O Night Divine A Holiday Collection of Spirited Christmas Tales - Kathryn Le Veque Page 0,9

of bed linens.

“Max?” she said sleepily. “What is the matter?”

He pulled his hands away from his face, blinking his eyes. “Matter?” he muttered. “I could not protect her.”

“Who?”

He was still half-asleep, half-buried in that dream. But he blinked his eyes again, increasingly aware of where he was. “No one,” he said, avoiding her question. “I am well. Why do you ask?”

Andressa peered closely at him. “Because you shouted,” she said. “Were you dreaming?”

He sat there a moment, still entrenched in the most horrible nightmare he’d ever had. Terror ripped through him again at the thought of his little girls in such danger and before he could stop and think about what he was doing, he tossed back the coverlet and bolted out of bed.

“Max?” Andressa watched him with concern. “What is wrong? Where are you going?”

He was nude, for he always slept in the nude, and he grabbed at a pair of breeches tossed at the end of the bed where he’d left them.

“The girls,” he said, hastily pulling on his clothing. “I must see my girls.”

Puzzled, and concerned, Andressa climbed out of bed, grabbing at her heavy robe. She yanked it on as Maxton threw open the door and rushed from the chamber. Andressa was on his heels as they went to the chamber directly across from theirs, an enormous chamber that the three little girls shared.

Maxton threw open the door, charging into the chamber and straight to the beds that had been pulled closer to the hearth for warmth against the icy winter nights. What he saw eased him so drastically that he was weak with it – Danae was peacefully asleep, alone, in her bed, whilst Ceri and Melisandra were sleeping in a pile in the other bed. They were safe, whole, and content.

Maxton wiped a hand over his face in relief.

“Max?” Andressa whispered. “What in the world is wrong with you?”

Now that his daughters were safe, Maxton could face anything. He put a finger to his lips, shushing his wife, as he ushered her from the chamber. Closing the door quietly, he paused a moment to lean against the wall, coming to grips with the fact that everything was all right.

It had all been a terrible nightmare.

“I had a dream,” he muttered. “The girls… they were in danger.”

He couldn’t bring himself to tell his wife the truth, that his dream centered around those stories he always told them. It was not only humbling, it was embarrassing. Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Andressa went to him, putting her arms around him to comfort him.

“It must have been terrible, indeed,” she said. “I have never seen you like this.”

He put one arm around her as he scratched his head with his free hand. “It was horrible,” he admitted. “Kress and Achilles and Susanna were in it. They were… well, they were all in danger, too, and I could not help them. It is fading from my memory now, but I still feel the fear in my chest. It is very real. I was afraid for everyone.”

Andressa gave him a squeeze because he truly seemed distraught. “I’ve had dreams like that,” she said softly. “But I awaken and you are beside me, and I know nothing can ever harm me. It’s the same way with our children – you are always here to protect them. You needn’t worry about them. They will always be safe with you around.”

He looked at her, unable to admit what the dream was really about. He understood, as he lived and breathed, that it had been a warning for him. A very special warning. It wasn’t something he was going to forget or discount, but something he was going to take very seriously. If Boone Pendleton had come back from the dead to give him one final lesson, he was going to learn from it.

But he wasn’t going to tell his wife that.

“That is true,” he said. “Andy, you know… you know that I have always tried to be a good father to them.”

“You have been the best father to them that they could hope for.”

“And… and any mistakes I have made along the way have not been deliberate.”

“I cannot recall you ever making any mistakes.”

He snorted softly. “You are being generous,” he said. “I have never been around children my entire life until now. I feel as if I am still learning how to be their father. I am learning, Andy. I promise I will never stop learning to do what is right