had a
nightmare.
He lowered his sword slightly, noting how sexy she looked in
his bed. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes widened as she gave him a full body perusal. “You
have a big…” she hesitated slightly, her face reddening before swinging her
gaze back to his arm, “um, sword.”
Aw, damn. He stood here naked and his interest in her
quickly became more and more apparent. As he looked at her sleep-rumpled
appearance, he felt his face flush in embarrassment and resisted the urge to
draw his wings around to the front of his body. Instead he went to stand behind
a chair in the room to disguise his nudity, at least slightly. “Sorry, I
thought someone attacked you.”
She blanched. “Does that happen here?”
“No, you should be safe. I just heard your scream and
assumed. Did you have a bad dream?”
Her eyes skittered to the side as she simply nodded.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She still wouldn’t look him in the eye. “No,” she said so
quietly he could barely hear her.
“Do you need anything else? Are you in any pain?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m sorry I woke you, but thank you for
coming to protect me.” She nodded toward the sword still clutched in his hand.
“No problem. It’s my job.” He didn’t feel right leaving her
here alone, but that’s obviously what she expected him to do. “Okay, well, I’ll
head back to my bedroom. If you need me just yell and I’ll be here.”
“Thank you, Marcus.” Her reply was soft and quiet and felt
almost like a caress against his spine as he walked out of her room.
He glanced down at his straining erection in disgust. He
muttered, “You have no sense of timing at all do you?” He ran his hand over the
back of his neck. Here she was, hurt and scared. He had no business getting
turned on. Not that her fear turned him on. The woman herself did that for him,
just her mere presence.
He heard her cries twice more throughout the night. Both
times he checked on her, but each time he did so by peering through her windows
while flying with his bottom half clothed. Both times, she appeared to simply
be caught up in her nightmares.
While asleep, her mental guards were down so he used his
telepathy to calm her. He tried not to intrude on her thoughts, but the
overwhelming fear pervaded her mind. Terrified didn’t even begin to cover the
depth of her emotions. It disturbed him. What had happened to this beautiful
creature to cause her to be so petrified? And how could he resist that
vulnerability when all he wanted to do was protect her?
* * *
The next morning, Malcolm showed up before Marcus even had
the coffee fully brewed. He knocked lightly on the door as he let himself in.
“Good morning. How’s our patient this morning?”
Marcus squinted at him then back out the window into the
ever-present fog of the morning. He scowled at Malcolm. “I’m not sure. She
isn’t up yet.”
Malcolm took a moment to look him over. “You don’t look so
great. Rough night?”
Marcus glanced up toward the direction of the bedrooms.
“Something’s happened to her in the past. She has horrible nightmares. I can
sense how terrified she is, but I also get the sense that she doesn’t want us
to know about it.” He ran his hand over his face, trying to rub the tiredness
away. “We have to find out how she ended up here, but I’m afraid if I push her,
it might scare her away.”
The woman in question opened the door and walked into the
room. Her mouth dropped open as she focused on his chest, her eyes becoming
darker, and then she frowned in annoyance.
Marcus eyed her critically. She looked like hell. There were
deep circles of exhaustion under her eyes. He walked over to her and pushed a
cup of coffee into her hands. He reached up to brush a lock of hair off her
cheek, but he directed his comment toward Malcolm. “She needs sleep. Can you
give her something to help?”
Her eyes flashed in anger as she brushed his hand aside and
then pushed his chest to move
nightmare.
He lowered his sword slightly, noting how sexy she looked in
his bed. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes widened as she gave him a full body perusal. “You
have a big…” she hesitated slightly, her face reddening before swinging her
gaze back to his arm, “um, sword.”
Aw, damn. He stood here naked and his interest in her
quickly became more and more apparent. As he looked at her sleep-rumpled
appearance, he felt his face flush in embarrassment and resisted the urge to
draw his wings around to the front of his body. Instead he went to stand behind
a chair in the room to disguise his nudity, at least slightly. “Sorry, I
thought someone attacked you.”
She blanched. “Does that happen here?”
“No, you should be safe. I just heard your scream and
assumed. Did you have a bad dream?”
Her eyes skittered to the side as she simply nodded.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She still wouldn’t look him in the eye. “No,” she said so
quietly he could barely hear her.
“Do you need anything else? Are you in any pain?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m sorry I woke you, but thank you for
coming to protect me.” She nodded toward the sword still clutched in his hand.
“No problem. It’s my job.” He didn’t feel right leaving her
here alone, but that’s obviously what she expected him to do. “Okay, well, I’ll
head back to my bedroom. If you need me just yell and I’ll be here.”
“Thank you, Marcus.” Her reply was soft and quiet and felt
almost like a caress against his spine as he walked out of her room.
He glanced down at his straining erection in disgust. He
muttered, “You have no sense of timing at all do you?” He ran his hand over the
back of his neck. Here she was, hurt and scared. He had no business getting
turned on. Not that her fear turned him on. The woman herself did that for him,
just her mere presence.
He heard her cries twice more throughout the night. Both
times he checked on her, but each time he did so by peering through her windows
while flying with his bottom half clothed. Both times, she appeared to simply
be caught up in her nightmares.
While asleep, her mental guards were down so he used his
telepathy to calm her. He tried not to intrude on her thoughts, but the
overwhelming fear pervaded her mind. Terrified didn’t even begin to cover the
depth of her emotions. It disturbed him. What had happened to this beautiful
creature to cause her to be so petrified? And how could he resist that
vulnerability when all he wanted to do was protect her?
* * *
The next morning, Malcolm showed up before Marcus even had
the coffee fully brewed. He knocked lightly on the door as he let himself in.
“Good morning. How’s our patient this morning?”
Marcus squinted at him then back out the window into the
ever-present fog of the morning. He scowled at Malcolm. “I’m not sure. She
isn’t up yet.”
Malcolm took a moment to look him over. “You don’t look so
great. Rough night?”
Marcus glanced up toward the direction of the bedrooms.
“Something’s happened to her in the past. She has horrible nightmares. I can
sense how terrified she is, but I also get the sense that she doesn’t want us
to know about it.” He ran his hand over his face, trying to rub the tiredness
away. “We have to find out how she ended up here, but I’m afraid if I push her,
it might scare her away.”
The woman in question opened the door and walked into the
room. Her mouth dropped open as she focused on his chest, her eyes becoming
darker, and then she frowned in annoyance.
Marcus eyed her critically. She looked like hell. There were
deep circles of exhaustion under her eyes. He walked over to her and pushed a
cup of coffee into her hands. He reached up to brush a lock of hair off her
cheek, but he directed his comment toward Malcolm. “She needs sleep. Can you
give her something to help?”
Her eyes flashed in anger as she brushed his hand aside and
then pushed his chest to move
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