Chapter 54
Black vines erupted violently from the ground below my feet, igniting an overwhelming sense of dread within me as I desperately tried to escape their reach.
They tore through the earth like living shadows, oily and slick, writhing with a hunger that felt ancient and personal.
Despite my efforts, the vines were relentless, climbing swiftly, trapping me in place until they wound tightly around my throat.
Their touch was cold and wet, like the grip of something dredged from the bottom of a poisoned lake.
A frustrated growl vibrated through me as they dragged me to my knees.
The vines were too strong, too fast, thick black and oily, consuming all of me.
They slithered across my limbs, coiling around my ribs, constricting until my bones creaked beneath the pressure.
In the all-consuming darkness, my skin became the only source of light, glowing and shifting through the colours of the rainbow as I clawed desperately at the dark bindings, gasping for air.
The colours pulsed in frantic bursts — red, gold, violet — flickering like a dying flame.
I had but a moment to witness the strange phenomenon.
Every muscle in my body clenched tightly as I fought with all my strength, arching my back and tugging with all my might, my triceps bulging in my efforts to break free.
Instead, the vines squeezed tighter, more constricting, the veins in my neck distending from the pressure.
A feeling of helplessness consumed me, despair made its home in my chest, I couldn’t break free.
I couldn’t use my power to save myself either because then they would die.
My power, it seemed, was the only thing keeping my friends suspended in the air.
I see them, Snow, Jay, Scarlet, Rosie and Storm, my heart staggers as I home in on Storm, we hadn’t had the opportunity to be great yet. We need more time.
They were locked in a golden cage, towering high above a pit of sharpened spikes, large enough to impale their entire bodies at full height.
The spikes glistened like polished bone, arranged in a perfect circle beneath the cage — a grotesque maw waiting to swallow them whole.
I had no recollection of how we had gotten into this predicament, but it was clear that if I let go, they would meet a horrific fate.
I can’t let them go; I mustn’t lose focus.
My eyes bulged from my sockets as the vines relentlessly tightened around me, stealing my last breaths.
I tore at them, ripped them, but with every snap of a vine, two more sprouted, somehow stronger than before, more lethal.
They hissed as they regenerated, their oily surfaces glistening with malice.
A smoky male voice boomed around my mind — was that Drazier?
His malicious laughter echoed through the darkness.
“You’ve underestimated me for the last time, Blue Prince.” He snarled through his laughter, and the vines clamped harder, closing my airway, leaving me gulping for air that wouldn’t come. My friends! No, my family! I corrected myself, as I began to fade.
Their chorused screams penetrated my skull, thrusting me back into my body. I watched in horror as the cage hurtled toward the spikes. The golden bars twisted as it fell, the metal screeching like a dying creature.
I fought with all that I had to stay alive.
I must live; to keep them safe, I can’t let them die.
My power caught them midair, it was rough and with such velocity that the cage jolted, throwing them through the air like rag-dolls.
All I could do was watch as they fell against the metal enclosure, their weight against the side causing it to topple and spiral out of control.
With no more breath in my lungs, my vision faded to black, the cage tumbled, my power died.
A clatter dragged me back to consciousness; fear stabbed at my heart as I forced my eyes open long enough to be able to witness them land clunkily at a safe distance from the spiked pit. They escaped unharmed. My heart pumped its last feeble beat, and I finally gave up the fight.
I can die now, they’re safe, that’s all that matters.
Rain’s eyes snapped open, his breath caught painfully in his throat.
Instinctively he grasped at his neck, only to find an arm draped heavily across him, the weight inadvertently constricting his airway.
With a quick tug, he pulled the toned bicep away, finally able to inhale deeply as he tried to piece together where he was and how he’d ended up there.
His mind was foggy, memories of falling asleep nowhere to be found.
Before he could collect his thoughts, a familiar groan filled the room, followed by the gentle nuzzle of someone against his ear, grounding him into the present and reminding him of exactly where he was.
