NAKED [MORPHEUS-DREAM]

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THE DREAMING

Morpheus stood above Quinn's sleeping body with an unreadable expression on his face. It had been two days since what happened at the Cove of Nightmares and he didn't know what to say or do. Sophia and Cassidy stayed in the Dreaming, their sleeping quarters in the east wing. Samael stayed by his daughter's side when Morpheus wasn't, wanting to be able to monitor her himself and Aislynn kept guard, while Lucienne read up on Nixie attacks.

Morpheus looked at Quinn, admiring her beauty as she slept almost peacefully in his bed. Her wound wasn't fully healed yet but it had stopped bleeding the day before, which he was thankful for.  Samael was sitting beside Quinn, looking at her as if she would just wake up. He never slept since her injuries. He stayed in her room as if she would move and he wouldn't be able to be there.

A small deep breath made Morpheus look at Quinn who furrowed her eyebrows inwards trying to figure out where she was. She opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling of Morpheus' room and she swallowed thickly. She looked around, seeing Morpheus standing before her and Samael standing next to her.

"Quinn?"Samael said, standing above her trying to see if she'd answer him back. He grabbed under her arms, hoisting her in a sitting position

"Where am- where am I?" She said, her voice hoarse and cracky like she was going through puberty for the first time.

"You're back at the Dreaming, Quinn you're safe." Samael said and Morpheus walked towards the bed and Samael stood.

"I'm going to get the Healer." He said and he walked out of the room and Morpheus looked down at Quinn who stared at the wall behind hi,/. Several moments passed by, leaving the room extremely quiet.

"I'm sorry." Quinn said, breaking the silence and Morpheus looked over at her. She must have known that he knew about her efforts to water scry, clearly.

"What was so important that you had to go and risk your life? You almost died." Morpheus said and Quinn nodded and looked down at her hands.

"I needed to know about the draugr that killed my mother."

"So you go and get yourself almost killed by a Nixie, Quinn?" Morpheus said, his anger rising. Not at Quinn, but at her ability to not think about what her actions could end up doing to herself.

"I didn't mean for that to happen. I-I didn't even know Nixies were in those waters."

"This is the Dreaming, Quinn, everything exists here, everything." He said and Quinn nodded as she felt the hotness of tears in her eyes.

"I know." She said softly and Morpheus breathed out and walked over to her, grabbing the gauzing supplies and he took a seat on his bed.

"Samael almost killed me." He said, as he guided Quinn to lay back down on his bed. She laid back down and Morpheus looked at her stomach that was guarded by her night gown. He looked at her, asking for her permission to touch her on her stomach and she gave him a hesitant nod. He placed his hand right below her naval and gathered the material of the nightgown and pushed it upwards, making her stomach and the lower parts of her body on display. He took off the old gauze that was on her gash and he sighed.

"Seriously?" Quinn asked, her breath hitching as she could feel the warmth of Morpheus' hand on her stomach.

"It seems that he didn't know about our bond." He said and he grabbed some gauze and placed it on her wound. He took some tape and secured the gauze to her stomach, his eyes skimming over her panties.

"I thought he knew." Quinn said as she looked down at her arm and Morpheus grabbed her nightgown and brought it back down over her stomach.

"He didn't. I don't think he still understands it, but he'll come around." He said and Quinn breathed in deep and the door opens and the Healer walks through.

"It's nice to see you up, my lady. Let's get to this right? Out, all males out."She said, forcing Morpheus and Samael out of the room and she began her work.

After long question and being poke and pried at, Quinn was now up in Morpheus' room trying to clean the bed sheets from her mess that she made. She couldn't get the way that Morpheus' hands dragged her nightgown up out of her mind, and that really irritated her. The door to the room opened and Samael entered.

"It's nice to see you up." He said and Quinn nodded and spoke.

"Thanks." She started. "I'm sorry about not telling you about the bound. I thought you knew." She said and Samael's eyes darkened. "He didn't force you right?"

Quinn shook her head vigorously. "No. I did it on my own free will to save him from dying." She said and Samael nodded and he looked at Quinn and spoke.

"I just wanted to come in and check on you. Tomorrow your sisters are going to want some answers, you should be there with me when I explain." He said and Quinn nodded and he gave her a curt nod and walked out of the room.

Morpheus walked in, as she door was closing and Quinn turned her head making eye contact with him and he spoke.

"Did you want dinner brought up to you?" He asked, and Quinn shook her head and spoke softly.

"No thank you. I'm not really hungry, just tired." She said and Dream walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

"The Cove of Nightmares will be gone through tomorrow, and any Nixie or water creature there will be gone." He said as if he was reassuring himself instead of her. Morpheus decided that he would deal with the Nixies that lived in the Cove. He had always wanted to but never had a solid reason to get rid of them, but now he did.

Quinn nodded and Morpheus turned to leave but Quinn spoke.

"Could you-Could you stay here? Just until I fall asleep?"She asked hesitantly and Morpheus nodded without a second thought and he walked over to the bed and sat in it, leaning against the headboard. Quinn got into the bed and tucked herself into the covers. She leaned her head on Morpheus' chest her ear resting right above his heart. Her hand sat on his torso as she laid down and Morpheus spoke, looking at her.

"Dream." He whispered, kissing her forehead and with the help of Morpheus, she fell asleep fast.