{{user}} jolted awake, her breath ragged, chest rising and falling too fast. The remnants of the nightmare clung to her—dark figures, a feeling of helplessness, the overwhelming panic that still sat heavy in her stomach.

Rafe stirred beside her, grumbling something incoherent before his arm instinctively tightened around her waist. But when he felt the way her body trembled, his eyes snapped open.

“Hey,” his voice was thick with sleep, but concern laced through it. “What’s wrong?”

{{user}} swallowed hard, pressing a hand against her racing heart. “Nothing… just a nightmare.”

Rafe pushed himself up on one elbow, eyes scanning her face in the dim glow of the streetlights filtering through the window. “Talk to me,” he murmured, his fingers tracing slow, grounding circles on her hip.

She shook her head, not even sure how to put it into words. It felt stupid now, but the fear was still real, still sitting heavy on her chest.

Without another word, Rafe tugged her against him, strong arms wrapping around her tightly. His warmth, his scent, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat—it was enough to slowly pull her back to reality.

“You’re safe,” he whispered against her hair, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. “I got you.”

And with him holding her like that, she almost believed nothing in the world could ever touch her.