Page 29 of Willow and the Wraith

As she had last night. He hadn’t intended to give in to his weakness and take her up on her offer to share his bed. He’d initially refused, retreating to the cockpit as usual. But the thought of her in his bed had haunted him, eventually drawing him back to his cabin.

When he’d returned, she was already asleep, a slight smile curving her lips. He’d never had a female in his bed before and yet this small human female already looked as if she belonged there. A soft light burned in the corner, left on for him. Even though his enhanced night vision made the gesture unnecessary, it had touched something deep within him, a shadowy memory that hovered just out of reach.

He’d stood watching her for a long time before giving into temptation. He’d stripped off his weapons and his boots and climbed in next to her, careful not to disturb her, but she rolled over in her sleep, tucking herself against his side. The warmth of her body against his felt surprisingly natural, as if she belonged there.

He did his best to steel himself against that feeling, reminding himself that attachments were dangerous, a weakness he couldn’t afford. He lay awake for a long time listening to the soft sounds of her breathing and wrestling with his emotions, but eventually, despite the conflict raging within him, sleep had crept over him, lulled by the unexpected peace of having her beside him.

A peace that had been destroyed by his nightmare. He should never have returned to the cabin.

He started to climb out of bed, tensing when her hand touched his arm. He looked over and saw she was awake, her eyes worried.

“What’s wrong?”

Her soft voice cut through the last remnants of his nightmare, but he fought the urge to pull away, his body rigid with conflicting instincts.

“Nothing. I’m fine,” he grunted, his voice rougher than he intended, but he didn’t move. Didn’t climb out of bed or push her hand away.

The warmth of her hand seeped into his skin, those small soft fingers chasing away the cold terror of his dreams.

He’d spent his entire life locking himself away, shutting off his emotions, keeping his distance. But right now, he didn’t want to be distant. He wanted… he wanted to lean into the comfort she offered.

No. He’d spent years building walls around himself, perfecting the art of emotional detachment. And once again she was threatening to send those walls crashing down.

He looked over and found her watching him, her eyes warm and concerned. No one had ever looked at him like that, had tried to offer him comfort since… Another fragment of memory flickered through his mind then disappeared again.

He opened his mouth to deny that there was anything wrong, but instead, he found himself saying, “It was just a bad dream.”

He immediately regretted the admission. He never spoke of his nightmares, never acknowledged weakness.

Her thumb gently stroked his arm, the touch oddly soothing.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked quietly.

No. And yes. The offer was more tempting than he cared to admit. But it was the wrong decision. It would be foolish to rely on her for comfort. For support.

He shook his head, but he still didn’t pull away.

“It was nothing.”

She gave him a searching look, but didn’t challenge him, continuing those slow, comforting strokes.

“It’s… it’s just fragments.” The words came out unbidden, his voice hoarse.

“Fragments of memory? From the time you can’t remember?”

“I don’t know.”

He remembered waking up in that cell, remembered the auction, and the horror of the years that followed, even though he’d done his best to lock them away. But before that there was nothing, nothing except the smell of burning and those haunting violet eyes. And the brief fragments of his nightmares.

“Not even your name?”

He shook his head, the memory of his first consciousness a dull ache in the back of his head.

“No.”

She squeezed his arm and he didn’t resist when she snuggled closer, didn’t pull away from her, and allowed her to press a kiss to his shoulder.

“Do you get glimpses of people? A family, perhaps?” she asked gently.

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