Elara woke as if she'd slept for hours straight—something that rarely happened. After a dreamless sleep, she felt refreshed, though still slightly disoriented. The events of the previous day—the blood bond, the nightmare, Dareth's presence—were too real to be dismissed as a strange dream.
She dressed quickly, this time choosing from her own clothes: a modest cream-colored blouse and black slacks. She pulled her hair into a low bun and used minimal makeup to hide the traces of an unusually long weekend. She didn't put on the sweater Dareth had given her but folded it carefully and placed it in her bag.
By around 9:15, she was standing in front of the house, locking the door behind her, when a familiar dark gray car pulled up to the curb. Dareth was in the driver's seat, his movements prec
