~ ZARA ~
I lay there on my bed in the dim room lit only by my bedside lamp, heart pounding with both hope and fear, and blinked at the wall where the book had just bounced, then thumped to the floor.
I tried to remember that night that I'd gone to Arinel the first time. I'd remembered the book, and the good men Emory had painted in it—so close to the true David and Ash, though they had different names and…
I'd challenged God. Why could a woman dream up these men, but He couldn't make them for real?
And as I'd drifted off, He'd appeared.
"If you only understood, beautiful girl... but I will show you. Sleep now. Rest. And when you wake, remember: Real love does exist. But the very best kind of lover will always give you what you need... not just what you want."
And then I'd dreamed.
I dreamed of two smiling men.