Dreaming of Darkness

Chapter Eleven

Bailey

Once upon a time, I’d laid down flat on the merry go round at the school playground and my friend Kat had spun me around and around, until I had to hold onto the bars to stay still, and the sky had been a blur of blue and white.

When I stood up, I’d staggered around, laughing at the way that my world was still so familiar, but at the sametime, everything around me was shifting, changing, keeping me just on the edge of wobbling.

That was how it felt to walk around Traum’s home. The Underworld and more specifically this village, was similar to the human world, the living world, in many ways. They had indoor plumbing - thank God – they lived in family groups in a scattering of small villages like this– and they were all different.

So far, we’d been by the small schoolhouse, where a group of incubi and succubuses had been working together on climbing in and out of dreams while also strengthening their abilities to move shadows.

That, Traum had said, was not meant to be a weapon, but rather a camouflage for the living world. I'd been surprised to find that while Traum and his family were all firmly in the ruby red territory, there were also incubus and succubus who were shades of grey, deep blue and even one male who I swear was such a dark purple he was nearly black.

“Where to next?”

I asked, my fingers warm in Traum’s grip. After the school, he’d pulled me to a small shadowy alcove, and then we’d walked back out into the center of the town. “Wow, that was amazing. Did we just travel somehow?”

Traum grinned at me, all fang and beautiful red skin, “It will be a long night. I thought we would take a short rest.’

I could feel the heat creeping up my neck as I nodded. A few more moments and we were tumbling into the back entrance to Traum’s home, my face nearly aching with the pleasure of being around him. It was unreal. I could touch him whenever I wanted. It was more than I could’ve imagined, being back at his side.

“This is my room,”

Traum said, leading me to a single door and immediately pushing us inside. I giggled as we stumbled into the dark warm space, my hands finding and gripping his biceps as we steadied ourselves.

“And what are you wanting to do now that we’re here? And so very alone?”

My voice was a whisper, my thighs shaking as I pressed my hips against him.

“Sleep?”

Traum responded, his voice rising an octave within the word and making me smile even as a shiver raced down my spine.

“Ah, yes, of course. That would be very responsible of us.”

I leaned to the side, stepping out of my boots. They hit the floor with a soft thud.

“Very responsible,”

Traum responded, his hands already moving to my dress’s hem. I raised my arms letting him tug the garment off of me and then watching him drape it over a chair.

“Do I need to be remarked?”

I asked him, my eyelids feeling heavy as he stared at me, hunger beaming from his red gaze.

His laugh was dark. “If you’re asking if I desire the chance to paint you with my cum and let every creature in the Underworld know that your needs are always ready to be taken care of. Then the answer was yes. I fucking want that. More than my next breath.”

My chest was rising and falling in great heaves. “Okay.”

“But”

Traum stepped back up in front of me. “I have an even better idea.”

“And what’s that?”

“Tonight, when the naming festival is winding down, we will all release a little magical tension. It will be incredibly arousing similar to what happens when humans come in contact with us. And while you are immune to the venom in my skin, the thing that pushes you past the normal levels of arousal, this will not protect you from the crowd. It is,”

he blinked, obviously looking for the right word, “Is it unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. You will be wild with it.”

“It?”

I plopped back onto the bed, the mattress soft under my body. Traum stepped closer, looming over me.

“Need, little dream. You will be throbbing with it.”

My heartbeat was wild in my chest, “With…what?”

“Pure lust,”

Traum answered, one hand moving to sink into my hair.

“More than…the usual?”

My cheeks felt hot as I revealed more about just how desperate I was for more of his touch.

His smirk only made my flush spread further, but I still couldn’t break his stare. Not when he held me like this. “So much more.”

“Okay, so what usually happens? All of the party just turns into a giant orgy?”

“Not quite. It is most common for mature incubus and succubus to pair off, to ride out the lust with however many partners they prefer.”

I blinked, my mouth opening wordlessly. “And”

I coughed, “What do you want to do?”

“That’s not the right question, little dream,”

Traum cocked his head sideways, “I want to have you here. The after party does not usually begin until far into the evening, after the ceremonies for my niece. We can enjoy every other aspect and leave to come back here directly afterwards.”

Why were my lips so dry? They nearly burned as I ran my tongue over my lip. “And if I want to stay?”

“Then we should probably go over what does or does not constitute a bonding.”

His voice was a dark rasp against my skin.

I sighed; the sound ragged. “Okay, let’s do that. Just so I know the exact details.”

