The Royal Contract

Alex stepped inside the room that was dark and seemed empty. He could not sense any movement inside the apartment. But Ben told him that he had already escorted Dani home an hour ago.

He surmised that she might be in their room, waiting for him. She might even have fallen asleep due to fatigue. He also felt like dropping down on the bed after a long day.

"Dani, are you in here?" Alex moved along the living room, checking the sofa if she might be there. But the place remained quiet without a sound.

He continued to walk further inside the house, even checking the kitchen, but there was no sign of her. Then, he climbed the stairs, careful not to make unnecessary noise. In case Dani was sleeping in their room.

He noticed the lights on the hallway on the second floor slightly dimmed, not exactly unusual, but he was used to a brightened hallway.  He strode to their room and opened the door, puzzled at what he saw. Darkness enveloped the entire room.

"Dani?" He whispered, calling out her name. But nobody answered him. 

He was not easily frightened by the dark. He had been trained for combat in case the need to defend himself arose. But he figured there was no indication that he would need his skills in fighting.

He opened the lights and found the bed empty. The bed remained untouched, just like the way he had left it that morning. He was sure that Dani had not laid on it yet.

The lights on the bathroom were also off, and no sounds came from inside the smaller room. It was clear that Dani was not present inside their room.

"Where are you?" He asked, mumbling to himself. But there were still several rooms he could check. Maybe she might be in his gym, working out, or in his office, doing some work.

It was not unlikely since she did use his other rooms while she was staying in his apartment. He had given her access to all his rooms since they were getting married soon anyway.

Even his office that he had usually secured was now accessible to Dani anytime she needed to use it. He felt that there was no need to keep things from her.

He stepped down the stairs back to the first floor and went straight to his office. He had a strong feeling that he would find Dani inside, either too busy working on her case or fast asleep on his desk.

The eerie silence was not enough to spook him. He was more frightened of an actual intruder than a ghost that might be lurking in the shadows. 

But he doubted that anybody could have entered his apartment without being caught. It was well secured and guarded. He also did not believe in ghosts.

He slowly opened the door and found a low light coming from the lamp, focused on the table. As he expected, Dani was slumped down on her arms, sleeping on the top of the desk with papers everywhere.

"Not again." It was not a new sight, but it was becoming more often lately. Alex was slightly concerned that she might be overdoing things, but he was guilty of the same situation.

He carefully threaded the short distance and stood behind her, watching her sleeping form. He observed her closed eye exposed to his view and found it hard to wake her up.

She looked like she badly needed the rest after a long week at work. Alex learned that the new case she was handling with Gerald was not an easy task. But he could not do anything to stop her from pursuing it since it would be good for her career.

"Hey, Dani." He finally decided to wake her up since her position did not seem comfortable.

She would have a stiff neck if she kept sleeping in that position. Alex lightly tapped her on the shoulder. Then he pushed her hair to the other side so that he could see her face more clearly. 

He called her name once again to wake her up. She swiped his hands away as if she did not want to be disturbed, then returned to sleep.

He could only smile at her action, finding her adorable. He decided that he should carry her instead back to their room instead of waking her up.

Slowly, he moved her, transferring her weight from the table to his right arm. Then, he shifted her position until he could scoop her up from her seat and into his arms.

When she was securely on his arms, carrying her bridal style, that was the time that she started to stir, finally aware of having company. But her groggy state prevented her from recognizing who he was.

"Ahhhh!" She shouted as fear gripped her, her body trembled, and her heart erratically beat uncontrollably.

She tried to break free from his hold, shouting and beating him on the chest to let her go. She was frantic, afraid of the one who was holding her captive.

The earlier incident in the office reminded her of someone watching her. Now, the shadow that was following her had succeeded in catching her. She needed to escape.

"Hey. Dani. Darling. It's me, Alex. Wake up." He dropped her on her feet, not wanting to hurt her. He tried to make sense of what was happening to her.

He could only come up with one conclusion. Dani had a bad dream, and she remained trapped in it. He started shaking her to awaken her consciousness, but she was still struggling in his arms.

"Let go of me." She desperately tried to get away. All she saw was the shadow at the office earlier. It was playing hide and seek with her until it finally caught up with her.

She did not realize that she was struggling against Alex's arms, even if she was already staring into his eyes. All she saw was the shadow enveloping her in its darkness, taking what it wanted.

Whatever that was, she had no idea. But the fear she felt was so real that she could not stop shaking, feeling her body pulled to the unknown.

"Dani. Snap out of it. It is just a dream." Alex pulled her closer to him, trapping her in his embrace. He prevented her from hurting herself.

Finally, he felt her trembling subsided as she finally realized that what she experienced was not real. He sensed that she was calming down in his arms as her breathing slowed down.

"What happened?" He asked quietly, not wanting to startle her any further.

He knew that something must have triggered her fear, remembering the other incidents that she had nightmares about her experience with Nick. 

It was a trauma in the past that had caused damages to her self-esteem. Alex wondered if the same thing was happening now with her. But he was going to find out more about it.

"I'm sorry. But I don't know if it was a dream or if it did happen.. Did I fall asleep again on your table?" She still had a fuzzy memory to get her story right.