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raised and ready to inflict further suffering with its
weapon. He recognized the monster from the photo in Judge’s file. He suspected
Nikki failed to see the truth. It was one of the things that was keeping her in
this continual nightmare. As well as the only thing feeding her fear.
    Forcing the release of further
endorphins to mask the pain she was feeling, Viper spoke to his mate. “Nikki,
I’m here.”
    “Tatts, I’m scared.”
    “I know, sweetheart, but you’re
no longer alone.”
    “How did you get through the
barrier?” she asked, her head turning toward the corner of the room.
    It was then, through Nikki’s
eyes, that Viper saw himself throwing his body into the air. The barrier that
Nikki spoke of became apparent when his dream-self bounced off an invisible
wall. He knew there would be no way of penetrating it at this moment. Her fear
of trusting had built it, and only Nikki herself would be able to knock it
down.
    Returning his attention to the
situation at hand, Viper tried to reassure his mate. “Nikki, I’m sitting on the
bed beside you in my quarters. I used fae magic to
mind-meld with you. Together we’ll escape this nightmare, okay?”
    “How, Tatts? I can’t fight it.”
    “Yes, you can. You just need to
open your eyes and see it for what it is,” Viper encouraged. “I’ve masked the
pain the best I can. The rest, I need you to breathe through. And the next time
he raises his hand to attack, watch the knife and look at the reflection in
it.”
    Through her eyes, he could see
that she had done exactly as he had instructed. On a gasp, she whispered,
“Paul.”
    “That’s right, sweetheart. Now
are you going to let him win?” he challenged. “You’ve survived him before, and
you’ll do it again. Don’t allow him that sort of power over your life. Take it
back. It’s yours and no one else’s.”
    As if in slow motion, the knife
was set on its downward trajectory. Viper feared he had failed to get through
to Nikki and conceded that he would have to try again. That was when he felt
the resolve in her mind firming. With each millisecond, her inner strength grew
monumentally. Just as the knife was about to pierce her delicate skin once
again, Viper opened himself up, allowing her to take whatever she needed from
him.
    “Do it now, Nikki,” he shouted in
her head.
    On a scream, Nikki’s body lifted,
her mind settled, and Viper was ejected from the dream as she woke up.
Immediately, Judge was beside the bed, offering Nikki a receptacle to deposit
her stomach’s contents. As soon as her body’s needs were taken care of she
lifted her head. Looking around, her gaze landed on him. Whimpering, she
crawled into his waiting arms, clinging to him as she wept.
    As soon as Judge and Jewel
realized Nikki was safe they retreated out of the room and even further out of
the quarters, leaving Viper to care for his distraught mate. Easing his body
down, he lay on his back with Nikki on top of him. Her arms tightened when she
sensed movement. He whispered nonsensical words in her ears, as well as vows of
protection and reassurance. In truth, he had no idea what he promised, but he
knew he meant every word of it. He intended on doing everything within his
power to secure his mate’s happiness, safety, and health.
    Only when he felt Nikki’s
breathing even out did he allow himself to relax. He considered what he had
seen in the dream. It gave him hope. Her trust issues, as well as her ongoing
fear of the man who had changed her permanently, were to be expected. It was
Viper’s own presence in her nightmare that fed his hope for their future. She
had placed him in the role of her protector. He still had a lot of work to do
to ensure she reclaimed her life back from that asshole. In doing so, he was
hopeful that the wall she’d surrounded herself with, to protect herself from
any other man inflicting pain upon her, would fall at the same time.
    As he lay thinking, he felt
Nikki’s body stiffen.