Free Uncovering You 9: Liberation by Scarlett Edwards Page B

Stonehart. What chance would I stand?
    None, of course. But it’s not physical violence that even appeals to me. No, if I want to actually harm Jeremy Stonehart, I want to do it more insidiously than that.
    If something like this comes about again. I provoked him at dinner, no doubt. In a way, this was my fault. And he seemed repentant enough after…
    Whatever. I’m tired. I want to go to sleep. The bed’s big enough that I can even pretend Jeremy’s not there.
    As I climb the stairs and walk down the familiar dark hall, I pick up strange sounds coming from the bedroom. Grunting. Rasping. Half-swallowed, barely distinguishable words, in a clearly distinguishable voice: Jeremy’s.
    My heart starts to beat faster and I pick up my pace. I rip open the doors and see him.
    He’s thrashing back and forth, arms and legs caught in the sheets. “No. No. N-n-n-n-no-n-no,” he keeps saying, over and over again.
    I rush to his side. His eyes are screwed shut. His jaw is clenched. His body jerks back and forth in uneven, convulsive movements. “No. No. No.”
    He’s in the throes of some nightmare. I’ve never seen him like this. His sweat is all over the sheets. It lingers in the air like the remnant of a disease. And still he jerks back and forth, jaw clenched tight. “N-n-n-n-n-no!”
    Is that the stutter he’s repressed? It must be.
    I don’t know what to do. I look at him, too scared to interrupt, but too invested in his suffering to simply look away. “No. No. N-n-n-n-no!”
    “Jeremy?” I say softly, trying to make my voice as calm as possible. I reach out to touch his arm. “Jeremy, it’s all right. I’m here. I—“
    “ GET OFF ME, ROSE !” he roars, flinging my hand away and jolting upright. He’s breathing hard, gasping for air, eyes wide, fully awake.
    And me? I just cower, heart thundering, his words caught forever in my ears.
    He looks at me without seeing. And then, shifts back into himself. His breathing slows. He looks at me, looks down at the tangled sheets, and a gradual understanding dawns on his face.
    “How much did you hear?” he asks me.
    I shake my head. “N-nothing,” I stammer.
    He nods. “I scared you, didn’t I?” His fists clench. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you about…” he looks around the room, “…this side of me.”
    Carefully, I pick my way over to him.
    ‘ Don’t touch me, Rose.’ What could he have meant by that? Was it just something his mind threw out, or is there deeper meaning behind those words?
    “Have you always had nightmares?” I ask. He lifts up the blanket and I climb in next to him. His skin is hot to the touch, and damp like with a sickness.Having me close seems to put him at ease, however. So I let him hold me.
    “They come and go,” he tells me. Even though his voice is absolutely steady, I can feel his body trembling, just a little, beneath mine. This is the most shaken I’ve ever seen him.
    “When was the last time?”
    “Honestly? Years before you came along. I thought I was free of them.” He exhales a long breath. “It doesn’t matter. It’s over now.”
    “What do you see?” I ask.
    “Most of the time? Memories of my past life. Of who I was before I became…me.” He looks down at me. “Things I don’t want revisited, but things that come anyway.”
    “You can tell me,” I say, and I hope to God he knows I’m telling the truth. “If you want. If you need to.”
    “You’re sweet.” He kisses my crown. “But no, Lilly. I don’t want to burden you with the things that haunt me.” He starts to rise. “I need a shower. And then to work… to cleanse my mind of… bad things.” He sounds distracted. “There won’t be more sleep for me tonight, of that I’m sure. The gym? A workout would be nice. Somewhere I don’t need to think. Somewhere I can be utterly alone…”
    He stops, and frowns at his words. Was he just thinking to himself? Maybe I’m not the only crazy one in this house.
    He looks back at me.