Tristan turned her head so that her cheek was resting against mine and asked, "Hey, Alex?"

  "Yeah?"

  Her sapphire eyes sparkled in the moonlight. "When we finish the Embermist Keep quest, can we go home?"

  I kissed her cheek. "Isn't that the plan?"

  Hesitating for a moment, she slowly shook her head, then said, "Sorry, no, I meant can we go home, as in to my grove, home?"

  She'd said that she wanted to take us there many times, but she'd never outright given a timeframe. This felt like a big step. "Of course!" I squeezed her tight. "I've always wanted to go there with you." I was a little nervous about meeting her family, especially her asshole cousin, but still. She was always talking about the giant trees and the amazing food. It was totally on the bucket list.

  Letting out a slow breath, she said, "And when we go, would you, uh..." She hesitated. "Will you meet with my moms? And will you ask Vral to do it with you? I, um... I want them to know you two better before we..." Even in the moonlight, her blush was clearly visible.

  It was definitely a step forward. "Of course I will. And you know as well as I do that Vral would never let me leave her out of it." With a laugh, I continued, "I'll make sure to win them over before... You know?" I felt my body warm at the thought.

  "You know?" She asked coyly. "What, exactly, should I know, huh?"

  "I mean..." Before I put a ring on that finger, girl!

  Well, maybe not a ring. She told me a while back that elves didn't do rings. Instead, they did a month-long handfasting ceremony that involved being nude in front of the entire grove, moonbathing, lots of dancing, and what sure sounded a whole lot like having public sex. I hadn't exactly hammered the particulars out about that last part, and maybe I was mistaken, but it sure sounded like that's what it was. I wasn't excited for that part. Not even a little. Maybe we could rehearse first? You know, privately.

  Freaky ass elves.

  Laughing at myself, I asked, "Are my intentions unclear?"

  "Oh, no, those intentions of yours are crystal clear to me." She turned and brushed her lips on mine. "But I sure do love to hear them out loud." Her sapphire eyes sparkled even more. "Words have power, after all."

  Dhurak said the same thing earlier. "They sure do." I leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed away just enough that I couldn't assault her lips.

  Batting her eyes at me, and with a coy smile, she asked, "So what exactly are these intentions of yours, Mister Chosen?"

  With absolutely no hesitation and before I could even think, I asked, "Do you want to spend your life with me?"

  Her smile grew wide, unrestrained. Her eyes filling with tears, she whispered, "I..." She giggled, then, blinking the tears away, her eyes filled with mischief. "Did you think you had a choice?"

  I rolled my eyes. "Okay, Vral."

  "Hey!" Giggling, she wrapped her arms around my neck. "Of course, I'd like to spend my life with you."

  Fuck yeah!

  Wait...

  Did I just get engaged? During a quest, no less? After fighting a wyrm? In the middle of what was probably a haunted swamp? With a whole clan of goblins almost certainly closing in on us as we rested naked on a rock?

  To be fair, all of that was completely on brand for us. "I'm so glad." I leaned in for that kiss, hoping to seal the deal, but before our lips found one another, she pushed away from me.

  "Excuse me!" Turning away and thrusting her chin up, she asked, "Was that surprise and doubt I just felt?!"

  I stared at her for a good ten seconds before I realized what was happening. "Don't you use your roots against me!"

  Looking at me from the side of her eyes, she smirked. "They're our roots, and I'll do whatever I want with them, thank you very much."

  I grabbed her arm and pulled her into me. "Ugh, you're the worst."

  "You love me."

  "With all my heart."

  Settling into my chest, she gestured at her toned, flawless, perfect body and said, "I don't think you're ready for all of this."

  "You don't think so, do you?" I made a point of appreciating all of her lines. Then, with my best grin, I said, "I crossed that bridge a long time ago."

  She smacked my chest.

  In my best high-pitched Tristan voice, I batted my eyes and said, "Oh, Alex! I'm just an innocent little priestess who doesn't know the ways of the world! But ever since you came here, I can't stop what's happening to me! Why, oh why, does seeing your sexy, rippling body make me feel this way? Why am I in your bed again? Well, when you're not around, I really like to sniff your sheets and—"

  "Shush, you!" She tried and failed to cover my mouth with her hand.

