Igniting Sparks

Chapter 12.

24-03-2020. Edited by KitWulf   

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A terrifying scream woke Lucas abruptly. He sat straight up and his bloodshot eyes widened as he noticed he was not alone in his bed.

"Oh fuck." He groaned as he looked at the naked body of the woman next to him, she was still fast asleep. He grabbed his phone to look at the time and groaned a second time when he noticed it was only 4:30 in the morning. A second, less loud but more tortured scream erupted from the room next to his.

"Fuck this a second time." He grunted as he got up and put on a shirt and a pair of boxer-briefs. He looked over his shoulder to the woman in his bed to make sure she was still sleeping and then left the room.

Before opening Azura's door he listened closely. He could hear her distress; talking and mumbling and some soft shouting came from the other side. It was not the first time she had a nightmare so bad she had woken him and it hadn't been the first time he had woken her up. The intensity of how often it occurred though, had increased significantly since their talk at the hall a week ago.

Her hair was clammy and she was covered in sweat. The blankets lay on the ground and she was tossing and turning on the bed. Lucas walked towards her and as he grabbed her shoulder, she suddenly gripped his wrist and stared at him with her eyes wide open. He could swear his heart skipped a few beats.

"Fuck me a third time! You scared the shit out of me!"

He could feel the intense heat that radiated from her hand as he gently tried to pull back. She wouldn't let go, just stared at him with an ever-tightening grip.

"Azu? You can let go now." He gently nudged her, but she didn't respond.

As he grabbed her wrist, she in return grabbed his other hand so quickly he almost didn't see it happen. Lucas flinched as he felt her fingers dig hard into his wrists. Her hands started to burn into his skin.

"Come on, Azu! You have to wake up." He tried to pull back but she wouldn't let him. Instead, she jerked him in even further till his face was next to hers. A hint of fear flashed across him as he felt the unnatural heat brush past his cheek.

A soft unnerving whisper emerged from her lips. "We will make the world burn."

She let go and Lucas immediately backed away, almost tripping over his own feet while rubbing his wrists. Her hands had left big red prints. He could feel his pulse racing as he tried to regain his composure.

Azura had fallen back onto the bed with her eyes closed, she was back to soft mumbling in her sleep with a look of anguish on her face. Her brows furrowed together and her mouth convulsed as if something was hurting her. It took a short while for him to decide whether to leave or not but as she started to look more pained and about to scream again, he had to act. This time it was a not-so-gentle approach. He firmly grabbed her shoulders and shook her body a few times while calling out to her.

"Azu! Wake up. You're having another nightmare!"

Azura's eyes flung open. Still a bit dazed, she tried to free herself from being pushed down but soon realized she was no longer dreaming. Her breathing was ragged and her mouth felt completely dry. She blinked a couple of times as silent tears ran down her cheeks. It lasted only a minute before she pulled him in for a hug.

He felt her body shake from the sobbing and her heart was racing. He stroked the back of her head with care as she clung to him.

"I'm sorry..." It was so soft he could hardly hear her. "I woke you up again. I didn't mean to."