Lucifer appeared in the bedroom hours later, slipping into the shadows as the soft glow of the moonlight filtered through the curtains.
Rose was fast asleep, but her restless movements had her teetering dangerously close to the edge of the bed.
He walked over to the bed, his steps silent as he watched her shift again, nearly tumbling off.
With a quiet sigh, he gently scooped her into his arms and repositioned her, making sure she was comfortable.
As he gazed at her face, his expression softened, but his mind was elsewhere.
"I wonder how you'll feel when you realize you still have a battle to finish," he whispered to himself, his fingers running through her silky white hair.
His thoughts drifted to the many who had tried to end Rose—countless attempts, each one failing.
But one had finally succeeded. Soon enough, though, he'd have the last laugh. He just needed to take Rose to the white witch on the full moon.
She'd try to connect Rose back to her old self, but Lucifer had other plans in mind.
He started to pull away, but as soon as he moved, Rose's unconscious grip tightened around him.
He tried to free his arm, but she only held him closer, murmuring in her sleep.
"Mate?" Her voice was soft, distant, as though calling to someone far away.
Lucifer's heart skipped a beat. He froze, staring at her in disbelief.
Mate? He wasn't sure what to make of it, but the shock quickly turned into something else when he heard her next words.
"Delicious cheese… big tasty chicken… french fries… ice cream… mmh." She sighed, licking her lips like she was savoring the thought of it.
Lucifer couldn't help but smile at the absurdity and cuteness of it all. Of course she's dreaming about food.
"You should've said you were hungry before you went to bed," he muttered with a quiet chuckle, gently pushing a strand of white hair from her face. "And you'll get food, don't worry."
But as tempting as it was to get up and fetch something to eat, he knew it wasn't a good idea.
Disturbing her sleep wasn't worth it, especially when she wouldn't let go of his hand.
He decided to just lay down next to her, letting her cling to him as she slept.
A few minutes passed, and Lucifer felt her arms tighten around his neck as if she was trying to strangle him in her sleep.
He blinked, momentarily confused, he was starting to doubt that she was really asleep, but the steady rise and fall of her chest told him she was still out cold.
Despite the odd sensation of nearly being choked, he carefully managed to ease her grip around his neck.
He turned on the light, then settled back, watching her with a soft smile.
Her sleeping posture was… less than graceful.
She had sprawled across the bed, one leg hanging off the side, her body stretched out like she was claiming the entire bed as her own.
Lucifer couldn't help but grin at the sight. She was anything but lady-like. In fact, it looked like she was trying to monopolize the whole damn bed.
Lucifer couldn't help but laugh softly. I didn't expect my woman to be this wild when she sleeps.
He thought about trying to fall asleep beside her, but the way she tossed and turned so violently made that impossible.
He watched her, his expression softening as he looked at her peaceful face.
He wanted to protect her from everything, from all the dangers and all the evils in the world.
The thought that someone had hurt her before—that they'd actually succeeded—gnawed at him.
But once he found the person responsible, they'd regret ever crossing her path.
One last time, he looked at her, his heart swelling with something he couldn't quite name.
With a quiet, lingering sigh, he bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, wishing he could keep her safe forever.
Rose found herself in a cold, eerie cave, the air thick with an unnatural chill.
Ice was everywhere, twisting and sprawling, forming jagged icicles that hung from the ceiling like monstrous teeth, ready to fall at the slightest movement.
The ground beneath her feet was uneven, slick with frost, leading toward a frozen lake at the heart of the cave.
Its surface was a perfect mirror, so clear it seemed like a sheet of glass—yet beneath it lay an endless void, and the thin cracks that spidered across it dared anyone to venture closer.
The silence in the cave was suffocating. It pressed against her chest, her every breath too loud in the stillness.
Only the occasional, distant drip of water punctuated the quiet, echoing off the walls like some forgotten, creeping presence.
"Hello? Hello? Hellooooo..." Her voice bounced off the icy walls, stretching out into the abyss, only to be swallowed by the darkness.
It was maddening, the way it echoed, each repetition growing louder and more grating in her ears.
"Is anyone here?!" she screamed, her voice raw, desperate. The words seemed to mock her, fading away into the silence without an answer. The void... it didn't care. It didn't want to care.
Her mind spun with panic. How the hell did I get here? She could remember going to bed, the warm water of her shower, the soft sheets surrounding her... But now? Now, she was here—alone, cold, lost.
Her teeth chattered uncontrollably as her body began to shake, the cold sinking deeper into her bones.
It was unbearable. Her head felt heavy, her vision blurring as the chill wrapped itself around her throat. Was she... was she going to pass out?
A voice suddenly broke through her spiraling thoughts—a voice not quite a voice, but a chorus of whispers that didn't belong to any one person.
It was all-encompassing, an echo that reverberated in her very soul. "My child..." it murmured, so soft, yet so haunting. Comforting, but wrong.
"MY CHILD!" The voice grew louder, fiercer, its words curling around her like a coil tightening.
It called her forward, each repetition dragging her closer to its source, guiding her like a puppet on strings.
She followed, her body moving against her will, until she found herself standing before a throne.
A throne carved from pure ice, its edges sharp and glinting in the dim, eerie light. It radiated an unsettling power, its presence so vast it seemed to fill the entire cave.
"It is time to claim our rightful place," the voice rumbled again, a command now, its tone colder and sharper than before.
"The people who were supposed to protect you... hurt you." The anger was unmistakable, the bitterness thick in the air.
"And you will make them pay for it!" The voice roared, causing the cave to shake violently. Icicles cracked and fell from the ceiling, one after another, like deadly projectiles, narrowly missing her as she staggered back in terror.
The cave was collapsing. The ground beneath her feet seemed to shift, as though the very earth wanted to swallow her whole.
Desperation clawed at her chest as she tried to run, the sound of falling ice deafening.
An icicle broke free above her, plummeting straight toward her. She tried to move, to escape, but it was too late.
She dodged one, only to lose her balance and crash to the floor. A sharp, blinding pain shot through her back, and she cried out in agony.
But that pain was nothing compared to the sight above her.
An enormous icicle—massive, deadly—was falling, and it was coming straight for her. The cold radiated off it, colder than anything she had ever known.
Rose squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for impact, the sharp sting of the ice promised to end it all.
Then... nothing.
Rose jolted awake, gasping for air, her body drenched in sweat. Her heart hammered in her chest as she sucked in greedy breaths, her temperature spiking unnaturally high.
She looked around, wide-eyed, her breath shaky. She was back in her room—alive. It was a dream... wasn't it?
Just as she tried to steady herself, a knock at the door echoed through the room, sharp and unsettling. Her blood ran cold. Who could it be now?
The sound repeated, louder this time, followed by a faint whisper she could barely make out: "Rose..."
Her heart froze. She wasn't sure if she heard it—or if the voice was still lingering from the nightmare.
"Who's there!?" Her voice called out shakily.