“No,” he said, setting her on her feet abruptly. “I can’t. I want to. Believe me, I do. But if I taste your blood, there’s no going back. Not now, not ever. I can’t do that to you.”
Rachel shook her head, trying to clear the fog he’d created. Her nether regions were still throbbing in time with her pounding heartbeat which was screaming for more. He did want her. “I want to,” she told him definitively.
“It’s not something I can walk away from,” he reminded her.
“Do you want to walk away?”
“No, but if you ever changed your mind,”
“I won’t,” she said. “I want you. Always.” As the words left her mouth, she realized they were very true. Someway, somehow, in the midst of all the confusion, she’d fallen hopelessly in love with him. She loved his smile, his laugh, his loyalty, his kindness, his respect for his family, but most of all, he was a good soul. One of the good guys. He was her dream god, her dream warrior, and she wasn’t about to let him go.
Somnus nodded and pulled her back to him. A part of Rachel suspected he’d heard everything she’d just thought, but she didn’t care. He could hear her mind anytime. He kissed her again, this time walking her backward until her legs hit the bed. They fell onto it together. Somnus crawled over her body, pulling her into a straight position as he kissed her lips feverishly.
“I want to do this right,” he said. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” she answered. “Always.”
“Always,” he repeated. It wasn’t just an agreement, but a vow. Rachel knew he meant it, and she knew he would never leave her. As he pushed her arms above her head, she grinned.
The sound of her man growling over her was likely the most erotic sound she would ever hear. As he dropped his head to her collar bone, the sound that came out of his throat was that of his vampire. He held her hands high over her head with one of his own and was using the other to push her shirt up her body. He only released her hands to pull the garment over her head and toss it aside. Then, he locked her hands inside his again.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he told her as he kissed the tops of her breasts. “Mine. All mine.”
Rachel arched her back, wanting more. She needed him to just rip her clothes off and take her, but he was taking his sweet time about it. She tried to pull her hands free so she could direct him where to go, but Somnus held tight. He kissed between her breasts and then used his teeth to bite through the delicate material of her bra. Gently pushing one of the cups aside, Somnus rubbed his cheek against the soft skin. When the stubble across his jaw raked over her nipple, Rachel gasped.
No matter how much she squirmed or how much she tried to get him to let her go, he took his time. He flicked his tongue over one nipple, then the other, blowing cool air over the tight skin until it was almost painful. Then he moved further down.
When he got to her pants, he had no choice but to free her hands. She buried them in his hair as he worked the button. Then, he pulled them down her hips and legs until she was free of them. Growling in the back of his throat, Somnus settled his shoulders between her thighs. He brushed his lips over her mound on the outside of her panties and Rachel’s hips shot up off the bed. Somnus was quick to use his arm to pin her down, moving her panties aside.
Then he really went to work.
She was floating on a cloud of bliss as he explored her with his mouth. She lost count of how many times he brought her to the brink of orgasm and then backed off again. When she couldn’t take it anymore, he rose up like a god from her core, shedding his own clothes as he went.
“Now,” she encouraged him, pulling him up her body.
Somnus looked at her for a moment with those mismatched eyes, getting himself into position. The look in his eyes spoke volumes. It was more than want, or need. It was full of affection and love too. As he pushed himself inside her, filling her body with his own, Rachel knew she’d made the right decision. They fit perfectly together, moving as one.
As he brought her higher and higher, Rachel could feel her teeth aching with the need to mark him. When he wrapped his arm around her back, holding her tightly, she felt protected and revered. As he pushed into her harder, Rachel felt the release coming. He pushed hard and Rachel bit down on his shoulder.
Her nails raked down his back and he roared before striking her neck with his fangs. It didn’t hurt, but filled her with every and all emotions at once. She could see his life through his eyes, including herself. The coppery tang of blood danced on her tongue, and Rachel screamed as the orgasm took over her body. She gave him everything, and in return, he gave everything back.
