"No."
I lifted a hand and touched the tips of my fingers to his neck. "Then, what do you want me to do?"
His eyes dropped to my mouth and his irises began to glow faintly.
"Just...tell me if I scare you."
This time, I knew what the light behind his eyes meant. He was hungry, but not for blood.
Our lips had barely touched when the edges of the dream shredded.
"Don't go," I whispered.
It was too late. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling of the guest room. I glanced around, wondering what had woken me.
The screen of my phone was lit up. I had an email. The vibration of the notification must have been enough to wake me up.
I picked it up and clicked on the banner. I sat up and read the words on the screen carefully.
They are all in danger. You're the only one who can help them. They are being watched and plans are in motion. Contact me if you want to save his life.
A. Dumont
As I stared at the screen, there was a knock on my door.
I don't know why I did it, but I tucked the phone under the blanket. "Come in."
I had an inkling of who it was anyway.
Marcus opened the door and came inside, shutting it behind him. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Just woke up for some reason."
Like the dream, I couldn't see his face due to the shadows in the room.
"Are you okay?" I asked him.
"Yes."
"Are we going to have to go through the entire dream conversation again or can we move on from there?"
He came to the end of the bed and grabbed the footboard. "Does being awake change your mind about anything we discussed?"
I shook my head. "You?"
"No."
"Then, will you hold my hand until I go back to sleep?"
He hesitated.
"If you're worried about your virtue, you can lay on top of the blanket and I'll stay underneath."
I saw a flash of his teeth when he smiled. But he didn't say anything. He just came to the opposite side of the bed and lay down next to me, holding out his hand. I took it and tucked it beneath my chin.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"For what?"
"Keeping the nightmares away."
"Go to sleep, Merry," he murmured. "I'll be here as long as you need me."
I closed my eyes and held his hand a bit closer to my chest. "Good night."
