Eventually he lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling as it mimicked a night sky, complete with constellations he didn't recognize.
Were those supposed to soothe him?
Usually at this point, he'd have sought out Azelon's company. The Tideborn might keep him at emotional arm's length, but he'd never once refused to sit with Corin through the night when the nightmares threatened.
Until now.
Corin closed his eyes, determined to prove he didn't need Azelon's comfort.
Sleep came fitfully, in broken fragments that quickly dissolved into familiar terror.
Water rising. Darkness closing in. Lungs burning for air that wouldn't come.
He jerked awake gasping, sweat-soaked and trembling. His chaos magic had responded to his nightmare—water seemed to seep from the floorboards, rising higher.
Corin pulled his knees to his chest, fighting to control his breathing before his projected emotions could cause actual damage.
He didn't want to flood the store.
His first instinct was to go to Azelon. The Tideborn was uniquely immune to the worst of Corin's projections, able to remain calm in the emotional storm. But after today's confrontation...
Corin couldn't bear to crawl to him for help.
But he also couldn't stay alone, not with the water already lapping at the edges of the bed, not with the darkness pressing in on him.
Corin forced himself to focus, wrestling his emotions back under control. Gradually, the water began to recede, draining away through cracks that appeared in the floorboards. The store itself seeming to help contain the damage.
Still, his feet splashed through ankle-deep puddles as he climbed out of bed.
Just great.
He could not deal with this by himself for the rest of the night.
Before he could talk himself out of it, Corin slipped from his room and padded down the hallway to Jamie's door, leaving wet footprints on the wooden floor.
He raised his hand to knock, then hesitated. What was he doing?
This had started as a game to make Azelon jealous, not...
The door opened, revealing Jamie in sleep pants and nothing else. He didn't look surprised to see Corin standing there, eyes wide and slightly panicked.
"I was just..." Corin started, then faltered. His usual flirtatious comments died on his tongue.
"Nightmares?" Jamie asked simply.
Corin barked a laugh that sounded dangerously close to a sob. "How did you know?"
"Intuition." Jamie stepped aside. "Come in."
Corin hesitated only a moment longer before slipping past him into the room. It was warm, the air dry and still.
It was exactly what Corin needed.
"I don't usually..." Corin began, still trying to maintain some semblance of his earlier playfulness.
"You don't have to explain," Jamie said, closing the door.
Something in Corin's chest cracked at the simple acceptance. He'd been prepared for questions, for judgment, for the need to explain his weakness. Instead, Jamie simply guided him to the bed and pulled back the covers.
