Page 28 of Willow and the Wraith

“Tell me about your life on Earth.”

He seemed genuinely interested, paying close attention to what she said, and she spent most of the next hour telling him about her students and her small town before she finally yawned and gave him a sheepish smile.

“I think I’m putting myself to sleep. Maybe that will be enough to overcome a chatty child and a rock-hard bunk.”

“The bed is not comfortable?”

“Wraith, it’s a metal bunk with a wafer thin pad. Of course it isn’t comfortable - but then I don’t suppose you felt obligated to pamper your prisoners. And it hadn’t permanently ruined my back. Yet,” she added, giving him a teasing smile.

He didn’t return it, frowning at her. Has she insulted him by criticizing their accommodation? She started to assure him that it was fine, but he interrupted her.

“You should sleep in my cabin.”

Her heart skipped a beat at the unexpected offer. She searched his face, trying to decipher his intentions, but his expression remained as inscrutable as ever.

“I… that’s very kind of you,” she finally managed, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I wouldn’t want to impose.”

He gave a half-shrug.

“It’s not an imposition. The cabin’s just sitting empty most of the time anyway.”

Damn. Every time he did something thoughtful, her heart melted a little bit more.

“Well, if you’re sure…” she began, then paused. “But where will you sleep?”

“The cockpit,” he replied calmly. “I spend most nights there anyway.”

She frowned at him.

“That can’t be comfortable. Even if you don’t sleep a lot, you need a proper rest when you do.”

A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.

“I’ve slept in worse places.”

“I’m sure you have. But still… “

She trailed off, suddenly aware that they had both leaned forward and their faces were only inches apart. her breath caught as his eyes met hers, intense and unreadable. Her pulse started to race as she waited expectantly, but he only rose and nodded towards his cabin.

“It’s late,” he said softly. “You should get some rest.”

She wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved, but she simply rose and followed him across the corridor to his cabin. The door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a space that was as elegant and austere as the rest of the ship. And as impersonal. There wasn’t a single item that indicated this was Wraith’s room, aside from a faint trace of his tantalizing, spicy scent.

The bed dominated the space, far larger than she’d anticipated. Large even for someone of his size and she couldn’t help wondering if anyone had ever shared it with him. She decided she didn’t like that idea one bit, and she quickly pushed it aside. The present was what mattered, not the past. He’d remained in the doorway, watching her, his face as unreadable as ever.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage.

“You know,” she said softly, “we both might sleep better if we’re together.”

CHAPTER NINE

Wraith’s eyes snapped open, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He bolted upright, muscles tensed for a fight that wasn’t there. The echo of screams and the acrid smell of burning flesh still filled his head, even though the details were already fading into a shadowy mist and he shuddered. The nightmare had felt so real, and yet he couldn’t connect it with any actual events. One of his missing memories, perhaps?

He’d instinctively reached for a weapon that wasn’t there before finally realizing he was in the familiar confines of his cabin. The soft hum of the engines slowly grounded him back in reality as he willed his heart rate to slow. The nightmares had plagued him for as long as he could remember, the details always just out of reach. Sometimes they would vanish for months at a time, but they always returned, leaving him with a gnawing emptiness, a sense that crucial pieces of himself were missing.

The one thing that lingered was a woman with familiar violet eyes reaching for him. Who was she? As always, trying to remember sent pain spiking through his skull and he shuddered again as his pulse finally steadied. He took a few long, deep breaths, trying to chase away the lingering shadows of his nightmare, and a familiar sweetness reminded him that he wasn’t alone.

He glanced down at Willow sleeping beside him, her chestnut hair spilling across the pillow and her face peaceful. He wanted to touch her, to caress her soft cheek and run his fingers through those silky strands. Even in sleep, she drew him in.

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