I woke slowly. For several seconds, I remained suspended between sleep and consciousness while fragments of the nightmare drifted through my mind.
The Silver Gate. My mother. The impossible version of Draven standing beside her and then the memory of what happened in the bedroom returned all at once.
My eyes flew open.
Morning sunlight spilled through the windows and painted the room in shades of gold. The silver scales were gone.
The golden light had vanished. No trace remained except for the man sitting beside me.
Draven.
He occupied a chair near the bed and his elbows rested on his knees while his golden eyes remained fixed on me.
He had clearly been watching me for some time. Neither of us spoke. The silence stretched between us. Heavy and unavoidable.
Neither of us needed to a
