SHE HAD NO idea how she had come to be there, but it felt nice. Warm. Like her entire soul had been healed. And she did not want to move in case she might lose that wonderful sensation. Or her balance. It felt like she was on horseback, though she had not ridden since—She did not want to think about that cold night. She just wanted to remain here. Awake. Free from the nightmare, where Daria had told her ... told her what?Robert’s chest shifted, and Aurelia snuggled deeper into it. The Daria in the dream must have been crazy. Because Robert would never leave without saying good-bye. And he could not possibly be in love—The thought jolted Aurelia from her lulled state, and her eyes flew open. The arms were real. And the chest. And those blue, blue eyes. For the first time in ten years, she almost fell off a walking horse.She would have fallen if Robert had not grabbed her shoulder and hauled her back into his embrace. Which she had no reason—none—to accept.She reached up and slapped him.The grip on her shoulder released.
