"Dream a little dream of me..."
Tonight, as the sun sinks beneath the horizon, I'll be there, as always. In the space where dreams intertwine with reality, I'll envelop you in promises softly whispered in the dark. I'll hold you close, dissolving th...
She was back in her bed, drenched in sweat, her heart hammering against her ribs. The soft glow of Lunaris's light poured through the window, casting a silver sheen over the room. Outside, the night was unnervingly still. Inside, the remnants of the nightmare clung to her mind like smoke, thick and heavy. The acrid smell of burning flesh, the echo of distant screams, the vivid image of her mother engulfed in flames—they hadn't yet loosened their grip.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly, her breath shallow...she could still feel the tingling from the phantom heat of the flames in her dream on her skin. Blinking rapidly, she forced herself to focus on something tangible—anything to pull herself out of the nightmare's cruel grasp. Soft lilac eyes, soft and glowing in the dim light. Asra.
His gaze, gentle yet intense, flickered under the moonlight, the silver flecks in his irises catching the glow of Lunaris. The weight of his concern pressed into her as his thumb brushed a tear from her cheek. His touch was soft but firm, grounding her in the present. Asra didn't say a word—he didn't have to. The quiet between them was full, deep, charged with unspoken understanding.
Slowly, with deliberate tenderness, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. His lips lingered, warm against her bare skin, and she exhaled shakily, the feel of him pulling her further from the nightmare's grasp.
He kissed a slow path along her neck, his touch steady, each kiss replacing the horror with his warmth. His arms tightened around her waist, drawing her close, shielding her from anything which dared trouble his sweet love, his moon.
He pulled the silk sheets higher around them, creating a cocoon of warmth and safety. His embrace felt like a refuge, a haven from the storm that raged in her mind. And yet, in the back of her consciousness, something subtle, something fragile, stirred. The quiet between them wasn't as peaceful as it once was; it held a new, unsettling weight.
"You're safe, ma lune," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear, the words a balm to her frayed nerves. He took her hand, guiding it to his chest, where she could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. The sound, so familiar, so real, began to pull her fully back into the present. His hand covered hers, his thumb tracing slow, soothing circles over her knuckles. "This is real," he whispered, his voice soft but firm, a quiet urgency threading through it. "I'm real. I'm here. Always."
His words wrapped around her like a balm, easing the jagged edges of her fear. She let her lips brush against his chest, a soft, grateful gesture, feeling the rise and fall of his breath under her touch. But as she pressed her ear to his chest, listening to the strong, steady beat, she felt something shift—something subtle but unmistakable. His heartbeat quickened, just for a moment.
A small laugh flutters from her lips in response, as she closes her eyes, pressing her lips against his chest in silent gratitude. Soon, her own heartbeat matched his, she let out a slow, deep exhale, releasing the remnants of her dream into the night air. Asra held her a little closer, his fingers slipping into her hair to massage her sculp, his touch delicate, but... hesitant, as if part of him wasn't fully present. The thought lingered in the back of her mind, unbidden, but she shoved it down, clinging to the safety of the moment.
Without thinking, she began to hum the familiar lullaby, the one her mother used to sing. Softly, quietly, the melody spilled from her lips, a soothing tune that had carried her through the hardest nights of her childhood.
"Today is a special day..." she whispered, the words barely audible.
But as she resumed her humming, Asra stilled...His fingers froze, just for a second—too brief to be obvious, but long enough for her to notice. He didn't say anything, but she felt the change in the air between them, as if something invisible had stirred. The song. The words.
"Why that song?" he asked, his voice quieter now, soft but carrying an edge of something. His gaze flickered downward, almost as if he didn't want her to see whatever was written in his eyes.
Meluna shrugged, her cheek resting against his chest, eyes still closed. "It just felt right." The song was her way of holding onto her mother's memory. On the eve of her knighting ceremony—a day that should have been shared—humming the familiar melody felt like a tribute. By singing it, Meluna hoped to bring a piece of her mother here, even if just for a moment, to stand by her side on this special day.
His fingers resumed their movement, tracing patterns along her spine, but the warmth in his touch felt different now—more deliberate, as though trying to mask something beneath the surface. She could feel it. There was a tension in his body, a stillness in the air, as if he was holding something back, something he wasn't ready to share.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, longer this time, as if to reassure her—but the unease had already settled in her chest. Despite that, she closed her eyes to just focus on his warmth.
"You know, ma lune," he said, his voice low, "sometimes... the things we hold closest are the ones that can hurt us the most." He hesitated, just for a breath, before continuing. "And the things we think we understand... can change, without us even realizing."
Her heart fluttered, and for a moment, the air in the room felt colder. The lullaby faded from her lips, the words now feeling hollow, like an empty promise. She searched his face, his lilac eyes still shimmering in the moonlight, but now they seemed distant, as if he were looking past her, into something only he could see.
His words sank into her, leaving a chill in their wake. She opened her eyes slowly, her brow furrowing. There was something in his tone that didn't belong, something that made her chest tighten. She lifted her head from his chest to look at him, her eyes searching his face.
His lilac eyes met hers, but there was a flicker there—something deep, something guarded. For the briefest moment, she saw a flash of conflict, of doubt, of something darker lurking behind his gaze. It was gone as quickly as it came, but it was enough to leave her unsettled.
"Asra... what aren't you telling me?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but the question hung between them, heavy and unyielding.
He smiled softly, but it didn't reach his eyes. His lips pressed against her forehead, lingering there, as if the kiss could seal away the unspoken truth. "You don't need to worry about that now, Meluna," he murmured against her skin.
"Just stay with me"
She wanted to believe him. She wanted to sink back into the safety of his arms, to let the lullaby and the warmth of his body carry her away from the shadows that still lingered in her mind. But the flicker in his eyes—the brief hesitation, the quickened heartbeat—echoed in her thoughts.
"For tonight... just be here with me."
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