Accidental Surrogate

My breath starts to come short and fast now as I press my hand desperately to my stomach, seeking that connection somewhere within me. But I feel like I’m grasping through empty air, my fingers searching for any touch, any tie, and coming up empty.

“Ella,” Sinclair murmurs, tightening his hands against my back. “Calm down – the doctors say that it’s okay, that he’s still with us –”

“Still with us,” I growl, my teeth clenched as I try to manifest that damn connection, to make it appear even when it stubbornly refuses to present itself. “How can he still be with us if I can’t feel him?”

Sinclair shushes me softly again, a soft rushing sound that despite my desperation – makes me open my eyes and look at him. My fear comes rushing in then, wiping out my anger and

frustration. “Dominic, what does it mean?” I ask, my voice trembling. “If the doctor’s say they have a heartbeat – but we can’t feel him?”

“I don’t know, Ella,” he responds, his own voice low with worry and despair. “But we’re going to figure it out, okay? Together?” He pulls his brows together, worried, and nods to me, begging me to see. “Please, just calm down. We’ll think it through.”

I nod quickly, bobbing my head in agreement and forcing my body to relax. Sinclair moves beneath me, folding his legs instead of kneeling, pulling me into his lap and cradling me against his chest. I rest my head against him, making myself breathe slow, deep breaths, letting the warm scent of him root me in my body.

God, how long have I been gone? I have…memories. Memories of being here, of dancing, of being in the clouds and in the trees…of flickering in and out of this place. I push my mind back further and remember, quite suddenly, the last place I was

On the steps, with Cora, handing her the gift…watching her use it…

I cringe at the memory, of the feeling of drowning in my mother’s power, of all of it draining from me as I handed it to Cora, taking my life with it. I look up into Dominic’s face then and find him there, ready, likewise peacefully breathing. Waiting.

“Cora?” I ask quietly.

to me, smiling a little. “She’s totally fine. The world is fine. But…don’t worry about

my heart breaks. God, I want him so badly – have wanted him so badly for years and years. And in these past few months of happiness with Sinclair, I have letmyself

him, of losing that beautiful future – it’s so horrible I can hardly stand it. I feel myself physically cringing at the idea, curling further into

idea that it could all be just a

eyes snap open at that. I suddenly sit up straighter in

curious, a little frightened that something

mind wheeling as I look around at our surroundings. “We’re in a dream.” “Well, yeah,” Sinclair says, as if it’s obvious.

say anything, letting me continue. “And you’re here,” I insist, starting to get excited now, “because

not getting where I’m going

tell him how much we want him? You brought me back right now you kissed me – can’t we do it with him?” I

to head into the forest, to

don’t know if it will work

spinning to look at him and frowning.

heard of it happening before. I’m able to come into your dreams because I’m your mate – I’ve never

my eyes a little. “Well just because you haven’t heard of it doesn’t

and I stop, smiling a little back at him. This, I think, this is what we’re fighting for. For the bond between us, for the push and pull, for the fact that we’re sitting in a dream, in the midst of a tragedy, that I’m probably dying and somehow I’m still rolling my eyes at

eyes fixed on mine, and I know that he completely understands. That he gets it too. That this thing between us? It’s worth trying anything so that we can share it with

pressing a quick kiss to my mouth. “Lead the way,