“—Elena.”
He pushed away from Ruslan abruptly, small body scrambling across the mattress with frantic urgency. Ruslan’s arms loosened instinctively, fingers lingering for half a second too long before letting go.
Yannis bolted toward me.
I barely had time to brace myself before he collided with my legs, wrapping his arms around my waist with surprising force. His face pressed into my stomach, breath hot and uneven, fingers gripping the fabric of my sweater like a lifeline.
My hands flew to his back without thought, holding him tight, anchoring him.
I looked up.
Over the crown of his dark head, I met Ruslan’s gaze.
He stared at us like he couldn’t quite process what he was seeing.
His son had left him.
Left the safety of his father’s arms.
And run to me.
A woman he had known for barely two days.
A woman he had married out of vengeance.
A woman he had planned to bury alive less than twenty-four hours ago.
The silence in the room thickened, heavy and electric, stretching taut between us.
Yannis shivered violently against me—small, uncontrollable tremors rippling through his body. I bent without breaking eye contact, lifted him easily, and settled him against my hip. His arms looped around my neck immediately, face tucking into the curve of my shoulder as if the world beyond me no longer existed.
“I heard you screaming,” I said softly, my voice deliberately gentle. I rubbed slow, steady circles into his back, grounding, repetitive. “What happened, sweetheart?”
He clung tighter.
“I... I saw my mom in my dream,” he whispered, voice muffled against my skin, thin and fragile. “She was running. She looked scared.”
My chest tightened painfully.
He swallowed, breath hitching.
“She was being chased by a dragon,” he continued, voice trembling. “Big. Black. Breathing fire.”
His fingers dug into my shoulders as if the memory itself had teeth.
“When I tried to help her... the dragon saw me.” His voice cracked completely. “It stopped chasing her. It came for me instead.”
I held him closer, my hand pressing flat against his back, feeling his heartbeat racing beneath my palm.
“Oh, baby,” I murmured, rubbing more firmly now, anchoring him in the present. “That sounds terrifying.”
He nodded against my shoulder.
“I could smell the smoke,” he whispered. “I could hear her screaming my name. She was calling me, Elena. I tried to run but my legs wouldn’t move.”
Tears burned behind my eyes.
“It’s just a dream,” I said gently, though my own voice shook. “I promise you, it wasn’t real. Dreams can feel very real, but they can’t hurt you. You’re safe. You’re here. I’ve got you.”
