Page 21 of Berserkr
I drifted again. Dreams of violence were interspersed with glimpses of Laurel.She was sad and lonely. I wanted to reach out and hug her against my chest. Dream or reality? I could no longer tell the difference. Every time I dreamed of her, I woke feeling a little weaker. But it was worth it. I wanted to see her. Couldn't get enough of her. Even though in my clear moments, I knew she'd gone for good, I still held the hope of seeing her again. And if she wasn't here with me, at least I could gaze upon her in my feverish dreams.
Once, I imagined I heard her voice. I tried to sit up, straining against the straps that bound me, howling with frustration. By the time I gave up, her voice had gone. Just another sleepless dream?
Njal visited me often, always alone, never bringing his mate with me. I understood why. Even restrained, I was still dangerous. Sometimes he would talk to me, but most of the time he'd just sit there, watching me with a tortured expression. I almost felt bad for him, until I remembered that it was him keeping me from my mate, how I had to kill him and all the other Vikingar, and turned into a raging madman once more.
"... careful, he's delirious..."
I was dreaming of Laurel again. I refused to let the outside voices pull me from that dream. She was so beautiful today in a blue dress matching her hair, tousled by the wind as she stood on the top of a mountain. Lightning flashed around her. Rain poured from the skies, but she herself stayed dry, more powerful than the weather herself. She was a goddess. I'd dedicate my life to her if I could.
"Rune?"
She spoke and yet her lips didn't move.
"Rune, can you hear me?"
The voice didn't match the image. I fought to cling to my dream, but that voice pulled me into the cold harshness of reality. As always, I expected the pain in my mating axe to be overwhelming, but it was only a deep ache today. I opened my eyes in surprise. Fragments of the dream world remained. Laurel was still there, in her blue dress, except that the lightning and rain had vanished.
I blinked. There was someone next to her, someone real, but I couldn't focus on them. My attention was glued to Laurel, the sadness in her eyes, the paleness of her cheeks. Her hair hung lifeless, uncombed and uncared for. Her face wasn't covered in a heavy layer of paints as it had been before, revealing her natural beauty. My heart broke at seeing her like this. She didn't look well.
"Rune?"
Her lips moved along with the words, not like in the dream.
"You can try and touch his chest, but stay clear of his hands and head. He's bitten and scratched people before."
Had I? I didn't remember. It didn't matter. All that mattered was not waking up completely from this dream in which Laurel was here with me. She put her hand on my chest, right above my heart. Her touch felt so real. Like an actual weight on my chest.
It had to be a dream, though. Laurel was crying and real Laurel didn't cry unless her foot was broken. She was a strong female who wouldn't cry over silly things like seeing her mate secured to a bed. She wouldn't cry, would she?
"I am so sorry," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I shouldn't have left."
But she didn't leave. She was taken. By the people who now kept me locked up. I had to fight. Had to defeat them all.
I fought against the restraints again. The straps creaked at the pressure.
"Time to go," the other person said. A male. That enraged me only further.
"No. What did Steff do?"
She sounded so real. So beautiful. And so sad.
"She kissed me. But he's too far gone. A few days ago, it may have been enough to pull him back from the brink, but not now."
"Then maybe I'll have to do more than just kiss him."
It was hard to focus on their conversation. Why was someone speaking to Dream-Laurel? How was anyone else able to see her? I growled. She was mine. She should be invisible to anyone but me.
Her hand drew gentle circles on my chest. "Hush. Everything will be alright. I'll fix you."
I dimly noticed the other person moving out of my field of vision. Did he leave the room? I hoped so. I wanted to be alone with my dream, savouring it for as long as I could make it last.
"You're going to be fine," Dream-Laurel whispered, now close to my ear. I turned my head to look at her. She smiled at me, but there was too much sadness in her smile. I wanted to wipe all the sadness away, along with her tears.
"If you need to, you can bite me," she breathed, before pressing her lips against mine.
14
Laurel
