My Hockey Alpha

Chapter 0507

I leaned in, capturing his lips with mine. He returned in kind, and gently lifted me, carrying me to the bed.

We collapsed on each other in a sweaty, satisfied heap. With my head resting on Enzo's chest, his arms around me, I felt completely and utterly safe. But still, I couldn't fight the heaviness that crept into my eyelids, pulling me into the welcoming arms of sleep.

But the world I slipped into was anything but welcoming.

I was back in the maze like tunnels beneath the campus, my breaths echoing in the dank, subterranean air. The shadow entity was there, a lanky figure up ahead, beckoning for me.

Curiosity, or maybe something darker, pulled me along. I followed.

It led me to the room-that room, where Edward had held me captive. I hesitated, dread forming a heavy knot in my stomach. But some invisible force propelled me inside, and the moment my foot crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind me.

Panicked, I lunged at the door, pounding on it with my fists. "Let me out!" I screamed, the sound of my voice mingling with the rusty creak of the door's porthole window opening.

Through the glass, I could see it-the shadow entity, now wearing a grotesque parody of a grin. Its teeth were as white and jagged as ever, somehow longer and pointier now than they were before. It was mocking me without ever uttering a single word.

My breaths became shallow, the walls closing in on me. My knuckles ached from beating on the door, but it was futile. I was trapped, the malevolent gaze of the shadow drilling into me.

Tears spilled from my eyes, hot and salty.

With a start, I woke up, gasping, drenched in sweat. Enzo was beside me in an instant, his eyes clouded with concern. "Nina, what's wrong?"

"I had a... nightmare," was all I could manage, my voice barely above a whisper.

Enzo didn't ask for details. He didn't need to, because he already knew. This was slowly becoming a part of our routine.

Instead, he pulled me tightly against him, enveloping me in his arms, his warmth chasing away the lingering terror that was quaking my body. He began rocking me gently, back and forth, whispering, "It's okay, it's okay," in a soothing voice.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

As he held me, my thoughts scattered, trying to make sense of the dream-of the recurring shadow entity, and its malevolent glee. Could it signify an aspect of my subconscious? A warning of some sort? Or was it simply the manifestation of my fears, haunting me even in my sleep?

I had been considering turning Enzo down about therapy; the notion seemed too risky after what had happened with Edward.

But maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I could almost hear the slew of questions a therapist would ask. How does that make you feel? What do you think this dream symbolizes?

But the most challenging part would be explaining my past-a past that included realms and powers, and things most humans would find incomprehensible. Could a human therapist ever understand a life torn between two worlds, a lineage fraught with responsibility and intrigue?

Still, as Enzo held me, his heart beating steady against my ear, I realized that maybe it was time to seek help, in whatever form it came. I was about to be a mother, about to bring a new life into a world that was as wonderful as it was dangerous.

And as I lay there, enveloped in Enzo's arms, it struck me that perhaps not getting help could only be detrimental to my future child.

If I failed to get these nightmares, this shadow entity, under control, what would happen then?