CHAPTER NINE
Calista
Igasped and jolted awake. The normal everyday sounds of my life infused my senses. Nothing seemed amiss. No Goblin King stood in front of me confirming my biggest fear had come to fruition. It was just another nightmare. And a strange one. Voyeuristic.
Astaroth stormed through the labyrinth, mouth tight and eyes slitted. His hands flexed in and out of fists at his sides while he went. There didn’t seem to be a destination for his aimless zigzagging. The way he snarled and chucked that little gremlin through the shadow turned blackhole that ripped open behind him. I shivered from the force with which the portal formed and demanded to be fed. Strands of Astaroth’s hair rose and the leaves on the plants tittered from the suction of the vortex behind him. What was Jessandra’s purpose? What wouldhappen when he found her? When he removed the mask, all I could see was the smug determination in his gaze. It felt like he was staring straight at me.
My subconscious was playing tricks on me. If I really was pregnant, he would have taken me today when he had the chance.Yeah. I’m totally fine.My arms drooped beside me, and my head fell against the cushion. A breath of relief filled my lungs and rushed out.
Unless he’s waiting for the baby to be born.
Laughter bubbled up next to me. I pushed the thought out of my mind and rolled my head to the side where Gina lounged at the other end of the couch, watching my dramatic performance instead of the one playing on TV.
“Were you touching my hands again?” I glared at her then readjusted my position. My neck hurt and legs were numb from being curled under me. Those awful tingles were painful. “You know how much I hate people touching my hands while I’m sleeping.”
“Hate’s a strong word,” she said, returning her attention to the show.
“You’re right. I need a stronger one.”
Gina stuck out her tongue and tossed a piece of popcorn at me. I went to pick it off my shirt and bumped against the pendant on my chest. Stupid necklace, I thought and popped the kernel in my mouth. That was the reason I had these stupid stress dreams.Astaroth.I closed my eyes. I could still sense him all around me. It was terrifying.
I focused on the TV, fighting the exhaustion that had become my new daily over the past couple of weeks. How did people function on a few hours a night? I couldn’t do it. I loved my rest. But my past was creeping in to haunt me at the speed of light and stealing all my beauty sleep and waking peace. Once my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the screen, I tried to figure outwhere we were in our show. It was obvious I missed something major.
“How long was I asleep?”
Gina shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth and crunched down on it as she pointed the remote at the screen. It froze on the main character making the weirdest face. “What's the last thing you remember?” She garbled as she spoke around her snack.
“Um... they broke into the house to destroy evidence that was there and,” I drew out as I struggled to recall the scene, “everything went black.”
Her head swiveled in my direction in a creepy, slow way, eyes hard as stone fixated on me. It reminded me of him. “Are you for serious?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. I really was tired of hearing that.
“Calista! That was the beginning of the episode!” She groaned and threw her head back against the couch. “I'm not rewatching it. That's the third time in a row.”
“Sorry,” I said sheepishly.
She set the popcorn bowl on the table and turned her body toward me, one leg curled up on the couch, the other dangling onto the floor. “What else is going on with you?”
My face scrunched as I grew defensive. “What do you mean?”
“You've been distracted from job hunting, and you're obviously not sleeping well. You're usually on you're A game. Lately, I'd give you a big fat F.”
“Gee, thanks.” I stood up and snatched the bowl. Popcorn swooshed over the lip onto the table, but I kept going into my closet-sized kitchen. “Tell me how you really feel.”
“I will. And I expect you to do the same.”
I glanced over my shoulder to find her perched on the arm of the couch waiting for my response. “I'm just stressed from losing my job.”
One of her perfectly tattooed brows cocked up. I wanted mine to look that great, but I was too scared to do it. Plus, I didn’t have the money. When I didn't say anything else, she sighed. “How long have we been friends?”
I gave her my back and rolled my eyes. “You know how long.”
“Humor me.”
Spinning around, I leaned against the sink and wrapped an arm around myself as I glided the pendant over the chain. “Way too long to answer redundant questions.”
“Seventeen years,” she said, ignoring my quip. “We became friends in fourth grade after Mrs. Willis forced us to play together as punishment for being mean to one another.”
