17 Dreams (2)

Amelia threw herself up into sitting position and clawed at her neck with her fingernails. No matter how much she grasped for air it would not fill her lungs. It was like her throat had been closed off leaving only an opening no bigger than the head of a needle.

Her body was shaking uncontrolably and her heart was beating so hard and rapidly that her chest hurt. Even though she had experienced this many times before she still feared that she was going to die.

Only darkness surrounded her and in the panic she could at first not distinguish reality from the dream she just had. Only the faint glow of embers from the fireplace made her realise where she was.

'Fuck I'm still in his room?!'

She attempted to muffle the gasping with both her hands as to not wake the man sleeping across the room. It only restricted her breathing further and seconds later she was hyperventilating.

'Goddamnit Amelia, it was only a dream, calm the fuck down!'

Her wheezing drowned out the sound of duke Beaumont getting up from the sofa and coming towards her. She only realised his presence as the mattress beside her sank from his weight as he took a seat next to her.

Amelia jolted back in shock.

"Hey, hey… It's alright." His voice was strangely gentle and sounded foreign in her ears. It made her wonder whether she had truly gone mad this time.

Cool hands pulled hers away from clawing at her throat.

"It's going to be okay, just try to follow along with my breathing. Can you do that?"

Amelia could not let out no sounds other than wheezing noices so she only nodded. Even in a situation like this she did not dare to go against the duke's words.

The man next to her drew in a long breath which she tried to follow. Her breathing came out rugged and the slow inhales made her feel like she was truly going to suffocate. But as she kept at it she felt the air slowly start to reach her lungs and her rapid heartrate started to slow down.

Only when the panic began to settle did she realise that he had been holding her hands the entire time. His palms felt rough against her skin, probably the result of his frequent useage of the sword.

But it was nice being comforted by someone.

'I must still be drunk…'

Her body returned to its normal state much faster than it usually did so it seemed as if the breathing technique had worked. As her muscles finally relaxed she felt utterly exhausted and every part of her screamed for her to lay back down.

But she nedded to cover her ass before doing so.

"I apologize Your Grace, it seems like I've shown you something unsightly. I'll accept any punishment you find suitable for disturbing your sleep." Her voice came out hoarse.

The only answer she was given was silence and the duke let go of her hands.

"Why do you have to apologize…" He murmered, in a voice so quiet that Amelia barely heard him.

He leaned forward and tugged an escaped lock of hair behind Amelias ear. The touch was light and careful and in stark contrast compared to the demeanor Amelia witnessed only hours earlier.

She began to consider whether she was still dreaming after all.

"You won't be receiving any punishment, I'm not that petty" the duke said while his touch still lingered in her hair. With his free hand he then carefully wiped the tears under her eyes with a calloused finger, and it reminded Amelia of how her mother had comforted her when she was still a child. She closed her eyes.

Then suddenly as if a switch had been flipped the duke stiffened and quickly withdrew from her.

"Go back to sleep. Since I won't be sleeping any more for the night I'll wake you if you have any other nightmare." His tone was harsh and the atmosphere felt frigid once again. It caught Amelia off guard to the extent that she couldn't formulate a thought out response.

"Y-yes? I mean, t-thank you… I apologise, Your Grace."