This was what it meant to have a mate. Everything. It was everything.
Chapter Twenty
Rachel was lying on a hard surface. When she tried to sit up, her hands and feet remained in place, held by heavy, thick ropes. The sky was dark all around her, except for the occasional lightning bolt that raced across it, momentarily lighting it up before plunging back into darkness. She pulled against her restraints, but it was no use. Rachel knew she was dreaming, but she could not redirect what was happening. It was as if an outside force was controlling her dream.
Down by her feet, a pair of curved horns rose into her view. The same monster that had chased her so many times before rose to his full height. Now that he was right there in front of her, Rachel confirmed what she’d already suspected. It was hideous. Its face was long with the snout of a horse, its eyes glowing red. Its teeth were jagged and razor sharp, glinting in the dim light and dripping with saliva. Its arms were longer than necessary, reaching out from its body toward Rachel’s face.
“Get away from me!” she shouted at it, kicking against her restraints.
The thing laughed at her.
“Get away or I swear,” she started.
“You swear?” it asked. “Swear to what? God? Or maybe your deity? Why don’t you call him to help you?” The demon wrinkled his nose. “I can smell him all over you.”
Rachel’s heart thundered in her chest. It was talking about Somnus. It wanted her sandman. Well, she wasn’t about to help it out. “No,” she said, forcing herself to remain calm and stare it down. Yeah, it was a frightening son of a bitch, but she wasn’t going to give it the satisfaction of scaring her anymore. Somnus would not be entering her dream, she knew, because of the lockdown. She was on her own.
“I can make you call for him,” the demon said wickedly. “It will be so much fun.”
Rachel glared at it. Not today, asshole.
The demon loomed over her body, getting its face next to hers. It made a sniffing sound and Rachel realized it was smelling her.
“Mmmm,” it said next to her ear. “The smell of your fear is delightful. I want more.”
He rose up just enough for Rachel to see his face as his long red tongue snaked out of his mouth. It lashed against the side of her face, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Rachel swallowed the scream that threatened to escape her throat.
“It doesn’t matter how hard you try to fight me,” he said. “I can smell your fear. It turns me on.” He climbed onto the table where she was restrained, his massive knees making a boom as he straddled her body. “I love the smell of fear,” it growled, rocking its disgusting cock against her belly.
Rachel didn’t want to, but she looked down at it. The thing was massive. It was as thick as her leg and there was no way in hell he was going to— She jerked her body hard to try and force the demon off of her. “Yes!” he shouted. “Fight me! Or call your deity. Or better yet, use those powers you've been trying to hide.”
Rachel shook her head as hot tears filled her eyes. Somnus had told her that her dreams couldn’t harm her, but she could feel the burn from the demon’s acidic saliva as it dripped from its mouth onto her skin.
She could feel the heat of its body, and she knew what it intended to do. No matter what, though, she would not call for Somnus. She couldn’t risk putting him in danger.
She didn't know how to access her powers and even though she tried calling for them, nothing happened. No, this was how she was going to die.
***
Somnus watched the young girl sleep fitfully. He knew without a doubt she was having a nightmare, but he didn’t dare slip into her dream to confirm it. As the sweat began to bead on her little brow, his heart sank. He wanted so badly to help her, but it was forbidden. Hell, he wasn’t even supposed to be checking in on her, but he couldn’t help it.
Sudden dread filled his gut and a bad taste filled his mouth. Something was wrong, and not with the young girl who slept in front of him. This was very bad. He knew by instinct that it was Rachel. He reached for her in his mind, but found nothing. He’d left her sleeping. His heart stopped for a second, then hammered back to life in his chest as he realized that not only was something wrong with her, but she was in danger as well.
With a quick look back at his charge, Somnus made a split-second decision. He shook the little girl’s shoulder until her eyes fluttered and then opened. As soon as he was sure he’d awakened her from her nightmare, he ghosted away before she saw him.
