Serena sat bolt upright in bed, heart slamming against her ribs, drenched in sweat despite the room being frigid enough to see her breath.
"Just a dream," she whispered to no one.
"Boo."
One word. The High Emperor of Orosia crossed dimensional boundaries for one word, and sat at the foot of her bed like he'd been waiting for her to wake up.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Counted to three. Opened them.
Gone.
Her pulse was still jackhammering when she threw the covers off and crossed to the bathing chamber. Cold water from the basin hit her face, and she braced her hands on the stone rim, forcing her breathing to slow.
In through the nose. Out through the mouth.
She lifted her head to look in the mirror.
He was standing directly behind her.
"Miss me?"
A scream ripped out of her before she could stop it. She had never, at any point, in any timeline, missed him.
Fear fed the tether. Acknowledgment strengthened it. She knew the rules.
