Page 25 of Matrix

I crawl into bed and close my eyes. Sleep drags me into a nightmarish abyss. My sister’s cries for help fill a dark prison. Demons dance around her in a spiral, moving closer and closer, closing in with sickening intent. Depraved and indifferent to her suffering, they taunt her while she sobs uncontrollably. And who’s there to console her? No one. Especially not me.

A scream wakes me. It’s my own. Before I can stop hollering, Matrix is out of his bed, hovering over mine. “Hey, wake up. It’s just a bad dream.” His silvery gray eyes are all I can see. They’re filled with concern. “Move over.”

Without thinking, I slide over in the tiny bed to make room for him. Someone knocks on the door.

“Everything okay in there?” Talon yells.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Matrix says.

“Daisy?”

“I’m okay. I just had a nightmare.”

“If you need anything, I’m right down the hall,” Talon says.

“She said she’s fine.” Matrix glares at the door.

“Can you blame me for checking after what you did to that Demon Rider?”

“No. But she’s fine.”

“I am, really.”

“Okay. But like I said, I’m two doors away if you need me. You know where to find me.”

“Asshole,” Matrix mutters.

“He’s just trying to make sure I’m all right. That’s really sweet of him.”

“I’ll take care of you.” Matrix pulls me into his arms and cradles me against his chest. His warmth soothes me, so I relax against his body. Maybe I’m a fool, but I’m not afraid of him. He’s never done anything to frighten me. Although he’s been gruff from time to time, he’s always treated me with care and respect. I trust him not to hurt me.

“Tell me about the nightmare.” When his lips graze my temple, a shiver of desire shimmies through me.

“I’ve had that same dream before. There are a bunch of demons circling my sister, and I can’t get to her. I can’t save her.”

“Nightmares suck.”

“Do you ever have them?”

“All the time.”

“What are they about?” I wind my arms around him and hold him as tightly as he clings to me.

“The past.”

“Scar told me.” I don’t elaborate further. I learned this common interrogation tactic in one of my academy classes. I got the highest score out of everyone in my class; however, I’ve never actually used this method in the field before. Trying to trick Matrix into telling me more is risky, but I need to know what happened to make him disassociate the way he does.

“What did Scar say?”

Well, that didn’t work. Of course, he’s too smart to fall for it. “He told me about Blackstone.”

“What about him?”

“Honestly, not much. I know you guys think he’s evil.”

“He’s the Devil.”

“Right, but why? What makes you think that?” I ask.