He took himself straight to his home where his mate was supposed to be sleeping. And she was. She was in his bed with her hands stretched out to her sides. Her feet were at the bottom of the bed, stretched as far as they could go. It wasn’t like her to sleep in a completely supine position, and she didn’t look comfortable.
Her eyes were scrunched tight and her breathing was ragged. Somnus watched in horror as her back bowed but her hands and feet didn’t move, as if they were restrained by invisible bonds. She was in the middle of a nightmare and, from the looks of it, a bad one. This wasn't like the several times he'd seen her sleepwalking. It was so much worse. She looked like someone who had been possessed.
Moving quickly to her side, Somnus shook her shoulder in an attempt to wake her. “Rachel,” he called to her. “Wake up!”
Rachel pulled against her invisible bonds and screamed out in her sleep. Somnus shook her harder, then he screamed in her ear. Nothing worked. Unable to think of anything else to do and quickly becoming overcome with fear himself, Somnus ghosted to her dream.
The world changed from his safe bedroom to a land of darkness. It was barren of any construction, and the only source of illumination was the occasional lightning streak through the dark sky. Somnus didn’t have to look for Rachel; he could feel her. He could sense her fear, and he moved to her like a magnet.
Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.
Rachel was strapped to a wooden table, her arms and legs spread wide. That demon was on top of her, grinding against her and flicking its long slimy tongue against her cheek. Of all the times that Somnus had been angry in his life, he’d never felt the burning rage that consumed him now. How dare that beast touch what was his! How dare he put his hands on her!
With the speed of thought, Somnus rammed into the demon, knocking it off Rachel and rolling with it to the ground.
The bastard had the audacity to laugh.
Somnus rolled them over so he was on top of the demon. “Never touch her,” he growled as his hands locked around the demon’s neck.
“Stupid vampire,” the demon laughed.
Somnus tightened his grip on its throat and bared his fangs. He leaned in until he was nose to nose with the beast. “Yes, I am a vampire. I am also the child of a goddess. I can kill you where you stand, you filthy son of a bitch and I won’t hesitate to do it.”
“Then do it,” the demon sneered while gasping for breath.
“I should rip your head off,” Somnus snarled. He knew he shouldn’t. This thing was a nightmare demon, but even bad dreams were a necessary evil. “But I’m not like you. I will preserve the balance for now. Touch her again and you’ll get a real up close and personal introduction to this vampire.” His teeth ached to take a bite out of the disgusting bastard, but Somnus managed to keep his control, if only barely.
He ghosted himself off the demon and to Rachel’s side. With a snap of his fingers, her bonds disappeared. She looked at him with fear in her eyes and he reconsidered his decision to let the demon live. “Come on,” he told her, taking her hand and helping her up. “You need to wake up now.”
“I don’t know how,” she admitted. Her whole body was shaking, and Somnus pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her.
“Yes, you do,” he assured her. “You can do it. Now wake up.”
The demon had gotten to his feet and was stalking in their direction. “Run little vampire, run. Take your human and run like the coward you are.”
Somnus growled and pushed Rachel behind him. If the demon wanted more, then more is what he was going to get. With his feet apart and his fists clenched at his waist, Somnus was ready to rip it to shreds. Baku swung his hand and the claws ripped across Somnus’ chest. Blood seeped through his shirt and the demon laughed. “The deity that bleeds,” it chuckled. “How much blood do you have?”
Baku lunged for them both and Somnus pushed Rachel away. He saw her fall on her side, but no sooner was she was down than she was getting back up. He didn't have time to check any further. The demon was coming for him. This was what it wanted. It wanted Rachel, yes, but it also wanted Somnus. It was about to get its wish. Somnus jumped, fangs bared, landing on the thing’s back. He threw a roundhouse punch, connecting solidly with the side of the demon's face. He held on to the horns on top of its head with one hand and punched with the other.
