**Aria’s POV**
"Aria? Aria, look at me. Breathe."
A cold, sharp needle pierced through the dream.
I felt a sudden, icy rush through my veins, a liquid fire that chased the violet haze out of my limbs. My lungs opened with a violent gasp, the air of the real world hitting my throat like glass.
The voice was deep, a low rumble that vibrated against the base of my skull.
I opened my eyes, but the room tilted dangerously. The ceiling of my room blurred, the familiar mahogany beams spinning until I felt a hand—l, warm, large, and trembling, cup the side of my face.
"That’s it. Stay with me," the voice commanded.
My vision finally snapped into focus. Noah was hovering over me. He looked like a man who had crawled out of the wreckage of a collapsed building. His dark hair was disheveled,
