Page 33 of Fearless
“You’re stuck with me, little butterfly,” I mumbled, sleep and relaxed bliss settling into my limbs. “You just had to go and make me fall in love with you.”
Twelve
MARIPOSA
Iawoke so slowly, I temporarily forgot where I was.
This bed didn't feel like Reaper's. The large bicep serving as my pillow wasn't his, nor was the arm draped over my waist. But a familiar weight pressed down on the foot of the bed like Hades was here, watching over us.
Hades? How...?
I had to be more asleep than awake. I remembered I was at Jandro's house, in his bed. There was no way Hades could be here. His presence was just what my subconscious craved as a familiar comfort while I slept.
And yet I swore if my toes stretched out just a few inches, they would touch whatever solid body weighed down the mattress at the end of the bed.
Maybe not Hades, butsomeonewas in here with us.
I tried to force my eyes open but sleep still clung to me, pulling me back into unconsciousness like an anchor. I didn't know if my eyes were showing me or my brain was creating an illusion, but I saw someone sitting at the edge of the bed.
It looked roughly like a man facing the direction of Jandro's wall-sized window. No matter how badly I tried, I couldn't force myself to awaken, to see details of this person who snuck into the bedroom.
Looking at him, if I could even call it that, was like trying to stare into the bottom of a murky lake. Every time I almost made out some detail, like a nose, ear, or length of his hair, it would become obscured by some kind of fog or darkness. It seemed impossible to get a sense of his clothing or even how big he was. His weight on the bed felt solid, yet he seemed completely ethereal, like he could evaporate into thin air like a ghost. Was Jandro's place haunted?
I never believed in ghosts, and I didn't get a haunted vibe from this person. As I kept staring at him, I realized I never felt afraid for a moment. Whoever he was, he wasn't there to hurt me. He was just sitting, looking at the stars out the window.
"Hello, Mariposa."
Itwasa man. That voice was deep, rich and masculine. It was impossible for me to tell if I heard it with my ears or if it came from my own head. But I heard him say my name, unmistakably.
"I'm dreaming." That had to be the only explanation. I was in some kind of state between awake and asleep, and my mind was just playing out dreams that made them seem like hallucinations.
"Yes, you are." The voice sounded amused, but the figure remained completely still. "But that does not negate the fact that I'm here."
Again, I felt no fear. No sense of alarm of this strange man sitting on my lover's bed and talking to me in a voice just as dark and deep as the earth. I never knew my grandparents but he spoke in a way I imagined a grandfather would—full of wisdom and experience of time passed.
"Who are you?" I murmured groggily.
"I'm Hades."
I wokeup the second time with a start, now fully awake.
Rubbing my eyes, then blinking rapidly in the dim light, I stared at the empty air just above the foot of the bed. No one was there, not even a wrinkle in the sheets to indicate someone had been.
Crazy-ass dream, I thought, flipping over and snuggling into Jandro’s warm chest.
“Mm,” he groaned adorably in his sleep, wrapping around me tighter.
I tucked my head under his chin and let out a contented sigh, closing my eyes. If I was still asleep during that wild dream, what had startled me awake?
The answer came a few seconds later, when a loud thump made me gasp and freeze with fear. Next I heard voices coming from one of the rooms in Jandro’s house. I couldn’t make out the words, but then I heard a scream and another loud thump like someone was punching a door.
“Jandro,” I whispered, shaking him desperately. “Jandro, wake up!”
“Hmm? You okay, Mari?” He rubbed at his eyes, his voice gravelly with sleep.
“Someone’s broken in! I can hear them talking and banging on stuff in the house.” Another yell and the loudest thump yet, like a body slamming into a wall, made me curl into him for protection.
But Jandro didn’t seem fazed. He rubbed down my back and kissed my forehead with a sigh. “I was afraid this would happen tonight. Don’t worry though, Mari. It’ll be over soon.”
