Page 20 of These Deadly Dreams

I recognize the blond hair splayed out around the first body’s head. The curls are the same as mine, only now, they are stained crimson.

“Mom?” It’s so quiet in our house. My voice echoes, reverberating off of the wooden floors and walls. “What are you doing?”

I kneel next to her, the red soaking into my pants. It’s so cold. I brush my mom’s hair from her face. The sight is so unexpected and so gruesome. A scream tears from my throat.

“Ellis! Ellis, wake up!”

I scream and scream, but my mom doesn’t open her eyes. I’m scared to look at the other body, but I force myself to take in the brown curly hair, the blood that’s pooled around the body, and the unnatural angle of the limbs.

“Gracie?” I whisper.

Her head turns. Slowly and jerkily, like it's being pulled by a puppeteer. When she’s facing me, her eyes open and there is nothing in her gaze but death. A grisly smile tugs at her lips, and I scream again.

“Ellis, baby girl, wake up!”

Kai’s words and gentle shaking penetrate my dream and I sit up, gasping for breath. Tears stream down my cheeks and the sweat on my skin is already cooling, making me shiver.

Kai stares at me with wide gray eyes and he cups my cheek. “It was a dream, baby girl. You were just dreaming.”

I collapse against him and sob into his chest. I haven’t had that dream in years, and now I’ve suddenly had it twice since meeting the guys? The end though, that was new. I shudder as I remember the way Gracie’s head turned and she smiled at me with dead, white eyes.

“Shh,” Kai murmurs. “It’s okay. It was just a dream. I’m here.” He rubs circles on my back until the tears stop. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I shake my head. “I just want to forget it.”

Wiping my eyes, I look around the room. It’s just me and Kai in his bed. The moon shines through the window, providing a soft silver glow for me to see by. Kai looks better than he did when I fell asleep, but he’s still more pale than usual.

“How are you feeling?” I ask.

“Better. My stomach still hurts like hell, but your blood helped to dilute what they gave me. I should be fine by tomorrow.”

“Do you need more?” I asked, already raising my arm for him.

He smiles and brings my hand to his mouth, kissing the inside of my wrist. “No, I’m good. You need to replenish what I took yesterday.”

“Are you su?—”

He cuts me off with a kiss, but he quickly pulls away again, groaning and holding his stomach. “Fucking hell.” He flops back onto the bed with a grimace.

“Can I get you anything? Pepto Bismol? Tums?”

He stares at me, bemused. “Pepto Bismol? Tums?”

I shrug and throw my hands up. “I don’t know! How am I supposed to know what vampires need when they have an upset stomach? I just feel bad and I want to help.”

He tugs me down to lay next to him. “Just lay here with me. That’s more than enough.”

My heart flutters and I cuddle closer, listening to his heart beat in time with mine. I’ll never get sick of that feeling. I don’t know how long we lay together before Cade joins us.

“Good, you’re awake.” He sits on the edge of the bed and looks down at both of us. “How are you feeling, Kai?”

“Like my insides want to become my outsides.”

“So, not too bad, then.” Cade grins at him, his violet eyes swirling with amusement.

Kai slaps his thigh and grunts. “Glad my misery is entertaining to you.”

Cade chuckles before his smile slides from his face. “I think I may have found something on this warehouse. Get dressed and meet me in the library. I already sent a text to Sterling.”

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