Chapter 182: Safe In His Arms
In her sleep, Rosalind found herself back in the floating garden Rowan had once taken her to. A smile spread across her face as she breathed in the fresh air. The sounds of birds singing overhead and water cascading in the distance made everything seem almost too good to be true.
The grass beneath her feet was soft, and she felt it sink slightly beneath her weight as she wandered through the garden.
Soon, she found herself among the flowers.
She giggled as their sweet fragrance surrounded her, and she watched them sway gently in the breeze. For the first time in what felt like forever, everything seemed peaceful. It was as though life had finally become bearable again.
Rosalind ran freely through the garden, feeling the wind brush against her skin until she eventually grew tired and stopped to catch her breath, laughing softly to herself.
It was then that her gaze landed on a figure standing near the open water.
From behind, the broad shoulders and familiar frame made her assume it was her husband.
"Rowan," she called as she started walking toward him with a smile. "Rowan, I saw a big white rabbit"
She continued speaking as she approached, but he did not turn around. It wasn’t until she was only a step away from him that he slowly looked back.
"Hello, Rosalind," he said.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Rosalind stumbled backward and almost fell to the ground.
What was he doing here?
She stared at him in horror. His neck was dripping with blood, and his pale blue eyes gleamed unnaturally as they fixed on her. He began walking toward her, and although she tried to scramble away, she wasn’t fast enough.
"Did you think it ended there?" he asked.
Before she could react, he crouched beside her and grabbed her hair.
Rosalind struggled immediately, trying to wrench herself free, but his grip was impossibly strong.
"Did you truly believe that you and that filthy footman could get away from me?" he asked coldly as he leaned closer.
"Let go of me. You’re dead... let go of me!" she shouted as she fought against him.
Alaric laughed cruelly. "So what if you managed to kill me? I’ll torment both of you for the rest of your lives. I’ll repay your betrayal, and neither of you will ever find peace."
"You can’t do anything to the living," she shot back despite the fear coursing through her. There was no way he could harm them now. He was dead. These were nothing but empty threats.
"Of course I can," he replied. "And I can do even more."
To her horror, he reached toward his neck and began tearing away the flesh. The gruesome sight made her freeze in fear, but what came next was even worse.
"Rowan?" she whispered.
Her voice trembled violently.
Where Alaric had been standing moments ago, her husband now stood before her.
How was that possible?
It had been Alaric.
"We have the same blood flowing through our veins," he said, and his voice sounded wrong. "I’m exactly like him, and you’re not safe anywhere."
The moment he reached for her, Rosalind screamed.
Her scream was so loud that it followed her into reality. She jolted awake.
Her breath came in frantic gasps, and the scream that tore from her throat startled Rowan awake instantly. "Rosalind?" he called.
But she immediately stumbled away from him, shaking her head.
For the first time in a long while, Rowan felt genuine fear. "Rosalind, it’s me," he said quickly.
She continued shaking. "He said he’ll torment me... You said I’m not safe," she cried frantically before tears began spilling down her cheeks.
Rowan’s heart dropped.
He had no idea what she had seen, but he could tell she was terrified. "You’re safe, Rosalind. I mean it. You’re safe," he said firmly.
She looked at him uncertainly, her breathing heavy as she looked around the chamber.
Realizing she needed reassurance more than words, Rowan immediately pulled her into his arms. Her bare body trembled against his as he wrapped his arms tightly around her and gently stroked her hair. "You’re safe, Rosalind," he repeated softly. "I promise."
Slowly, her frantic breathing started to settle, although her eyes remained wide open.
It was still the middle of the night, and whatever she had seen had frightened her badly. Rowan had never seen her this shaken before.
Resting his head against the pillow, he held her close while she lay against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. "You can sleep now, Rosalind," he whispered against her hair. "Nothing will happen to you."
Rosalind tried to stay awake, but exhaustion eventually won.
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she unconsciously snuggled closer to him as though seeking protection. Rowan adjusted his hold around her and kept her tucked safely against his body.
Even after she had fallen asleep, he remained awake, watching her face and holding her close in his arms.
****
It was already morning by the time Rowan finally managed to fall asleep, and by then Rosalind had calmed down, the lingering fear from the nightmare fading as she breathed gently against his chest.
After a while, she stirred and slowly woke up again, her gaze immediately falling on her husband’s face as he slept peacefully beside her.
Rosalind watched him for a moment in silence, taking in a steady breath as her thoughts settled. Then, she slowly recalled the bad dream that had woken her in the middle of the night, and she exhaled softly as though trying to release it completely.
"It was just a nightmare," she told herself quietly, refusing to let the fear linger any longer, because there was no way Alaric and Rowan were the same person as that dream had tried to show her.
They were different in every possible way, and the man lying beside her now was her husband, the one who had always shown her nothing but care.
Rosalind swallowed as she studied his peaceful sleeping face, her eyes softening.
She could not help but feel a little guilty as well, because she must have scared him last night, and he probably had not gotten much rest because of her.
Leaning forward, she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before carefully settling back into her place beside him.
Sigh...
It had been their wedding night, so why had something like that happened at all?
