I said, he would rather have been hurt than you.
But we barely know each other.
Does it matter?
I let Nightmare’s words sink into my bones. We’ve been married for less than a week, and I already feel closer to him than I ever felt to any of the men I dated before. But they were boys compared to Eryx. Young kids without his power, his presence, his deep understanding of himself.
And you would hurt for him, too. Wouldn’t you?
I would hurt anyone who hurt him.
Someone did hurt him,it reminds me.
Combine our powers… We almost destroyed his dream room and we weren’t even trying.
Exactly. Imagine what you could do if you actually tried.
Imagine what we could do… Do I even want to? What would it cost me to fully use Nightmare’s power?
What would it cost Eryx?
But what if we’re attacked again and this time, Eryx doesn’t just get hurt, Eryx…
Dies?
Damn, I’m already getting tired of having a voyeur inside my head. How has Eryx lived with Nightmare for ten years? I’m about to go nuts, and it’s only been a day.
She will return,Nightmare murmurs,and if we do nothing, it’s only a matter of time before she gets what she wants.
And that is?
Me stripped from Eryx. All of me. And do you know what will happen if I’m stripped violently from him?
A lump forms in my throat. Before I can stop, I find myself asking,What will happen?
He’ll die.
The words slam into me.
Eryx.
Dead.
Gone.
Not coming back.
My hands shake. I just found him. I just… We just…
No.
My blood goes cold. I sneak a glance at Eryx. He looks so calm, so completely at ease. But I know deep down he’s not. He was just as worried about my family as I was.
He turns his head, and I quickly drop my gaze to my hand—the one he holds. I squeeze and he squeezes back.
My heart… is so completely full of this man.
And what if he was taken away from me?
