Roth has a nightmare...

She sat in the oversized rattan chair, legs crossed, eyes closed. The warm, tropical breeze tugged at her loose hair and pale blue silk slip. The distant roar of the waves crashing on the shore put her into a hypnotic state. She drifted, mind filled with static, until an odd noise brought her back to her surroundings.

She peeked around the chair. The light she’d left on in the bathroom allowed her to see Roth shifting restlessly in bed. Only the fact that he’d been in a truly deep sleep allowed her to escape without waking him. She’d hoped he would get some rest, but the way his feet were kicking beneath the thin sheet and the way his head tossed from side to side told her he was in the throes of a nightmare.

“Roth?”

Even as she hurried over, the jerking motions of his body grew more frenzied and violent, as if he were fighting an invisible enemy or being held underwater.

“Roth!”

Her raised voice didn’t penetrate. Once at his side, she hesitated, worried he’d lash out at her, mistaking her for whoever he was battling in his dream. His skin gleamed with sweat, but when she realized he was struggling to breathe, she gripped his arm and rapped out his name.

At her touch, his eyes flew open. For a split second, she glimpsed wild terror before he focused on her. She let out a startled gasp as he surged up and crushed her against him. He buried his face in her chest, holding her so tight, this time it was she who struggled to breathe.

“Don’t leave me.”

Even though his voice was a rough, muffled rasp, she still heard him. She stared over his head at the painting of a woman lounging at the base of a waterfall, face kicked up to the sun, skin dewey from the mist.

His arms tightened even further, threatening to crack her ribs. “You hear me?”

His voice was part demand, part plea.

“You can’t leave me.”

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Sins. Please do not share or distribute.

Copyright © 2025 Mia Knight. All Rights Reserved.