Nox
Charli's grip finally loosened as her breathing found a steady rhythm. It was possible that I'd slept at some point during the night. I'm confident that I had when we'd first surrendered to sleep. After that, it was only for minutes at a time. Even when Charli wasn't fully awake, her body twitched, her head shook, and she mumbled words.
I couldn't make sense out of it until she began screaming. Her protests were loud and clear. My name even infiltrated her monologue. At first I assumed she was telling me no, but that wasn't it. She was calling out to me, for me, and I wasn't there.
As the sleepless night continued, with each of her outbursts—whether done in her sleep or causing her to wake—I saw red, blood red. Deep, dark crimson filled my vision as it flowed over my thoughts. My fists clenched, aching to connect, to seek vengeance, to mutilate Edward Spencer.