  Pulling her hand off, I shot back, "I'm not the one who—"

  "Your sheets smelled like you, and I liked it!" She crossed her arms and pouted. "Now I'm really not sure about this."

  Laughing, I asked, "Do you think I'm not ready to wife you up?" I pulled her tight. "Because you'd be sorely mistaken if that's what you think."

  She thrust her chin up. "After that whole emotional reaction you had a moment ago and that little outburst of yours just now, I'm not so sure."

  I grabbed her waist, picked her up, and pulled her onto my lap.

  Her eyes went wide, then immediately grew heavy. "So hot..."

  Pulling her hips down into mine, I whispered, "If you're having second thoughts, I know quite a few techniques that'll help you change your mind."

  Letting out a soft moan, she breathed, "And what techniques are those?" She bit her lip. "And who helped you learn all these techniques, hmm?"

  "I've had an excellent training partner these past three years. She's kind of the best." I grabbed her firm ass and pulled her hips onto mine. "How about I give you a demonstration?"

  She wrapped her legs around my waist. "I've seen what you can do... You still have some room to grow." Brushing her lips on mine, she whispered, "But I have a few drills in mind that'll help shape you up." Nibbling on my ear, she asked, "Care to run through them with me?"

  "I'd love the training," I whispered as I lowered us both down onto the rock. "Let's make sure to be really thorough tonight, just to be sure that it all sticks."

  "We always are, aren't we?" Her lips met mine, and the whole world became only her.

  ***

  I UNDERSTAND NOW WHY YOU RESIST.

  I woke up with a start.

  Immediately, I knew what was happening. This was hardly the first time He'd done this to me. "Not now, asshole..." I rubbed my temples. "I was having a great night, man. I really don't need your shit right now."

  DESPITE ALL THAT YOU WOULD GAIN, YOU WILL NOT FORSAKE HER.

  Opening my eyes, I found myself lying in a field. The skies were bright blue and clear, the birds were chirping, and the light felt pleasant on my skin.

  I WILL FIND THE PATH THAT MOST SUITS YOUR DESIRES.

  Something pressed into my right shoulder. Turning, I saw that Tristan was lying beside me, her body pressed to mine.

  "Tristan?" My heart skipped a beat. She'd never been in one of these dreams before.

  "Love... you..." She reached out and gently wrapped her fingers around mine. "Go back... to bed..." Before she could finish her sentence, she was softly breathing once again.

  I WILL FIND THE PATH THAT WILL LEAD YOU HERE. THEN, FINALLY, YOU WILL BE MI—

  His voice cut out. When it did, the sky dimmed, and the world seemed to shift around me.

  "What the hell?" I threw my forearm over my eyes and prayed to the Goddess to just wake up. "Can we not do this right now?"

  BE WARY—SHE—

  His voice cut out.

  The world began to violently twist and roil. The sky went completely dark, and all at once, the air shifted. The ground gave out, and I started falling. Then, I struck something soft, and everything was still again.

  Instead of a pleasant floral smell, I was surrounded by the smell of woodsmoke.

  "The shit?" Once the world stopped spinning, I sat up and took in the space around me.

  I was lying in a large four-poster bed. The sheets were finely woven and made of silk or some other kind of fine fabric. The walls were stone, with a variety of tapestries and banners decorating them. In the corner, a fireplace was crackling, filling the air around me with the pleasant smell of woodsmoke. Beside it were four large chairs, each of which was designed differently. Under the chairs, a huge green, scaled rug was placed over the stone floor, and a large wooden desk rested against the far wall opposite the bed.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "Let's go... another round..." Vral's voice mumbled to my left.

  Turning, I found her snuggled up under the blankets, and a soft smile spread across her face. Her hair was tangled and wild, the way it got whenever we made love.

  I wanted to lean over, to kiss her, but this was only a dream. None of it was real.

  "Mmm..." A familiar voice murmured on my other side.

  Turning, I found Tristan sleeping soundly beside me, her fingers wrapped around one of my tunics. She looked equally disheveled as Vral, and the same pleased smile rested on her lips.

  I knew it was only a dream, but I went to kiss her forehead anyway.

