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His body, upright in the chair.
Her lover.
She went to him, careful not to drag the trails of her nightgown in the blood. Her arms skimmed the walls; so much blood. Seeping, all around her. The floor was getting deeper, the tide rushing in, covering her feet now. She moved forward until she could touch his arm. One last time.
Memphis turned, his face a compilation of holes, empty. “Leave here,” he moaned. “Leave before it’s too late.”
She began to scream, louder and louder, until he raised up a bloody hand to quiet her, a hand with a gun, and she saw the muzzle flash as she yanked herself from his grasp, backed away quickly, heedless of the mess.
The bump of her body against something jarred her.
Taylor could feel her spine against the wooden paneling, her arms raised as if she were warding off an attack. She was drenched in sweat, her T-shirt sticking to her body like she’d been swimming in it.
Red, everywhere. Blood.
Her breath came short. She was dying. She could feel her body slipping away into nothingness. Feel the pain in her head grow larger, stronger, until the red was replaced by black.
She couldn’t breathe. She had to breathe.
She forced her eyes open.
The room was empty.
She let her hands drop to her side, realized her heart was pounding against her chest wall so hard it hurt. She breathed in several times, square breaths, trying to get her heart rate to slow.
Her eyes adjusted, the darkened space coming into focus. She was in her bedroom in the castle. Against the wall across from her bed. Not Memphis’s office. And not in the attic of the Snow White’s house facing the Pretender, stepping in the blood of her best friend’s child.
It took a few minutes until she felt like she had herself back under control. She edged to the side table and turned on a lamp. The room leapt from the darkness as if it too was disturbed.
There was nothing sinister about it anymore. It was just a bedroom.
Her breath came more normally now.
Jesus. That was a whopper of a dream. She was used to having crazy nightmares, but Memphis’s wild stories must have really landed in her subconscious. She’d actually felt like the scene was real. She touched her stomach, flat and taut. Crazy. She had felt the child inside her, moving.
And sleepwalking. My God, she hadn’t done that since she was a child.
Her mind reached into the tendrils of the dream. The blood felt so familiar. Her blood. The floor of the attic rising up to meet her, the primal scream the Pretender made as he raised his arm. Stupid, stupid girl, letting him get a gun on her.
She’d gotten herself into this mess. And now look at her. Locked away from everyone, unable to cry for help. She should have never tried to take him down alone.
Taylor knew she wouldn’t sleep the rest of the night. She went into the sitting area, snapping lights on as she went.
Heineken. Second half of Ativan. Another Percocet. Stood at the window until she started feeling a bit fuzzy around the edges.
That was better.
Her legs were feeling a bit wobbly. She sat down at the desk, hard, and opened her laptop. The castle had a strong wireless signal. Memphis had mentioned that they had a T1 line ru
Seeking something mundane, she checked her email, deleting three from the various television stations around Nashville wanting interviews—my God, they were relentless—then sent Sam a note. That made her feel better, more grounded.
She closed the computer, helped herself to another beer, and parked in front of the television. She started surfing the cha
She settled on a crazy reality show where the contestants were made to strip down so the audience could assess their bodies in an attempt to bolster their flagging self-esteem. That would be a hit in America.
There was a soft knock on her chamber door.
“It’s me,” a low voice said. Memphis.
She was wearing a T-shirt and boxers. Not decent. She grabbed her sweater from the chair and tossed it on. Grabbed her notepad. Went to the door. Opened it.
Memphis stood in the hall, hair sticking up, a blue-and-cream-striped robe half pulled on his shoulders. She smiled.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded.
Of course. Why?
He looked at her like she was an idiot. “You were screaming.”
I was? Fu
“No, Taylor, it was definitely you.”
She didn’t know whether to be happy that things were functional, or embarrassed.
I’m fine. Truly.
He leaned against the door frame.
“I would have come sooner… Honestly, I debated whether coming to you was the best idea.”
At least he was aware of that.
Cold air was leaking in from the hall. She could see him shiver a bit. She pulled the door open wider, gestured for him to come in. Latched it behind him. He went straight to the fire and stirred it up, then turned back to her, the glow from the flames outlining his broad shoulders.
“Bad dreams?” he asked.
No more reason to pretend. He was here now. She wondered if she’d brought him subconsciously. Summoned him.
She sat at the desk and crossed her legs, prim and proper.
You could say that. It was bizarre. You told me to leave.
He stayed statue still in front of the fire. “I’d never tell you that. It’s the last thing I want. I want you to stay. To be here.”
He paused. His face was jagged in the firelight.
“I will never lie to you, Taylor. I’ve been as open and up front about my feelings as I can. I respect that you’re with Baldwin. Hate it, but respect it. I promise, I will never do anything that you don’t want. But right now, I’m going to ask a favor. Can I stay here tonight?”
She was taken aback. It was a great speech, completely controverted by the last statement. But he looked like a very frightened child.
I don’t know if that’s such a great idea, Memphis.
He tipped his head. “Your virtue is safe with me, my lady. I’d just like the company. We can sleep, or talk. If you think about it, we’ve been talking every night for the past several weeks. I missed it tonight. And seeing as you’re having bad dreams, maybe we can help keep each other entertained for a bit. At least until you’re ready to go back to sleep.”
What if I want to go back to sleep right now?
Careful, Taylor. Careful.
He watched her warily, trying to ascertain any hidden meaning, or openings. Apparently sensing she was sincerely interested in sleep, or at least too drunk to stand up properly, he waved a hand toward the bed.
“Then by all means, do so. I’ll watch over you in case you have any more bad dreams.”
She broke eye contact, fiddled with the TV remote. He was right. They had been talking every night. He’d been the one she turned to when Baldwin had shut her out. Could she blame him for treasuring that intimacy? She’d been the one letting it happen, after all. Encouraging it, if she were being honest with herself. It felt good to have a friend she could count on.
All right. But just sleeping, Memphis. I am tired, and I’d like to try to get some rest.
He gave her that wicked smile that made her feel fu
She hesitated for another moment, then powered down the TV. Picked up her pen.
Turn off the lights.
He did.
The darkness felt different. Not as foreboding. Safer.
She went into the bedroom, pulled off her sweater and climbed back into the bed. Memphis lay down next to her, careful to point out that he was on top of the covers. She plumped up her pillow and stared at the ceiling.