Carla
She slipped back into bed quietly, then eased her way across the open space until she was curled up against Thorne’s back, trying to steal his warmth.
The big shifter, as she’d learned over the past few nights, put out an impressive amount of bodily heat, enough that she never felt cold while he slept in the same bed as her.
That development had caught her by surprise, as it definitely wasn’t something she’d intended to happen from the start. Then again, she thought, sneaking her arm over his side to cuddle him tight, neither did he.
Things had taken a wild turn after she’d opened herself up to him, accepting that yes, okay, she was intrigued by him. She wanted to know what it would be like to believe she might have a chance at ending up with him. Thorne of course was dead certain. He’d let slip once more that she was his mate, but after the way he’d clammed up after that, she knew he was holding back, not wanting to pressure her.
It was probably the only thing that had kept her open and willing to explore the possibilities. Rarely did he push her into something, and only occasionally did he pull her in. Like the shower the first morning after they’d enjoyed each other’s company. Carla hadn’t been entirely certain she was ready for that, but after a lavish scrubbing from his gentle hands, she’d been forced to admit it hadn’t been at all what she’d expected.
Thorne was…different, there was no denying that. But he seemed genuinely happy when he was attempting to give her the world, and the next night he’d surprised her with the chicken casserole dish—this time with the appropriate amount of salt. It had been delicious. Somehow it had gone from that to the bedroom once again.
She frowned at his back as he shook slightly in his sleep. Stay still so I can cuddle you! He settled back down and she snuggled in closer contentedly, basking in the heat he radiated.
Then, earlier that night, they hadn’t even made it to the bedroom. Carla wasn’t sure what that said about her, but so far she’d refrained from cluing Jody in to the moment. That was the last thing she needed. To hear the cries of righteous victory from her friend, after being told that things with Thorne had taken a different path from her initial intentions.
Beside her Thorne made a noise. Desperately praying that he wasn’t a loud snorer, she lay still and hoped that he would return to a deep slumber shortly. It was probably her getting up to use the bathroom that had disturbed him, because she didn’t remember this from any of the other nights.
She felt his body relax as he sank back into the bed, more on his stomach than his side now, and she closed her eyes, ready for sleep to claim her once again.
Thorne bounced and made a noise that she could only describe as mewling. It was very, very unlike the dragon shifter, who had exuded nothing but strength and confidence, except when he adorably screwed up. Even that wasn’t something she would classify as weakness. This, however, this sounded…bad.
“Thorne?” she called softly, wondering if she should just wake him up.
He thrashed harder this time, and cried out. Carla pushed back from him, leaving nothing but her one hand on his back, trying to rub it, so that he might focus on her touch and resume sleeping peacefully.
Without warning he flipped onto his back. His eyes were screwed tight and his face screamed of agony. Whatever was going on with him, it wasn’t good.
“Thorne!” she said, leaning up over him and calling out his name louder now, trying to shake him awake.
An arm came up and casually tossed her clear of the bed. She yelped in surprise as he pushed her away with more strength than she was ready for, and she tumbled off the bed and onto the ground with a loud thud and another cry. Her training ensured she avoided any actual injury as she rose to her feet.
Moving to the doorway, she flicked the lights on and shouted Thorne’s name several more times. A sharp pain registered in her elbow and she hissed in discomfort, rubbing it swiftly. Obviously she’d bumped it during the fall, but the adrenaline of the moment had prevented her from feeling any pain for a bit.
“Thorne wake up!”
Finally the broad-shouldered behemoth in her bed sat upright, his eyes going wide as he saw her rumpled appearance and the way she was cradling her elbow.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“What wrong?”
“That’s what I want to know! You started to cry out in your sleep, and when I went to wake you, you flung me off the bed.
She told him, watching his eyes grow cloudy, like mud stirred up in a pond. He momentarily withdrew from the conversation, and little bolts of lightning flickered through his brown-gold orbs, anger at himself rising to the surface.
Eventually it calmed and he got out of bed. Carla eyed his lack of attire, finding it not entirely appropriate to the situation. That thought reminded her she was standing there in the buff as well, completely exposed to his roving gaze.
“Carla, I’m so sorry. Let me make it up to you,” he said, stepping forward. “I’ll massage it all better. Everywhere.”
She shuffled back, the movement halting his advance. Anguish was writ plainly across his face, and while she wanted to tell him it was better, she couldn’t. Not yet.
“What was that all about, Thorne?” she asked softly. “I could have been badly hurt. Or killed.”
He dropped his arms, eyes downcast as well. “It was a nightmare.”
“I picked up on that much.”
Thorne winced and nodded. “Right, of course. I…witnessed something. When I was younger. Something I did not want to, but that I—at the time at leas—thought I had no other choice. Something I was forced into seeing that now haunts my dreams, and my waking memories as well.”
He looked away. She didn’t push him. Getting him to even open up that much about his past was more than she’d managed before. He was incredibly tight-lipped about his life before waking up. It was somewhat understandable; he wanted to start new, start fresh and without any of the stigma of what he was leaving behind.
Now she was starting to understand why. Although it made her wary about sharing a bed with him, it also brought her closer.
“I understand,” she said softly, closing the distance between them, letting him know she wasn’t going to hold it against him forever. “I’ve been in similar spots where you feel you have no way out, nobody to help you. You don’t know what to do, so you just sit there and take it.”
Memories of her own childhood. Of being bullied. It all came back to her now, and the pair of them sank to the bed together, gentle caresses and touches helping to reignite the connection between them. Although they were naked, there was nothing sexual about the moment. It was intimacy at its most basic, no curtains, no shields, just the two of them and the bodies they came into the world with, pressed tight against one another to provide whatever support they could.
At the moment, it was all she could offer. It was enough. It would have to be.
“I promise you, it will never happen again,” he vowed.
“Thorne,” she said, stroking his hair, letting her fingers push through the wavy locks on top, while the palm of her other hand slid up and down the fade in a slow rhythm. “You can’t control that, and you know it. I…don’t know about sharing the bed during sleeping until we get this worked out, but trust me, we will. We’ll find a way. There has to be a dragon therapist out there somewhere.”
The skin under her fingers shivered.
“What is it?” she asked, moving his head so he was forced to look at her.
He shook his head. “I was just thinking, it would be just like Colonel Mara to be certified in dragon therapy.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Carla couldn’t control her laughter. Mostly because she felt he was right, it would be just like her to be the only certified dragon therapist in the world.
“Thank you,” he whispered into her ear as silence reigned once more.
“For what?”
“Believing in me. Giving me another chance when maybe I don’t deserve it.”
She shrugged. “I saw what you did with that chicken casserole the second time around. If you can do everything better the second time around as well as you did that, things will be just fine.”
It was Thorne’s turn to laugh now.