexandria’s upcoming story. Please feel free to follow any of my socials @eliza.selmer.author for updates on the book's release and name reveal.