Chapter 426 Strange Dream

Wave leaped away from the door and hopped onto Sebastian’s couch, pacing back and forth as he said,

“Sometimes, when mermaids are too emotional or frightened, the color song doesn’t work properly, just like that other mermaid in captivity. She’s not singing in colors because she’s too distressed by her situation, and if she does sing, the effect might reverse and— Oops, it’s reversing on you, I see,” Wave said, watching as Viola began to sway sleepily on her feet.

“I think something is wrong with me, Wave…” She muttered, confused.

“You sang while your heart was too overwhelmed, and now the song has reversed on you. You shouldn’t have sung while you were hurting over what that monster did to you. Sing in another color quickly and fight the sleep,” Wave urged, but it was already a few moments too late. The effects had taken hold of her body, and she couldn’t resist them.

“Oh, great,” Viola muttered, feeling her legs give way beneath her. Remembering her condition, she quickly dragged herself toward the couch and collapsed onto it, right where Wave had left it soaking wet.

She groaned.

She fell asleep before she could even scold the creature for climbing onto couches and beds, or tell him to warn her about the consequences of things beforehand.

Only, the sleep that followed was anything but peaceful. Viola found herself wandering across a vast stretch of muddy land, her bare feet sinking into shallow puddles, her legs unsteady beneath her, as though she were learning to walk again after an injury, or like a baby taking its very first steps.

The sky hung suspended between dusk and evening, the air cool around her. At first she was confused about how she’d gotten there, until she told herself she was only dreaming, and in dreams, unsteady legs and things that made no sense were perfectly normal. She looked around.

She saw houses in the distance, lamplight spilling from their windows, and she began walking toward them. The closer she got, the more she realized the houses were built of mud, their roofs thatched with hay, so different from the modern world she was used to. Laughter filled the air around them, and Viola’s eyes darted warily from one direction to another.

Viola didn’t understand why she was having a dream that made absolutely no sense, but she found herself drawn toward the sound of that laughter anyway.

When she arrived, she found a bonfire blazing in front of the houses, people dancing around it, men and women dressed in strange garments made from leaves and animal skins, all of them barefoot. She arched a brow in wonder as she studied them.

Some sat off to the side beating drums, while others sang as the dancers laughed and celebrated. Viola simply watched them, assuming she was invisible, since this was only a dream.

Until one man in particular, seated among those singing, spotted her and smiled.

For a moment, her breath caught in her lungs as the firelight fell across his face and she recognized him.

Her husband.

The same silver hair. The same silver eyes. Only his skin was more deeply tanned, more larger than she last remembered, no tattoo marked his body, and he wore animal skins instead of clothes.

The hide was wrapped around his hips like a skirt, secured with strips of leather. His broad, muscular torso was bare, his bronzed skin glistening as though he’d rubbed oil over it. His silver hair hung well past his neck.

This wasn’t her Sebastian. She knew that much.

And yet she couldn’t stop staring, because he wore her husband’s exact face.

Before she realized it, he was walking toward her.

Viola didn’t move, certain he would simply walk through her, or past her, since this was surely nothing more than a silly, meaningless dream. But as the man reached her, he stopped right in front of her, his beautiful smile crinkling the corners of his eyes and making her heart skip.

“We meet again,” the man said, his voice deep and rich, speaking in a language Viola had never heard in her life. Yet somehow, she understood every word, and the realization sent a shock straight through her.

“What is your name?” he asked.

Viola found herself staring, mesmerized by his silver eyes and the warmth radiating from his powerful body. He had asked for her name, and she parted her lips to answer.

However, instead of her own name, another escaped her mouth, as though it had always belonged to her.

“Azmira.”

Who in the name of hell was Azmira?

That wasn’t her name.

Yet, in this dream, it felt as though it truly was. Her real name, Viola… Serena… both seemed to drift away into a hazy fog, leaving only the strange name echoing in her mind.

“Azmira.” He said carefully, smiling and revealing his teeth.

“We celebrate the rising of the moon, and I sing to the Goddess to send you to me again, Azmira. I could never forget your eyes, not since the day I first saw you in the waters.” He said, his hand rising to tuck back her hair, which Viola belatedly realized was damp, behind her ear.

She wanted to ask what he meant, but she was too captivated by him, by how much larger he seemed here, to speak. She watched his eyes drift down over her body, where his eyes darkened, and Viola looked down to find herself, stark naked, and flushed with embarrassment.

“You wear no clothes. The Goddess sent you to me the way you came into this world, unclothed.” Saying that, he removed his own covering and draped it around her, sparing her modesty at the cost of his own without hesitation.

What in the world was going on here? Viola thought, as he took her hand in his, large and warm, making her feel unexpectedly safe.

“Come, come meet my pack. I will introduce you to them.” He led her into the dancing, singing crowd, and the moment they noticed their Alpha leading a woman toward them, everything stopped, every eye turning to stare.

“Ash Pack has found its Luna. The Goddess has sent me the woman of my dreams.” He announced, laughter rumbling through his chest, warming something inside her as she turned to look at him.

Whatever was happening here, not everyone seemed pleased by it, some danced in celebration, while others stared at her with open displeasure.

Viola’s eyes looked around until it landed on one man in particular, whose face mirrored the one holding her hand, and she understood at once he was his twin, they looked identical, except this one carried a darker aura, one that sent a shiver down her spine and made her unable to look away.

This dream was beginning to feel far too real for her comfort, and Viola began to panic quietly inside.

The man holding her hand led her back to where he’d been sitting when she first spotted him, then announced, “I shall mark her when the moon rises to it full glory, until then she will stay with us!”

Some of the crowd cheered; others murmured amongst themselves. Viola’s eyes darted around again, frantic and confused, before she reached down to pinch herself to wake up from this stupidity, but the moment she did, blue scales rose along the back of her hand, then vanished just as quickly, freezing her in place. Mermaid scales!