Heart of Stone - Stone and Fire #1 [17+] (REWRITING)

Chapter 38

longggg asss one today cuties

Adriana's POV

The dark pressed in close, stifling.

I could feel the blade looming, inches away, its edge slicing through the air. A shiver of icy fear ran down my spine, and in that suspended breath, his face emerged in the dark—a mask of shadows, with eyes black and hollow. Empty.

Petrov.

The dagger glinted, flashing as it carved its path toward me. Its tip aimed right at my heart.

Then I jolted awake, a gasp clawing from my throat as I stared up into eyes that were—different. They were close, deep grey and cold, but so entirely... safe.

Nikolas.

The darkness seemed to dissipate around him, and slowly, the thudding in my chest found a rhythm.

"Hey." His voice was a soft rasp, a sound I could sink into. "Come here. You're safe."

My hand already clutched his shirt, knuckles white, and his rebounding heartbeat relaxed my nerves. It was a strong, certain thump, like it could chase away every nightmare if I just held onto it hard enough.

I'm safe.

He remained open-handed, waiting for me to initiate the movement, and the red light sunk back into the shadows as I rested my head on his chest and let him surround me.

"You're so warm," I said, closing my eyes. Each heartbeat pounded against my ears, and I counted them as his arm became a fifty-pound blanket around me.

"Funny. You used to call me ice-cold."

"You are. Just not with me. Not anymore."

"Don't have any other option, do I?"

No. No, you don't.

I didn't even have to think to fall asleep.

His presence alone was enough to make the world slip away.

━━━━━━━━ ༺♡༻ ━━━━━━━━

Morning came, but I kept my eyes shut, staying still, letting the warmth of his arm around me fill the silence. If I got up, that meant I would have to face the day, and I didn't have the energy to do that.

I felt his fingers lightly brush over my wrist, tracing gentle circles, as though he'd been waiting for me to wake. I turned slightly, meeting his eyes.

"How long have you been awake? You don't have work?" I asked, my voice still thick with sleep.

He raised an eyebrow, a half-smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "I've been up all night. You're a full-time job."

Amusement bubbled in my chest, teasing the corner of my mouth, but the smile didn't show up.

The second I tried to sit up pain shot through my torso, making every movement feel like a fresh wound. The small wounds had scabbed over, starting to begin their healing stage, while the deep ones, they felt somehow worse than day one.

I dragged myself up, brushing the grogginess away as I took in the room. My things were here, arranged as messy as they once were in my room. My perfumes clattered over his dresser, acrylic nail sets stacked up next to them, my sweater draped over his chair.

"Where did all this come from?" I asked, confusion mingling with disbelief.

Nikolas leaned back on his elbows, looking as unfazed as ever. "You've been sleeping here for the past three nights, so I told Polina to move your things." His gaze didn't falter, his expression soft but serious, like this was the only option that ever made sense to him.