  That's when I saw her. Another woman, smaller and more dainty than Tristan, was lying behind her. Barely visible under the sheets, her slender, feminine arm was wrapped around Tristan's waist. The woman who belonged to the arm was spooning Tristan and breathing softly. Her long, thick blonde hair spilled over her face, hiding her features from my sight, but I knew her.

  I'd seen her without seeing her hundreds of times by now. Unlike Tristan, who'd never once been in these dreams of mine until this very moment, the unknown woman was the one figure who was always present in these visions. She was the queen who sat at my side every time the Dark Lord did this shit to me.

  "So you're finally awake?" Another voice, one that was distantly familiar, asked from across the room. "About time. I was getting a little jealous over here."

  Slowly, I turned toward the sound. As I did, the scent of lavender washed over me.

  There, sitting in the large chair beside the fireplace, was another woman I knew. Her long brown hair had been cut short, framing her narrow face and angular jawline in a way that was both attractive and edgy. Her hazel eyes were darker than I remembered, and they'd lost their shine, but the intensity and the little hidden smirk that was always hiding within them remained. She wore a tight black and gold bodysuit of some material I didn't recognize, and around her neck was a long, flowing black cloak that hung off the back of her chair. On the chair's armrest, one of her delicate hands rested, her fingernails clicking at the wood in a steady rhythm, and the other held a goblet of dark, swirling liquid. The barest hint of a smile was played at her lips, but it didn't touch her eyes.

  "That was quite the show," She said before taking a small sip of the liquid. "I remember when we used to do things like that. It was fun. Enjoyable. A shame we don't do it now. For old times' sake." She licked her lips. "If you're willing, I can send those little girls away, and you and I can play for a while."

  "What happened to the Dark Lord?" I asked, ignoring her words entirely. "He was here a minute ago."

  She sighed. "Fine. Go ahead and ignore my offer. It's fine."

  "Just answer me."

  Her grin returned. "Wherever you are, you are far, far away from any of His places of power. So, when I felt Him shape this little dream realm of yours and tie its thread to you, I was intrigued. How could I not be? It's not often He extends so far from the Depths. Whatever he was reaching for had to be worth it." Laughing, she took another long pull from her cup.

  "How could you possibly push him out?"

  She rolled her eyes. "He says He's all-powerful, but that's not exactly true, especially so far from the Abyss. All I had to do was wait for him to waver. Once He did, it took nothing to push Him out of this dream and take His place as this realm's weaver." As she spoke, the fireplace rippled, and the chairs changed colors. "See?"

  Was she tracking me? How much did she know about my life? "How'd you know how to find me?"

  Laughing, she said, "I didn't."

  "Huh?"

  "You heard me. I had no idea who you were. I was just doing it for the funsies."

  "For... the funsies?" She couldn't be serious.

  "Yep!" Clearly noticing my incredulity, she chuckled and said, "Knowing you, I'm sure you expected me to say that I've been watching you, or that I know everything," she waggled her fingers at me, "but you're really not that important. I looking for something I, uh, misplaced, you could say, and I happened across His threads reaching from the Abyss. I had no idea who He was trying to entice, but I couldn't miss the opportunity to screw with the old bastard's plans." She looked me over. "I can tell you, though, that I'm not disappointed with who I found here."

  Misplaced? That had to be Dhurak. "I'm happy I didn't disappoint."

  "There's a first time for everything." She held her cup up in a faux toast and said, "To reconnecting with emotionally unavailable men!" Then, she took a long, performative pull of her drink.

  Damn woman. She was playing with me just like she used to. But two could play at that game, right? Letting the sheets slip away from my chest, I sat up and felt the warmth from the fireplace wash over my skin. A small part of me felt satisfied when I caught her eyes drifting to my chest. "You like what you see?"

  Her drumming fingers missed a beat. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

  Still, one point for Alex.

  Finished with that little game, I took a breath. I never wanted this day to come. I wanted to live in denial forever if I could. However, like with basically every other part of my life these days, I didn't have any other choice but to face this challenge head-on. Even if I didn't want to have this conversation, I was ready for it. I'd been ready for a while.

