When they touch me (Shelagh Milano) novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69
ARTEMISIA

The dripping sound gets me to open my eyes groggily.

My eyelids feel heavy, just like I slept for a thousand years and my body wasn't ready to wake up yet.

Sitting up, I hug myself instinctively as I look around in the shadowy cave. It seems to be made out of red stones and I shudder as a cold wind blows past me.

Where did that come from?

I stand up on my wobbly legs and notice that I’m wearing what Matthew dressed me with before going to bed.

What a strange dream.

I even feel the soreness still lingering between my legs as I take a few steps towards the crackling sound of a fire.

I must be losing my mind.

Being pretty sure that this must be a dream as I can’t feel Cassy at all, I reach the source of the crackling noise.

It isn’t a fire, but a slow stream of what seems to be a river made out of lava.

What is this place?

It takes me a moment, lost in my own desperation of my spiralling mind as I lift my head to see a gloomy figure sitting on a stone with his head buried in his hands in the middle of the platform that is surrounded by the river made out of lava.

“You have to be kidding me,” I groan, making Fynn jerk up from his pensive pose.

His eyes widen as I let my arms slump against my legs. “Of course. Of all the strange dreams I could make, I have to run into you!”

He gets up swiftly, staring at me lost. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here? This is my dream, you idiot!” I yell, causing a low growl to pass through the cave.

I lift my eyes to follow the noise that seems to be creeping over the ceiling, and I gulp. “Was that Drake?”

“Missy!” Fynn barks, getting my attention back on him. “You have to wake up! What are you doing? How did you get here?”

“I just fell asleep, duh!” I answer, shaking my head.

He drives his hands through his hair, and I cross my arms. “This is some ugly lucid dreaming. I hate those.”

Turning around shortly, I eye him up. “Why are you on that side? And I am here? Does this hold some kind of deeper meaning?”

Fynn clicks his tongue, his expression losing his confused traits. “No. It’s just common decorum. You stay on your side, and I on mine.”

I laugh, jumping as the growl gets louder, filling the entire cave with the sound.

“Can’t I come to your side as well?” I ask finally, making him shake his head.

“No, Missy! You need to wake up,” he snarls, “Weren’t you busy with my brothers?”

I shrug, caressing my arms. “Well, we just went to sleep. And Logan told me that he loves me, so I thought-”

“He did what?!” he barks out, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

“He- He told me that he loved me, so I thought that I would have the best sleep in the world. And not end in this shabby cave.” I have barely spoken the thought as a loud growl resounds again. Now it seems angry, and I think that I might have insulted him and his home.

“Oh, no! I’m sorry!” I shout to the ceiling. “I didn’t mean it like that. I really like it here.”

Listening into the newly created silence, I add, “It’s very cosy!”

“I can’t believe that guy! Fucking idiot!” Fynn curses, turning his back at me to go back sitting down on his stupid stone.