I crawl closer to him, still covered in the black gunk, and straddle his lap. I place my hands on both sides of his face. I lean in and kiss him. “Does this feel like we’re dead, Ash? We are very much alive, just sleeping. Tell me what happened. Why haven’t you tried to wake up yet?”
He doesn’t answer me, just sits and shakes his head. I grab his hand in mine and drag him through the darkness. Once on the other side, I flash us to the mountain cave. I crawl back over to him and hold him close. I need him to see that we are ok.
Chapter 3: Asher
“Why haven’t you tried to wake up?”, Winnie asks me.
I can hear her voice. I can see her. But that woman told me she died. Did that woman lie? It felt like she was sincere. I did try to wake up at first. I thought for sure I was in the dreamscape but I couldn’t get out. I couldn’t get away from the lake and then that woman showed up. I remember her. She was beautiful. She had long blonde hair and bright green eyes.
She kept telling me I couldn’t leave the lake until my judgment was passed. She told me it was my fault Reegan died. She told me it was all my fault for being involved with Calista. I believed her. Why wouldn’t I? I knew how much pain I had caused my Winnie in the months she had been here. But I was changing all that. She agreed to talk to me after the trials but then everything went down.
I heard some of what Calista and her father had said to Reegan before they fired the magic off. I stayed hidden until the last moment and then jumped when the magic was thrown. I didn’t see Miles throw his so when Calista hit me and I went down I couldn’t prevent Reegan from being hit. The last thing I heard was Reegan screaming my name before the blast hit her. I woke up at the lake where the blonde woman was waiting for me.
I explain all this to Reegan, who listens intently without interrupting. When I’m done explaining, she gets up and reaches out a hand to me. “Let’s get you back top-side.”, she says.
“I’m not ready to leave yet.”, I tell her. “Please just let me spend this time with you. I don’t know when I’ll get another chance. Please just give this one thing to me. If this isn’t real, I’ll carry this memory with me in the afterlife.”
“Ok, but this shit on us is nasty. Come wash off in the pool with me?”, she asks.
I hesitantly get up and follow her to the pool of water beneath the waterfall. She goes to the edge and slowly begins stripping out of her clothes. My breath hitches in my chest at the sight of her. She is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She always has been. Her skin is perfect and has this glow, and those blue eyes of hers always could captivate me.
When she’s down to her underwear she turns to look at me. She reaches behind her back and undoes the clasp of her bra. She then lets the straps slip down her arms. Her breasts spill free and they are perfect. Her nipples are a rose color, the same as her lips. She grasps her panties.
“Wait. This may be a dream but I want to savor you.”, I tell her.
I remove my clothes and it’s now her turn to gasp. She takes me in from head to toe stopping when she gets to my cock. “You’re pierced.”, she states.
I nod and a cocky smirk takes over my face as I stalk toward her. I lift her in my arms and carry her into the water. It’s warm though it shouldn’t be and I remember that this is a place Reegan dreamt up. It’s made for her. When I get her into the water, I gather water in my hands and pour it over her head. I wash all the gunk from her hair and then run my hands down her body, removing every last trace.
When I’m done, I lift her again and carry her back inside the cave. With a thought, she has a fire glowing within and a bed for thick moss. I lay her down and take her mouth with mine. I kiss her for a minute and then place kisses on both cheeks, both eyelids and then work my way down her throat, across her breasts and lower. When I reach her thighs, I place kisses on both of them as well.
I place a kiss on her clit and run my tongue down her folds. I blow a small breath on her, gaining a beautiful moan from those perfect lips. As much as I want to eat her, I can’t. There will be time for that but right here, right now, I need to be inside her. I kiss back up her body until I’m in a perfect position. I grab her leg bending her knee back as I enter her with one smooth thrust.
“You were always meant to be mine, Winnie. I knew it when we were kids and I know it now. I’m so sorry for everything.”, I tell her before I pull out and thrust back into her wet heat harder.
“Oh shit!”, she cries.
I kiss her again and begin moving in and out of her. I draw out until just the tip of my cock is inside her and then thrust back in.
