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Exhaustion overcomes me as I slump back against the pillows. My mind quiets. My eyelids flutter…
In the middle of a web, I see an enormous spider. Max is caught in the sticky, silken threads. He struggles but can’t escape. A voice says,“I’ve got you now. You’ll never get away.”
I wake up screaming.
* * *
Max
I bolt upright. The screaming isn’t a dream. Cress. Running out into the corridor, the guest room is improbably far away and I smack into Jarvis, who stands outside her door, fist raised to knock.
“Is that Cress?” His comment strikes me as inane.
I put my hands against his chest and push him out of the way. Getting to Cress is the priority.
My voice is a low growl. “Just move, Jarvis. Go back to bed. I’ll see to this.” He glares, then turns back to his room.
I fling open the door to Cress’ temporary space. Trip over the doorsill. Bugger. My arms windmill as I teeter. She’s stopped screaming and sits up against the pillows, rubbing her arms, trembling uncontrollably.
I pull her against me, stroking her hair, trying to warm impossibly cold, pebbled skin. I tip up her chin for a kiss. Her lips are blue.
“Monsters under the bed after all?”
“I-I-I dreamed there was a huge spider, kind of like the one inHarry Potteror Shelob fromThe Lord of the Rings.”
I stay silent, but hold her tighter.
“It was in the middle of its web. And you were caught in the web, struggling to get free. And then, the spider said, ‘I’ve got you now. You’ll never get away.’ And I screamed.” She pulls away and peers at me. “This threat…”
“Nasim Faez is a dangerous man. And after ten years in prison, he’s patient.”
“That’s his name?”
I nod.
“And he wants revenge because you put him in prison?”
I make sure she is looking at me. “Because I killed his brother.”
Folding her back into my arms, her tight grasp around my waist is comforting. We stay silent for a long time, arms around each other, rocking gently.
ChapterNine
Max
Bright sunlight pours through the uncurtained window, striking my face. My bleary eyes remind me that I am in the guest bedroom with Cress. The door is slightly ajar, a cat slinking out. Disoriented, I reach for my glasses, but they aren’t on the bedside table. A quick recce doesn’t turn up anything.
With a groan, I slide down to the floor, stretching out to snake an arm under the bed. My hand finds the frame and the tightness in my chest loosens. I’ve given up contacts completely. At one time the ophthalmologist told me that the lenses would protect against more deterioration, but now that everything has stabilized, contacts irritate rather than protect. I glance around and remember why I’m in the Provencal room, with Cress.
My thoughts return to the dream. I was on one knee, begging Cress to forgive me for being an arse again. I woke up before she answered. Glasses firmly affixed, I sit down next to her, bouncing slightly on the oh-so-new mattress. She makes enchanting whimpers as she wakes up, stretches and scoots her back against the headboard. “What time is it?”
I grab her phone. “Uh, half-past seven. Sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep.” I get up and move toward the door.
She raises her arms above her head, hands clasped. “I’m awake now. And I still have packing to do.”
“Our flight isn’t until seven p.m. Plenty of time.”
“Why do I keep thinking we have an earlier flight?”
