Night without nightmares (1)

*Mission one: day one - midnight*

With Ogi's number written on her palm, Vera waved goodbye too soon for the man's heart. She turned on her heels and reached the U-Bahn before it closed.

She returned to the hotel and had a shower before checking the windows. She had put in some amulets for protection before going out, and she nodded satisfied when she noticed they were untouched.

She could sleep safely there. During the night, especially when one is unconscious, many things could happen. She had learnt to secure the unfamiliar places she would sleep in.

She lay in the bed and fell asleep in a moment, tired from the never-ending day. She hadn't slept one minute on the train, and working on a case had depleted her energies. Like that, she couldn't hear anything around her.

She had checked twice that the amulets on the windows and the door were untouched, but she hadn't paid any attention to the handle. She would have noticed it had two sides - in and out. She would have noticed that someone with a key could still get in.

But she wasn't used to protecting herself from ordinary humans.

She was deep into the world of dreams when the window opened. The tall figure walked in and sat on the bed. A deep sigh moved his shoulders, but he didn't dare touch the woman.

She looked defenceless, her paced breathing moving the covers and the little light coming from outside revealing her features.

He loved looking at her sleeping face. It was from another world.

He reached out to her face, in the end, and caressed her cheek. She was simply beautiful.

Neven Darga chuckled when he understood she wouldn't wake up. She was dead tired; and she had reason to be, according to what he heard. She was on a mission.

He had worked on his self-control for the whole day not to appear in front of her. He had done his damned best not to ruin the whole operation. He had to be patient if he wanted to win that battle.

After another motionless minute, he lay down next to her.

«Hey, Vera,» he said, and his heart fluttered when she reacted to his voice. She snuggled closer, grabbing his shirt and moving her head down from the pillow and next to his chest. His arm surrounded her waist, and she seemed to relax even more.

Why couldn't everything be as simple as their bodies made it? Couldn't they just run away together, far from all the politics and annoying contracts they both had signed?

«Soon,» he said, rubbing her back. «I'll come to you soon, okay? Just hang in there.»

He had barely managed to contain his fury when he had heard about her second contract. Wasn't she supposed to have some rest?

He was ready to offer her a job, but the agency had acted first. They had offered her a second contract, apparently with better conditions, and she had signed with blood. It meant that convincing her was not the best way to obtain anything.

She couldn't decide to leave the agency, unfortunately. He had to talk with her boss.

For the moment, having her work nearby was the best he could get. He had read the reports, and he had started understanding how much she liked her job. She was precise and fast, and she solved the mystery after a few questions. She had also interrogated Florian - all to solve that case!

A hard-working woman, passionate about her job, was the best - he thought while hugging her tighter. She had snuggled in his arms, and he could inhale the scent of her hair. He would have run his hand down her back if only she wasn't sleeping. But he didn't want to transform into a perverted criminal.

Being there was already on the edge, wasn't it?

Vera moved in his embrace. Her ear soon landed on his chest, and her hands gripped his clothes even tighter. Meanwhile, Neven had moved the cover out of his way and slipped under it. His palms were tickling from the need to touch her, but he kept control. He had done it for the whole day; what could another few hours mean?

He would have been proper and mysterious till the end, triggering her curiosity when the time was ripe. And he would have waited for the agency to need something before contacting them.

He first needed them to owe him, and then he could collect the favour.

«We can travel together in the future,» he said. «Visit all the cities you like... And stop the evil, if you'd like.»

He was ready to decrease his working hours to spend more time with her. As soon as his last few contracts were over. He had signed for a lot of work, and he had to oversee it before taking a few days off.

And he was moving soon, luckily. He couldn't wait, all of a sudden. His newly opened start-up in Milan had been planned for a long while when he had met Vera. He had read it as a sign from fate. He simply had to go there.

He snapped out of his daze when his woman's breathing accelerated. She hid in his arms and whined for a moment, but she soon returned calm. Was it a nightmare?

Why would she have a nightmare while he was holding her, by the way?

«Hey, don't worry. It will be all right.»

Maybe he was making many mistakes. He was spying on his future wife, plotting how to take her away from the job she liked, and sneaking into her room while she was sleeping. Maybe he had overdone it.

But how could he fight it? It was simply his nature: he would gravitate around her for the rest of his life, even if it meant becoming a useless fool.