Starfire (Grim Gate 2)

No, not again!

I can’t move. I can hardly breathe. My heart starts beating faster and faster. Ethan! Ethan, wake up!

I try to press my fingers into the mattress, scratching my fingers over the sheets to wake him up, but I can’t move.

Ethan!

The door slowly creaks open and light from the hall spills into the room. My breathing quickens, chest hurting from the pressure against it. I can hear someone chanting in the hall, but I can’t make out what they’re saying…or if they’re even speaking English.

Fighting against whatever is holding me down, I use all my strength to turn my head. I just need to move once and I’ll break the hold.

But I can’t.

Something slowly enters the room, blocking out the light from the hall. The floor creaks under its heavy feet.

Ethan!

I’m staring right at him, unable to move. The dark figure comes closer and closer.

Let me in, it whispers, and I feel the mattress sink down. A single tear rolls down my cheek and a cold hand touches my ankle.

Ethan, please!

I’m mentally screaming at him and finally, he opens his eyes and sits up. He locks eyes with me and laughs, eyes turning black.

“No,” I try to scream, but all that comes out is a muffled sob. It’s enough to wake up the real Ethan, and the version of him sitting on the side of the bed laughing fades from view.

“Anora.” Ethan’s hands land on my shoulders and I jerk myself into his arms. I’m shaking, heart beating so fast it feels like it might explode. “You’re okay.”

“It happened again.” My voice trembles. “It was in the hall.” Forcing myself to take a slow breath, I keep a grip on him, afraid if I let go, that thing will take me again.

“There’s nothing in the hall,” he soothes.

“There was. It sounded like a woman chanting and then the…the thing walked in.”

“There’s nothing,” he repeats, and I sit up just enough to turn and look at the door.

It’s still closed, but the hall light is on.

CHAPTER 17

Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I go to the counter and sit down. I’m going to need another cup after I finish this one since I’m running on two hours of sleep. I wasn’t able to fall back asleep last night. Every time I’d start to dose off, I’d startle away, afraid I was going to get stuck again. The pattern repeated for the rest of the night, and by the time I finally fell asleep, my alarm went off not long after. Ethan got up to feed the animals, and without him in bed with me, I was too scared to let myself fall back asleep.

The back door opens and I jump, almost sloshing the coffee over my hands. Hunter runs in first, shaking snow out of his fur. Ethan comes in a few seconds later.

“What are you doing out of bed?” he asks, taking off his coat. Fresh snow falls off, melting when it hits the hardwood floor.

“I couldn’t fall back asleep.” I bring my coffee to my lips and take a drink. “I’ll try to nap later.”

He hangs up his coat and gets himself coffee. Unlike me, he drinks his black. I have to dilute mine with creamer since I don’t actually like the taste of coffee but need the caffeine. “You should. That nightmare really shook you.”

I stare at him incredulously. “It wasn’t a nightmare.”

“Anora,” he says gently. “You’re under a lot of stress. You said you hear a woman in the hallway.” He sweeps his hand out at Sam and Yuma, who just came into the kitchen. “You were asleep, having a nightmare, and heard them talking on their way to bed.”

“It wasn’t a nightmare,” I repeat, setting my coffee mug on the counter. “And it wasn’t the first time this has happened.”

“Isn’t the first time what happened?” Yuma asks.

“She had sleep paralysis because she’s under a lot of stress,” Ethan tells her and my eyes narrow.

“Why don’t you mansplain the nightmares to them too,” I snap and Ethan raises his hands.

“Didn’t mean it that way, babe.”

“I know,” I sigh. “I’m so freaking tired.”

“Go back to bed.” He sets his coffee down and stands behind me, hands going to my shoulders.

“Sleep paralysis?” Yuma echoes. “Are you seeing someone in the corners of the room? Like a dark figure?”

I jerk my head up. “Kind of. Someone walks into the room. I can’t see his face, but I know it’s man. Last night there was someone else—a woman—chanting. Whatever the dark figure is, he wants me to let him in. That’s what he said last night.”

“Fuck.” Yuma quickly shakes her head and looks at Sam. “Have you heard of anything like this before?”

“It’s just a nightmare,” Ethan presses.

“Dude.” Sam stares at her brother. “She said it wasn’t a nightmare. You of all people should know sleep demons are all too real.”