“What happens in them?”
“It’s not about what happens in the dreams, Quin. It’s about what happens when I wake up. I keep finding myself in places I shouldn’t be. The other night I woke up in the bathtub.”
“Lots of people sleepwalk,” Quin reasoned.
“How many people sleep-drown? Because my tub was full and I lay underneath the water.”
Quin blinked hard. Before he could interrogate Kit any further, Kit continued.
“I fed on a kid the other day. I don’t even remember leaving the house, but before I knew it, I was fangs deep in someone who looked maybe fifteen. And that’s not to mention all the marks. I thought I was doing it to myself, but now I’m not so sure. How else could they get there, though?” Kit buzzed with frantic energy, his eyes blown wide in distress.
Quin held Kit’s wrists, rubbing little circles into his skin. “The marks that I saw that night, you’re saying that you woke up with them?”
“Yes. I had them on my ankles too. And around my neck. They were just dreams. But—” Kit broke off, shaking his head. “I’m going nuts, amn’t I? Did you know they killed the old vampires for this, for going insane with age? It’s just happening to me a bit earlier than expected.” He laughed hollowly.
Quin’s mind raced, running through all the possibilities and explanations. “You’re not crazy.”
“Quin. Did you hear anything I just said?”
“Crazy people rarely question if they’re crazy or not.”
Kit gave him a blank look that was more like his usual expression than the manic one he’d been wearing. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I forget you have a degree in psychiatry, Doctor Rheon?”
Quin’s adrenaline drained from his system all at once, leaving him light-headed. “Baby, I’m just glad you’re back with me. And—please listen to this—but I don’t need to have studied psychiatry to know that someone dealing with PTSD can have nightmares.” He held a hand up to stop Kit when he opened his mouth. “But you’re right. That doesn’t explain why I found you standing catatonic at the window.”
Now that Quin was lucid, he remembered the shape he’d sworn he’d seen hovering near Kit. In his panic, he’d almost forgotten. He looked around the room, as if it might appear again.
“What are you looking for?” Kit asked.
“When I first saw you, it was like someone else stood there, too. I thought I was making things up since I was half asleep, but I’m not so sure.”
Kit looked like he might be sick. “Someone else was in the room with us?”
“No.” Quin ran his fingers through his beard, which needed a comb. He sniffed the air. “There’s no scent of anyone else but us.”
Kit’s nostrils flared. “The smell of that oil could easily cover the scent of someone else.”
Quin took a deep breath. “What is it, then? One of the St Andrews vampires playing some sort of trick? A spell from those witches?”
Kit shook his head. “None of the vampires can get into your house without an invitation. Even if the witches were the type to do this, this started before we met them.”
“When did it begin?”
Kit was quiet for a few seconds, so Quin pulled him back into the bed. Given the sun had risen by this point, it wouldn’t be long before Kit succumbed to sleep, and Quin wanted him cosy and safe under the covers.
“I’ve had nightmares for years,” Kit whispered. “But it got worse around six months ago. The marks on my body. Waking up screaming. Missing time. And my appetite had been all over the place. I need to feed more often, but I don’t get full, no matter how much I take.”
Quin pressed his eyes shut against the onslaught of emotions at Kit’s confession. For Kit to have gone through all of this alone made him feel like he’d let Kit down. He blamed himself for not trying harder, pushing more, but part of him knew that had he come on any stronger, then Kit wouldn’t have let him in at all. Hesettled himself by wrapping Kit in a big bear hug, pleased to at least offer some comfort.
“I hear his voice sometimes,” Kit whispered. “It’s like he’s in my head.”
Quin didn’t have to ask whohewas. “Isit in your head?”
“What else could it be?”
Quin didn’t know. “Did anything happen six months ago that might explain it?” he asked.
“Nothing. I do nothing, Quin.” Kit paused, humming. “Well, I met up with Shaun, Rake, and DJ around then. I think that was the first time I heard Lawrence’s voice so clearly.”
