The Dark Side of the Moon

T H I R T Y - O N E

Eventually my sniffles cease along with the tears, but I remain straddled on Grayson's lap as my breathing slows. Grayson occasionally places a kiss on my head, and every time I melt more and more into him. After a little while, he backs up a little and wipes off the residual tears from my cheeks.

"What happened, Thea?" His voice is soft and soothing like I imagine an angel's would be, but I still tense up at his words. I scramble to leave his lap when I realize the intimate position we're in. I apologize profusely for my behavior, embarrassed to have worried him.

"I'm so sorry! I had a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke you up. I'm so stupid." I rant on and on about how sorry I am for bothering him, but he quiets me down with a small kiss on my lips.

"I don't care that I woke up. I care that you're this upset. Will you tell me about the nightmare? Talking about it could help you." His words make sense, but I don't feel like reliving the awful nightmare again.

"I don't want to talk about it. The same thing happens every time," I mumble, and when Grayson stiffens, I realize my mistake. Stupid me just revealed that this is a normal occurrence. I should win an award for how idiotic I am. As expected, Grayson questions me further.

"What do you mean the same thing happens every time? Does this happen often?" His voice is tense and angry, but I know he's not directing his anger towards me. However, it's still a bit overwhelming when his dominance peeks through in this way.

The sooner I tell him what he wants to know, the sooner he'll go back to sleep. I'll stay up the rest of the night so I don't risk waking him up again. I'll drink even more coffee in the morning to combat my sleepy state.

"Every single day this week I've had the same awful nightmare. I haven't been able to sleep because I keep waking up crying," I whisper. I move to hug Grayson tighter, and he rubs my back soothingly.

"That explains the bags under your eyes and the tired state you've been in. What are the dreams about?"

"You."

Grayson backs up his head and places his hands on my cheeks. His light blue eyes look more like steel at the moment with the harsh look he's giving me.

"What? Tell me." His words leave no room for questions, so I begin telling him about the nightmares.

"Ever since last week, I've been having these horrible dreams about you. The first one was when I came here really early in the morning last week. I dreamed that you were killed. Every night after that, you would continue to die in my dreams. Every time you tried to protect me, you would be stabbed, or beheaded, or your heart would be ripped out!" I cry into his shoulder, hyperventilating just thinking about him dead.

"There was always this stupid blue fog, and then I would wake up and-"

"WHAT?!" Grayson's voice is tense and comes out as more of a growl. I shake just from the intensity of the single word he utters. I look into his eyes which are slowly turning darker and darker, his wolf instincts kicking in. "Did you just say blue fog? It's there every single time?"

I nod my head, confused as to how the weird blue fog in my dream could be so important. I apparently don't understand anything because Grayson lifts me into his arms easily and carries me out of his bedroom. I tighten my legs around his waist as he marches towards an unfamiliar room. When he kicks the door open in anger I begin to worry about why he became angered so easily. Does he know why these nightmares keep happening?

Grayson sits down in a large swivel chair positioned behind a desk covered in paperwork. He switches my position so I'm seated sideways on his lap as I lean into his chest. He's still not wearing a shirt, and I greatly appreciate that fact as I snuggle deeper into his bare chest.