A Betrayal of Storms by Ben Alderson

Chapter 21

Iwoke, bolting upright, my heart slamming in my chest like a hammer on an anvil; not even my hand pressed above it could still the discomfort.

The room was cold and filled with darkness. No longer did the fire glow proudly, now nothing but cinders across the room's floor. And all I could see was the flashing of claws and yellowed-stained teeth beneath empty, endless eyes.

"You are alright." Erix sat by me, hand rubbing my back in wide circles. "You are alright. It was just a dream."

My mouth was dry as I searched the room for the beasts of my nightmare. It took a moment to realise that I had left the horror in sleep. The Gryvern, no matter how real it felt, were not here. Confusion and fear danced in a mixture that put a horrific taste in my mind.

I buried my face in my hands, trying to focus on calming my breathing.

"Talk to me," Erix said, voice rough from sleep. "Tell me what you saw."

I couldn't put it into words, nor did I want to. I feared that speaking the nightmare aloud would only make it real again.

My words were muffled as I spoke into my palms. "I am fine... I just need a moment."

"Take your time. I am here."

I was warm, even without the fire beside me. My skin itched beneath the tunic, forehead damp with sweat. It was close to impossible to latch onto what was real, and what was not. So I did what I always had after such intense dreams.

I breathed.

In and out, slow deep inhales to blow the beast of the memory from my body and mind.

Erix's touch did not leave my back. It was anchoring as my anxiety wrestled to keep control. He simply held his hand upon me, feeling the rise and fall of my curved back. It made focusing on calming my breathing easier to manage.

Braving myself to look at him I peeled my face from my hands and was greeted by two orbs of concern.

"I am sorry if I woke you," I said, voice hoarse with sleep.

Erix's expression was as calm as a lake in spring. The line of his full lips was pulled tight, his eyes heavy with sleep but alive with concern. Completely ignoring my apology, he leaned closer to me, muscles in his taut stomach rippling. His hand dropped from my back and cupped the side of my face, the other joining on the opposite side. "I have got you. Do not concern yourself with how I am feeling in this moment. Just focus on detaching yourself from whatever visions have haunted you."

His voice was no more than a whisper. Even the hissing of cinders across the stone-slabbed floor demanded more attention than Erix.

In the dim light I could see every detail of his face. How the faint shadow of a beard connected seamlessly with the short cut of his mousy hair. The silver of an old scar that had nicked his top lip, so pale that it stood out only when he held an expression of such intensity. And from the flickering of his storm-grey gaze I knew he studied me equally. His eyes would trail my body, risking only for a moment to break away from my own gaze.

It could have been my exhaustion from the interrupted sleep, or the disorientation the nightmare inflicted on my mind, but a truth seemed to escape my mouth before I had a chance to claw it back. "How is it that I feel safe whenever you touch me?"

Erix's eyes glowed from within, alight as though a bolt of lightning struck in the heavy clouds within. "It is my job."

"Is that all it is to you?" I asked, melting into his touch. "A job?"

Erix released a long sigh, hands moving in tandem from my cheeks to the back of my head. His fingers brushed back the dark strands of my hair so not a single one obscured my view of him. "No, little bird. You are more than that. Far more."