  "So, I know it was you who sacrificed that guy in the forest. I also knew it was you who was the one who tried to kill Tristan when we fought you that night." I reached out and squeezed Tristan's hand. "And I know it was you who almost killed me and Vral in the Pit." I put my hand on Vral's shoulder. "I've known for a while that you ended up here, too, in Reial. In fact, I learned that you're the one who's actually supposed to be here, not me. I'm just a tagalong." I set my jaw. "The thing is, it's one thing to know something and another to face it." I met the eyes of the woman who'd once been my lover, way back when, when I was a different person living a different life. "What the hell happened to you, Devon?"

  Her fingers fell out of rhythm again. "For a while, after I saw you in that forest, I thought I'd been mistaken. There was no way that the big handsome dumbass who'd ended up in my bed so, so many times back on Earth could be here in Reial, right?" Her eyes locked onto the liquid in her cup. "Imagine my surprise when I found out it really was you. From my dear old friend Aerell, no less." Her gaze flicked back up to me. "You fought well that day, Hero of the Pit." She pointed her cup at Vral. "Even if it seems to have led you between the thighs of that filthy little creature beside you."

  My fingers tightened around Vral's shoulder. "Why were you targeting her back then?"

  Devon barked out a laugh. "Targeting the little beast?" She scoffed. "Hardly. I had simply been feeling vindictive and wanted to punish her for interfering with my work back then, nothing more."

  "Why didn't you just kill her?" I pointed around the room. "If you're so strong, and if you had so many connections back then, you could have easily had it done. Why drag it out?"

  Her grin returned. "I thought it would be more pleasing if Aerell broke her. I was looking forward to gaining a new toy to play with." Her eyes fell to the sleeping goblin beside me. "Unfortunately, Aerell said she was too strong-willed to be broken, especially after she'd found strength through some man she'd become smitten by. Thus, I then decided that, instead of keeping her as a pet, I'd let her taste victory one final time by cutting down the man she'd fallen for. Then, I'd burn her alive for the inconveniences she caused me." She sipped her drink. "But, you somehow managed to win that fight and saved her life. Ever since that day, that heroic, black-haired cunt and her hangers-on have made our lives hell. In the process, I've grown bored of the whole thing."

  Despite it being one of the hardest times of my life, she talked about it like it was a footnote in hers. "Okay, if you're so bored with it all, what do you want now?"

  "Just a chat, is all." She smiled at me, but it didn't reach her eyes. "My little birdies have been telling me that you've been making a name for yourself. I'm impressed."

  If I played things right, could she mess up and give me some information? If only I were actually sly. "Yeah, and who are these birdies exactly?"

  "Tsk, tsk, tsk." She wagged a finger at me. "Are you asking me to give up my beloved contacts?"

  "Yes?" It sure would make things easier. "Just a few, if you wouldn't mind."

  She chuckled. "Same old honest Alex." For the first time, she smiled a smile that seemed half-sincere. "I always liked that about you."

  "So, about those contacts..."

  Laughing, she took a sip of her drink. "To be honest, you fell off my radar for quite some time. So long, in fact, that I'd forgotten all about you. Then, when my birdies told me you turned up again, living the high life in that disgraced little upstart duchess's manor, I thought I'd give you a present, all while fulfilling a task given to me by a friend." She held out her hand. The shadows bent and twisted around it, slowly forming into a long black blade. "Did you enjoy my gift?"

  The disgraced upstart duchess had to mean Elise. Why, exactly, was she given that task? And by whom? "It wasn't my favorite gift to date."

  "It wasn't meant to be very long-lived."

  "Well, it was a good try, but it didn't stick."

  She laughed. "Even after seeing your performance in the Pit, I honestly never thought you'd survive the attack. Do you know how hard it was to corrupt all those people with that witch's familiars' eyes all over me? I burned all of my capital to pull off that little stunt. And I didn't even knock off that mousy little tramp or the old dwarf in the end. It was a total loss."

  "Oh, boo hoo. I feel so terrible for you." She'd been the one to call for their assassinations. Noted.

  "You should."

  "Yeah, well," flexing my bicep at her, I won another little glance, "I've done a lot more than beat up some possessed peasants." I grinned. "I fucked up six of the Scions down at the Seal. It was epic." She didn't need to know that I got help from Faye in the end.