Elijah shuffled to press his slender torso against him, his arm looping back around his neck enveloping him into a warm embrace.
Well, this was unexpected, Rain grimaced, he had every intention of leaving after his shower last night, as he normally would.
It would seem being dragged back into bed for a cheeky cuddle before getting dressed, had relaxed him so much that he had fallen asleep.
His towel lay open exposing him to the morning air, as if it also had resigned to rest instead of its intended purpose.
“Morning, handsome,” Elijah purred.
He pressed a soft kiss in the sweet spot just below Rain’s left ear.
Elijah shifted closer, his body pressing against Rain’s, his hand wandering with intent over Rain’s chest, tracing gentle patterns across his skin.
The warmth of Elijah’s touch contrasted sharply with the cold dread still clinging to Rain’s bones from the nightmare.
As Elijah’s leg curled over Rain’s, he pinned him in place, the weight and restriction reminiscent of the vines from Rain’s dream; entangling him.
Rain grumbled sleepily as his groggy mind fought to escape the memories of his nightmare. His pulse was still erratic, his lungs still tight, phantom pressure lingering around his throat. The echo of the dream—the vines, the choking, the helplessness—clung to him like a second skin.
Elijah remained oblivious, his intentions elsewhere as he sent an exploratory hand roaming over Rain’s abs.
A shiver ran through Rain—not entirely from pleasure—as fingers traced lower, following the lines of muscle.
Elijah shifted seductively, his bare body warm and pliant against Rain’s side, his breath feathering across Rain’s neck.
His lips grazed Rain’s skin, leaving a trail of heat that contrasted violently with the cold panic still coiled in Rain’s chest.
Rain’s breath hitched; not from desire, but from the sudden, jarring overlap of sensations.
His heart hammered painfully, his body caught between instinct and memory.
Elijah’s palm slid lower, cupping Rain’s hardness with a playful hum of appreciation. Rain’s body reacted automatically, a low moan escaping his lips, the touch releasing him from nightmares grip.
“Oh my,” Elijah murmured against his skin, voice thick with mischief, “breakfast, for me?”
Rain swallowed hard as Elijah stoked his cock to attention.
Rain’s hand tightened around Elijah’s wrist, to steady himself.
His pulse thudded unevenly beneath his skin, the remnants of the nightmare still clawing at his throat.
Elijah’s warmth pressed in, his breath soft against Rain’s neck, their hands moving together in a slow, instinctive rhythm over his length.
For a moment Rain let his eyes fall shut, letting the sensation pull him back into his body, back into the present.
“Elijah…” he breathed, the name fractured, scraped raw on its way out.
Elijah stilled; just enough to feel the tremor beneath Rain’s voice. His touch softened, shifting from playful mischief to something attentive, grounding. He nuzzled Rain’s shoulder, his voice a low, steady murmur.
“Hey… babe. I’ve got you.”
The reassurance hit Rain harder than the touch itself. His body, still coiled tight from the dream’s suffocating grip, loosened by slow degrees. Elijah’s arm no longer felt like a restraint; it felt like a tether, something solid to hold onto while the last shadows of the nightmare dissolved.
Rain exhaled shakily, his breath brushing Elijah’s forehead. Instead of pulling away, he let himself lean into the warmth; Elijah’s grip steady, grounding, undeniably real.
The vines were gone.
The cage was gone.
His friends were safe.
And his cock throbbed at the attention.
Elijah’s fingers continued their slow teasing, the touch different now; less hungry, more coaxing, as though he could feel the frayed edges inside Rain and wanted to smooth them flat.
Rain’s muscles softened as his hand worked him, tension melting away in quiet increments as he surrendered to the moment.
Elijah pressed another kiss to Rain’s neck; softer this time, lingering, almost reverent.
Rain’s breath hitched. The warmth of Elijah’s lips, the gentle scrape of teeth, the familiar scent of his skin; each sensation tugged him further from the nightmare’s grip, pulling him back into the world, into his body, into now.
