The cool glass felt freezing against my trembling hands as I lifted it to my lips, gulping down the water Demetrius had rushed to fetch me. The ice-cold liquid helped anchor me back to reality, washing away the lingering taste of ash and terror from the nightmare. My breathing was still shallow, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Demetrius sat on the edge of the mattress, his dark eyes filled with intense, burning worry as he watched me. I set the half-empty glass on the nightstand and looked up at him, the memory of the shadow still vivid behind my eyelids.
"I saw him," I whispered, my voice still rough from the shock of waking. "My father. I was in my human form, and he spoke directly into my head. He said he was sorry he missed the wedding, but then he got angry. He blamed my mother
