I shot upright with a sharp gasp, clutching my head. The pain was so sharp, so blinding, it felt like someone was splitting my skull open from the inside.
My breaths came fast, uneven, my chest rising and falling like I’d just sprinted for miles.
“What the hell was that?” I whispered, my voice shaking as I pressed my palms against my temples. “What kind of dream was that?”
Dream. That’s what it had to be. Right?
But it didn’t feel like one. Every detail was too vivid – the stars overhead, the warmth of Braxton’s hand brushing mine, the way his voice wrapped around me like it was meant to stay. And that confession… me telling him about Ryzon. My chest ached like it had actually happened, like the words had been ripped out of me for real.
My stomach twisted. No. It was just a dream. A