Traum dropped onto the bed beside me, his claws wrapping around my waist as he moved. “I don’t know if I'm ready to go that far, Traum, but I just–.”

“There is no rush on my part,”

Traum said, leaning his forehead against mine, “I will not lie that the idea of sharing this night’s festivities with you makes my blood burn, but I will be just as excited to spend the night here, holding you.”

I fidgeted on the bed, trying to picture tonight. Of standing at his side while his beautiful but unique family celebrated their new member. I had been prepared for that, at least part of it. But now, being a part of this lust-filled sex fest. What would that entail? And was I ready for that?

I mean, I wanted him. Obviously. I dreamed about this male and ached for him. But sex with him was so much more than a release. I knew that. Not only because of the bond implications, but also because I had a distinct feeling that sex with Traum would ruin me for anyone else.

And being mated to a demon, to someone from another world was still a huge leap to take.

And we had only one more coin. That meant that tonight was more important than ever.

I scooted back, dragging my legs up onto the bed. “Hold me, tell me all about your kinky parties and what it means if we partake.”

Traum’s brow raised, but he too leaned back onto the bed. “Kinky parties?”

“You know what I mean,”

I said, crawling over until I could put my head on his shoulder. His claws swept over my hip, catching on the lace of my underwear as he stroked the skin there. My entire body hummed at the simple touch, but I dragged my mind back to the present. To the ever-looming consequences waiting for Traum and me.

“I do know what you mean. Naming days are similar to what you call birthdays, but as this is the first in a long time, I imagine it will be even more grand than usual. Rifa’s family will join the village for the evening. The unbonded Other will mingle, eat, talk, sometimes even make deals. And then, once the younglings have gone to their homes, it will start with a donation.”

“A donation?”

Traum’s hand paused briefly, then continued, “Our power is brought to the Underworld through our time in other’s dreams. We feed off their sexual energy. Our magic gathers it, hoards it, like sustenance and sunlight all mixed together. And once we are capped out, we are unable to store much more. What we do have, we donate to the center to take care of those who no longer dream walk.”

“For my niece’s naming day, we have been working hard in dreams, gathering more power than usual. And when we set things off, it will be with an exhibition of power.”

I turned my face, trying to see more of his face, “What will the exhibition be?”

“For some it was a dance, others a fighting match. I once saw one where a couple just showed off their extreme flexibility,”

Traum’s voice was rich with humor, “And you can imagine that sparked plenty of .... conversation.”

“And by conversation you mean…”

“Ridiculously large amounts of sex.”

“Ah, right. Or course,”

I said, my fingertips ghosting across Traum’s chest. I wanted to be surprised, or maybe even a little judgey about the fact that my demon boyfriend-almostpermanent-partner’s family would have what was basically an orgy at the end of a town event.

But at the same time. I couldn’t find it in myself to be upset about it.

If I was honest with myself, I was intrigued. I had never been that adventurous in past relationships and somehow with Traum I’d had gotten off at my workplace and was now considering joining into the fray of this party tonight.

“I thought you said that sex would bond us completely.”

Traum’s chest purred, “We’ve been having sex for some time now, little dream. But I know what you mean, you are referring to my earlier comment about locking us together, about my cum.”

I squeaked, turning my face into his side, “You’re so….”

“What?”

“I don’t even know; I just don’t know if I could even say those words to you without tripping over myself.”

“Well,”

Traum’s fingers curled around my hip, “I guess that means you aren’t ready for either, because I’m going to need to hear them from your pretty lips before I give you either.”

I hummed, slowly untucking myself from his side. “Demons love consent?”

“Your mate does.”

I nodded, “Good point.”

“And to be clear, you would have to take both at the same time to complete the bond. Some demons exchange a mark on their person. A name or tattooed mark. Others bite or use their claws. But we are sex demons, Bailey. And while we could make nearly anyone wild with lust and want…sex is the least important thing to us regarding our mates. Does that make sense?”

“Because you want them to love you outside of the sex?”

Traum tweaked my nose, “Exactly.”

We sat in silence for a long beat, and I was battling the ties off needing so badly to sleep and being too wired to do so. I had so many questions.

“Traum, I don’t think I want our bond to be completed like that. Not in front of everyone. That should be just for us,”

I rose up onto an elbow, looking down into this face. “But I want to go, I want to see your entire world. Every part, even if I’m a little nervous.”

