Chapter 45 NIGHTMARE
Eli's POV)
I dreamt of fire.
The burning car roared in the dark like a living animal, flames licking the sky, metal caving in on itself. I smelled gasoline… it was sharp and suffocating. Then came the gunshot, a single cracking sound that split the world open. A man fell. I couldn’t see his face, but the body hit the ground with a heavy thud that echoed through my head like a bell.
And from inside the flames, my father's voice cut through everything.
“Collateral.”
“Leave Julian if you want to live.”
“Someone will die next.”
I tried to run, but my legs wouldn’t move. The heat grew hotter, the flames reaching for me…
I jerked awake with a sharp scream.
My body shot upright, drenched in sweat. The room spun around me, shadows bending, walls closing in… My chest heaved like I was drowning in air I couldn’t swallow.
Then, the door slammed open.
Julian was the first inside, hair messy, eyes sharp with panic, barefoot like he didn’t waste a second. Anton came right behind him, pulling on a shirt with one hand.
“Eli—hey—Eli.” Julian crossed the room and grabbed my shoulders. “Look at me. Are you okay?”
I shook my head, breath ragged. “It was… just a dream,” I said, my voice trembling. “Just a dream. Just—just a dream.” I kept whispering it, like the words might undo the images still burning behind my eyelids.
Julian sat on the edge of the bed and pulled me into his chest, arms caging me protectively. “You’re safe,” he said, low and steady, though I could feel my heartbeat hammering. “No one’s hurting you.”
Anton sat on my other side, placing a cool hand on my back. His touch was the opposite of Julian’s fierce grip. His touch was steady, patient, and grounding.
“You’re here with us,” Anton murmured. “Take your time.”
I tried to breathe, but every inhale came out broken. “It was—” I swallowed. “The car. The flames. And my father… his voice…” My throat closed like something was crushing it from the inside.
Julian stiffened. “He’s not getting near you,” he said, voice low, and rough. “I’ll tear his throat out.”
Anton shot Julian a small frown. “Not now,” he whispered.
But Julian didn’t look away from me. His hand moved up and down my arm, gentle, and protective. “You’re safe,” he said again.
It felt different hearing Julian say it. I didn’t fully believe it, but part of me wanted to.
After a long silence, Anton spoke softly. “Julian handled the situation,” he said. “With your friend.”
“My… friend?”
“The boy Henry sent in that video,” Anton clarified, his voice low and calm. “Julian brought him back.”
That pulled me out of the fog a little.
Julian’s jaw tensed, but he nodded. “He’s at the hospital now. Already cleaned up and checked by doctors. No major injuries.”
I stared, breath catching. “Julian… you… really saved him?”
Julian shrugged a little, but his eyes softened. “I told you I would handle it.”
“He’s safe,” Anton added. “You don’t have to carry that worry anymore.”
My eyes burned, but no tears fell. It felt like everything inside me was too tight to let anything out.
Julian stared at me, studying every flicker of emotion across my face like it mattered. Like it meant something.
I finally find a steady voice to speak. “I thought… I thought someone died because of me again.”
Julian pulled me closer. “No. That was Henry’s mistake. His cruelty. Not yours.”
Anton nodded. “Guilt is exactly what he wanted you to feel.”
I rubbed my palms against my face, still shaking. “It feels like this whole thing is spinning out of control.”
“It is,” Julian said bluntly. “But not for you to carry.”
I let out a harsh, broken laugh. “Pretty sure I’m already carrying it.”
Julian cupped my chin and made me look up. “Listen,” he said quietly, “I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at him. Henry did this to provoke you. To scare you into leaving my side. That’s not happening.”
I sighed. “But he got to me.”
Julian’s eyes softened. “You’re human, Eli.”
I didn’t expect that.
Julian usually spoke like emotions were weaknesses, like fear meant failure. Hearing him say that being human was allowed…it carved something deep.
Anton leaned forward a little. “You don’t have to be strong tonight,” he said gently.
I exhaled shakily.
Eventually, Julian moved slightly, adjusting me against him. “Do you want water?”
I shook my head. “No. Just… don’t go.”
Julian didn’t hesitate. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Anton lay back on the bed, propping himself up against the headboard. “Slide over,” he said softly.
Julian helped me move, settling me between them: Julian on my left, Anton on my right. It was strangely natural, like their bodies just fell into the shape of something neither of us had talked about yet.
Julian wrapped an arm around my waist, protective and tense, like he expected someone to burst in at any second.
Anton pulled the blanket over us and placed a hand on my chest, feeling the rhythm of my breathing, and somehow, steadying it.
Julian noticed. “He helps with grounding,” he muttered, almost defensively.
Anton chuckled a little. “And you help with scaring off anything threats.”
Julian didn’t deny it.
I closed my eyes. Not because I wanted to sleep, sleep actually terrified me now, but because the warmth around me felt safe.
“I keep hearing voices,” I whispered.
“We’ll drown it out,” Julian said.
“How?” I asked.
Julian leaned closer until his forehead touched my temple. “With a more solid voice.”
Anton added, “And with presence.”
I let out a small breath. “You two are weird.”
Julian smirked faintly. “Takes one to know one.”
Anton snorted. It was soft, but enough to ease the tension.
My fingers curled against the blanket. “Julian?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you… for saving him.”
Julian’s voice dropped to something soft, almost quiet. “I didn’t do it for him. I don't know or care about him. I did it for you.”
I swallowed. “I don’t know why you’re being nice to me lately.”
Julian brushed a thumb over my wrist, a brief and strangely tender motion. “I’m not being nice. I’m being responsible.”
I turned my head slightly. “Is there a difference?”
Julian didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. The silence spoke louder than anything.
Anton shifted a little closer. “Do you feel like you can sleep again?” he asked gently.
I shook my head. “No. I don’t want to close my eyes.”
“Then don’t,” Anton said simply. “We’ll stay until morning.”
I expected Julian to protest; Julian hated anything that sounded like vulnerability, but he didn't.
“If he doesn’t sleep, I don’t sleep,” Julian said.
I didn’t know what to do with that sentence, so I let it sit inside me, warm and confusing.
Minutes passed. Maybe hours. Eventually the shaking stopped. My heartbeat slowed. My breathing evened out.
Julian’s hand stayed firm on my waist.
Anton’s palm stayed over my heart.
And as I lay sandwiched between the two of them, I realized something unsettling:
I didn’t feel trapped. I didn't feel at high alert as I should be.
Did my sense of danger die? I should be scared of these men.