head.
Blackness overtook me.
ayla and I lay in bed, white sheets wrapped around our naked bodies. Sunlight poured through a skylight above, highlighting the green and gold specks in her hazel eyes. My heart fluttered. She was so beautiful. Her head rested on my shoulder, and her fingertips caressed my chest. My palm rested on her stomach—her pregnant belly.
Wait. Was this a dream? But, how—
“This is what you want most, right, Daniel? A family?” Kayla said, gold rings flickering around her pupils.
What the…?
The sky darkened, and a clap of noise, louder than thunder, rolled through the air. I startled, my insides squirming like maggots on a corpse. In an instant, Kayla was no longer cuddled with me but lying on her back, her stomach flat. An empty baby crib was in pieces on the floor next to the bed.
And Kayla’s throat was slit.
I shot up in my bed with a shout. Cold sweat drenched my skin, and chills ran through me as if I sat in subzero weather. The door to my room flew open. Kayla ran in from the other side.
She gasped. “You’re awake!” She hurried to the bed and flung her arms around my neck, a whimper escaping her lips.
I was slow to wrap my arms around her. Would this moment turn into another nightmare? I held my breath, waiting for another explosion of noise. It didn’t come.
Closing my eyes, I squeezed her and kissed her strawberry-scented hair. The fragrance warmed my cold limbs and relaxed my muscles. She was here; she was alive. I cleared the lump of emotion from my throat.
“I’m all right,” I said, rubbing her back. I rested my cheek on the top of her scalp. My head swam with the image of Kayla lying dead in a pool of her own blood. I grimaced as nausea filled my stomach.
“It was touch and go for three days,” she said. “And your screams… I didn’t know what to do.”
“Wait, what? Three days?” I pushed her out of my hold just enough so I could see her face.
Kayla nodded, her eyes wet. “Trishna’s not sure what happened, but whatever it was, she couldn’t cure you. Those veins covered you for two days, and you were so feverish, and I thought for sure—” Her voice broke. She cleared her throat. “And then today, you started to get better. Bartholomew took some of your blood to see if maybe that arrow had been laced with something. I still haven’t heard anything.”
Blimey.
Pulling her close, I kissed her hair again. “It’s all right, love. It’s over.”
She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. Again, the feel of my hand on her pregnant stomach and the metallic smell of her blood flooded my head. I shuddered. Between reliving the worst dream of my existence and waking in a deep sweat, the room felt like a freezer.
Kayla touched my bare chest. “You’re shivering.”
“Yeah. I think I need a hot shower.” And maybe some answers as to how the hell I’d had a nightmare. For over 200 years, I’d never dreamt. In fact, I didn’t think Protectors could. As soon as I warmed up, I’d speak to Bartholomew.
Kayla stood so I could slide out from under the sheets. “Can I join you?” she asked, biting her lip.
My mouth gaped. She’d never been so bold. But before I could react, her dead stare flashed in my thoughts, and I flinched. Blast, I needed a moment alone.
I swallowed and touched her cheek when I stood—thankfully still in my trousers. “I’ll be just a few minutes.”
Kayla nodded, frowning.
I drew her to me and held her close. “Hey, thank you for taking care of me.”
She smiled, her cheek against my chest, and her arms squeezed a little tighter. With another kiss to her hair, I moved out of her hold and ran my knuckles along her jawline before entering the loo. After stripping free of the shorts, I turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature until it was almost scalding. I stepped into the waterfall and let the spray beat my back, relaxing my tense muscles and thawing my still-cold body.
I pushed my wet, dark blond
Blackness overtook me.
ayla and I lay in bed, white sheets wrapped around our naked bodies. Sunlight poured through a skylight above, highlighting the green and gold specks in her hazel eyes. My heart fluttered. She was so beautiful. Her head rested on my shoulder, and her fingertips caressed my chest. My palm rested on her stomach—her pregnant belly.
Wait. Was this a dream? But, how—
“This is what you want most, right, Daniel? A family?” Kayla said, gold rings flickering around her pupils.
What the…?
The sky darkened, and a clap of noise, louder than thunder, rolled through the air. I startled, my insides squirming like maggots on a corpse. In an instant, Kayla was no longer cuddled with me but lying on her back, her stomach flat. An empty baby crib was in pieces on the floor next to the bed.
And Kayla’s throat was slit.
I shot up in my bed with a shout. Cold sweat drenched my skin, and chills ran through me as if I sat in subzero weather. The door to my room flew open. Kayla ran in from the other side.
She gasped. “You’re awake!” She hurried to the bed and flung her arms around my neck, a whimper escaping her lips.
I was slow to wrap my arms around her. Would this moment turn into another nightmare? I held my breath, waiting for another explosion of noise. It didn’t come.
Closing my eyes, I squeezed her and kissed her strawberry-scented hair. The fragrance warmed my cold limbs and relaxed my muscles. She was here; she was alive. I cleared the lump of emotion from my throat.
“I’m all right,” I said, rubbing her back. I rested my cheek on the top of her scalp. My head swam with the image of Kayla lying dead in a pool of her own blood. I grimaced as nausea filled my stomach.
“It was touch and go for three days,” she said. “And your screams… I didn’t know what to do.”
“Wait, what? Three days?” I pushed her out of my hold just enough so I could see her face.
Kayla nodded, her eyes wet. “Trishna’s not sure what happened, but whatever it was, she couldn’t cure you. Those veins covered you for two days, and you were so feverish, and I thought for sure—” Her voice broke. She cleared her throat. “And then today, you started to get better. Bartholomew took some of your blood to see if maybe that arrow had been laced with something. I still haven’t heard anything.”
Blimey.
Pulling her close, I kissed her hair again. “It’s all right, love. It’s over.”
She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. Again, the feel of my hand on her pregnant stomach and the metallic smell of her blood flooded my head. I shuddered. Between reliving the worst dream of my existence and waking in a deep sweat, the room felt like a freezer.
Kayla touched my bare chest. “You’re shivering.”
“Yeah. I think I need a hot shower.” And maybe some answers as to how the hell I’d had a nightmare. For over 200 years, I’d never dreamt. In fact, I didn’t think Protectors could. As soon as I warmed up, I’d speak to Bartholomew.
Kayla stood so I could slide out from under the sheets. “Can I join you?” she asked, biting her lip.
My mouth gaped. She’d never been so bold. But before I could react, her dead stare flashed in my thoughts, and I flinched. Blast, I needed a moment alone.
I swallowed and touched her cheek when I stood—thankfully still in my trousers. “I’ll be just a few minutes.”
Kayla nodded, frowning.
I drew her to me and held her close. “Hey, thank you for taking care of me.”
She smiled, her cheek against my chest, and her arms squeezed a little tighter. With another kiss to her hair, I moved out of her hold and ran my knuckles along her jawline before entering the loo. After stripping free of the shorts, I turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature until it was almost scalding. I stepped into the waterfall and let the spray beat my back, relaxing my tense muscles and thawing my still-cold body.
I pushed my wet, dark blond
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