Afraid of human contact, renowned ballerina Akhyra Morel is the epitome of grace on stage, but offstage, her icy demeanor keeps everyone at arm's length. When a media scandal jeopardizes her career, Akhyra reluctantly becomes entwined with Lucian Mo...
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POV Akhyra
In the middle of the night, I'm woken up by some restless stirring next to me. With my eyes half open and the daze of sleep still clouding my mind, it takes me a moment to realize that the agitation is coming from Lucian.
Now I'm fully alert, propping myself on one elbow to gently shake him out of whatever nightmare he's fighting against.
"Lucian wake up," I call out softly. When he doesn't, I repeat myself with a raised voice.
His eyes snap open and remain vacant, staring into the emptiness, a cloud of terror across his features that leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
"Are you okay?" I ask, prompting him to finally look at me.
The second Lucian turns his head my way, the shadows that have been plaguing his face dissipate, leaving a groggy smile on his lips as he lifts one hand to caress my cheek.
"I'm okay now," he whispers. "Come here."
He scoots a little bit to allow me to nuzzle against his chest. My head is directly under his chin as my fingers begin to trace soothing circles on his abs. I can feel the frantic thrum of his heartbeat against my body. Whatever he's seen in his sleep was nothing pleasant at all.
"You're usually such a sound sleeper," I break the silence. "Didn't think you could have nightmares at all."
I keep my tone light in case he doesn't really want to talk about it, but after a short silence, Lucian answers.
"I haven't had them for a while."
I notice the way that his voice is guarded as if he's debating how much he wants to tell me. I don't want to push his buttons, but I remember the way he was there for me back in Haiti when I woke up feeling like I was suffocating in that hotel room. I want to be there for him, too. I want to understand.
"Did you have them often in the past?"
His hold around my body tightens. He's a bundle of nerves. Maybe I should drop the topic.
"Almost every night after I discovered Maëlla unconscious in that bathtub. They lasted for a couple of months. I was lucky if I could get three hours of sleep before getting dragged back into reliving this tragedy all over again."
