I ought to call the Sheriff’s office! This is ridiculous!
But she knew if she called, she would be getting either Sheriff Wainright or Deputy McCall out of bed in the middle of the night and chances were they wouldn’t do anything anyway. No, the only thing to do was tuck the pillow tighter around her head and hope the awful music stopped soon…
And that was what she was about to do until she heard thrashing in the other room.
“No! No, please!” Roarn was moaning in a low, hoarse voice. “No…please, No!”
Oh, poor guy! He must be having a nightmare!
Brought on by the Fenster’s horrible taste in music no doubt, Christine thought grimly.
Getting out of bed, she wrapped her robe tighter around herself—she had neglected to get pajamas from her dresser when she put Roarn in her room and so she had been sleeping in the robe—and headed across the hall.
She had to see what was going on with the big Monstrum before he tore her bedroom apart.
FIFTEEN
The room was intact but the bed was a mess. Roarn was tossing and turning under the pile of covers, moaning and growling, his eyes shut tight as though he was in the grip of some awful nightmare.
Going to have to be careful here, Christine told herself. He’s plenty strong enough to hurt me if he wakes up mad or crazy.
“Roarn?” she called, wishing the Fensters would turn off the damn death metal. “Roarn, are you all right?”
The big Monstrum seemed to respond to her voice because he moaned and turned towards her, reaching out as though he was a drowning man searching for anything to cling to.
“It’s all right.” Christine went to him and caught one massive hand between her own. “It’s all right, honey—everything is all right. You’re just having a bad dream,” she told him. “You’re just—oh!”
Her words ended in a gasp because the big Monstrum had wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, right to the edge of the bed.
“All right, it’s all right,” Christine said, finding her voice as he pressed his face to her stomach. His broad shoulders were hunched and he kept shaking his head, as though he was trying to get rid of some terrible image or memory.
“No, no—please!” he pleaded brokenly in the deep, rumbling voice of his. “Please, no! Leave me alone! Please!”
She didn’t know what memory or nightmare he was begging to leave him alone, but Christine had raised three kids on her own—she knew about comforting people in the middle of a bad dream.
“Shhh…shhhh,” she murmured. Wrapping her arms around his head, she stroked his hair soothingly. “Everything is going to be okay,” she told him. “Everything is fine. I’m here now—I won’t let them get you.”
He gave a low, hoarse sob and pressed even more tightly against her. His arms tightened around her and for a moment Christine got worried—he was really frighteningly strong. She could barely breathe, he was holding her so tight!
“Hey now, take it easy, big fella—take it easy, Roarn,” she soothed him. Carding her fingers through his hair, she did her best to calm the big Monstrum down. “You don’t have to hold me so tight,” she told him, her voice coming out slightly breathless. “I’m right here—no need to squeeze.”
The big Monstrum seemed to register her words at last, because finally his arms loosened their death grip around her waist. But no sooner had Christine taken a deep breath of relief, than he grabbed her again…and this time he pulled her into the bed with him.
“Hey, now!” she started to protest, but then she realized that the big Monstrum wasn’t trying anything sexual—he just needed comfort. “All right,” she relented. “All right, just until the music stops.”
Scooting closer to him, she pressed his face to her breasts and wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing his broad back which was trembling like a leaf in a high wind.
For a long moment, Roarn pressed even closer, as though he was trying to climb inside her. The way he was shaking twisted Christine’s heart. He was big enough and strong enough to beat up anyone alive and yet his inner demons had him by the throat. And of course, the damn metal music blasting from the Fenster’s trailer didn’t help.
As she thought this, the music suddenly stopped as randomly as it had started. Christine looked around the dark room, lit only by the embers of the fire. She was tense, waiting to see if the music would start up again, but no…they seemed to be done for the night.
That was the Fensters—one minute, ear-splitting cacophony and the next minute dead quiet. They really were the worst neighbors ever, she decided.
In the meantime, Roarn had at least stopped trembling. He raised his face, which had been pressed between her breasts, and looked cautiously around.