“You are so beautiful, Winnie. So perfect.”, I grunt out.
We make love for hours. As Reegan comes, her eyes change color from the beautiful sapphire blue I love to a molten silver with an amethyst ring around the outside of her pupil. I falter in my thrusts.
“Are you alright?”, Reegan asks, reaching up to touch my face.
“Your eyes changed. They're silver with an amethyst ring.”, I tell her. “They’re gorgeous.”
In a blink, her eyes flashback to their normal color. I can feel my orgasm coming. My thrusts speed up and become erratic. I cum with a roar, “Mine!” I lean down and bite Reegan’s shoulder, my dragon claiming her just as much as I am. She cries out as she chums again. I stay inside her until I soften and then pull her into an embrace. We lay there for a few minutes before Reegan gets up. In a flash, she’s got us both dressed.
“You bit me.”, she smiles.
“Yeah. That’s how dragons claim their mates.”, I tell her.
“Can I see him? Your dragon?”
“Yeah, but later ok. You’ve been in here with me for a while and the others are probably worried. Get us home Winnie.” I tell her and then kiss her one more time. My hip starts burning and then I am awake in an unfamiliar bed.
The pain in my hip is sharp and I sit up quickly trying to decipher what’s causing it. I pull the waistband of my pants down and see an infinity symbol with a feather. I look over to see Reegan smiling softly at me.
“Well, I didn’t know it happened in the dreamscape as well, but now you’re stuck with me Asher Hayworth.”, she giggles.
“What? This is the mate mark?”, I ask her. “Where’s yours”
“If the burn is anything to go by, left shoulder.”, she answers.
I move the neck of her oversized sweater out of the way and see it. It’s a beautiful dragon that takes up her entire shoulder blade. It's beautiful. My dragon purrs with the satisfaction of seeing his depiction on her skin. The purr must leave my mouth because Reegan giggles again.
“Are you...purring?”, she asks.
“Yeah, my dragon is happy.”
“And are you?”
“More than you know.”, I tell her and then pounce on her, kissing her deeply.
“Well, I take it she found him. Aw, and look, they mated.”, Aldair says entering the room.
I break the kiss and look up seeing for the first time that the room is packed full of people. Everyone is in here. Marcus stands by the door with amusement in his eyes. Bentley holds a look of both shock and longing.
“Took you long enough, Beauty. Is that a bite on her shoulder? Asher, did you bite her?”, Trent hisses.
“Uh, yeah. That’s how dragons mark their mates.”, I tell him with a look that conveys he’s a dumbass.
I go to get up. Two weeks of sleep makes you have to pee badly. Bentley and Jaymeson help me up and once I’m acclimated, I head off to the bathroom.
“We’ll meet you downstairs.”, Jaymeson calls and as they head out I hear Bentley say to Reegan, “I knew you could do it, Princess.”
What happened between the two of them? Two weeks ago, he hated her. Now? That’s not hate I see in his eyes. When I’m done in the bathroom, I make my way downstairs and into the dining room. There’s so much food and I hear my stomach rumble. Trent’s parents are here as are the king and queen but my parents are both absent. I feel a small pang
in my chest in their absence but let it go. We all sit down and eat while I’m filled in on what’s been happening in the last two weeks. A lot of what I hear surprises me.
Why would my dad defend someone that tried to kill me? Given, I threw myself in front of the magic but still. I’m more surprised by the revelation that Calista had been spelled. I tell them about the dreamscape and how I was trapped. I describe the woman but know she’s a mystery. Trent and Aldair share a look I can’t quite decipher. I could be describing any of a million people but who else other than the weaver has access to dreams? I’m tired of mysteries.
When asked if we wanted to see Calista I responded, “Not tonight. Tonight, I want to eat and be with my family. Fuck Senior Hayworth and whatever he has planned. I’m not dwelling on any of that tonight.”
“I agree. Let’s just enjoy being together tonight.”, Reegan says.
