The Brightest Star

Chapter 21

I wake up screaming. Every inch of my skin is coated in a thin sheen of sweat. I look around the dark room frantically. I can't breathe. All I feel is the dead weight against my body. The dirty, clawing hands. I screw my eyes shut but it doesn't help.

My hand rises to my neck and I find the necklace. I turn the charm over and over again in my fingers but my heart still rings in my ears.

The door flies open making me jump. A shadowed figure encroaches on the room and I scramble backwards, trying to gain some distance. He gets closer and closer and I think I might pass out.

The beside lamp flicks on and I let out a shaky breath.

"It's just me," Dominic says softly. "Look at me, little love. It's okay."

He's wearing nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants and his hair is a mess like he's just woken up. He sits on the edge of the bed and extends his arm. Tears well in my eyes and I bite on my lip to keep them down.

"Come here," he says softly.

I wrap my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. A sob slips through my lips as he pulls me close. Dom whispers calming words against my hair but I can't stop crying no matter how hard I try.

It's not fair. It's not fair that I still wake up in the middle of the night screaming. It's not fair that those fucking monsters have haunted my dreams for years. It's not fucking fair that even after all this time, they won't give up. That they're still looking for me, still hurting me.

"It was just a dream, mia stella," Dom kisses the top of my head. "You're okay. You're here, with me."

"Dom," I gasp. "Make it stop."

"I'm trying, little love," he pulls me into his lap, tightening his hold on me. "You're safe. They can't hurt you anymore."

I don't like crying in front of people. I don't like showing this kind of vulnerability. But Dominic's seen it before. He helped me through these nightmares back when it first happened; back when they were worse. I try my best to take deep breaths, repeating the same mantra in my head.

You're safe. You're with Dominic. He won't let anyone hurt you.

Eventually, I stop crying. My breaths steady out and the world comes back into focus. I pull back from the embrace, wiping my cheeks with my hand.

"There's my girl," Dom gives a sleepy smile. "You're safe, Annabella."

"Thank you," I whisper, looking into his eyes.

He pushes some hair out of my face, "are you okay?"

I nod. I look over his shoulder at the clock on my nightstand. It's nearly three in the morning. Realization settles in as I realize that I woke him up in the middle of the night. That the man posted outside my door likely ran to his room to wake him. That he was pulled from his sleep just because I had a bad dream.

"I'm sorry," I say softly.

"For what?" his face contorts to confusion.

"Waking you up," I clarify. "It's so stupid I-"

He cuts me off, "it's not stupid."

"It's the middle of the night," I weakly argue.

"I don't care," he retorts quickly. "You know what my priorities are."

I look away, "to keep me safe."

He grabs my chin and forces me to look at him, "and happy. To keep you safe and happy."

"I'm sorry," I reiterate.

"Look," he guides my hand down his bare chest. My fingers ghost against his tattoos until he comes to a stop. I hadn't noticed it earlier, it blended in with the rest.