He never told her what those dreams were about. He didn’t need to. In his sleep, he mumbled the names of those who’d hurt him the worst. Arturo’s was the most common. But Ryn, Clarion, Pip, and Timmon were there, too. Along with other names she didn’t recognize.

And if any of them were still alive, she hoped she never met them. If she did, she’d kill them without hesitation. Whatever they’d done to him had been horrific enough to torture him even when they were in a place where they could no longer reach him.

Her heart aching for the anguish that robbed him of something as simple as peaceful sleep, she played with his hair while his breath and beard tickled her skin.

His link buzzed on the nightstand. Frowning, she started to ignore it until she saw it was Maris. He never bothered them unless it was something important.

“Darling?”

“Mmmm.” With his eyes still closed, he nuzzled against her thigh.

“Maris is calling. You want to take it?”

He scratched at his ear, then sighed before he seemed to go back to sleep.

She smiled. “Are you awake, baby?”

“No,” he groused. “I don’t want to get up. I like it here.”

Tsking at him, she reached past the computer pad he’d been using to work in bed during the past few days, and leaned over to grab the link. She placed it in his hand and tried not to think about the eyeglasses that she’d almost knocked off the nightstand in the process.

Yet another injury her men had caused him.

Their torture had given him spontaneous nystagmus, which caused his eyes to jerk unexpectedly for no reason, leaving him blind until they stopped and focused again. And he was partially blind in his left eye and near-sighted in his right, something that seriously compromised his depth perception and aim.

In a fight, either condition could prove fatal.

Together, they were a bonus round of vulnerability for any enemy or assassin to exploit. God help him if anyone ever found out. It was why his doctor had refused to document those conditions.

But Darling had trusted her with the secret that could kill him.

She winced as the thought of his ongoing physical pain hit her anew. He would never again be the warrior he once was. While his skills were still better than most, he was now at a massive disadvantage in a fight. And because of the nystagmus and structural damage her men had wrought, he couldn’t wear contacts or have surgery to correct his vision.

He clicked the link on, then placed it against his ear. “Mmmm… Maris? Yeah… no, I’m not awake.” He lifted his head to squint at the clock. “What day is it?”

She laughed at his shocked expression after Maris must have answered.

“Yeah, okay. I need a quick shower. Give me fifteen minutes, then bring them up.” He clicked the link off.

“Who’s here?”

Yawning, he set the link back on the nightstand before he slid his eyeglasses into the drawer where he kept them. “My doctor.”