Everyone concurs and we all end up congregating in the great room sprawled out on the floor on pillows. It's the only room big enough to accommodate us all. When it’s time for bed, Reegan asks me to sleep with her. Trent and Kalan agree because they’ll have time with her later. She and I shower together and then even though we both slept for two weeks, we fall asleep easily, knowing that we are both ok.
Chapter 4: Bentley
I didn’t want to leave Reegan. Even after seeing her awake and ok, my heart still can’t fathom leaving that beautiful temptress. Marcus made us leave the room to give Reegan some time. I can’t sit in this house and not be near her, knowing she’s probably up there, in that room, fucking Asher. I want to be the one fucking her. I want to mark her as mine and never let her out of my sight again. Since it kills me staying in the house, I decide to do the next best thing. I need to get some answers. That’s how I end up in front of my uncle’s house.
“Nephew, what are you doing here so late? Did something happen? Is Asher ok, Miss Winthrope?”, he asks as I enter the house.
“They’re both fine. They woke up earlier today.” I respond, walking past him to the bar where I pour myself a healthy drink.
“That’s good to hear. So then why are you gracing me with your presence? Why aren’t you with your friends? Not that it isn’t good to see you but I’m confused.”
“Reegan is my mate. I’ve spent so many years hating that girl and she’s my mate.”
“Your parents thought as much when you were a child. I never had the pleasure of meeting her until she came to the academy but I can see where she’d be the perfect match for you.”
“What really happened the night my parents died?”
“Why are you asking me this now, after all these years? I told you what happened.”
“You did. But everyone has secrets, Uncle. What are you hiding?”, I ask pointedly.
“Have you spoken to Marcus?”, he responds with a sigh.
“No. Should I have?”
“Maybe. I think any answers you seek lie with him.”
“Now you sound like Reegan.”
“She’s a very smart girl. You could take a few lessons from her.”, he winks.
We sit for a few minutes in silence. Was Reegan telling me the truth this whole time? I still can’t believe my parents would deliberately leave me. Don’t get me wrong, Uncle has been an amazing parent to me. He took me in after that night and taught me so much about myself. When my incubus powers started leaking out, he helped me learn to control them. I’m contemplating this when my uncle starts to speak again.
“What have you found out from Calista and Miles?”, he asks.
“Nothing super useful. Senior won’t let us anywhere near Miles so we can’t get anything from him, and Calista doesn’t remember much of the person who spelled her. She admitted to not liking Reegan and feeling like she was trying to take away what should be hers but she swears she’d never willingly try to hurt her.”, I explain.
“And do you believe that?”
“I wouldn’t, except for the fact that her magic wasn’t sent with the intent to kill but Miles’ was. Kalan was able to read the magic that spelled Calista. It was strong and foreign but not so much so that it couldn’t be removed.”
“Hmmm. So then, what about the magic on Asher?”, he purses his lips.
“That was definitely Calista. It was blood magic. She claims that she was told to do it if she wanted to hang on to Ash; if she truly wanted to be with him because he was meant for someone else. When Reegan showed up, she knew then that was who she was warned about.”
“Interesting. Who would know that Miss Winthrope was meant for Asher? How would they know?”
Those were damn good questions. No one would know they were fated except the fates themselves, the creator, or anyone they told. Fuck. Every time I think we may be getting some answers, more are piled on top. The mystery keeps building. Will it ever creator damn stop?
“Thanks for the talk and the drink, Uncle. I’ll see you tomorrow.”, I say to him and hightail it back to the Winthrope estate.
When I get back, I grab a bottle of water and make my way up to the room Marcus assigned me. We all have a room now. Marcus either knew we wouldn’t leave or he’s trying to keep us all safe. I change into a pair of dark grey sweatpants and a muscle tank. I keep going over the last two weeks in my head. Those were two of the hardest weeks of my life. I was distraught when I lost my parents. I let hate take over where the loss was. Now, after getting to know Reegan as an adult, I’m lost. Trent was right. I don’t truly hate her. I hate myself for holding on to the hate of a little girl that couldn’t have stopped the events that played out seventeen years ago.
