“Don’t do this. Youloveme,” I whimper.
And Nate grins, something evil and sick as he cocks the gun. “Oh, do I?”
In a violent flash of pain, a shot rings out, and everything goes black.
I scream, shooting up in the bed as my body trembles and sweat drips down my neck. Oh, fuck. That one wasbad.
That… thatwasa dream, right?
I peer around the room, finding myself still in Nate’s house.Ourhouse.
Strong, calloused fingers wrap around my hand, and I flinch. My gaze snaps to the left, finding Nate blinking up at me with concerned, sleeping eyes.
“You alright?” he murmurs, yanking me back down until I’m on my side, facing him.
“Yeah, s-sorry,” I breathe out, shoving myself impossibly closer.
The dreams never leave me. I may be adjusting to my new life as a powerless loser, but the memories of that warehouse? They haunt me. Almost every night.
Nate hums, his fingers gliding through my hair as fog begins to coat the comforter pulled over us. My stars return, the rest of the room blacking out as I’m thrust back into that endless night.
“Here you go, sweet baby,” Nate says, his voice thick with sleep and something soft and kind.
I sigh, my trembling body finally starting to calm as the warmth of the stars sprinkles down onto me and the smell of Nate’s skin overcomes my senses.
“Does it ever get tiring?” I whisper, suddenly feeling a bit guilty for the lengths he has to go to just to keep me from falling apart. “Using illusion, I mean.”
Nate shifts, pulling me over his chest so that I can lie on his back. He looks more awake now, staring up at me in confusion.
“Keeping you safe and happy?” he asks. “No. It never gets tiring. Do you want to know whatdoes?”
My brows furrow, and I peer down at him as I say, “What does?”
“You hogging the blankets. It’s fucking annoying.”
This earns a chuckle from me, and I drop my head to rest against his chest. Truth is,Natesteals the blankets, not me. But I don’t comment on it; instead, I burrow in closer and listen to his heartbeat.
Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.
It belongs to me now, this heart. And mine is his.
“Thank you,” I murmur, feeling his strong arms wrap around me.
“Sleep now, sweet baby. We can bitch at each other in the morning,” Nate replies.
And I do want to sleep. I wantNateto sleep.
But my mind… It’s reeling.
“In my dream, I could feel it,” I admit softly. “I could feel my coercion. And now, I feel… nothing.”
My eyes are becoming wet with tears, my throat hot and tight.
“Yeah?” Nate prompts.
“Yeah. It was right there, shoved down into my stomach, but still there.”
It’s silent for a moment, with just the two of us breathing in the star-filled room. But then Nate flips us, laying his body over mine like a comforting weighted blanket.
