Page 48 of The Right to Bear Claws
"Lies," nightmare-Elias snarled. "Pretty lies to make you feel better about?—"
"And you," Kaia continued, turning to face the twisted version of her mate, "you never once made me feel like a burden. You carved wind chimes to help me sleep. You brought me coffee exactly the way I liked it. You held me through nightmares and promised I'd never have to face anything alone again."
The false Elias flickered, his form becoming less solid as her conviction grew stronger.
"That's not real," Tobias said, desperation creeping into his voice. "You're romanticizing what was always just pity?—"
"You want to know what's real?" Kaia opened her eyes, meeting the gaze of each nightmare projection in turn. "Real is Elias telling me I was worth everything. Real is a whole town rallying to protect someone they'd known for two weeks. Real is feeling like I belonged somewhere, not because I was perfect, but because I was me."
The nightmare town began to flicker around the edges, Tobias's careful construction wavering under the assault of genuine memory.
"Real is love that doesn't give up," she continued. "Love that sees potential instead of problems, strength instead of weakness. And real is the choice I'm making right now to stop listening to lies and start fighting for the truth."
"You can't win," Tobias snarled, his form becoming more solid as he poured power into maintaining his illusions. "I am ancient, powerful, fed by centuries of fear and despair. You are one small, broken woman?—"
"I'm a dreamwalker," Kaia interrupted, feeling her power stir for the first time since arriving in his realm. "I'm part of a family that chooses to love fiercely. I'm the mate of a bear shifter who'd move mountains to keep me safe. And I'm done running from fights I can win."
The nightmare version of Hollow Oak began to crack like glass, fractures spreading through the false buildings as Kaia's determination grew. The projection faces flickered and dissolved, replaced by swirling darkness that couldn't quite hide Tobias's growing panic.
"You will serve me," he roared, dropping all pretense of seduction. "You promised?—"
"I was a child who didn't understand what she was agreeing to," Kaia said firmly. "But I'm not a child anymore. I'm a woman who knows the difference between truth and manipulation. And I choose truth."
The realm shuddered around them, Tobias's carefully constructed prison beginning to collapse under the weight of her refusal to surrender.
But even as hope flared in her chest, Kaia could feel how much power he'd drawn from her pain, how strong he'd grown during their battle. The fight was far from over.
And she still had to find a way home.
23
ELIAS
Twelve hours.
Twelve hours since Elias had found Kaia's unconscious body by the lake, and she was getting weaker. Her pulse had grown thready, her breathing shallow, and no amount of medical intervention could address what was fundamentally a supernatural problem.
"Her vital signs are declining," the medic reported, adjusting the IV line they'd managed to establish. "Whatever's happening to her consciousness, it's starting to affect her physical form."
"How long?" Elias asked, though he dreaded the answer.
"Hard to say. Maybe hours, maybe days. But if this continues..." The medic shook his head grimly. "Her body can't sustain this level of disconnection indefinitely."
Elias tightened his grip on Kaia's cold hand, willing his warmth to flow into her still form. Around the lake, the protective circle his family had established hummed with quiet activity—ward stones pulsing with defensive energy, Council members taking turns monitoring supernatural fluctuations, and Lucien hunched over ancient texts that promised solutions none of them were sure they could trust.
"Found it," Lucien said suddenly, his voice tight with excitement and dread. "The Crossing Ritual. It's theoretical, never actually tested, but it might work."
"What kind of ritual?" Magnus asked, moving closer to peer at the yellowed pages.
"Consciousness transference. A way for someone to follow a dreamwalker into the unconscious realm while maintaining an anchor to the physical world." Lucien's green eyes were bright with dangerous possibility. "But it requires a supernatural being with strong enough will to resist the realm's influence, and someone they trust absolutely to maintain their physical form."
"I'll do it," Elias said immediately.
"Elias, no." Magnus's voice carried paternal authority. "The risks?—"
"Are less than losing her forever." Elias stood, his bear surging close to the surface with desperate determination. "She's my mate, Dad. I won't abandon her to fight this thing alone."
"Son, listen to me," Varric Thornwell interjected, his ancient eyes grave with concern. "Dream realms aren't meant for physical consciousness. Shifters are particularly vulnerable because our animal spirits can become trapped, twisted by the realm's influence."
