Xia approached the bed leery of what she might find under the mess of black hair. The skin she could see in the moonlight was pale and mottled, a purple bruise coloring the side of his face and disappearing under his hairline.
She reached out a tentative hand to brush the tousled strands from his face and her breath caught. He was stunning in the most unique of ways.
His features were so innocent and boyish in sleep, but she could imagine the lines shaping his face as they came to life. She wondered if they were from laughter or worry. Maybe he lived lost in thought and had worn creases between his shapely brows.
Long black lashes dusted his cheeks and a soft snore accompanied every exhale. His face, she imagined, was normally clean shaven but had a fine layer of hair growing in.
Xia looked around again to determine where they were. There was a small, basic nightstand beside the bed that housed different bottles of medication and a long-forgotten glass of water. Small flecks of dust settled along its rim and, if it had ever been cold, the condensation long since dried.
All signs indicated a medical facility or infirmary of some sort.
She turned back to the sleeping man and an emotion she couldn’t identify squeezed her chest. She wanted to hold him. Care for him. Protect him from harm, even.
Why? This was only a dream, after all.
Remembering the reality of her situation made her a little bolder.
Xia touched his forehead again and moved more hair aside to study the bruise along his temple. What she found made her sick.
It was no simple bruise. There was a circle of yellow, puffy burnt flesh right in the center that continued to ooze blood around the edges. It was too damaged to scab and would have to be something that shed its layers completely to begin the healing process. It would be dreadfully painful.
Anger flared red hot in her veins as the hand not touching his face clenched to a fist. The bruise that spread from the seared circle was massive and looked as if it could still be actively bleeding out under the skin.
She let go of the hair and startled when she found a pair of navy eyes watching her. She’d been so distracted by the wound that she hadn’t registered his shift in breathing.
“Hi,” she said breathlessly.
His brow furrowed, those lines popping up just as she’d imagined they would.
“This is a new one for me.”
“I’m sorry?”
Xia didn’t know what she’d expected from him, but that response was low on her list of guesses.
“Normally I dream of some lady in a tree, blood raining from the sky, or falling into darkness looking up at a bright circle of light. No complaints though.” His eyes dipped down.
His voice was rough from sleep, but he seemed wide awake and very aware.
There was something familiar about that voice…
The realization of where his gaze was fixed clicked, and she couldn’t stop her reaction. She slapped him on the shoulder and scowled.
“My eyes are up here, asshole.”
A sudden burst of laughter disturbed the silence, and he held his chest as it continued.
“I’m glad you think it’s funny.”
“You’re just a beaming ray of sunshine, aren’t you? My brain must have known I needed a laugh. Thanks, bud,” he said more to himself than to her as he turned away.
Xia’s breath caught as her heart stopped dead in her chest. The way he’d said sunshine…
“Brooks?” Disbelief laced her tone as tears sprang to her eyes.
His face whipped back to hers and his body sprang to a sitting position. He nearly knocked her to the floor, the blankets pulling out from under her as he twisted, but a strong hand reached out and grasped her own before she could fall.
His hand was a bit dry but soothingly warm, and the way it wrapped around hers sent a bolt of electricity up her arm. She pulled away quickly, and he stared at his own hand as if he’d felt it too.
