Chapter 10 - Leo's Nightmare
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That night, the massive estate was perfectly silent until a piercing scream shattered the quiet.
Norah bolted out of bed, her bare feet hitting the cold hardwood floor, and sprinted down the long hallway toward Leo’s bedroom. She didn't bother grabbing a robe, clad only in her oversized sleep shirt.
She burst through the door to find the five-year-old thrashing violently in his bed, tangled in his heavy blankets, screaming for his mother.
“Leo, sweetheart, I’m here,” Norah cooed, dropping to her knees beside the bed. She gently pulled him into her arms, rocking him back and forth. “It’s okay. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”
Leo sobbed hysterically, clinging to her neck with a desperate strength. Norah murmured soft, comforting nonsense, running her fingers through his damp hair until his breathing slowly began to even out.
She didn't know how long she sat there in the dark, humming a quiet lullaby, but when she finally looked up, she realized she wasn't alone.
Luca was standing in the doorway. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of dark sweatpants, revealing a torso covered in old, terrifying scars and dark, sprawling tattoos. He was watching her hold the boy, his steel-gray eyes filled with a raw, unprotected emotion he usually kept hidden behind impenetrable walls.
Norah gently laid Leo back down, pulling the blankets up to his chin. She stood up, feeling suddenly very self-conscious in her thin sleep shirt under Luca’s intense gaze.
She walked quietly into the hallway, closing the door behind her.
“He has night terrors,” Luca whispered, leaning against the wall. “They usually last for hours. I’ve never seen anyone calm him down that fast.”
“He just needs to know someone isn't going to leave him in the dark,” Norah replied softly.
Luca looked down at her. The space between them in the dim hallway suddenly felt suffocatingly small. He reached out, his warm, rough fingers gently brushing a stray curl behind her ear. His touch sent a jolt of electricity straight to her core.
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“You are very good for him, Norah,” Luca murmured, his voice thick and low.
He didn't say You are very good for me, but the heavy, undeniable tension hanging in the air screamed it loudly enough for both of them to hear.
