Vigilante ∆ lrh

24. ∆ night owl or early bird

He was yanked from his sleep gasping for air. Luke's hands clutched at his chest as he willed himself to breathe. The images of her plagued his vision. The terror as Demi was pulled out of his grip by their enemies nextdoor at the casino. No matter how much he tried to get to her, his arms reaching and straining against his muscles until they roared, she slipped further and further, dragged by her hair.

A cold layer of sweat coated him as he reset his mind to remind him of who he was, where he was and what he needed to do. He would not let his nightmares become the truth.

Stumbling around the room, he pulled on what he could find and sunk his feet into his converse before heading down the corridor not caring that he slammed the wood back into its hole.

Demi froze as she heard footsteps down the hall. She had been on high alert ever since the club. She glanced at Calum brushing his teeth in the en-suite, before pulling over his jumper and disappearing into the hallway.

She crept to the end of the corridor watching as Luke slipped out the front door, his skin pale and glistening. Her body edged to the top of the stairs but her movement was restrained as two sturdy, warm arms folded around her waist and pulled her backwards.

Calum nuzzled his nose against her neck, "leave him to make his own mistakes, he's not worth it" she felt his laugh brush her neck and something inside her curled. No almost left her lips, a black rage filled her veins. She observed her body's reaction, her eyes widening at her heart's quickened pace. Mortified wasn't even close to it.

"We have more important things to do," his seductiveness rang through her ear and she gave up and surrendered back into Calum's arms. Maybe Calum had a point, Luke would be Luke. She didn't control him nor did she want to try. She didn't even really know him. Maybe it was best to let him do whatever he always does at two am in the morning.

Even after the graft Calum put in, and the fact it was three am in the morning, she couldn't sleep. Demi laid awake, her mind creating all sorts of tales for what Luke could be up to. No matter how hard she willed herself to sleep, it was useless.

He wasn't home.

Something like unease interfered with her internal moral compass. Or maybe it was the damned image of him laying in a pool of his own blood in some piss-filled alley that caused her issues.

Rinsing her face in the bathroom, she threw on her workout gear and headed to beat out her frustrations on the punch bag.

"So I'm not the only night owl in this city," the rawness from his voice was vaguely masked by his sarcasm as he lent criminally causally against the garage pillar.

Demi scowled, huffing out a breath as she sent her weight into the next set of blows.

"Apologies," he smirked looking at his phone for the time, four am. "Early bird then?" his brow raised awaiting for her. She paused as she watched how effortlessly he tucked his hands into his pockets.

"Neither," she held the bag still, her eyes finally meeting his beautifully exhausted ones. Her clouded mind eased by his presence, by the fact he was here in front of her and not elsewhere.

"Maybe both," she corrected, tilting her head as she thought about it deeper. Luke remained silent, lips pressed together, allowing her time to debate with herself.

"I suppose, you can be both if your sleep schedule is fucked," she smiled, the warmness of her smile unraveling something deep within him. He offered her his own smile and his laughter intertwined with her own softer giggle. God she could be one adorable devilish thing. He bit his lip, the cool metal a sting against the hotness of his tongue. The only way to subdue what was fighting to surface.