Chapter 23
Grim
I jolt awake.
For a moment, I’m disoriented, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. Then, I sit up in bed.
There’s a whimper. It’s soft but desperate, followed by a muffled cry and a moan. It’s Wren. I think she might be having a nightmare. That’s what it sounds like to me.
“No!” she moans. “Noooooo.”
Yep, definitely a nightmare.
I throw off the covers and swing my legs over the side of the bed. I’m naked. I sigh and grab the sheet, wrapping it quickly around my waist.
There is another cry from the next room. Louder this time. More anguished.
Fuck.
I stride to my door, yanking it open. The hallway is dark, but I can see just fine. I stop at Wren’s closed door, hesitating a moment.
A scream cuts through the silence, making me shove the door open and rush inside.
Wren is on the bed, twisted in the sheets. She is thrashing her head from side to side; her hair is plastered to her forehead with sweat. She’s making these broken, desperate sounds that tear at something inside me.
“No,” she whimpers. “Please.”
I cross to the bed in two strides and sit on the edge. “Wren.”
She doesn’t respond. Just keeps writhing, fighting something only she can see.
“Wren.” I put my hand on her shoulder and shake gently. “Wake up. You’re dreaming.”
Nothing.
I shake harder. “Wren!”
Her eyes fly open with a gasp. For a second, she just stares at me, her chest heaving. Then recognition hits, and she sits up so fast she nearly headbutts me.
She’s in her underwear. White cotton bra and matching panties. Nothing fancy, but on her, it’s…
I force my eyes back to her face. I refuse to be that guy. Not now. Not when she’s clearly terrified.
“Grim,” she chokes out. Then she’s crying, great heaving sobs that shake her whole body.
I pull her into my arms. She collapses against my chest, and I wrap myself around her, one hand cradling the back of her head.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur. “You’re safe. I’ve got you. It was just a nightmare.”
She clings to me, her fingers digging into my shoulders. “No…no, it wasn’t. It was so real,” she gasps between sobs.
“Tell me about it. It’ll make you feel better.” I run my hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her. “Tell me what you saw.”
She pulls back just enough to look at me, her face wet with tears. “I was back in the clinic. Everything was happening again. The glass breaking. The gunfire.” Her breath hitches. “Sally got shot. Just like before. But this time…”
She trails off, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.
“This time what?” I ask gently.
“This time she looked at me.” Wren’s voice drops to a whisper. “Right after the bullet hit her. She looked right at me and begged me to help her.”
My chest gets tight.
“I tried to move,” Wren continues, her words tumbling out faster now. “I tried so hard. But I couldn’t. You know how it is sometimes in a dream? It was like I’d been given a sedative or something. My body wouldn’t respond. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t do anything. It was so real.”
I pull her closer, my jaw clenching.
“Sally started crawling toward me,” Wren says, and her body shudders. “Dragging herself across the floor. Leaving this trail of blood behind her. She kept saying, ‘Help me, Wren. Please help me.’ Over and over. I was dying inside, but I still couldn’t… I…”
“Wren—”
“I tried to move,” she cuts me off, her voice breaking. “I tried so hard. I was screaming inside my head, but nothing came out. I just lay there frozen and useless.”
I tighten my arms around her.
“Then one of those men in combat gear walked up behind her.” Wren’s voice hitches. “He pointed his gun at the back of her head. Sally was still looking at me. Still begging. And he just…he…” She makes a choked sound. “He just shot her. Right there. Like it was nothing.”
“Fuck.” The word comes out as a growl.
She starts crying harder, and all I can do is hold her. Rock her. Let her get it out.
“It’s your mind’s way of processing what happened,” I tell her when she starts to calm down. “It’s trying to make sense of something that doesn’t make sense. Something that shouldn’t have happened.”
Wren pulls back, wiping at her face. “Why?” she asks, her voice raw. “Why did it happen? Why did they do that to her? To all of them? To us? I don’t understand.”
I want to tell her the truth. Want to explain everything Drake told me. Everything I know about the vaccinations and the Mainland’s lies.
But I can’t.
Instead, I say, “I don’t know for certain. But there must be some truth to what those anti-vaxxers were saying. That’s the only explanation I can come up with.” She came up with the theory herself, and it’s the only one that makes sense because it’s true.
Wren nods, processing this. Then her eyes sharpen. “Those men in combat gear. They were humans, weren’t they?”
I nod. “I think so. They didn’t have the stature of shifters. They moved differently, too.”
“Were they from the Mainland?”
“I don’t know,” I say, even though I’m pretty sure they were. “But we’ll get answers. I’ll do my best to find out.”
She stares at me for a while, then nods. “Okay.”
I start to pull away, to stand up and go back to my room. But her hand shoots out, grabbing my arm.
“Stay,” she asks, surprising me. “Please. I don’t want to be alone.”
My dragon makes himself known. He wants me to stay.
“Of course. Just until you fall asleep,” I tell her.
“No.” She shakes her head. “Can you…sleep with me? It won’t be…you know…” She trails off, her cheeks flushing. “It won’t be like that. I just…I’m scared that they’ll come for us, or that I’ll have that dream again. You calm me. I feel safe with you, Grim. I need to feel safe right now.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
This is a terrible idea. I’m already struggling not to look at her body. Not to think about how good she smells. How soft her skin felt when I was holding her. How much I want to—
“You know what?” Wren says, misreading my hesitation. “You don’t have to. It’s fine. I’m asking too much. It isn’t right of me to—”
“I’ll stay,” I tell her. “It’s fine. I don’t mind at all. As long as you’re sure.”
Her face lights up with relief. “Of course, I’m sure. Thank you.”
I adjust the sheet around my waist. Then I lie down on top of the comforter, making sure there is sufficient space between us.
“You can get under the covers,” Wren says, her voice soft.
So fucking innocent.
There is just no way I can be under the covers with her and not touch her. The worst thing of all is that she would let me do it.
“I run hot,” I tell her. “I’m good like this. Get some rest. I’m here if you need me. I’ll watch over you.”
I reach over and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before I can stop myself.
What the fuck was that?
I shouldn’t be doing things like that. Shouldn’t be touching her at all. Shouldn’t be making this feel like something it’s not.
She lies down, turning so her back is to me. “Thanks, Grim. I really appreciate it.”
She wouldn’t be thanking me if she knew how hard I am right now. If she knew the thoughts running through my head. I’m a terrible person. I really need to get a grip.
“Of course,” I manage. “I’m here.”
“Good night.”
“Night,” I tell her. “Try to think happy thoughts. That way, it should translate into your dreams.”
“That’s a good idea. I will.”
I lie there, staring at the ceiling. Every muscle in my body is tense.
Her breathing gradually changes, evening out. Deepening until she’s asleep. It doesn’t take as long as I thought it would.
I lie there some more. Much to my disgust, my dick is still hard as nails. Her scent is everywhere, filling my lungs with every breath.
I need some rest as well, and when it becomes apparent that it isn’t going to happen in bed with her, I sit up, moving slowly so I don’t wake her. I grab the pillow and slide off the bed as quietly as I can.
Then I lie down on the rug next to the bed, the pillow under my head. I have the sheet, which is enough. I didn’t lie about running hot. I do.
I’m still technically here for her. If she wakes up and needs me, I’ll hear her.
I close my eyes and will my dick to go down. Try to think about anything other than Wren.
It takes a long time before I even start to relax, and longer still before I finally fall asleep.
I’ll keep my hands off her and figure out our next move. Wren told me she feels safe with me. I plan on ensuring that she always feels that way.