To Bewitch a Devil

93 The floor is cold

Neera panted as she stood outside, staring at her room, fear engulfing her. She couldn’t sleep there, there was no way she would stay in there that night after what she had seen.

It was a nightmare but it felt real, too real. She could still hear the man’s words in her ears, she still felt her body being suspended. What was all these? What was happening to her?

Neera trembled as she stood outside in the darkness. But where would she go? She couldn’t go back to the maids room, it was so dark and she was scared to walk alone given what had just happened.

Neera looked to the other side and her eyes fell on the huge doors that guarded Zavian’s room.

If the previous night had not happened, she would have pleaded with him to let her sleep on his carpet, just for that night, but he was mad at her, she couldn’t dare knock on his door, not to talk of make demands.

Neera stared at her room as she bit her lower lip, tears gathering in her eyes. She did not have a choice, she had to go back inside and sleep with whatever haunted her dreams.

But just when she took the first step towards her room, Zavian stepped out of his chambers.

Neera’s eyes turned to look at him and she stopped walking. The moon and stars illuminated the corridor where they stood and Neera could make out his body. He was wearing loose pants and a long robe fell over his shoulders, his chest was bare and his golden hair drooped beautifully as he walked towards her.

There was a concerned frown on his forehead when he reached where she stood;

.....

“Why are you outside? What happened?” Zavian asked the girl who looked like she had been drenched in the rain. She was hugging her body with her both hands and she trembled as she stared at him.

Neera’s gaze fluttered as she thought up the perfect words to make it sound less scary than it actually was;

“I... I had a bad dream and I couldn’t sleep.” Neera replied.

Zavian stared at her pale face as he thought for a second;

He had overheard her rapid heart rate and panting from his room but tried to ignore it. She did not want him to meddle in her business so he turned the other way and tried to shut out her voice. But he had not laid for ten seconds when he found himself walking towards the door and pulling it open.

She clearly had a bad dream but Zavian wondered how bad the dream was for her to run out her room.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes staring at her with worry. Neera looked up at him and her eyes fell on his golden ones that glowed in the darkness.

He looked ethereal and out of this world as he stood in front of her, and she looked down at her hands, unable to hold his gaze.

“Yes;” she replied with a slight nod; although her heart said the exact opposite. It was moments like this she wished he would just hear her thoughts and how loud she was screaming for help.

“Okay;” Zavian nodded. He wanted to ask her to come sleep in his room if she was scared of sleeping in hers but he restrained himself. She would not want that, so there was no use asking.

“Go into your room and have some sleep, it would soon be morning.” He said and then he turned around to leave.

As he walked away from her, Neera felt the fear which had departed from her when he stood with her gradually return and she looked around her in panic. Without thinking twice, she turned to Zavian and called;

Your majesty;” Neera called in panic, her hands gripping her dress.

Zavian stopped in his tracks and then he turned to look at her. Neera breathed as she contemplated how to say the words. Would he let her stay? She wondered.

“What is wrong?” Zavian asked when he saw the fear in her eyes. Was she scared of something?

“Can I... Can I sleep on the floor in your room? I’m scared of staying alone.” She spoke, tears clouding her gaze.

Zavian stared at her. He knew whatever that would make her ask him for help was something serious, so without asking any questions, he nodded;

“Come with me.”

Neera heaved a sigh of relief when she heard him; and without wasting a second, she followed him to his chambers. She knew that whatever it was that tormented her sleep would not appear when she was with Zavian, so she was sure she was safe with him.

Calm filled her body when they entered his room and Zavian shut the door.

“Thank you, your majesty.” She said and quickly walked to an empty space on the ground to lie down but Zavian stopped her.

“The floor is cold, come to the bed.” He said, and without looking at her, he walked to the bed and lay down on his side.

Neera was stunned. After what happened, she didn’t think he would even want her any close to him, she was grateful he allowed her to sleep in his room, but now she was shocked he was letting her sleep beside him.

Contemplating for a moment, she walked quietly to the other side of the bed and got in, lying very close to the edge.

“Do you want to fall off in the middle of the night?” Zavian asked when he noticed how stiffly she lay on the edge of the bed.

Neera’s heart skipped when she heard his voice and she moved into the bed but did well to stop at a healthy distance from him. There was total silence after that. The night was cold and the night wind fluttered the curtains.

“What was your dream about?”

Zavian suddenly asked bumping Neera from her thoughts and she tensed. What was she going to say? She couldn’t tell him the truth.

“I was being burned alive...” she said. That was all she could tell him.

There was silence in the room for long as though Zavian was thinking about what she had just said;

“How long have you been having these dreams?” he asked.

Now Neera thought about it, she had not been having these dreams before, they all started after she met Zavian.

“They started recently.”