A Dance with Danger

Bonus 3

**Estelle POV**

I didn't know when the nightmare began, only that it felt real-too real. I could feel the sharp sting of my father's voice, his anger like a whip cracking through the air, slicing into me, always me. His words were like poison, seeping into my skin, into my soul. *"Worthless."* *"Pathetic."* *"You'll never be anything more than a disappointment."*

I was in the same room I always was when I was a child-the one with the cracked walls, the one that felt like a prison. My father loomed over me, his figure dark and hulking, and every time I tried to run, to escape, my legs betrayed me. The walls closed in. His hands-rough, cruel, always the same-grabbed at me, pulling me back into his grasp.

*"Stop! Please, just leave me alone!"* I screamed, but my voice was swallowed up, drowned out by his laughter. That fucking laugh.

He was laughing at me. At my pain. At my fear.

I tried to fight, but I was so small. So weak. Helpless.

I could feel his breath on my neck, the sting of his words against my skin. *"I never wanted you."*

And then, in a flash, everything went black.

I woke with a start, my breath ragged and shallow. My heart was racing, my skin slick with cold sweat. It was still dark in the room, but I couldn't shake the feeling that my father was still there, looming in the shadows, waiting for me to crumble.

I sat up in bed, my chest tight, my hands shaking as I pressed them to my face. My throat felt tight, like I was choking, and I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. The memories were too vivid, too real.

I was back there again.

I jumped when I felt a warm hand on my back. My muscles tensed, a scream rising in my throat, but then I felt his touch, soft and steady, and my body instinctively relaxed. Tiberius.

"T..." My voice was cracked, hoarse, barely above a whisper. "Tiberius."

"Hey, baby," his voice rumbled through the darkness, low and soothing. "It's okay. You're okay."

I flinched as he turned me toward him, his strong arms pulling me close. His scent-cedarwood, something deep and earthy-grounded me, but my heart was still pounding, my body still on edge. His fingers ran through my damp hair, pushing it back from my face, and I could feel his steadying presence seeping into me.

"Breathe, Malyshka," he murmured, his hand at the back of my neck, rubbing gently. "In and out. Just focus on me."

I took a shaky breath, but my mind was still reeling. My father's face was still burned into my mind's eye, his voice still echoing in my ears. I shook my head, trying to shake it off, but it clung to me like a second skin.

"I couldn't... I couldn't get away from him," I whispered, my voice breaking, the words slipping out before I could stop them. "I tried to run, but... but he always found me." I could feel my chest tightening, my throat closing up again, as the panic began to creep in. "I couldn't... I couldn't fight him off. I was so small. So weak."

"Shh, shh," Tiberius's voice was a soft murmur, his thumb brushing across my forehead as he continued to hold me, as if I were the most precious thing in the world. "You're safe now, Estelle. You're with me. No one can hurt you here."

I could feel his heart beating against mine, steady and strong. And yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to quiet the storm in my head. I kept seeing my father's face. The anger in his eyes. The words he always said to me, the ones that still cut deep, even after all this time.

"You're safe now," Tiberius repeated, his grip on me tightening just slightly. "Nothing can hurt you anymore. Not while I'm here."

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the sound of his voice, the heat of his body pressed against mine. Trying to push the nightmare away. But the memories felt like they were suffocating me, like they were closing in, drowning me all over again.

"I don't know how to forget him," I whispered, my voice barely a breath. "I don't know how to let go of the things he said... the things he did."

Tiberius shifted, pulling me back so that I could look into his eyes. In the dim light, I could see the raw emotion in his gaze-concern, but also something deeper. Something protective. He ran his thumb along my jaw, his touch so gentle, as if I were made of glass.

"Estelle, listen to me," he said, his voice firm but tender. "You're not that little girl anymore. You're not that scared kid trapped in that room. You're strong. You've always been strong." His gaze softened. "And I'm not going to let you go through this alone."

I bit my lip, trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill. I hadn't let myself cry in so long, but now-here, with him-it felt like the dam was breaking.

"I don't want to feel like this anymore," I whispered, my voice shaky. "I don't want to keep hearing him in my head. I don't want to be scared all the time."

"I know, baby." Tiberius's voice was low, soothing, and he pulled me back into his chest. "I know, and I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

I held onto him like I was afraid he would slip away, my fingers digging into his shirt. I never wanted to feel that kind of fear again-the kind that twisted my insides and made my heart race, the kind that had me waking up in a cold sweat, shaking and terrified. But with Tiberius holding me, I felt a flicker of relief. A shred of hope.

"I love you, Estelle," he murmured against my hair. "You don't have to face this alone. We'll get through this together."

I nodded, pressing my face into his chest. His words wrapped around me like a blanket, comforting me in a way I never thought I could be comforted. It wasn't just his words, though-it was the way he held me, the way he made me feel like I mattered. Like I was worth something.

"I don't know how you do it," I whispered, my voice muffled against his shirt. "How you can love someone like me after everything."

Tiberius's hand moved to the back of my neck, his fingers lightly massaging the spot where my pulse thudded beneath the skin. "You're not 'someone like you,' Estelle. You're you. And you're everything I need."

The tenderness in his voice made something inside me crack wide open. I wanted to believe him so badly. I wanted to let go of the past, to stop carrying that weight on my shoulders. But the truth was, it was hard. It was hard to push the ghosts of my past away, especially when they had so much power over me.

"I'm here," Tiberius repeated. "And I'm not going anywhere."

I stayed in his arms for a long time, letting the comfort of his presence drown out the haunting memories of my father. Slowly, the tightness in my chest eased, and the panic that had taken over began to subside.

But even as the nightmare faded, I knew the journey ahead wouldn't be easy. There would be days when I'd wake up gasping for air, fighting off the lingering shadows of my past. But as long as I had Tiberius beside me, as long as he kept telling me that I was safe, maybe-just maybe-I could learn to let go.

"I love you," I whispered again, pressing a soft kiss against his chest.

"I love you too, Malyshka," he replied, his voice steady and sure.

And for the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to believe it.