A spike of terror split her soul, causing levels of fear she couldn’t ever have imagined. Even now it continued to grip her. Continued to squeeze its cold fist around her heart…
“MELODY WAKE UP!”
Her eyes blinked open while she was still screaming. A hand shot over her mouth. Her own hand.
“Melody it’s OKAY! It’s just a dream!” Eric was at the edge of the bed, shaking her. “Stop, please. Just stop—”
She jumped out of her bed, landing on cold, numb feet. In seconds she was at the mirror. Staring… searching…
Her eye was fine. Both eyes.
“Melody what the—”
“WHY?” she screamed at Eric. “Why did you put me back in my room!”
He was stunned by her reaction. Staring her up and down.
“You were falling asleep on your feet! I… I just thought you needed—”
“I told you not to,” she snapped. “I told you to leave me right where I was!”
She put her hand to her chest. Her heart was still pounding. Melody glanced over at her bed, then turned quickly away. She knew it was silly, but for some reason it bothered her to even look at it.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Really, I am. I— I didn’t know…”
He opened his arms and she went to him, still shivering. The heat and strength of his body was reassuring. The dream faded as she allowed him to hold her, stroking her hair.
“How long was I asleep?”
Eric didn’t answer. Instead he held her against his chest, rubbing her on the back, soothing her with his slow, rhythmic breathing. Melody noticed the sky was darker — much darker than before. It was almost night.
She pushed abruptly away from him and stood up strai
ght.
“What the—”
“It’s almost supper,” said Eric.
“Supper?” Her voice was frantic. She couldn’t spend another night here! How could it already be evening again? Could she really have slept that long?
The window of opportunity is small and narrow…
Xiomara’s voice, warning her before she even got started.
And rapidly closing…
“We have to find the egg!” Melody cried, rubbing her eyes. “Tonight, Eric! Right now!”
“Okay, okay, calm down,” Eric told her. “We don’t even know wh—”
“Lady Neveux. She has it.”
A glimmer of light passed through Eric’s eyes, like the flash of headlamps from some passing car.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”