I surrendered to his command and opened my mouth, lips parting slowly.Self-loathing mingled with anticipation as I gave in.
He pressed his thumb inside, pushing past my teeth until it rested against the warmth of my tongue.He let out a harsh breath, the sound halfway between pleasure and pain.He moved closer until his legs pressed against mine.
“Now, suck.”The command was rough, his composure fracturing at the edges.He dragged his bottom lip through his teeth.
I closed my mouth around his thumb, swirling my tongue against it with a boldness I didn’t know I possessed.
His eyes fluttered shut for the briefest second before he seemed to remember himself.With a movement almost too quick to follow, he pushed me away.
“Run along back to yoursuffocatingroom.”His voice had regained its mocking edge, though something rougher lingered beneath.“And remember my warning.Next time I might not be so merciful.”
I stood frozen, caught between the urge to flee and the maddening desire to step closer.
The moon watched, silent and judging as I made my choice.
I cursed him every step of the way back to my room.
“Please!”
The word tore from my raw throat, shredding the silence as my body convulsed.Sweat-soaked sheets twisted around my limbs, binding me to the mattress.My eyes flew open, pupils blown wide with terror.
“No more,” I whispered, curling onto my side.I clawed at the linens, bunching them between my fists.“Please.”
I wasn’t sure who I was begging—the Heavens, the world, any entity that might deliver me from these relentless visions that haunted my nights.But my plea evaporated into the stillness of the room.
My hand shot to my chest, nails digging against bare skin in a frantic search for the familiar weight that once rested there.My father’s pendant.Gone.Lost like everything else that defined me.
I pressed my face into the damp sheets, salt tears streaming down my cheeks and soaking into the fabric.A broken melody escaped my lips.Each note quivering in the air.Every strain a physical ache that pierced my chest.
“You sing beautifully.”
The melody died on my tongue, replaced by a shriek as I launched upright.
“Heavens, Mira,” I gasped, dropping my head into my palm.“You almost killed me.”
Panic flashed across Mira’s face.She placed a bundle of clothing onto the edge of the bed and she rushed to my side.
“I’m sorry,” she stammered, hands flying up with palms facing outward, as if to physically push back her mistake.“I didn’t mean to.”
She perched beside me, one leg tucked beneath her.She scanned my face, from my swollen eyelids to my quivering lips.
“What’s wrong?You look like you’ve been crying and—” she pressed cool fingers against my forehead, “your skin is like fire.”
My nightmare resurged.The endless flames and searing pain.Dalkhan looming before me, tormenting me.
A violent shudder rippled through my body.I forced my mind to anchor itself in the present, in the solid reality of Mira’s concerned face.The gentle furrow between her brows, the way her honey eyes searched mine—these were real.Tangible things to hold on to.
“Just a nightmare,” I said, straining to form what I hoped resembled a smile.I inched forward, sliding off the bed before she could probe further.“I’ll bathe quickly.”
I brushed past her, catching the subtle scent of jasmine that seemed to always cling to her.Her lips pressed together, forming a tight line.
Thankfully, she didn’t try to stop me.
After my bath, the scalding water scouring away the lingering tendrils of dread, I emerged transformed.Mira dressed me quickly, the weight of the dream receding with each passing second, dissipating in the warmth of Mira’s voice.
“So,” I asked as she focused on my hair.The rhythmic tug against my scalp was strangely comforting.“Why is it that Jasila seems to like you, but me, she can’t even tolerate?”
Mira’s paused momentarily before securing the final braid.She moved to the small wooden table, the chair legs scraping against the floor as she pulled it out.She selected a plump, deep red strawberry from the platter and sank her teeth into the flesh.“It wasn’t like that right away,” she said, catching a bead of juice at the corner of her mouth with the tip of her finger.
