The Lost Queen

Ch. 24: Planning

Staying with Jarrah didn't stop the nightmare from happening again that same night before Rayne went to sleep for the second time. In fact, that one was worse than the first one, and resulted in her waking up with tears streamed down her hot cheeks. Jarrah, panicked, woke up right beside her and caught the droplets with his thumbs as he begged her to tell him what was wrong.

Rayne fought against the urge to pull away, having still not forgiven him completely despite the night they spent together, and grabbed his hands with hers. She needed his comfort and if she was going to forgive him, she needed to get over it. They both had faults, and both needed to work together if they were going to figure things out.

So Rayne bit her tongue and pushed herself into his embrace, taking the comfort he offered. She stayed close to him and waited for her heart to slow down and the tears to stop. Much to her relief, it didn't take long.

Jarrah brushed his fingers over her and she turned her head into his neck, breathing him in. His woodsy scent washed over her in a soothing wave as she tangled her hand into his long hair at the nape of his neck.

"I'm here, wolf," he coaxed, his voice thick with sleep. He kissed her temple and drew his fingertips down the length of her exposed spine, stroking through the ends of her curls. The repetitive motion finally calmed her down enough to move back and look at him through her wet lashes. His worry tugged at the space between his eyebrows, drawing them closer together. "What did you dream about?"

Rayne rolled her lips together and sighed in defeat. "I keep having these . . . nightmares. These warnings or predictions and they get even more vivid with every new one that I have. I don't know how she's doing this, but I know Lilith's controlling my dreams."

Jarrah's frown deepened. "What happens in these dreams?" he asked, more awake now. He hugged a hand around her cheek, drawing her closer to him.

Rayne's lips quivered. Her chest squeezing tighter than a boa constrictors embrace. "It depends," she admitted. "Sometimes, she's just warning me that she's coming for the pup. Other times, I'm in labor and she takes the baby before I can even grab them. And that's not even the worst of it!"

She shuddered at the next part, her eyes swelling again. "This last one she did something awful."

She didn't even want to say it out loud, afraid of what bringing it out into the universe could do. But Jarrah was there, patiently waiting for her to finish with all the concern in his eyes. His fingers rubbed her cheek, offering his support. He didn't know what it was, and she wished she could keep it that way.

"What did she do, Rayne?" he whispered.

Rayne swallowed. Hard. "She-she ripped them out of me," she choked. The pain of her stomach getting ripped open was still fresh on her mind. There was so much blood, so much maniacal laughter, it was all terrible. It made her shake just thinking about it!

Jarrah crushed her shaking body to his chest, squeezing her in his protective hold. She curled into him without hesitation that time and let him hold her for as long as possible.

"That's not going to happen," he promised her, his voice fierce as he pressed his forehead to hers. "I won't let it happen, Rayne."

"I know," she whimpered. "What terrifies me most is-is knowing she'll know I'm in labor before I do. She's always one step ahead of us, Jarrah, and I don't know how she's doing it! What if—"

"Nothings going to happen to you or the baby," he interrupted, cutting off her panic. "You'll continue your training tomorrow, and we'll up the security in the palace. No one is getting through this time."

She hated to say itt, but she didn't know if she could trust that. "But what if--what if the dream comes true? What if it's more than just a warning?"

Jarrah's expression hardened into a block of ice; his top lip curling in a dark hiss. "Over my dead body," he spat.