Chapter 23

Oliver's POV Maya had slept fitfully through the night, plagued by nightmares. I pulled my chair closer to her bedside while she tossed in her sleep, keeping my hand wrapped around hers. At my touch, she began to settle, it was as if, even in her dreams, she sensed I was there to protect her. I didn’t believe Damien was foolish enough to try scaling the wall to take her back, not yet, at least. But the thought lingered. What worried me more was the idea of her waking up alone in a strange place. I couldn’t let that happen. Sometime between three and four in the morning, exhaustion finally caught up with me. My kind didn’t require much rest, but the fear and worry I had carried for Maya had been draining. I had not felt this kind of concern for anyone since Henry and my mother. My head rested gently on her uninjured leg, facing her feet. I had positioned myself that way on purpose, no one was going to sneak up on us. If anyone tried to get to her, they would have to go through me first.