“You have nothing to be nervous about,”

Traum said softly. His free hand reached up to smooth my hair away from my face. “But I’m glad you want to see everything. We will stay for as long as you’d like, do as much as you’d like. You own me, little dream. Heart, soul and cock.”

I laughed at the last past, shoving him a little bit, “Such a romantic.”

“Just being truthful,”

Traum’s eyes skimmed over my exposed upper body. “Now, can I please make you come so we can get some sleep?”

My teeth dug into my bottom lip. “I was going to offer you the same thing.”

His smile was wicked and sharp-fanged, “Absolutely not. I’m starving for you.”

Rolling us, I suddenly found myself under a mountain of deep red muscle and skin as Traum growled softly into my hair. “Did you wear these for me?”

His touch on my bra then down my belly to my underwear made my body shiver.

“I thought you might like them; they are nearly…”

I suddenly felt silly, but Traum didn’t seem to mind.

“They are the same color as me,”

he finished for me. Then with a growl, he rolled back onto his haunches. “Take them off. I fear that I’m only moments from ripping them and as they are my colors, I want you to be in them all night.”

Together, I was guided up to the pillows where Traum helped me out of the panties and bra, carefully laying them beside the bed before he pushed me back down under him.

The kisses on my mouth were frantic, desperate, and then he was moving. “I’m sorry,”

he hummed, apology ringing in his voice, “I can’t wait. I need to have my mouth on you.”

A moment later, his mouth, searing hot, sealed over the tip of my breast. “Oh God, Traum,”

My hands dug into his hair, horns a scraping caress as he feasted on first one nipple then the other, tugging them hard and then soft until my legs writhed underneath him.

“I see,”

Traum mumbled against the soft curve of my stomach and then down to my this. “You want me here, don’t you?”

I nodded, unable to focus as his breath skated up the inside of my thighs, followed by the brush of a very hot, very long tongue as it barely brushed over my slit.

“Traum,”

I whimpered, my knees bending as I pushed my body up at his face.

“I’ve been a bad mate today, not taking care of this needy pussy when I should’ve,”

Traum clucked his tongue, then lapped at my clit. Just once. “I’ll have to make it up to you another time.”

“Or now,”

I responded, my hands tightening on his hair as I rolled my hips up. “Now is good.”

Traum hummed into my pussy, then ran his tongue straight through my heat. Liquid pooled in my belly, slick leaking out as I begged for him to touch me again. To use that inhumanly perfect tongue on me again.

“Traum, Traum, Traum,”

I echoed over and over.

“Fuck, I can’t wait another moment,”

Traum said, his body shifting forward, flattening to the bed as one of his clawed hands threw my leg over his shoulder. I was open, so open to him now and he made every bit of this pose work for him. My body burned with pleasure, his natural ability to make me desperate was one thing. This was another. I ached for him. I wanted him inside me, over me, every part of me covered in him.

I told myself it was the bond. But again, there was something else too. It was the simple pleasure of walking through town today. Or meeting his family, the pride his voice had shook with when he said my name.

I was falling in love with him.

And this, this manifestation of the bond pulls was only growing alongside my feelings for him.

“Traum,”

I whispered, his tongue pressing deep, his entire mouth working against me as I moaned and whimpered. It was good, too good. I wasn’t going to last, but I needed him to know this. To understand that things were changing. And that I liked that.

His tongue found my clit with expert ability and a moment later, he was circling it, making my hips buck and bounce under his grip. “Damn-it, Traum, wait I–.”

Traum immediately froze, his gaze leaping to mine. “What? Is that a good spot?”

I moaned; it was a heavenly spot. But there was more. “I need to tell you something.”

Traum calmly licked up and down my pussy once again. “I’m listening.”

“I’m trying,”

I broke off with a soft moan as his tongue pulsed against my entrance, “I’m trying to tell you that I love you.”

His magical tongue slowed, retracted until it was only his hot breath against my fevered skin. “You love me?”

I looked down, his enormous eyes blown dark and wild, between my legs. “I love you.”

Traum’s eyes rolled back, and his shoulders rucked forward as his mouth suddenly was back on my pussy, his tongue more desperate, his lips forming a perfect suckling motion on my clit. Two long strokes of that tongue and I was falling hard, my orgasm making every muscle in my body shudder.

Vaguely I heard Traum’s growling and soft purrs as he gently repositioned me on the bedding. And then, a soft kiss against my collarbone. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

My eyes were already falling shut by the time I heard a door close.