Chapter 24
The city lights flooded the sky and blotted out the stars. I can’t see any trees from Kieran”s penthouse, only buildings and artificial light, such a difference from my apartment that backs up against the forest. The location of our homes isn’t the only thing that is different. While my home is all muted colors and light wood, Kieran favors deep mahogany and leather. His home is spacious and full of windows, allowing him to see the world he rules.
Sipping the now lukewarm coffee, I stifle a yawn. I am doing my best to stay awake until Kieran gets home, even though he told me I didn”t need to. He”s been working a lot of late nights lately, trying to tie up loose ends to corner Sean, allowing Finn to take over the O”Neils once and for all.
I’m currently sitting outside on the penthouse balcony, swept away by a book, and wrapped in blankets to ward off the late autumn chill. I can’t see many stars here because of the city lights, but the city itself was like a kaleidoscope of stars themselves.
Looking at my watch, I sigh, seeing that it was nearing midnight. I need to go to sleep, as I have the morning shift at the library tomorrow. I gather my things and make my way back inside the penthouse, returning the book back to its shelf.
Kieran wasn”t lying when he told me he liked to read, as he had more books than I did, all resting on bookcases stretched throughout his living space. I run my hand over the spines, an assortment of book cloth, paper, and leather covering the tomes. I like to think that they, too, were silently waiting for Kieran”s return. If I think of it like that, I don’t feel so alone in this space that is surrounded by the bustling city. Even though my apartment is on the outskirts of town, I prefer it”s quiet nature to the constant roar of the city streets below.
Taking one last look back at the dark and quiet space, I softly pad to the bedroom to get some much-needed sleep. A part of me wants to worry that Kieran isn”t home yet, but I know he can handle himself. He wouldn”t be where he is if he couldn”t deal with the things that go bump in the night.
Sitting up in terror, a scream catches in my throat and my heart races to escape an invisible predator. I thrash under the weight of the blanket, feeling trapped by a cage of sharp metal and twisted steel.
Instantly, Kieran is up as well, turning to me and grabbing my shoulders.
”Lina, what”s wrong? What is it?”
I feel frozen. Stuck. A fish on dry land gasping for air that can never reach my lungs.
Worry snakes its way across Kieran”s features, illuminated by the soft moonlight shining through his bedroom windows.
Nodding as I suck in lungfuls of air, I grab Kieran”s hands, hoping he can understand what I am wordlessly trying to say.
Kieran”s brow furrows. ”Nightmare?”
I nod again.
Large hands gently move me, pulling my shaking limbs into a bundle of blankets and a firm embrace. The echo of steel embedded in my skin fades as the heat of Kieran’s body against mine grounds me in the present moment.
After a moment, Kieran tilts my chin up, so I”m looking into his dark, mahogany eyes.
”What gives you nightmares, Avalina?” His gaze is soft, but Kieran can”t hide the bite of his words that are as sharp as knives.
Despite his gruff delivery, I know Kieran isn”t angry at me. How can he be when his hands hold me like I am his last breath?
Inhaling his whisky and smoke scent to ground me, I let my mask fall and tell Kieran of the nightmares that have plagued me ever since I woke up in the hospital after the accident.
Words spill out of my mouth like petals falling in the rain as I describe the memories that wake me at night. Memories of groaning metal collapsing around me, crushing and slicing as I”m tossed carelessly among glass and thorns by the lake edge.
Kieran listens silently, but there”s no mistaking the tension he holds in the taut lines of his body, so carefully caging mine.
”You”ve had these since the accident?”
”Yes. They aren”t as bad now, though. I haven”t had one in weeks. They used to happen every night, and I”d have to get up and take a shower and change my sheets because I would wake up drenched in sweat. The nightmares feel so real.” I look up from my ramblings to see Kieran scowl and I frown. He catches it and places a soft kiss on my lips.
”I”m not mad at you. I”m mad at the person responsible for the accident. Responsible for hurting you. For still hurting you.”
”Have you found anything out about who caused it?”
”No, but Cass is looking into it. If there is anything we missed before, any stone we left unturned, she”ll discover it.”
I snuggle in closer to Kieran, craving his heat, his flesh against mine. A reminder that I”m not alone and tumbling about in the wreckage that sliced open my soul. Kieran”s arms wrap around me, pulling the covers back over my body.
”Go back to sleep, Lina. I”ll keep watch,” his voice rumbles with my ear pressed to his chest. I want to protest, to tell him I”m fine, that I don”t need him protecting me from the shadows, but something makes me pause. This is Kieran, the one person who has never made me feel less than for my missing memories, who refuses to let me apologize when I realize he”s talking about something I”ve forgotten. The realization that I”m utterly safe here with him settles over my bones and I let my eyelids close, knowing I won”t have any more nightmares tonight.