Gods And Monsters

Chapter Sixty-six:

Gasping for air, Hel bolted upright. A sheen of a cold sweat glistened on her face and plastered her shirt to her damp back. Her pulse thundered in her eardrums. Her heart slammed against her ribcage, as if desperate to break free. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, heaving with each frantic breath.

She closed her eyes, attempting to steady her vitals. As her heart began to slow, she inhaled deeply and exhaled. The recurring nightmare of Spike ablaze, orange flames dancing on his skin, haunted her.

Groggily, Spike pried his eyes open. He propped himself on one elbow. "Hey." He rasped, his voice deeper and rough from sleep. "You okay?"

Opening her eyes, she glanced at the clock. Five P.M. "Yeah. I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

His brow furrowed as he studied her expression. "Liar." His gaze unwavering, Spike sat up and leaned against the cinder block wall. "Tell me the truth."

Hel swallowed her pride. "I'm afraid." She began, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Look, Spike— I'm afraid." She confessed with a short, nervous chuckle, staring down at the trembling hands that hovered above her lap with detached fascination. "I've always been able to keep myself distant, divorce myself from feelings. But you see, body's betraying me." 

He reached over and clasped both of her hands firmly within his own. "Everything will be alright. I promise."

Her eyes cut to him, sceptical. "How can you possibly know that?"

"It's always alright, in the end. Things work out." He reassured her, smiling tentatively. "Try to get some sleep, okay?"

She nodded wearily. "Okay."

Laying back down on her side, she allowed her eyes to slip shut and wedged her hands under her head. Spike joined her, tugging the blue sheet up over both of them. Looping an arm around her waist and closing his eyes, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

The familiar scent of his skin was an unparalleled comfort to Hel. She tucked herself even closer to his bare chest and inhaled deeply, savouring the moment.

"No harm will come to you." He murmured, stroking her hair as he began to drift off. "Not on my watch."

At around nine P.M., Hel reawakened. Restless, she took special care not to disturb Spike's sleep as she slipped out of bed and tiptoed up the stairs. Upon entering the kitchen, she found it crowded with Potentials. She elected to ignore them and went in search of her breakfast.

"Oh, a mace!" Vi exclaimed, eagerly picking up a mace from the pile of weapons on the island counter. The heavy club in her hand, with a head of metal spikes, looked like an accident waiting to happen.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's better."

Rona snatched up a wooden stake. "Gotta go with the stake. It's classic. I like the feel of wood in my hand."

Kennedy strolled in, her dark hair tied back from her pretty face. "Lost me there." She eyed the weapons. "Hey, are we gearing up already?"

"Oh, right. You guys are going on your little group patrol." Dawn remarked, her disappointment evident.

"More than that." Vi corrected her. "It's an outing."

Smiling, Kennedy retrieved a dagger for herself. "I'm thinking tonight we might actually get to kill things."

Settling on a peanut butter sandwich and an apple, Hel hoisted herself up onto the counter. She took a bit of her sandwich, observing them while she ate.