Gypsy stood at the door of what would soon be her new shop waving at Karen and Rebecca when they pulled out of the small parking area. Closing the door she looked around the large open space mentally making notes of what she was going to need to be able to get the business up and running.
Grabbing her note book and sketch pad she walked into the back room, looking around making some sketches of the racks she wanted to build to hold bolts of fabric she'd need. Satisfied with her list and the drawings she made sure the door was locked behind her before walking to her SUV. She flipped open her phone and frowned realizing it was only three in the afternoon, she wasn't going to be able to call Megan and tell her about her first clients and their orders until late that evening.
Pulling into the turning lane she waited for the light to change so she could make a visit to the used office supply store for tables and a desk. Watching all of the cars moving around her she suddenly felt alone, even with all the random people going about their business and lives. Shaking her head she laughed, in fifteen minutes she could call Sophie but she knew now she'd be in with the therapist who visited Vince daily.
Absently she wandered through the renovated warehouse space making note of the items she thought would work in the shop. Two large tables and a few chairs that she figured had come from a waiting room area of an office, finally she found a large wooden desk that would fit perfectly in the shop. Paying for everything, setting up a time the following day for delivery, she walked back out to her car, heading home the feeling of wanting to sneak in and curl up in the darkness beside Caydn almost overwhelming.
Sophie and Vince were sitting at the kitchen table with she got home.
"Well how did the meeting go?" Vince asked seeing the frown on her face.
Gypsy smiled slightly, "It was great," she forced a laugh, "I've now got to find some place I can buy fabric other than just the local stores," she shook her head sitting down across the table from them with a sigh.
Sophie looked at her a frown on her face, "Well for someone who's officially just launched her own business you look anything but pleased," she said quietly, "What's the matter dear?"
Leaning forward she propped her elbows on table her face in her hands. "Nothing really, I guess everything from the past week's finally hitting me, today as soon as I was alone I started to call Megan and tell her about it, only to remember now I can't," she said her voice slightly bitter, the sadness apparent in her eyes, "I knew you were in with the therapist, when I got done buying the tables and things I'll need for the shop I figured I'd save my news for when I got home," she smiled, the smile still not reaching her eyes.
Sophie patted her hand, "It's an adjustment dear, I know because I remember feeling the same way when I couldn't pick up the phone and call Jazleen any time of the day or night I wanted to," she said gently, "You feel alone," she said meeting Gypsy's eyes when she looked up at her.
Vince nodded, "I kept trying to make Sophie feel better, I think all I did was annoy her," he laughed, "Even though I was here she wanted to tell Jaz something and couldn't until later by then the excitement was gone."
"I had this sudden urge to come home and go to sleep, hoping when I woke up everyone would be awake, and things would feel more normal again," she groaned, "As if being awake all night was normal," she chuckled.
"Why don't you go upstairs, lie down and relax and then when you do wake up things will feel as normal as they ever do around here," Sophie laughed.
Nodding she got up and hugged each of them before walking out of the kitchen toward the stairs. Hesitating at the bottom of the stairs she turned, walking quietly to the door of Caydn's study. Opening the door she sighed, stepping into the darkness doing her best to block herself so that if he hadn't already awoken he'd continue to sleep.
Closing the door, she walked over to the large love seat, sitting down reaching for the soft woven throw lying across the back of it. Curling into a ball she closed her eyes feeling peaceful as she drifted to sleep.
Caydn woke slowly, listening to her heartbeat knowing she was calm and peaceful, more than likely directly above him in her room napping since she'd been spending as much time awake at night as she had during the day.
Stretching he climbed from bed hesitating before walking to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. Glancing toward the door leading to his study he frowned. Gypsy's thoughts seemed to be traveling, she was having a nightmare, and he could sense the increase of her heart rate as well as the tensing of her muscles while she fought the urge to flee from what ever was haunting her. His senses jolted him when he felt the same rush of darkness he'd read in her memories, the same forbidding danger that had surrounded Roland.
Stepping to the door he opened it silently knowing as soon as he did he'd find her. Her thoughts and her emotions were not coming from her room but from directly outside his door.
He felt something inside him tighten seeing her sleeping on the loveseat in his study. Moving across the room without a sound he knelt beside her seeing the frown creasing her brow when the nightmare tried to take deeper root in her mind.
Gypsy felt herself sinking, being pulled further and further away from the safety and calmness she'd felt since she'd moved into the estate. She refused to look at who ever it was that had such a tight grip on her, the chill danced over her skin making it feel as if her hands and arms were covered with crystals of frost and ice. Instead she kept her eyes locked on the house, searching each window looking for someone who would help her since her screams had gone unanswered.
She was about to give in facing her abductor to begin formulating a new plan to escape when a movement caught her eye. Caydn had stepped to the window calling her name, but no matter how hard she struggled she couldn't make a sound to call out to him, her throat raw and hoarse from screaming earlier.
Feeling the hand tighten around her wrist she fought back scratching at her attacker as she tried to get away, to run back to the house where she knew Caydn would do his best to protect her.
Kneeling beside the couch he reached for her hand, she struggled to pull it from beneath the blanket covering her. When his hand encircled her wrist she immediately tensed, her other hand coming out quickly to grab him, her nails digging deeply into the back of his hand and wrist while she tried to pull away from him. The accelerated rate of her heart let him know she was slipping further into the dream and away from him.
Grabbing her shoulders he called her name sharply, no longer worried about startling her, just wanting to wake her so he could reassure her it'd all been a bad dream.
