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Contentment settled over me. A feeling of utter bliss, as I lay atop of him, with the sound of his heart in my ear, and his long, easy breaths.
Until at last, I drifted into the void.
* * *
Movement jostled me, my cheek sliding across something warm and wet. I opened my eyes to portraits slipping past my periphery, and the unsettling sensation of the world moving too fast for my brain to process. I lifted my head from bare skin, drool stringing from my lips, and stared up at Jericho’s perfectly precise jawline.
The scenery switched to the familiar surroundings of my bedroom, and as he carefully laid me down, realization finally crept in. Memories from the night before. Jericho in pain. Chains. Pleasure. Pain.Contentment.
At what must’ve been a look of absolute confusion on my face, Jericho smiled down at me, dragging a finger across my cheek. “Vaszhago unchained me early this morning.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, recalling the state in which I’d fallen asleep.
“No worries, darling. You were lying beside me. Your gown covered us both.”
Thank goodness for that. “What time is it?”
“Three in the morning.” He leaned forward, planting a kiss to my lips. “Rest.”
“Last night was the first time I slept without nightmares, or hallucinations, in a long time.”
His eye crinkled with concern. “You’re still having them? Here?”
“Yes.”
“Of what?”
“It’s nothing, Jericho.”
“Tell me.”
I didn’t want to say, for fear that he’d worry over me and do something crazy like have someone watch me sleep, but I was drowning in my confusion and fear. I needed to talk to someone who could help me decide if it was a pregnancy thing, or a trick of the mind. “The blonde. I keep seeing visions of her. And then …”
“And then what?”
“Did you happen to say anything to Vespyr about my dreams?”
“Not at all,” he answered without hesitation. “In fact, I think I’ve said maybe two words to Vespyr since she arrived. Why?”
“It’s stupid, and I’m going to feel stupid telling you this.”
“Tell me.”
“Apparently, Vespyr has an imaginary friend named Osiris.”
“Yes.” With a quirk of his brow, he crossed his arms over his chest. “So I’ve been made aware.”
“I didn’t say anything about my hallucinations to her. But nearly a week ago, Vespyr told me Osiris saw me with a blonde.” Studying his reaction for any sign that he might’ve thought I was crazy had me nibbling the inside of my lip.
“With?”
“She keeps appearing around me. I see her standing behind me, or see her in the mirror’s reflection. Unfortunately, Vespyr hasn’t spoken to Osiris since, so I couldn’t ask him any questions, and she swears that she herself can’t see it.” Each time I’d thought to dismiss the comment, I found myself calculating the possibilities of her, or him, seeing the strange woman standing in close proximity to me.
“You’ve not said anything about the blonde to anyone? Perhaps Anya?”
“No one but you.”
With the back of his finger, he pushed a strand of hair from my face and bent forward, planting a kiss on my temple. “I don’t want you to worry over this. I’m sure there’s an explanation. I’ll speak with Vespyr. In the meantime, get some sleep.”
