They weren't real, and she wasn't a fan of drugs. She was not a fan of immortals either.
Self-entitled pricks one and all.
They had no humility, no compassion, no kindness in their hearts, and she doubted it was the exclusive fault of their military upbringing. They were born that way, or rather, born with the dormant traits that turned them into monsters at puberty, when they transitioned into immortality.
Was that what her nightmare was about?
Was her subconscious afraid that the transformation would change more than Dimitri's body? That the man she was falling for would become cold and cruel like the other immortals on this hellish island?
No. She refused to believe that.
Dimitri was kind. Dimitri was smart. Dimitri was gentle in a way that none of the immortals on this island had ever been with her or even any of her past partners had been. Whatever changes were happening to his body, they wouldn't touch the core of who he was.
He was still the man who had looked at her scars without flinching, who had made her feel beautiful, desired, appreciated, and safe for the first time since the traffickers had taken her.
That man wasn't going to disappear just because his DNA was rewriting itself.
She had to believe that and hold on to that belief like a lifeline, because the alternative was devastation and desolation.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
"Yes." She tilted her head up to kiss his jaw. "Thank you."
He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. "I did nothing for you to be thankful for."
"I disagree. Having your arms around me is the best antidote to bad dreams." She snuggled closer, letting her eyes drift shut. "Go back to sleep. I'm fine."
She wasn't, not yet, but she was getting there. The nightmare was fading, replaced by the reality of Dimitri's embrace, hisheartbeat beneath her ear, and the gentle rise and fall of his breathing.
This was real. This was safe. This was?—
An explosion ripped through the quiet morning like a thunderclap, and the building shook.
Mattie jerked upright, heart slamming against her ribs. The sound had been too close for comfort, a deep boom that still vibrated through the walls of the building.
"What was that?" Dimitri threw off the covers, reaching for his clothes. "Is the island under attack?"
Another explosion cut him off. Then a third, each one overlapping the last, creating a rolling wave of aftershocks.
Mattie scrambled out of bed, grabbing for her uniform. Her hands were shaking as she pulled on the blouse and fumbled with the buttons of her trousers. "Is the island being bombed from the air?"
She hadn't heard any planes flying overhead, but then she hadn't been listening for them.
"I don't know." Dimitri pushed his feet into his shoes without bothering with socks. "I'm going to see what's going on."
"I'm coming with you." She fished her shoes from under the bed.
He shook his head. "Stay here. It might be unsafe out there."
"If it's unsafe out there, it's unsafe in here as well." She joined him by the door. "We need to stay together."
He hesitated only for a second, then nodded and took her hand. "Stay by my side."
She rewarded him with a smile. "That's the idea."
They rushed toward the stairs, nearly colliding with Petrov in the corridor. He looked as disheveled as they were, his shirt unbuttoned and showing his hairy belly, the graying hair on his head standing up in wild tufts.
"Did you hear that?" he demanded. "What was it? Where did it come from?"