I close my eyes and picture that little girl. She’s always been beautiful. Almost ethereal. I remember thinking she was an angel when we were little. I remember pushing her on that swing in the backyard. We’d spend hours out there, me pushing her and her laughing at me to send her higher and higher into the air. She’d say she wished she could fly. I let out a little laugh at the memory.
The memory shifts to her first day at the academy. I had heard we were getting two new students but she was not at all what I was expecting. When she walked into the dining hall with Trent, I was shocked. I never thought I’d see her again. I didn’t even know she was the Winthrope heir. When she helped that demon clean up a mess, I couldn’t help the small smile that came to my face.
When she looked up and I saw those eyes, the hate started to simmer. It didn’t stop me from checking her out, long legs that seemed to go on forever and a body any girl would die for and any guy would die to hold. That purple hair of hers, reaching down her back and the clearest sapphire blue eyes; eyes no other creature shares, held my attention for a beat before I scowled. My mind told me to hate her but my heart. It had other ideas.
The night Asher made her cry, I could’ve ripped him apart with my bear hands. When I touched her and felt the call of the mark, I was flabbergasted and scared. Yeah, a big tough demon/angel was scared. I didn’t know what to do with the warring feelings inside me so I ran. I’ll never tell her this, but I spent that night jerking off to pictures inside my head of her legs wrapped around me as I pounded into her.
Everyone thinks I’m gay, well, besides the guys but they know me better than anyone else. I’m not gay. I can appreciate beauty in all its forms and being part incubus comes with the ability to get off with both men and women. I’ve fucked a few men over the years but I prefer women. There’s something about their softness that calls to me. But since Reegan showed up, no one else attracts me at all. Even my body doesn’t want anyone but her. The question is, can we get through our issues and have a relationship or will the hate I held on to for so long ruin everything? I fall asleep with that final thought running through my mind.
I wake with a start to someone trying to crawl in my bed. “What the hell?”, I hiss.
“Sorry, I couldn’t sleep. I thought maybe if I came in here with you, I would have better luck. I didn’t mean to wake you.”, Reegan answers.
“Did Asher’s sn
oring keep you up, Princess? A Pea left under your mattress?”, I tease.
“No. I just. When I was out for those two weeks, I remember hearing your voice more than the others. It soothed me and I could feel your hand in mine even through the dreams. It helped ground me.”
“Want me to tell you a bedtime story then?”, I ask snarkily.
“No. Nothing like that Bent. I just needed to be close to you. If that’s a problem, I’ll just go back to my room.”, she says getting up.
I grab her around the waist and pull her back down on the bed. She lets out a little gasp.
“Stay, Princess. I was only teasing.”
She snuggles into my side with her head resting on my arm. She falls asleep quickly and deeply. She makes these adorable little noises in her sleep. I lay there, awake for a while just listening to her and feeling her next to me. She shifts and I pull her back to my front, wrap one arm around her waist and I follow her into sleep.
Chapter 5: Reegan
When I wake up in the morning, I’m facing Bentley. I didn’t lie to him last night. I really couldn’t sleep and I felt like I needed to be near him. He surprised me when he agreed but I slept like a baby with no dreams or nightmares. I hope Ash doesn’t get upset, or the other guys for that matter since I made them leave so I could be with Ash for the night. Bent looks so different in sleep with no frown on his beautiful face. He has long eyelashes that brush his cheeks, a straight nose, high cheekbones and a strong jawline.
Looking at him now I realize how much I want this man, not because he’s my mate, I’m certain I’d want him regardless. There’s this air of danger surrounding him that calls to me. It’s not just that though. When he looks at me, I feel so much comfort even when the look is one of hatred. When he touches me, my heart sings. Being in his arms right now, I realize that with him, I feel like I’m home. His arms are my home. With him by my side, I can do anything, be anything that the world needs me to be. Don’t get me wrong. I love all the guys, but Bentley is different. He and I share a loss that none of the other guys can share.
Sapphire Danger: The Weaver Chronicles Book 2 Page 2