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Where did he take her?
I fall down and my knees scrape against the ground, the shock of pain making me let out a small cry.
Heavy footsteps come from behind me and I turn around.
A hand reaching for me, a woman’s shrill cry, a man’s voice, and I scream, “Mama!”
I shoot up straight, bathed in sweat, my heart pounding, my mind empty except for the need to flee.
I see a pair of hands reaching for me and I cower, covering myself protectively with my arms, “No! Get away!”
“Halley.”
The voice is familiar and dazed, I let it sink into me, flinching when the owner of the voice grabs my wrist in a gentle hold.
I blink as my blurred vision clears and I see Jace’s white face.
He studies me, anxiously. “It was just a nightmare.”
“Jace?” I mumble, my voice small and frightened, still trapped in some part of that nightmare. “Why’s she screaming?”
His voice is gentle. “There’s no one screaming, Halley. There’s no one else here, besides you and me.”
I look around and he’s right.
I sit up and run my hands over my face, trying to come to terms with the fact that I’m safe.
“I’ll get some water,” Jace stands up.
I immediately reach out to grab his wrist. “No.” I swallow heavily. “Don’t go. Don’t leave me alone.”
He stills and then sits down next to me. “Okay. All right. I’m not going anywhere.”
I don’t let go of his wrist, my heart racing so badly that I feel like it’s going to bounce right out of my chest.
It takes me a few minutes to get a hold of my emotions and I say, dully, “Sorry. I just—?”
“It’s fine.” He reaches over and picks up a report, leaning back on the couch next to me. We’re sitting very close and he doesn’t take his hand back from me.
I don’t release it, I just sit there quietly.
His eyes are on the report and he’s very studiously ignoring me and yet, he’s letting me hold on to him.
I take comfort in the silence and in his presence.
I don’t know for how long we’re sitting there till he finally says, “I don’t usually ask women if they want to talk about it, but…” He shoots me a look. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I shake my head, mutely.
“All right.” When he goes back to his report, I tug at his hand, making him look up. “I’d like that water now.”
He gets up.
I follow him out to the breakroom, his coat and scent wrapped around me, both offering me this strange sense of security.
Jace doesn’t say anything. He also grabs a water bottle for himself then takes out a fruit yogurt from the fridge and hands it to me. “Here.”
“I’m not hungry.” I stare at the yogurt.
