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“The woman he was with that night… she died before he even got off.”
Nightmares
Talia
Thenightmaresweresooften I never knew anymore if I was awake or asleep when they came. Sometimes it happened in the in-between moments. Mrs. Wessex used to tell Raven and me stories about the in-between moments. During those few seconds between waking reality and sleep, anything could happen. The magic of the world would take hold, and we were untouchable. Unfortunately for me, those moments were ruined now. They were filled with terrors of things I had seen and things that were yet to come. When Leo pulled me into his arms, I didn’t think twice about allowing him to do so. I was desperate for closeness with someone and he was there, willing to give it.
“Was that the first time you saw someone die?”
“No. Raven’s mom died of cancer and we were with her when it happened. This was the first time I saw someone murdered, though. Have you ever seen someone die?”
Leo’s grip tensed around me, and I tilted my head up to look at him. I knew the answer before he even opened his mouth.
“Yes, I have.”
“Did you kill them?”
“Yes, I did.”
I nodded and laid my head back on his chest. The fact that I wasn’t even bothered by laying in the arms of a killer wasn’t lost on me. I was so far out of my mind, it wasn’t even that surprising. Something about Leo killing people wasn’t nearly as terrifying as the thoughts of Miles doing it and I wasn’t certain why.
Leo’s voice was quieter than it had been before when he spoke again. “Does knowing that upset you?”
“No. You said you’d kill Miles if he came for me. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t upset me.”
“Was that the night that the sun went out?”
“No.”
“What happened that night?”
“He was mad before I had even gotten to his room. I could hear him yelling at someone when we approached the door and when the guard I was with knocked, he threw something that shattered before telling us to come in. I turned to run, which was pointless, and they dragged me inside.”
“Did he hurt you that night?”
“He hurt me every night.”
“Why do I feel like that night was worse?”
“Because it was... they held me down for him and…”
Could I do this? Could I really tell Leo what happened that night? I’ve known the man less than twenty-four hours and here I was ready to spill my soul to him in exchange for being treated simply like a human that mattered. He said Raven sent him, but how could I know for sure? It wouldn’t have been hard for one of Miles’ men to track down information on my life before here, and I had no idea who Becket Haynes was.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, Talia. I understand.”
I pushed up from where I was laying with him and his arms fell to his sides as I sat up and wiped at the tears still lingering on my face. “How do I know you are who you say you are?”
“I have no motivation to lie.”
“Why not?”
“I have everything I want in this life. People are bought when they have desires they cannot afford. I’m not one of those people.”
“Because you’re rich?”
He laughed, “No, but it doesn’t hurt.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just in a really weird place right now with everything that is going on. It’s hard to believe what anyone says to me.”
