Page 74 of The Daughters of Nyx

A scream lodged in my throat as cool, steady hands pressed against my shoulders. Pain blossomed within my chest, ready to take over my heavy limbs, but the simple brush of fingers over my wet cheeks scattered the panic, forcing the darkness of my nightmares into the back of my mind.

My eyes flew open and I inhaled a sharp breath. Hovering over me, bright blue eyes glowed in the darkness

of my bedroom. Her fingers brushed my cheeks again, worry glinting in her eyes, but I was frozen in shock.

Usually, I expected Thea to be the one to wake me from one of my nightmares. She would usually slide into bed with me or pull me from the dream.

So far, having the supes watching over us during the night, the nightmares hadn’t been too… harsh. They were there—like they always were—but I hadn’t screamed or reacted in my sleep like I usually did. At least, that’s what Thea told me.

My cheeks burned as Maeve slowly dropped her hand from my face. Her cherry-red lips, which almost looked bloody with the fractured streetlight coming in through the window, pursed as she sat back on the edge of the bed.

“Are you alright?” she asked quietly, pressing her hands into her lap.

I struggled with words as I pushed myself up into a sitting position. Sweat clung to my back, gluing my t-shirt to my skin, and when I raised my own hands to my face, I noticed the drying tears staining my cheeks. Swallowing hard, I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair.

I wasn’t totally okay, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to admit that to someone as put together as Maeve.

“Yeah,” I murmured, offering her a tight smile. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Her eyes hardened for a moment. “I know you’re lying, Ivy.” Her hands curled into fists. “But I won’t push.”

As she rose, a pang in my chest forced me to reach out and stop her. A rush of warmth and a spark of electricity ran the way up my arm. Intimidatingly beautiful blue eyes snapped to mine. “I’m sorry. I just—” I pressed my lips together and shook

my head. “The nightmares have been a lot for a while, and I just…I don’t know how to talk about them without feeling like I’m crazy.”

For a moment, Maeve watched me, her face void of emotions. I still had a grip on her hand, and although I knew I should let her go, I couldn’t find it within myself to release her. The contact made the icy panic slowly dissipate, and I found relief in her presence.

It was strange, and yet, it felt right.

Maeve cocked her head, and for a second, her eyes and the sharp lines of her face softened. I swallowed as she returned to her perch on the edge of my bed. She didn’t shake off my hand, and for that, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Do you want to talk about the nightmares?”

I pursed my lips. Talking to Thea about them was easy, because she’d been with me when they’d first struck. There had been no use lying to my best friend, the one person who knew me better than anyone. There was little we didn’t share, and the nightmares had become so ingrained in our everyday life.

But was I really ready tosharethat with anyone else? Watching Maeve, there was a part of me that wanted to open up, that wanted to talk to her about the terrifying dreams that plagued me almost every night. I wanted—hell, maybe needed—to alleviate some of the burden from Thea, because for so long, she’d been my rock, my person, and I knew the weight of my issues drained her. And that wasn’t fair.

But…that didn’t mean it had to be anyone else’s problem, either.

Shaking my head, I swallowed down all the words I wanted to say. I pushed the truth of my nightmares down, forced them into the back of my mind, and wiped away the desire to confide in this woman I barely knew.

“Goodnight, Maeve,” I murmured, settling under the blankets, pulling the heavy duvet up to my chin.

Her shoulders dropped, almost like she was disappointed, and a sad smile touched her lips. “Sweet dreams,a mhuirnín.”

~

I awoke to soft sunlight streaming through my window. The remainder of my sleep had been uneventful—save for a particular dream involving a vampire and some choice actions I’d only ever seen in porn.

But for the first time this week, I felt well rested, despite the horrifying nightmare that had hit me earlier in the night.

Maybe it had something to do with a particular vampire, a voice, that sounded a lot like Thea’s, sang in my ears. I shook my head and pushed that thought aside. I had way too much going on to worry about liking someone else in a way I most definitely shouldn’t.

Supressing a groan, I rolled out of bed to find the apartment quiet and empty. One of the guys should have been on watch this morning, since Maeve couldn’t stick around with the sun, and she was nowhere in sight. But neither Adrian nor Rowan were inside the apartment.

Which was probably a good thing, because after the events of yesterday, I wasn’t sure if I could face either of them. Hell, I wasn’t sure if I could faceMaeveafter what I’d dreamt.

Horny Ivy needs to give up, I thought, entering the kitchen and making a beeline for the coffee machine.There is no time—or place—for all these sinful thoughts.

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