Mates Next Door

Nightmares

~ASTRA~

My eyes fluttered open and I groggily took in my surroundings. I was met with a blur of concerned faces hovering above me.

The memory of touching Arik's tattoo and feeling that jolt of pain flooded in, leaving me totally confused and disoriented, and it didn't even help that Valerie had witnessed it. I wondered what she thought of it.

"Astra, can you hear us?" Flynn's voice cut through the haze, his brow furrowed with worry.

I tried to speak, but my voice was barely a whisper. "W-what...happened?"

Valerie's face came into focus, her eyes wide with concern. "You touched Arik's tattoo and just...passed out. We were so scared!"

Ryder's face loomed over her, his expression unreadable. "You're quite the drama queen, Astra."

Arik's voice was calm and soothing. "Hey, let's give her some space. Astra, can you sit up?"

With Arik's support, I slowly sat up, my head spinning. I took a few deep breaths, trying to clear the fog.

I looked around, taking in everyone's faces. Something in the atmosphere had shifted. It was a contrasting difference to how things were before my collapse, like there was something I didn't know. I couldn't place my finger on it so I decided it was my foggy brain playing tricks on me.

My gaze fell on Arik, and like a trigger was set open, I felt a surge of emotions that was quickly replaced by a crushing weight in my chest.

My mind raced back to my mother...and my father and the grief I'd been trying to suppress came flooding back in torrents.

"No...no...no..." My voice cracked as I scrambled out of the couch and to my feet. My eyes welled with tears as I staggered from side to side.

Arik rushed to my side, his hand resting on my back. "Astra, hey, it's okay..." He said, but I shoved him to the side.

"Let me go!" I screamed, my body trembling uncontrollably. "I need to get out of here!"

Flynn, who had been ignoring me for the whole night stepped forward, his eyes filled with compassion. "Astra, please..."

But I was beyond consolation. I was enraged and the combination of my grief and rage boiled over, like molten magma and a volcano waiting to happen.

I launched myself at Ryder, grabbing him by the hem of his shirt.

"You!" I spat in contempt, my fists flying at him and missing. "You did this! You're the reason..." My voice broke. "It's all you."

Ryder's eyebrow raised, unfazed by my theatrics and Arik intervened, yanking me back.

"Astra stop," he pulled me in, whispering firmly against my ear as he glanced at Valerie. "This isn't Ryder's fault."

I struggled against his restraint, my mind consumed by rage and sorrow. "Let me go! I'll kill him!"

"Get yourself together. There's a human amongst us," Ryder hissed a warning before walking over to Valerie. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he led her upstairs.

Valerie pulled out of Ryder's hold and came back to me. "Astra, please, stop. I don't know what's wrong but you're going to hurt yourself at this rate."

I was finally able to calm down, but the pain in my chest didn't lessen. It was still there, burning through my chest and threatening to bubble over. I glanced at Ryder who stood close to the staircase, casually leaning against the bannister like none of it mattered to him.

I turned to Arik, my eyes brimming with tears. "I want to see my father," I whispered. "Please. I need to see him."

Arik's expression was sombre as he spoke. "We'll take you to him, Astra. But for now, you must rest while the storm passes."

As Arik led me away from the room, I caught a glimpse of Ryder's face. His eyes seemed to hold a flicker of something...but it was quickly extinguished, leaving only his usual smirk.

*****

"How are you feeling now?" Arik asked, taking a seat beside me on the balcony. He handed me a glass of water which I took from his hand.

"I don't have an answer." I glanced at him, then at Flynn who stood at the corner, staring out into the night. He'd been this way since we came into the balcony, barely saying a word to me.

"Any news on the Argents?" Flynn asked Arik.

"They're still scouting the city," Arik replied. "But they've left the campus. I guess we will get the news tomorrow."

And then he went back to being silent.

Arik faced me again. "You must be hungry. Have you had anything to eat today?"

"I'm not hungry. I just want to sleep. Maybe I'll wake up and everything that happened today will be a dream."

Arik nodded and pushed to his feet. "Alright then. I'll take you up to my room."

