Page 33 of Dismantle & Prevail
Boone leans forward on his arms. “One heart, one purpose, one destiny. For the brave and the fallen.”
We all echo the Braveheart motto and look around the room.
“Alright, let’s find this fucker so we can get back to what we do best,” I say, ready to put this horrible nightmare behind me and focus on the girl covered in butterflies who unknowingly stole my heart the moment she stepped foot into the Clubhouse.
Chapter Fifteen
Taylor
Apainfulcry,followedby the bed moving, has me jolting awake.
Quickly, I pull the string on the lamp resting on the bedside table.
A dull yellow glow bathes my room and next to me, Aries is thrashing.
I go to place my hands on his face, but his arm flings sideways, and to avoid his balled fist, I have to practically jump to the end of the bed.
“Aries. Wake up. It's just a dream,” I say, my voice low, but firm. I gently touch his leg so I don’t scare him and wait in hopes he wakes up.
“No. Stay away from her! You can’t take her away from me!” His words echo in the silent room and I repeat the same gesture I have been doing for weeks.
For the last month, Aries has come to my room and climbed into my bed and every night I have had to coax him out of whatever nightmare is plaguing him.
To say I’m tired is an understatement, but it's nothing compared to the hurt caused by seeing Aries walk around the compound, pretending to be fine, when, in reality, he is far from it.
I never ask him what is hiding behind those dark eyes as he drifts off into his restless slumber, but I want to because some twisted part of me believes maybe I could help him.
Now, as the holidays approach, I feel this desperate need to help him and get him to say something. Anything. Just so I can try to help in any capacity that he will let me.
Aries makes it no secret that Christmas is his favorite holiday and it would absolutely gut me if he was almost uncaring or couldn’t enjoy his favorite day.
As he murmurs the same words over and over, I wait for his arm to fly once more before crawling back to the head of the bed.
Carefully, I brush my hand against his bearded face. “Ace. Wake up. It’s Taylor. You’re safe.”
Nothing.
I repeat the same phrase over and over as my thumb glides back and forth, slowly coaxing him awake.
Aries eyes flutter open and the second they focus on me, his chest deflates, and he pulls me into his arms.
Once again, I don’t react. This is how it goes. I get him to wake up and then he refuses to let me go until one of us has to wake up in the morning.
I want to kick myself because I know he is in immense pain and fighting an invisible battle, but lying in Aries arms night after night has driven my nightmares away and provided me with an overwhelming sense of comfort and safety.
Not wanting to go too far off into my head, I whisper, “Ace. Talk to me.”
“I’m f—”
“Don’t you dare lie to me,” I say, cutting off his words that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
His gaze doesn’t meet mine. Instead, he stares at the ceiling.
“I’m sorry, Butterfly. I don’t know if I can.” Pain wraps around his words and it's like a kick to the gut.
“Can you try? Even if it makes no sense, maybe it will help?”
Still staring at the ceiling, he lets out a deep breath and, after a few moments, nods.
