Her breathing stuttered, but she didn’t pull away. “It was a dream,” he said firmly. “Not a prophecy. Not a vision. Just a dream.”
“But what if it wasn’t?” she choked out. “What if that’s the truth underneath all this? What if the Council was right, and I’m not just a threat, I’m the end?” Riven leaned in, his forehead resting against hers. “You’re not,” he said. “I don’t care what you saw. You’re not that.” Mae trembled harder. Her hands were clenched in the blanket like her grip might keep the world from unraveling. “You didn’t see it,” she whispered. “I felt good in it. Like I wanted to. That’s what scared me most.”
Riven’s voice went soft. “That part?” he said. “That’s not power. That’s fear. Your mind’s way of turning every what-if into a weapon against you.” He pulled back just en
