All I see when I look at her is one word.
Mine.
A word I never gave to anyone before.
She jumps up and wipes her shirt back in place, hurrying for the bathroom. Before she is away, I grab her arm, dragging her toward me, until she sits on my lap.
“I do see you that way,” I growl. A blush rises to her face and it looks adorable. “But I don’t want to make you forget. I want to make new good memories with you, and now is not the time for this.” I move my hands, gesturing towards us. My hands hold her hips as she sits on me, pressing myself against her back. Her eyes meet mine.
“You’re right,” she blubbers. Her hands wrap around my shoulders and neck and her lips tremble. “I am just hurt.”
Finally, the truth comes out of her mouth. She is hurt. And I will do anything to release her pain. Even if it means living up to my title.
Chapter 28
Eliane
I open my eyes, an awful scream waking me up.
My eyes widen as the screaming continues. I jump up. On my right side, Braxton twists and turns, screams still erupting from his throat. His hair sticks to his face and beads of sweat are all over his body, the blanket already thrown on the floor
He must have a nightmare. I do remember him saying something about that before, but he has never acted this way before. I can’t imagine what he must be dreaming about. I push my hand against his shoulder.
“Braxton,” I murmur. He doesn’t react and keeps tossing and turning. “Braxton!” I repeat louder this time.
Still no reaction. His whole face frowns as he is trying to fight his demons. I throw the blanket off me and move towards him. I don’t want to give him the wrong impression. He did say it wasn’t the right time, but I need to touch him to wake him up out of this horrendous dream. My hands touch his bare chest, his skin shivers under my touch. He is still not waking up, so I drag my leg over him and lift my body on top of him. My handtouches his face, trying to hold him still as he moves spastically under me.
“Braxton, wake up! It is just a dream.”
He doesn’t react. I break through his mental walls and scream his name.“Braxton! You’re safe, wake up, please.”
Just like that small voice inside was enough, his eyes jump open. I can feel his heart pounding under me, and his face is bright red and gleaming as my hands brush his cheek.
“It is okay, just a bad dream,” I whisper. It is only now that I realize how wrong this must seem. Before I can apologize his hands reach for my throat and he turns us around. He squeezes his hands tightly as his heavy body hangs above me. It is hard for me to get air in my lungs, and I feel myself turning red. The panic on his face being all I can see.
“Brax, it-it is me E-Eliane,” I squeak out with the last bit of air in my lungs. His face is red and his eyes are looking furious, like he doesn’t realize who I am, his enormous body hanging over me. He pushes his hands stronger around my throat and I begin to cough. My legs flounder and I can feel the veins on my face pounding as I gasp for air. I need to get in his mind again.
“Brax, y–you call me H-oney, remember? We have a m-matching tattoo. I-I am not your enemy.”I push the words in his mind so hard he must have felt it. Something freezes inside of him and the raging glare in his eyes changes to something soft and guilty. He releases the pressure on my throat and crumbles away from me. He hurries away as fast as he can. His body doesn’t touch mine anymore, and he falls over his own feet as he jumps off the bed backwards. He makes a soft thud as he falls on the ground. I sit straight up and my hands brush my now bruising skin. He crawls further away, my eyes following him. Once he reached the window, his hands cover his face.
“Fuck, I am so sorry, Eliane,” he wobbles.
I hurry off the bed and kneel down next to him. I take one of his hands in mine and sit down, forcing him to look at me.
“It is okay, you had a nightmare. It is not as if you did not warn me.” I try to laugh it away, but I can’t do more than a grin. He doesn’t answer my reply, only glares at my neck. He jumps up, dragging me with him.
“We need to get you some ice.”
His fingers brush my now throbbing throat, but all I can do is look at him. What did he dream of that scared him so badly he is this upset? He must have not seen it was me. I lean back and try to stop him as he already makes amends to go outside.
“Braxton, stop. I am fine,” I repeat with the emphasis on fine.
He turns around, hands grabbing my face, his eyes meet mine and I see tears well up in them.
“I am just so sorry, Honey,” he whispers. “This shouldn’t have happened. I hurt you. Look at your neck. I shouldn’t have touched you.” He lets go of my face and looks down to the ground.
“Hey,” I murmur, grabbing his hand. “I don’t want to know what you dreamed of that upset you that badly. I am not the one having those bad nightmares. What can I do to make it better?” I try to comfort him. We walk back together and I make sure to leave a light on for him as we open the door. He sits on bed, I am not sure he will answer my question, even though I really want to help him. I lie down again and I turn to him. He is already facing me, and I feel his warm breath on my skin. He must feel my thinking because he finally decides how to answer my question from earlier.
“I need you to stay, please.”
