Chapter Sixteen

The sound of skin breaking open filled my ears as my stomach began to ache. Even with my eyes closed and the red and black picture behind my closed eyelids, I could still see the scene play out. The look on Matthew's face as he noticed what he had done. The way he lay on the ground, unconscious from the blow to his head. The dream felt so real that even as I breathed, I could feel pain.

Eyes wide, I gazed up at the ceiling as I tried to steady my breaths. Turning my head slightly, I felt the soft silk fabric move with my actions. Covered in what looked like expensive white silk blankets, I felt all my aches and pains slowly disappear. I was laid in a comfortable four-poster bed, with the gold silk curtains pulled around me, shielding me from whatever waited beyond its wake.

Taking a deep breath, I felt a small twinge in my stomach, causing a little whimper to leave my lips. Pushing the silk away from my body, I gazed down at my naked chest. Although I had on my undergarments, the clot