"Are you going to share a room with her?" Flynn asked, suddenly concerned.

Arik was silent for a moment. Then he shook his head. "I'll take the couch."

Flynn relaxed and went back to being silent again. What was with him and just not saying anything?

"C'mon," Arik stretched out his hand and I took it. He helped me up and led me out of the balcony.

"I still don't know what happened and why I collapsed when I touched your tattoo."

"I don't know either," Arik replied. "Do you want some cookies though?"

He was evading my question.

"No, I just want to sleep."

He led me up the stairs past the first door to the right. I heard Valerie laughing and saying something to Ryder and blocked out their voices.

Arik stopped in front of the last door by the left and pushed it open, leading me into a large room that felt like another world.

I always knew this apartment building had larger apartments, but I never expected it to be this large.

I walked into the room, taking the floor to ceiling windows and the arched entrance that led to another part of the room which looked like it had been designed into an office.

A king-sized bed was placed on the eastern end of the room and filled with soft cushions. Above it was a square mirror and pretty lights around it.

The background was dark but the lighting and frames on the wall sparked life in it.

"Go on in," Arik stood behind me, his overwhelming presence sending a wave of shivers down my skin. "You won't get swallowed."

I smiled briefly and stepped onto the plush Oriental carpet before I stopped in front of the bed.

"Can you talk to Ryder?" I turned to Arik. "Whatever he's doing with Valerie should stop."

"Why?" Arik laughed. "He likes her."

"Does he really?" I asked. "I could tell from how he manipulated her into coming over without directly asking her that he didn't give a s**t about her. If he liked her enough, he should have done it properly."

"And what's the proper way?" Arik asked, taking a step towards me. He stopped a few inches away from me, his body almost touching mine.

"Properly asking her out and taking her on a date before inviting her over." I shrugged.

"They're both adults. They can do whatever they want. If your friend gets hurt, I don't think it's anyone's fault. She chose to come and she's here."

That did nothing to pacify me. "If he hurts her, not even you would stop me from ripping him apart."

"Why are you so concerned though?" Arik asked, his brows furrowing in askance. "It's not about Valerie, is it? You just hate Ryder."

"Yes, I do. I despise him."

Arik placed his hand on my face and pressed a kiss on my forehead, leaving me pleasantly startled. "Hate him all you want, but he's not at fault. And it's not him you should be mad at."

"When can I visit my mother?" I asked, not wanting to dwell on the topic of who and who not to hate.

"Let's wait till tomorrow. As soon as all of these clear up, we can leave."

"But my mother won't postpone his burial." My eyes brimmed with new, unshed tears. "Oh, goodness."

Arik pulled me into his arms and held me. "She's doing what she has to do. Don't think she wouldn't want you to see your father for the last time if she could. We're in a world with limited freedom and she's only looking out for you. All you can do is cherish the memories you have for him."

"And to be honest, I think it's better you have the memories of him alive," Arik shrugged. "Seeing his dead body will traumatise you more than you already are. Goodnight, Astra."

I watched him leave the room and quietly close the door behind him.

My body was overwhelmed with fatigue so I climbed into his bed and sank into his plush sheets, taking in the scent of clean detergent and his perfume. Sliding under the covers, I remained awake, tears pouring down the side of my face as I silently cried myself to sleep.

And when I woke up at night, sweating and trembling after a harrowing nightmare, I glanced at the door and found Valerie standing there.

She slipped away as soon as Flynn appeared. He walked into the room and turned the lights on.

"What was the nightmare about?" He asked and took a seat beside me. He was so calm, like this wasn't new to him.

Swallowing, I fought against the dread engulfing my whole body. "I saw blood. Lots of blood. And my mother, she was there, her head cut off. It felt so real."

He gathered me in his arms as I sobbed heavily. "It's not real. She's still alive and you'll speak to her tomorrow."

"I can't sleep." I shook my head. "I'll keep having the same dream."

He slid into the bed and under the covers before pulling me into his embrace. "Then let me lie with you. I'll be awake to remind you it's all a nightmare.”