"Cordelia?" I whisper, sitting on the edge of the bed and brushing her hair out of her face. "Wake up, coelhinha. Are you all right?"

My mate has been asleep all afternoon. I've never known her to take as many naps as she has the past two weeks. I'm starting to wonder if she's coming down with something. Does she need to go to the doctor? Should I arrange for one to make a house call? Is it her asthma? Does she—

She stirs and makes a sleepy, indignant grunting sound. "Cane," she whines, pushing at my ass with her feet. It would be agitating if it were anyone else. But on her, it's adorable. "I'm trying to sleep." She burrows her face in the pillow and turns away from me.

I shake my head and grab her waist, hauling her up against me. "No ma'am. We need to train. It's been weeks since we've worked with your power."

Again, she pushes against me and tries to wiggle away so she can lay back down but I keep my grip on her. "Cane, I don't want to right now. I just want to sleep."

I settle against the headboard and turn her to face me. Finally, she relaxes just a hair and lets her legs rest on either side of my waist. "What's wrong, Delia?" I ask, tucking her hair behind her ears and running my thumbs over her jawline. "I'm worried about you. You've been sleeping so much the past two weeks, and you're hardly eating."

She sighs and looks away from me, shaking her head. "I'm fine. I'm just not feeling my best, I guess. I don't know what it is. I can't explain it." She's still looking at the floor, seemingly unable to meet my gaze.

"I feel like something else is going on here. You have been sleeping most of the day since you had your big breakthrough with your powers. You are worrying me."

"I just..."

Pinching her chin, I force her to look at me. Her gaze falls anywhere but on my face. I give her a firm jolt and finally her eyes meet mine. "Tell me."

"I—"

For a second, she looks scared of me. I immediately soften my expression and loosen my grip on her, removing my hand from her chin and smoothing it over the back of her head, running my fingers through her hair.

"Cordelia. I'm sorry, I—"

"No, it's okay. Right after I killed the squirrel, I was feeling guilty still, and I wanted to see my mom and dad. So I tried to pull them into a dream. Just to hug them, you know? But I couldn't. So I chalked it up to just being tired. And I tried again the next night. And I still couldn't..." She glances up at me again, and the defeated look on her face tells me everything I need to know.

"You've put up a mental block." She shrugs and I blow out a puff of air. "Hiding in our room isn't going to fix this. We are going to have to work through it together."

This is not what I was expecting, especially when we were so close. We've worked so hard to get here, and a squirrel is going to be the thing that finally stops me? Fucking great.

"Okay, okay, fine. But don't push me, Cane. Just be patient. I can't focus if you're getting angry at me."

I grip the back of her neck and bring her forehead to mine. It is just as much for my sake as it is for hers. My patience is wearing thin, but it's not because of her. I can feel my bond with Andres weakening by the day. Once he has left us, the sire bond will have to be tied to the next heir of the vampire throne. If it isn't, my realm will cease to exist. Not only that, but it is time for someone who is fearless to lead our people. We are the top of the food chain and because of that, we shouldn't be restricted.

"Just get out of bed. We can try to wake your power in the comfort of the house. I'll take it easy on you until it starts to respond again."

She takes a deep breath and nods, not moving her forehead from mine. I take that as a sign of her craving my closeness as I crave hers. Cradling her face in my hands, I press a kiss to her lips.

"I know you can do this, coelhinha. I believe in you," I whisper against her mouth.

She returns my kiss and says, "Thank you. I really don't want to let you down. I know what we need to do and how important it is to you."

"I want it to be important to you too. Our union will be unlike anything Aevum has ever seen. The things we can do to better the lives of supes are endless. You and I will go down in history."

She has shown no sign of caring about those things. My brother did so much damage to her heart that she doesn't think far beyond the hurt. It will take time—time I can give her once we are crowned.

"You really want to do all that with me?" she asks.

"Of course I do, Cordelia. You're—"

"Not just because I'm a Dreamwalker and I can do all the things you need me to do in order to get to Elias?" she says, not breaking eye contact with me.

I wish I had the ability to read her mind. Where is all this insecurity coming from? Or is she questioning my motives?

"You are the one my soul is bound to. Who else would I want to share my future with? What you are only makes obtaining what is rightfully ours a little easier."

She rolls her lips between her teeth and nods. "Okay. I hear you. I just—" She shakes her head. "Nevermind. I'm ready to train now."

"All right. Get dressed and meet me down in the living room. We will get you out of this slump."

All I get from her is a smile and nod, but I take it.

It's better than nothing.

When she comes downstairs a little while later, she looks more refreshed than I've seen her in the past days, with her hair washed and hanging in waves down her back. Her face is glowing even though I'm fairly certain she's not wearing a stitch of makeup, and she's got on those black leggings with the little cutouts up and down the sides of her legs that I love, with the matching sports bra and a zip-up hoodie.

"Hey," she says quietly as she enters the room, shoving her hands in her pockets and toeing at the carpet with her sneaker.

"Hello, beautiful," I say, patting the couch cushion beside me, She sits and I nudge her with my shoulder. "This is going to be really laid back, just relax and try to connect with that part of you again. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Lay your head down on my lap and close your eyes."

She does as I say, and I run my fingers through her hair. I keep it simple, lulling words to help her get into the right state of mind.

For a moment, I'm unsure if she's going to be able to relax, but after a few minutes, I feel her muscles begin to uncoil and even the tension in her scalp releases. She makes a sweet little sound in the back of her throat, and she burrows into the couch before turning over to bury her face in my abdomen.

Like a meditation designed for traumatized Dreamwalkers, I guide her through breathing and mental exercises. She follows every command, and soon her chest slows in its rise and fall, and her eyes are moving behind her lids.

"Delia, are you still with me?"

She doesn't respond. My stomach does a little flip. I anticipate the moment she will access my mind and pull me into her dreams. She has been so distant the last weeks, and I'm eager to be close to her again. I hate that she pulled away from me when she was hurt. I can't have her thinking that I don't want to be there for her. Or worse, her not coming to me with her worries.

We have to remain a united front. The trials we will face in the future depend on it. If people see a weakness in our relationship, they will not hesitate to use it to their advantage, and that will not do. We will rewrite the rules and bring the supernatural realm back to its former glory. We will be all-powerful again. But none of that is possible if Cordelia doesn't gain control over her power.

I lean down and whisper, "Delia, pull me in with you."

I'm impatient to see what she is dreaming up, but the only way I can do that is if she invites me in. Even when all of this was new to her, it was her power that made meeting in a dream possible. It was what started everything between us.

When seconds pass and nothing happens, I have no choice but to attempt to wake her. I shake her shoulders, but she's limp in my lap, completely unconscious—dead to the world.