Page 30 of The Stars

“Ryan?” she answered with a groan. “Heart was officially bruised, stabbed, sliced, diced, and left in a pile with the trash,” she admitted.

“Ouch. That bad?” He winced.

She shrugged. “I’m over him now.”

He wanted to say that was good but held back. Instead, he motioned to the bed. “Go, get some rest.”

“What about you?” She glanced around. “I only see one bed.”

He smiled. “Is that an invitation?”

She chuckled, standing up. “You know, for a guy who’s from the future, you have some pretty outdated pickup lines.”

He laughed while she disappeared through the drapes into the bedroom.

Dante shook his head, still smiling to himself as he moved over to the bigger sofa. The lighthearted moment eased some of the tension that had been building all day, but beneath the humor, he knew they were both dealing with the weight of what was to come. He stretched out on the sofa, listening to the soft sounds of the evening outside the window.

They were different than modern city noises and far more soothing. Exhaustion pulled at him, and before long, his eyes drifted shut.

Sometime later, a faint sound woke him. At first, he thought it was just the wind, but then he heard it again—a soft whimper, barely audible. His senses sharpened as he realized it was coming from the bedroom. He sat up, his heart pounding, and walked quietly towards the doorway.

Amy was thrashing in her sleep, her face contorted in distress. Sweat glistened on her forehead as she mumbled, lost in the grip of whatever nightmare had her trapped.

“Amy...” Dante whispered softly, stepping closer to her bedside. He sat down gently beside her and reached out and touched her shoulder softly. “Amy, wake up.”

She jerked awake with a start, gasping for breath. Her eyes were wide with fear as they locked onto his. For a moment, she seemed lost, her mind still tethered to whatever horror had plagued her dreams.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said, his voice soothing as he pulled her closer to him in a soft hug. “It was just a dream.”

Amy held him for a moment, then pulled back and wiped her damp face with trembling hands. “It wasn’t just a dream. It was... it felt too real.”

He watched her closely. “Want to tell me?”

She hesitated, her gaze distant. “Moros... he was everywhere. The darkness, his army... they destroyed everything. Everyone. Hope... she tried to fight, but... he killed her. I saw it. Over and over. I watched your sister die. My brother, my nephew, and my nieces. They all died.” Her voice cracked, raw with the emotion she was barely holding back. “No matter what I did, I couldn’t stop it. Everyone died.”

Dante’s chest tightened. Hearing Hope’s name sent a sharp pang through him, but seeing Amy like this, torn apart by her visions of the future, was worse. He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm for her sake.

“You said you saw this all in the future?” Dante asked, his voice low.

Amy nodded her head, her hands fidgeting with the edge of the blanket. “It wasn’t just a vision. It happened. Every time, somehow, it ends the same way. Moros is going to win.”

Dante took her hand in his. “What you’re seeing, from what you said, is one possible future. That doesn’t mean it’s set in stone.”

“But what if it is?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

He squeezed her hand gently. “Then we change it. We fight back, and we don’t give up. We can still stop him.”

Amy’s eyes searched his, looking for hope, for reassurance, and Dante held her gaze, refusing to show any sign of doubt. He couldn’t. Not now. Not when they were both on the edge of something so massive.

“I won’t let Moros take everything from us. And I won’t let him hurt you again,” he continued softly.

Her lip quivered, and for a second, she looked like she might break. But instead, she nodded, her expression hardening with determination. “We’ll stop him.”

Dante smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Damn right we will.”

Amy exhaled slowly, the tension easing slightly from her body. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you by freaking out.”

“You’re allowed to freak out,” Dante said easily. “We’re in the middle of ancient Greece. We’ve both seen gods and talked to them. You even battled one,” he pointed out.