AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’d like the stars, but I’m scared.”
“I won’t leave you in the dark. Not ever.”
He turned off the lights, and I tensed. It wasn’t long before a faint green glow began to shine, and I sank into the pillows.
Stone slid in beside me. Even in the darkness I could see he was flat on his back, looking up.
I inched closer to him but stopped shy of curling against him.
“Sweet dreams, darlin’.”
I prayed he was right.
Chapter Thirty-One
Stone
“No me toques!”
Her scream of terror tore me from sleep. Muriella thrashed beside me, and I sat up straight, her tormented moans causing bile to rise up my throat. The motion lights flicked on overhead.
“Muriella.” I was hesitant to lay a hand on her, uncertain if that would make things worse for her.
She didn’t wake at the sound of my voice.
Gently, I shook her until a strangled sound escaped her and dark watery eyes found mine.
“You’re okay.” Except I felt I’d let her down somehow. I’d promised to keep the darkness away, naively hoping if I was near, she’d have a peaceful rest.
She blinked at me, lost for a moment as she returned to reality. Tears pooled and overflowed down her cheeks. She slapped her hand over her mouth to cover a sob.
I needed to hold her, but worried about her reaction. Her shoulders shook as she blindly reached for the nightstand. With a trembling hand, she offered me her phone.
“You want Vivian?” I guessed as she struggled for words.
“Clair de Lune,” she managed to say between sobs.
I furrowed my brow, and then it hit me. The song. I fumbled through her music library until the soft piano began to play. Placing the phone on the pillows between us, I opened my arm, welcoming her against me if she chose.
Eventually, she scooted toward me, burying her face against my chest. Her tears soaked through my shirt. A helplessness threatened to drag me under with her, but determination to ease her pain won out.
“I remember the first time I heard this song,” I said, the memory coming back to me. “We were in Egypt at that house with a view of the pyramids. It was hotter than hell, remember that?” She didn’t answer, but I didn’t expect her to. “You laughed at me when I got claustrophobic while we explored those things.”
Her shoulders stopped shaking for a second. That sound of her laughter had echoed through the chamber straight to my soul. It made those walls closing in around me completely worth it. She seemed to be calming down, so I kept talking.
“I don’t know who was so stubborn they didn’t want to take a bottle of water with them. Seems like somebody said something about living in the Texas heat all their lives. Don’t know who that could have been.”
Muriella sniffled, which was better than the sobs.
“But you wouldn’t let that hard-headed cowboy go thirsty.” She’d shared her water with me. Stayed behind and encouraged me to push forward as Daniel and Vivian moved ahead. “If it weren’t for you, I’d have never seen the king’s chamber. Unbelievable that narrow pathway leads to such a big room.”
“I didn’t want you to miss it,” she mumbled, and I felt a wave of relief she seemed to be coming out of hell.
“I couldn’t sleep that night, I was sweating so bad. When I opened the doors to my balcony, I heard this song. There you were next door staring up at the sky.” Even though we had been in the city, it seemed the place was quiet out of respect for her. The stillness had kept me almost frozen so I didn’t disturb her.
“I always listen to it after a nightmare.”
“Had you had one that night?”