  Her eyes widened. "You've been to the Great Seal?"

  "Yup. And I fought those fuckers one-on-one." She didn't know everything. That was something.

  For a long time, she stared at me. Then, something shifted behind her eyes, and she whispered, "Did she speak to you?"

  "Which one?" I couldn't help but show off a little. "Avara? Zylla? Or maybe you mean Nel-Thara?"

  "So you've read a history book." She seemed to shake off whatever it was she was experiencing. "And you've learned to lie. You should be proud."

  It was my time for a bitter laugh. "I'm guessing you've never heard Avara's whispers echoing in your head, then? She's hard to resist once she gets in. Or how about Zylla's body? Those bugs are pretty nasty. If it weren't for Maluphet helping Faye and me at the very end, I would have had to get my hands even more dirty."

  She froze again. "You were with the Hero?"

  "Sure was." I forced my grin back on. "I am her 'chosen buddy' after all."

  "Chosen... buddy?" Her lips worked for a moment before she spoke again. "You really did fight them at the seal, then?"

  "I sure did."

  She pressed her fingers to her lips. "You're more impressive than I thought."

  "And you're the fucking worst."

  "I sure am." She waved her hand, and the sword faded away. "Regardless, that little ploy didn't work either, and now the Hero's own brother has done everything in his power to lock me out." With a huff, she looked up at the ceiling. "If it weren't for his generous support, we'd be living in a gutter right now."

  "His support?" Based on the context, it didn't sound like she meant Kasimir. So who could she mean? "Who's he?"

  Her body tensed. Then, just as fast, she relaxed. "I was always too comfortable around you." She sighed and wiped her face with her hand. "That's all you get." Swinging her legs off the arm of her chair, she stood. "Anyway, this has been fun. I'm glad we got to catch up."

  "Wait." I tried to push myself out of bed, but the mattress got softer the more I pushed at it, keeping me locked in place.

  "I don't feel like seeing that right now," She pointed at my groin.

  "Oh, stop it!" I tried to push out of bed, but it was like the mattress was holding me in place. After a few moments of struggle, I gave up and instead held out my hand to stop her. "Stop being so damn cryptic and just talk to me!"

  Shaking her head, she responded with, "Nah. It's more fun this way."

  "Damn it, Devon!" I settled back against the headboard. "Why are you like this?"

  Her hazel eyes looked me over. As they did, for the first time since we started this whole thing, they softened, and she looked a bit like her old self. "Alex..." She hesitated. "You should run away. Take your loved ones, and just run. Go, and live your life, far, far away from all of this." She gestured around the room. "You don't need to be involved with what's coming."

  I shook my head. "Sorry. I can't do that. I have people who rely on me too much to take off now. I have to see things through."

  My words seemed to make her sad. "Then don't blame me when you lose everything."

  "I won't lose a single thing." I'd never meant anything more in my entire life.

  She paused. "Do you like your life now?"

  Where was she going with this? "Yeah. I like it a lot."

  Frowning, she asked, "What would it take to make you hate it?"

  I couldn't help but look down at Tristan and Vral.

  "Yeah." Her voice was soft. "I get that. More than you know." She swallowed. "I liked it once, too." Balling her fists until her knuckles went white, she continued, "But, just like I said in that forest a few years ago, this world will take everything from you. You'll see."

  "Oh yeah?" What an idiot. Even back on Earth, she always only ever thought about herself. Her selfish streak was one of the reasons I'd hesitated about her in the first place. "The way I see it, the only one trying to take anything from me is you."

  Her shoulders tightened. "I suppose that's true."

  "It is true." I projected as much intensity as I could through my eyes. "So stop, now. Before I have to do something about it, and you."

  Her eyes hardened again. "Is that a threat?"

  I shook my head. "No. It's a promise."

  Her eternal smirk returned. "I guess we'll have to see." Turning, she flicked her hand, and a doorway appeared where the desk had been. "Well, I'm off. Enjoy your life while you can, Alex."

  "Sorry, but I can't say the same to you, Devon." I watched her step through the door. "I'll see you soon."

  With a wave of her hand, the door swung shut behind her. As the lock latched, the space around me rippled, then shattered into a million pieces.

  Once again, I was falling down... down...