Her White Wolf

Chapter Ten

Gunshots sounded all around him, making him duck against a crumbling concrete barrier. James breathed deep as he reloaded his sniper rifle before standing and bracing it against the concrete to take another shot. A squeeze of the trigger made someone in the distance fall to the dirt as he pulled the lever to expel the casing.

Looking to his right just in time, James pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed someone in the neck, defending himself from a similar fate. His lungs burned with adrenaline as he turned and looked down the scope again in time to take another shot.

James shot up in the bed, soaked in sweat, gasping in burning lungfuls of air. He looked around him, still caught hearing gunshots in the distance, his hands shaking as he gripped at his bare thigh.

Cleo hadn't awoken with such a jolt in her life, and she gasped herself, hand moving to rest on her chest. Her attention was immediately pulled to the panicked man beside her. "James?" she questioned, her heart beating quickly but after watching his body language for a moment or two she sat up beside him. "James?" she said even more quietly this time. He was... terrified. Something was scaring him.

It was almost as if something came over her as she sat beside him, a calm washed over her. Someone else had to be calm for him right now. She could be that. "You're okay, James. It's me, it's Cleo... can you hear me, James?" As she spoke, her delicate hand reached out and cautiously rested it on top of the one on his thigh. "No one is gonna hurt you... you're okay, I'm right here..."

The fog in James' mind slowly began to clear as Cleo's voice reached him and the sound of gunfire faded. He turned his head to be met with molten chocolate eyes, feeling relief wash over him. "Cleo."

Cleo breathed slowly, knowing that she needed to be calm for him. Something was happening even though she didn't know what it was. She could read the fear in his eyes, and she reached out then, smoothing her fingers gently along his jawline, smiling softly. "Hi handsome... I'm right here."

James turned and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her against him, burying his head in the crook of her neck. The familiar scent of vanilla helped ease his mind along with the skin-on-skin contact. "Cleo," he murmured again, feeling his shoulders slowly relax.

Cleo held him close in wordless reply, one of her hands raising to gently smooth over the back of his head. "It's okay..." she murmured, turning her head to press a kiss against his temple. "Bad dream?" she asked, though she was sure she knew the answer already.

He nodded, still gripping onto her tightly, practically pulling her onto his lap. "It was... I thought it was real," he said, his voice hoarse. James continued to hide his face, not wanting her to see the tears now running down his cheeks. "I hate it."

Cleo could feel painful emotions pouring out of him, making her hold him more tightly. She'd hold him as long as he needed her to. "I'm sorry... nothing bad is happening, okay?" She coached quietly. "Just breathe. It's okay..." This was just one more thing that everything that he'd been through had done to him. "I'm not going anywhere."

Slowly, James' heartbeat returned to normal, allowing him to fully relax and rest in Cleo's willing arms. "Thank you," he whispered. "For being here... for helping me." He lifted his head, letting her see his reddened eyes.

His eyes made her chest tighten and gently reach out to swipe her delicate fingers beneath his eyes. "I'll be anywhere you want me to be," she assured him, leaning in to rest her forehead against his. Maybe, just maybe she could do him some good.

James smiled, reaching up to run his hand through her hair. "Right here," he whispered. "I want you right here."

Cleo's dark eyes brightened at James's words. "Then I'm not going anywhere." Slowly she leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips, allowing them to linger there, feeling him kiss her back in return.