Page 58 of A Wolf's Treasure
As she’d taken a shower earlier at Duncan’s, she didn’t bother to do so now. Besides, it appeared the only bathroom was at the end of the hall between the two rooms, and she didn’t want to give him any reason to yell at her more. Not until she had time to think through everything he’d said in the kitchen. Instead, she stripped down to her underwear and her thermal shirt and climbed into bed without bothering to turn on the light.
Sipping her tea, she watched the moon descend into the trees outside her window.
She wished she could open it so she could smell the ocean air and feel the breeze.
Something wokeRyanne from a sound sleep. Startled, she sat up, not remembering at first where she was. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around the room.
Brown comforter. Brown sheets. Single lamp on a bedside table. Large, square window on the wall to her left. But no moon this time as the clouds had rolled in again.
The little, brown house with her shifter sleeping across the hall instead of in her bed.
Sitting very still, she listened. Rain pattered on the roof and a tree branch rubbed against the house somewhere. Nothing that would’ve woken her. And thunder was not common in this area. Just the steady rain that never failed to lull her to sleep.
She must have been dreaming.
Ryanne scooted back down into the bed. Sat up again. Took a sip of her now-cold tea. Then snuggled back under the thick blankets. It was no wonder she’d slept so hard. The thing was like a giant cloud, cradling her body perfectly.
Thirty seconds later, she threw off the blankets and padded in her bare feet to the bathroom. She was washing her hands and had just shut the water off when she heard it again. A moan, eerie and drawn out, filled with such agony it raised the hair on the back of her neck.
Quietly, she opened the door and stepped into the hall. Was someone in the house?
The sound came again, only this time with a muffled shout accompanying it.
It was coming from Duncan’s room.
Reacting on instinct alone, she rushed to his door and threw it open. But there were no invaders. No one had broken in. She only saw Duncan in a bed much like hers, the blankets twisted around his legs as he thrashed beneath them.
Ryanne walked quickly to the bed, not knowing what to do. Should she wake him? She didn’t want to scare him.
He mumbled something she couldn’t understand, his face twisting into a mask of pain that pulled at things inside of her. Things she’d never known were there. Things that made her hurt as he was obviously hurting, if only in his memories.
That made up her mind. She would not leave him locked in the prison of his mind to fight his demons alone. For she had a good idea exactly who they were, and she couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible. Ryanne knew what it was like to be a prisoner of her people, and she hated knowing he was going through that. Even if it wasn’t real this time.
“Duncan.” She touched his bare arm, blinking hard against the wetness in her eyes. “Duncan, wake up. It’s only a dream.”
Turning on the bedside light, she saw his eyes moving back and forth beneath his eyelids. His lips moved, murmuring things she couldn’t hear or understand. Ryanne sat on the edge of the bed and took both of his shoulders in her hands.
The thick muscles tensed beneath her touch.
“Duncan! Wake up!” she said a little louder. “Wake up. It’s only a dream.” She gave him a little shake. “Duncan!”
On a rasping inhale, his eyes shot open and stared at the ceiling for a brief second before zeroing in on her face.
She gave him a small smile. “It’s okay. You were having a dream.”
He was very still. Only his eyes moved as they travelled over her face.
A shadow passed within them, and it wasn’t Duncan looking out at her. Ryanne sat up, putting a little distance between herself and the beast staring out at her.
It didn’t look happy with her.
She lowered her eyes—not quite knowing why except that something told her to do it—and saw the colorful rainbow of her emotions reflecting off the dark comforter.
There was a menacing snarl, and suddenly hands were around her upper arms and she was flipped around and thrown onto her back.
Duncan loomed over her, his teeth bared, showing white in the darkness. “Ye think ye can make me less a male with yer sick games,” he gritted out. “But ye will no’ fookin’ win. Do ye hear me? No’ while I’m alive.”
“I’m not trying to hurt you, Duncan. You were dreaming.” Ryanne’s heart raced, making her lightheaded. For the first time since she’d known him, she was honestly worried he would hurt her. It was not her shifter staring down at her, but a male fighting to survive, lost in the world of his nightmares. “It’s me. Ryanne. I know you’re angry with me, but I would never try to hurt you. You’re safe with me. It’s okay.” She just kept talking, hoping she’d get through to the cognizant part of him.
