Jessie watched Cooper twitching in the throes of his nightmare; sweat plastered his curly black hair against his forehead, and a frightened, animal moan came from between his gritted teeth. His tattooed arms shook as his fists clenched and unclenched the pillow clutched to his chest.
She wanted to wake him up. But he'd lash out at anyone near him when he came out of the dream. She wiped the nightmare-induced sweat out of her own eyes and scooted away from him on the bed.
"Cooper," she called. Her throat felt like it was lined with steel wool. "Wake up."
No response.
Her heart was still triphammering against her ribs. She could never remember the dream after she'd awakened, could only smell the smoke of fear and pain it left clouded in her mind.
She'd never had it before she started sleeping with Cooper. The first couple of times they'd both had nightmares, she dismissed them as coincidences. But over the past year, she'd realized the terror she saw in his fractured sleep mirrored the terror fading inside her own head.
They were having the same damn dream.
Or rather, she was sharing his nightmare, and lately she was having it whether she was sleeping beside him or not.
He writhed and wailed.
Cooper's white fox terrier, Smoky, was cowering under her computer desk, whining. The dog was giving her a scared look: Wake him up before something bad happens. She'd seen the dog take on creatures ten times his 17 pounds when he thought his master was in danger; the dog had once torn the ear off an ogrish no-neck who was preparing to brain Cooper with a tire iron in a bar parking lot. But when the nightmare came on, fierce little Smoky was helpless.
She could hear the rustling of her 6-month-old ferret racing around in his cage in the corner.
What's going on inside your head? she wondered, staring down at her lover.
She slid off the bed, took a deep breath and let loose a shout that shook the floor: "COOPER!"
He jerked awake, arms windmilling, punching the air, kicking the sheet off the bed. "No, I won't, I won't, get away from me --"
"Cooper! Calm down! You're okay, you're okay."
"What? Where -- where am I?" he gasped, staring around in the dimness.
"In our apartment. Remember?" She climbed back onto the bed and crawled to him across the twisted bedclothes.
"J-jessie?" he stammered, his eyes finally seeming to focus. "Oh, m-man am I glad to see you."
>> Go on to Spellbent: Chapter One, Part 2
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