He was real.

And he was gorgeous.

I straightened and walked toward him, but the closer I got, the more I realized that he wasn’t quite the guy from my dreams. I shook my head, unable to make sense of it. He had the same tall, muscular build. The same copper skin and dark eyes. The braid running down his back was exactly the same as the one I’d seen in my dreams.

But his face was slightly different. Younger with higher cheekbones.

Those eyes, though.

The way he stared at me sent shivers across my skin. His eyes were the same.

“Did you follow me?” he asked, glancing toward the school.

“Yes,” I said, working to catch my breath and still my heart. “Sorry, I can’t explain it. I thought you were someone else.”

My hand raised to the medallion at my throat, and his eyes followed. His gaze narrowed. Darkened. His jaw tensed.

“Who?” he asked.

“What?” He had me completely frazzled. There was something incredibly intense about him, and it turned my brain to mush.

“Who did you think I was?”

I shook my head and my cheeks warmed. He looked angry, and I guess I couldn’t blame him. We were complete strangers, and I’d just chased him down.

“I don’t know,” I said, letting my hand drop to my side. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

I turned to head back to the school, embarrassed and confused. Maybe I was going crazy.

“Wait,” he said. “You’re her, aren’t you? The girl from the accident? You’re Marayah?”

I stopped and turned back slowly. Something about the way my name sounded on his lips was so familiar, it made me dizzy.

“How do you know about me?” I asked.

He shrugged, but his dark eyes stayed sharp as he stared at my face. “A lot of people have been talking about you,” he said. “Wondering if you would be coming back to school this year.”

“Do you go to school here?” I asked.

“I just transferred,” he said, not offering any further information.

“Oh.” If he’d just moved here, he couldn’t possibly have been there that night a year ago. Still, this couldn’t be a coincidence. “Well, I’m sorry I chased you down.”

I wanted to turn and walk away, but something about the way he looked at me held me to the spot. He was a stranger, but I felt he knew a lot more about me than he was saying.

“I have to go,” he said finally. His eyes dipped again to the medallion at my throat, but he didn’t say another word. He simply got into his truck and drove away.

“Who are you?” I whispered, but he was too far away to hear.