Chapter Twelve

Cortney woke to her heart pounding against her ribs. Even though the room was cool, sweat slicked her skin. The blankets she’d covered herself with when she’d gone to bed were in a pile at the foot of the bed. She’d never had a more realistic nightmare in all her life. She sat on the edge of the mattress gulping air into her lungs. Clean, fresh air, not smoke filled, like what had been choking her in her dream.

Her door flew open, and Draven came rushing in, making her scream. His gaze flew to all corners of the room. “What happened? Are you okay?”

She lifted shaky fingers, shoving her hair away from her face. “Yeah, I’m fine. I had a nightmare. That’s all.” She gave him what she hoped to be a reassuring smile, but by the look on his face, she didn’t fool him.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her onto his lap, then rested his forehead on the back of her shoulder. “You scared me half to death with that scream, little bird.”

“I’m sorry. It was nothing. I can’t even remember it now,” she lied. The truth was, she didn’t want to think about it, much less talk about it. The pain of the fire on her skin, the lack of air, and burning in her nose and lungs. She’d swear the acrid smoke still singed her nostrils.

He stroked her hair and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “I guess I should let you get back to sleep.”

It probably wasn’t a good idea, and she’d might regret it later, but she didn’t want him to go back to his room. The sexual tension between them was still there, but the comfort of being in his arms was too tempting to resist. “Would you mind staying a while?” She’d had similar nightmares all her life, but never had they been so real, so intense.

He pressed his lips to her shoulder and without saying a word stood, cradling her in his arms, and placed her on the bed before climbing in next to her. He pulled a light blanket over them both, then tucked her into his side with her head resting on his shoulder. “Sleep well, little bird,” he finally said.

Cortney snuggled closer, draping an arm around his waist. His energy pulsed around her, cocooning her in his warmth. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She’d probably regret allowing the closeness come morning, but right then, she didn’t care. With his arms wrapped around her, the tension in her body seeped out, and her eyes grew heavy. She’d deal with the repercussions in the morning.

***

Draven lay there for an hour, eyes wide open, listening to Cortney’s soft, even breathing. He hadn’t expected to fall asleep with her curled so sweetly against him, but he had. He woke with need pounding through him as the first rays of light filtered into the room, but he hadn’t had the heart to move and risk waking her.

Having her so close was both heaven and hell. His body ached with his need for release, but at the same time, the phoenix was more settled than it had been in ages. It had raged when her ear-splitting scream jolted him from sleep. The thought of anyone or anything attacking her had sent it into battle mode, but when there was no threat, it had released its fury and wanted to comfort her. He hadn’t expected her offer to stay, but he sure as hell hadn’t been about to refuse it, either.

As much as he wanted to keep holding her, he couldn’t. Not only was it becoming impossible to keep his hands to himself, but he had to go check in with Ry. The Odyssey hadn’t been attacked in a few years, but unknown phoenixes were in the area a few nights ago. He had to get a status update.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and slipped his arm from under her.

Cortney blinked her sleepy eyes at him and smiled.

“Go back to sleep. I have to take care of things. I’ll be back in a while,” he whispered.

“Okay,” she mumbled, before she pressed her lips to his, then rolled over.

After a quick shower, he headed to Ry’s place where his friend was waiting for him on his lawn. Though the man rarely smiled, he didn’t usually scowl quite so deeply.

“What’s going on?”

“The phoenixes are just outside our lands on the western most end.” Ry told him. A muscle jerked in his jaw as he ground his teeth. “I’ve sent some men out there to see what they want. They’re not moving fast, but they’re coming this way.”

“Shit.”

“I saw you out flying last night. You have to claim her,” Ry told him. “She’ll be safer once you do.”

Draven shook his head. “It’s not that simple. She’s not ready.”

“Maybe not, but this Odyssey needs you. If something happens to her, we lose you both.”

Draven opened his mouth to deny it, but he couldn’t. If he lost his mate, even after having known her for such a short period, he’d choose to be with her on the astral plane.

“She needs more time. What the hell am I supposed to do, bind her to me without her consent? She’d hate me.”

Ry shook his head and glanced toward the house next to his. “We may not have more time to give them.”