A sickening crack resounded through the air and Somnus felt the acidic blood on his hand. He didn't dare stop, though. Letting go of the horn, he slid down just enough to wrap his arm around its neck, cutting off the thing's air supply.
Unable to breathe, the demon changed his shape into transparent smoke, wrapping itself around Somnus’ ankles. He struggled against it, but the hold grew tighter, and he knew this was how he was going to die. He'd tried to protect Rachel, broken the rules, and now this was the end.
That’s when the most unholy sound he’d ever heard ripped through the night air.
Somnus turned his head and saw Rachel. Or at least, he thought it was her. Her hair was longer, whipping around her head in brilliant orange flames. Long, smooth, black wings had sprouted from her back like a giant bat, spikes adorning the tips like spears. Her nails had grown into talons and her eyes were bigger and had changed color. They were a swirling black along with her natural blue, but that wasn’t even the scary part.
The truly frightening part was the fury in those eyes. He’d never seen a soul with so much anger before. When she opened her mouth to shriek at the demon, long white fangs glinted in the moonlight.
She was the most incredible creature he'd ever seen.
She swiped her claws at the smoke and cut through the bonds that Somnus hadn’t been able to break. The demon screamed, releasing him, and scattered across the cold ground. Somnus watched it go, in shock over so many things.
“Rachel,” he said gently, now knowing what it was about her that made her so special. “Rachel, honey, it’s me.”
She stalked toward him, her eyes glaring and full of hate.
“Rachel, sweetie, I’m gonna need you to not kill me,” he said in his kindest voice. “You should wake up now.” He knew that hate wasn't intended for him, but he wasn't so sure she knew that.
That was when the dream dissipated and Somnus found himself standing in his bedroom next to his bed. Rachel, however, was not in the bed. She was standing on the other side of the room, looking exactly the same as she had in the dream.
“Rachel,” he said to her again. “Come back to me.”
She turned her head and hissed at him, exposing her fangs, then turned away. She spread her wings and jumped, crashing through the window, shattering the glass and screaming into the night like a banshee.
Chapter Twenty-One
“What the hell happened?” Samuel asked, bursting through the bedroom door. He surveyed the damage and then looked
to Somnus for answers.
It only took a matter of seconds for his whole family to rush into his room, demanding answers and ready to fight. “You know how Rachel has big three power?” he said with a defeated smile, “Well, I know which one.”
“I’m gonna need you to elaborate,” Jacque said, scratching the top of his head.
“Hades,” Somnus confirmed. “I just watched my mate turn into a fury in her dream. Then when she woke up, she flew out the window. We’re gonna have to find her.”
“Are you sure, son?” Azerial asked. "A fury is nothing to joke about."
“I’m sure,” he answered. “Flaming hair, scary as fuck black wings, swirling eyes, super-defined cheek bones, fangs, the whole nine yards.”
“Oh, shit,” Gage laughed. “You just mated her too. You know there’s no divorce policy for that.”
“Why would I divorce her?” Somnus asked, starry eyed. “She’s amazing.”
“Okay, well let’s get to finding her.” Samuel was already tossing Somnus' clothes out of the closet and onto the bed. "You should probably get dressed. I don't give a shit, but the general public is gonna take issue with you galavantin' around naked."
Somnus looked down at himself and yep. Naked as the day he was born. But something was different about him. A heavy dark line crept around his ribs under his left shoulder. He raised his arm to follow the line that looked like a tattoo. "What the hell..." he mused as he twisted his body.
"That would be your mating mark," Azerial said, "It's beautiful."
"Mom!" he shouted, realizing that his entire family was seeing him naked. "Get out! All women, out!" He used his hands to cover his genitals while they giggled and left the room. Slowly, he might add. As soon as they were gone, Somnus yanked the pair of pants his father got out for him off the bed and shoved his legs into them. "I gotta find her," he said as he quickly put the rest of his clothes on.
"Any idea where she went?" Samuel asked, tossing Somnus' boots at him.
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