“Nico.” Lennox reached for him, but he took a step back.
“No, I don’t want your sympathy, I don’t want anything.”
“What about your father?”
“No one knows who he is.”
Silence stretched through the room. “Now I don’t want to talk about this anymore, got it?”
“Got it,” we all murmured.
41
LENNOX
I swirled the drink in my glass as I looked out the window into the dark night. It was a full moon tonight. Its glow lit up the otherwise dark den. Its rays fell across Luka’s sleeping form.
He had turned in hours ago. I told him I’d wanted to finish my book before I came to bed. He fell asleep easily while I let myself get lost in the pages.
I had finished the book hours ago.
I should be tired after everything we’d been through in the past week. Exhausted from Luka and my activities and my general lack of sleep, but still, it didn’t call to me.
I remained in the chair, held in place by my paralyzing fear.
Fear that if I closed my eyes the dreams, thenightmares, would consume me.
They hadn’t caught me yet, not since my rescue, but I feared them.
Every time I lay in bed I stared at the ceiling, my body frozen at the fear of what might find me in my dreams.
The whip on my back, my blood speckled on the ground around meas they brought me closer and closer to death with every strike against my ruined back.
The blade being held to Kara’s throat.
Luka’s unconscious form as I gave myself over to Adreona. His pleads for me not to do it.
The memories Keziq tried to warp.
The feel of Luka’s blood on my hands after Sidna’s siren abilities took over my mind.
They were all there. Waiting for me to give myself over to them.
When I did fall asleep, it was never for long. I awoke with a jolt before I could even dream.
I needed sleep, we were going towar.
But how could I lead my people into war if I was afraid of my own nightmares?
Fear constricted my throat, keeping the air from my lungs.
Luka’s terror filled yell pulled me from my mind. I leapt from the chair, my drink spilling on my nightdress as the glass crashed to the floor.
A piece of glass sliced into my foot as I ran toward the bed where Luka thrashed, his screams echoing through our bed chamber.
“Luka,” I all but cried. “Luka.” I leapt onto the bed, my hands enclosing around his wrists as I straddled his thrashing body. “Luka.” My chest caved in. “Luka wake up.” I cupped his face in my hands.
“Lennox,” he whimpered, his eyes still closed. Sweat coated his brow as he remained encased in his dream.
