Haunting Shadows (Book 2)

Chapter 5

Eric guided me back to my room after realizing just how unstable I still was on my feet. I hate having to rely on him, but I knew I had little choice otherwise. Our best bet was not to have Raphael find out we were onto him. For that I needed to continue acting like a wounded animal.

“Raphael will return in a couple of hours with dinner and things for you. Are you sure you want me to leave you with him alone?” Eric asked as he lowered me onto the bed.

“Right now I’m not sure which one of you I should trust,” I replied, my eyes narrowed.

He inclined his head slightly as he straightened out. “I can understand and respect that. But as I’ve told you before, I’m on the side of what is right. Saving your life was what was right at the time. And now, I’m not sure what Raphael is up to, other than something is not right. Please believe me that I never meant to harm you.”

I sucked in a deep breath. “I don’t know what to believe and it would be foolish of me to just blindly take you for your word. Try to see it from my perspective; everyone I’ve ever trusted has betrayed me in some way, Kalen seeming to be the only exception at this point. I’m not going to be naïve again.”

“I can accept that,” Eric said. “I’ll check on you again tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

He nodded and exited the room. I laid my head against the pillow, grateful for the relief. I wasn’t sure why I was still feeling so weak. Perhaps my lack of proper sleep.

My eyes drifted close by their own accord, my restless nights finally catching up with me. When the dream first began, it seemed peaceful, like something good finally made its way in.

I was at a waterfall, relaxing back in the water as it covered all of me. My mind was at peace as the water swooshed over me. The sun was hiding behind the branches of the trees surrounding the area, scattering the waves of light so they sparkled from water. After nights of violent dreams, it was a welcome serenity.

The faraway sound of approaching footsteps disrupts the white noise, causing my body to tense immediately. My feet dangled down and found the bottom, firmly planting themselves there. My legs we poised, ready to run or get away should the situation call for it. I should have known better that expect my dream to stay tranquil.

I lowered my head so that my chin was submerged with water, keeping my eyes sharp on the look-out for who – or what – was heading my way.

My blood stop flowing in my veins as the figure entered my field of vision.

He looked exactly as he had that day at the waterfall, one not too much dissimilar to the one I was in now. How I was unable to draw this connection earlier, escaped me. His cape flowed off him and folded into itself as it landed on the ground. His eyes were distant, unknowing. He hadn’t seen me yet.

In the moment our eyes locked, time suspended. Everything else in the dream seemed to fade away and the only thing that exited for me was him. Those deep, midnight blue ovals stared into my soul. The only way I could describe it was a flash of utter shock and disbelief. I had never seen him that vulnerable in waking hours. Perhaps my dreams were making up for it.

Seeing him send a fresh stab of pain through me. I remembered wishing for him to save me and him refusing to show up. I broke away first.

“Lana?” he asked, his voice broken beyond recognition.

I inclined my head to the side, careful to avoid gazing back at him. “Andreas,” I replied, my voice small.

It took every inch of my will power to keep from looking in his direction, just to see if his walls were back in place yet. Before I could even fully register what was going on, I heard a splash in the water and Andreas was suddenly standing right before me, brushing back a strand of my hair and tucking it behind my ear. I turned my gaze to him again, and the same vulnerability was still there. It took my breath away to seem his so utterly destroyed. For a man always so in control, seeing him like this was nerve-racking, even though I knew it was all just a dream.

I was just about to say something, demand him to tell me why he left me, but his lips claimed mine before I got the chance. Everything inside me stilled, overwhelmed by the intensity of his kiss.

He was like a starving man deprived of food; the evening sky with no stars or the moon, finally having found them. A man that found something he thought he had lost forever. I melted into him as the kiss grew deeper and more urgent, our hands exploring each other. It was a dream, and even though I knew I would pay for it later, I allowed myself to revel in the delight of just being near him. Even the misguided thought that he might still care for me was a comfort I was willing to take. Sometimes fantasies were far better than realities.

“You’re real….” he whispered, dazed as he pulled back slightly, his chest rising and falling frantically.

“As real as this is….” I said, letting my voice trail off. I was just about to crash my lips to his again, when the whole dream took on a different shape. My lips was less than an inch from touching his before he burst into flames like a torch.

Suddenly, it was happening all over again. The waterfall scene, and Andreas, disappeared and I was once again tied to the stake. The flames were tearing flesh from my body, crawling up higher and higher, burning hotter and hotter –

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!” I screamed as I sat upright in my bed, Raphael closing the distance between us and wrapping me protectively in his arms. I trashed against him, clawing and scratching, anything to get rid of the pain. The searing hot pain I was still able to feel even now that I was awake.

“Shhh.” Raphael strokes my hair, trying to calm me. “You are safe now. Nothing is going to hurt you. It was just a dream. It wasn’t real.”

It wasn’t real.

Andreas wasn’t real. He was just a dream.

But the flames had been real. I remembered them too well.

When I finally calmed, Raphael loosened his hold on me and I was able to pull back. “The nightmares still haven’t seized?” he asked, his voice gentle, even concerned. Maybe he genuinely cared, or maybe he was still playing some twisted game, but in that moment I was grateful for even the slightest bit of comfort he caused.

“I didn’t want to fall asleep. But I was too tired,” I commented, my voice hoarse.

His crystal eyes were sad, pitying. I couldn’t blame him; were our roles reversed I’d have given him the same look.

“I brought you dinner and a concoction that will help you sleep. Hopefully tonight you will have a good night’s rest.” My gaze drifted to the windows and I noticed that night had fallen. I must have been asleep for longer than I thought. At least a big part of the dream had been good.

“Thank you,” I said, accepting the food and drink, too tired to act suspicious. Too tired for fighting back at that moment. I ate every last crumb and drank every last drop. I’d be damned if I missed out on much needed serene sleep because I was unwilling to trust Raphael.

Almost the same instant I laid my head on the pillow and the world became dark once more. This time, letting me drift off into a deep, hopefully, dreamless sleep.