Page 72 of Sweet Nightmares
Nightmare growled.
“Can’t you see? She’s his victim, too.” The word victim came out with a waver in Jane’s voice. She never liked to see herself as a victim. “Please, she’s been through enough.”
“She saw,” he said through his teeth, still holding the girl up by the throat, one of her toes scraping against the floor, keeping from choking her completely.
“I know.” Jane’s voice was soft, like she were trying to tame a lion—and in all reality, Nightmare was her lion. “Let her go for me. Do it because youcare for me.”
Blackness seeped into his eyes, and he flashed a look that said,Why would you think that would matter?His eyebrows scrunched.
“I can never—” The muscles in his arms bunched as he bit the words off, glaring at her. But it wasn’t a cruel expression on his face; it was resigned. All the while, he still never let go of his prey.
“You don’t care about me?” It was both a question and a plea.
His lips flattened into a stern line. “I don’t have a heart, Jane. Whatever it is you want from me, you will never get it.”
Jane swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I know.” She nodded. “I know that I am only your anchor, and you will only ever care about me in that capacity. I will only ever be a useful tool to you.” She stretched her hand out and placed it on his chest. “But I can care about you.” His heart thumped beneath her hand. “Maybe I can care enough for both of us.” It thumped harder. “Maybe, I refuse to give up on you.”
His nostrils flared, but he reached his free, blood-soaked hand up to cup hers.
“Let go of the girl, Gavriil.”
Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat. His heart stormed in his chest, and his gaze raked over her.
“Please.”
He tilted his chin and, without taking his eyes off Jane, he not-so-gently threw the girl down onto the bed.
Before the girl could scream or do anything else, Jane said, “Remain silent and don’t run, or I will let him kill you.”
The girl nodded, tears streaking down her face.
Jane’s attention drew back to her monster. She drew up on her tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Age 29.
“What’s your name?” Jane asked the girl softly.
“Genevieve.” It was more of a squeak than a word, and her eyes darted to Nightmare, fear etched into her every pore.
Jane slid her fingers into the girl’s and squeezed, trying to give her some comfort. “If you promise not to say anything about what you saw here, we will let you live. We’ll clean up this mess, and if anyone asks where he is, tell them he went to the smoking room and never came back.”
The girl bit her lip. “Yes, I promise.”
“Bargain it.” Nightmare crossed his arms, his muscles rippling with the movement. “Bargain with me that you will keep the secret, and you can have your life, and we will cover up the murder, and you will not receive any flak for this.”
Genevieve’s eyes went wide. “Bargain?”
“Yes, bargain. I am the Mirror of Nightmares. I am sure you have heard of me.”
She gasped. “The Looking Glass?”
It was Jane who answered. “Yes.”
The girl sucked in a breath. “Alright then. I accept your bargain.
As Genevieve accepted, all the blood and the body evaporated from the room, leaving the place as pristine as when they had entered.
