Page 47 of Unmoored

“I’m here,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m here. I just… had a nightmare.”

“That much is clear,” he muttered, heartache pouring out with his words as he pulled me back against him. I thought I noticed silvery tears glistening beneath his eyes, but he nestled his face in the crook of my neck before I could be sure. There was no way a Talassi warrior was shedding tears for me.

“Tell me,” I whispered, clutching his body, digging my nails into his skin. “I can’t take any more hallucinations and games. I don’t know what is real, what is a dream. But I know what Iwantto be real, and that’s you. If this turns out to be another hallucination, I don’t think I can live another day.”

“It's real,” he whispered, tightening his embrace, dusting a kiss over my shoulder. “I’m real. I’m here, and I’m heartbroken that you’re questioning it. Years ago, I never would have guessed that finding your floating corpse could change me so deeply, that you'd claw yourway into my soul in such an intoxicating manner. Hazel, I’m infatuated with you. I’m in love with you, and I want to spend the rest of my days giving you the life you deserve.”

His words pierced deep into my soul, pushing through barriers I wasn’t even aware I’d built. Without a doubt, I knew ‌that I felt the same for him.

“I woke up in my room at Akala,” I said, tears welling behind my eyes as I let my hands roam over the planes of his body. “I woke in my room, alone and miserable, as if everything between us had all been a dream. My body was so frail, and that horrible nurse I hated was stationed outside. They brought me to another session of hydrotherapy, but when I entered the water, everything went black.”

He palmed the side of my face, emotions brimming in his eyes as his face fell. I knew he wasn’t sure what to say. How could he? I was a madwoman. There was no other explanation for any of this. And if I were a woman gone mad, what could he do? What could he say to console me?

“I promise you,” he began, once again pulling me from my tempest of thoughts. “I’m as real as the ocean you desperately long to sink into. As real as the sand you walk on, the moon and her hold on the tides, and the lungs you use to breathe air in your frail, pathetic human form. And just as real as that is the love and devotion I feel for you. I don’t know what’s plaguing the inner parts of your mind, but I want to shield you from it. I’m tired of your fears forcing you to believe you’re incapable. You’re so much more than your past, Hazel, and I long to see you embody the strong, powerful woman that I know you are. And I promise to never leave your side as you bring her to life.”

He paused for a moment, searching my face as I took in his words.

“What happened?” I asked, desperate for some type of explanation.

“We fell asleep after…” he trailed off with a smirk, and I smiled grimly at the memory. “We fell asleep, and I woke to find your body in utter distress. Your eyes were closed, but you were thrashing in every which way. I couldn’t wake you, no matter how hard I tried, and your hands and feet started to shift as you became more unsettled.”

“I don’t think I’ve shifted in my sleep before,” I mused.

“I figured as much, which is why I moved you to the pool. I’m sorry if that made things worse.”

“No,” I shook my head. “I think you did the right thing. I had a nightmare. You know I frequently worry about getting dragged back to that awful place, and I just can’t seem to grasp that it’s all in my head. I’m no longer physically trapped there, but sometimes my mind seems to forget that.”

“You’ve been through far too much,” he replied, his voice gentle as he stroked the wet strands of hair from my face.

I nodded, closing my eyes and sinking into the water. He must have heated it at some point, and the soft caresses of the tiny waves seemed to soothe a deep ache within my soul.

“I don’t know what to think,” I said, folding back into his embrace.

“I think you’re terrified,” he replied, holding me tight. “We’re going back to the island to potentially expose your father for far more horrendous things than you everbelieved were possible. It’s only fair that you are reliving some of those fears.”

“You’re right,” I said, resting my head on his shoulder.

“You don’t have to come with us,” he said, readjusting so I could see his face. “You can stay here, safe and protected within the walls of the Capital.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I need to go. I need to see with my own eyes what is happening. Lord Emerson is my father, and his business is mine, no matter what he or any others may think.”

“I understand,” Draya replied, pressing a soft kiss to the top of my head as he cradled me against his chest.

We stayed in the pool until I calmed, and he eventually lifted me from the water and dried ‌my body. By that point, I was exhausted, still wondering what part of my brain I should listen to, but something in my soul let me know that this was true. Akala was a distant memory, and though I’d face it again in a matter of hours, its hold on me was weakening. I was free. I could make my own choices, and I had an army of Talassian warriors willing to ensure my safety.

Well, I had one Talassian warrior willing to ensure my safety. I wasn’t entirely sure his comrades would oblige.

We made our way back to the bedroom, and Draya wrapped me in quilts until I wasn’t sure I’d be able to breathe. He stayed with me again, engulfing me in his arms until I was fast asleep.

33

DRAYA

Ididn’t sleep a wink for the rest of the night. I held Hazel in my arms, stroking my fingers through her hair and kissing her forehead every time I felt her starting to tremble. When her breathing became erratic, I’d whisper that I was real, and so was she. It was no longer a dream, she was unequivocally here in the flesh, and no one at the asylum could hurt her again.

In truth, she’d terrified me during her nightmare. Woken by strangled cries and half-shifted hands clawing at my skin, I knew immediately that something was wrong.

I threw off the quilt and leapt out of ‌bed, unsure if I should send for Cordelia or try to help her myself, but as she kept shifting, I made the decision to move her to the pool. Thank goodness I did, because the water seemed to be what pulled her from that wretched dream.