The Usurper's Throne

43

That night, I had a nightmare about Damien. He had me tied against the wall. The collar around my neck was made from his hands and he tightened it every time he took a step toward me.

I jerked awake, terrified. It was a short one, thankfully. My heart was pounding and suddenly, I was wide awake. I glanced over to where Elijah was sleeping peacefully. Every night I woke up. Every night, I would check to make sure Elijah was there. Every night, I would lie awake until sunrise.

I was exhausted.

I pushed off my covers and made my way over to Elijah's bed. "Eli?" I whispered nervously. I waited a few seconds. He didn't hear me. I gave up. I wasn't going to disrupt his sleep. I turned away and began heading back to my bed.

"What's up, Naomi?" Elijah asked. He didn't sound the least bit like he just woke up.

"Sorry," I whispered. "I thought you were asleep."

"It's 11:30. I just got in bed ten minutes ago. What's up?"

I didn't realize it was so early in the night. I had never been able to fall asleep after a nightmare. I needed to sleep. The nightmares were getting worse.

"Can I...sleep in the same bed as you?" I asked quietly. "I had a nightmare and I really need to sleep."

"Yup. Let me scoot over," he said.

I blinked. That was easy. He moved over to one side, and I hesitantly crawled in on the other side. He slept under the flat sheet, so I slid in on top.

I nestled in, happy to find it was already warm. Suddenly, Elijah flipped to face me. "What was your dream tonight?" he asked.

My heart pounded. I hated reliving these. I swallowed. "I don't really want to—"

"Please?" he asked. "I think it will help."

I took a deep breath. "It was back at the castle. I was trapped on that wall. But instead of the collar around my neck being metal, it was his hands choking me," I managed. It felt like something was caught in my throat.

He nodded. "You're safe," he said. "I promise. If you have another nightmare, wake me up, okay?" he said.

I nodded, anxious that he was risking his sleep for me. He flipped back over, and I did the same. I stared at the wall for a while. Then, I felt the tell-take weight hit my eyelids. Soon, I was out.