He let his head fall back against the pillow, exposing more of his throat in a silent, instinctive gesture of trust. Elijah followed the curve of his neck, his mouth tracing the tendons with slow, worshipful attention as his hand continued its steady rhythm.
His voice brushed Rain’s ear, low and warm, a tether pulling him the rest of the way out of the dark.
“Look at you.”
Rain groaned, heat igniting through every inch of his body. His fingers threaded into Elijah’s curls, gripping at the roots as he dragged him into a hot, messy kiss. Elijah melted into it, relishing every sharp twinge of pain that flared beneath Rain’s grip.
With a sudden tug, Rain pulled him back, guiding him down the length of his body. Elijah’s eyes flashed with hunger as he obeyed, settling between Rain’s thighs with practised ease.
He wasted no time. His mouth found his testies, teasing and nipping the sensitive skin with deliberate precision, drawing a low, satisfied growl from Rain. His tongue followed, slow and torturous, alternating between soft licks and firmer attention, matching the rhythm of his hand.
Rain’s appreciative moans filled the air, each one pushing the last remnants of grogginess from his mind.
Elijah’s tongue moved with purpose, tracing every contour, every inch, mapping his way along his shaft.
Rain’s fingers tightened in his hair, tugging firmly—the way Elijah liked—guiding him onto his cock.
Elijah obeyed the silent command, lips parting as Rain directed him.
He took his time, working his way down with slow, deliberate control, each movement drawing another shudder from Rain.
His jaw relaxed, his throat opening as he sank deeper, taking Rain with a skill that made Rain’s vision blur at the edges.
Rain watched him through half-lidded eyes, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, trying and failing to muffle the sounds spilling from him
Elijah pulled back with a gurgle and Rain’s breath fractured into a string of curses, his back arching as pleasure tore through him.
He could feel every flicker of Elijah’s enjoyment; the thrill of it wrapping around them both, heightening everything, sharpening every sensation until Rain’s mind was nothing but heat and Elijah’s mouth.
With his lips still full, Elijah slid a hand up over Rain’s clenched abs, his eyes fixed on the sight of the prince writhing beneath him.
He began to bob relentlessly, slurping on his cock.
Rain’s moans came one after another, each one building on the last, the intensity rising in a steady, unstoppable climb.
Sensing the shift; the way Rain’s body tightened, the way his breath stuttered, Elijah adjusted his touch.
His free hand left its place at the base of Rain’s length and pressed lower, finding the sensitive spot he knew would unravel him.
Rain let out a guttural grunt, his grip tightening in Elijah’s hair as the pleasure crested hard and fast. His whole body locked, trembling, as Elijah worked him through the peak with practiced, devastating precision.
With the last shudder of his release, Rain lessened his hold on Elijah's soft mane, breathing heavily as he slowly returned to his body. His muscles eased, satisfied as Elijah sucked the last drop out of him before he kissed his way over hard abs and flopped onto the bed beside him.
Rain’s satisfaction sharpened into something darker, hungrier.
“Good morning,” he murmured, though the words sounded more like a warning than a greeting.
His gaze dragged over Elijah’s bare body—flushed, wanting, his slender erection already trembling with anticipation—and a slow, feral smirk curled across his lips.
He caught Elijah by the throat, not harshly but with unmistakable possession, pulling him into a kiss that was all teeth and heat. Elijah melted into it, whimpering softly as Rain devoured him, every twinge of pain only feeding the fire between them.
When Rain pulled back, it wasn’t gentle. He spun Elijah onto his stomach with a growl, the movement fluid and commanding. Elijah arched instantly, offering himself without hesitation, a needy sound breaking from his throat as Rain’s body pressed firmly against him from behind.
“Look at you,” Rain rasped against his ear, voice low and dangerous. “So ready to be ruined.”
His nails dragged up Elijah’s thighs, slow and punishing, leaving trails of heat in their wake. His fingers gripped hard at the curve of Elijah’s hips, pulling him back with a roughness that made Elijah gasp. Rain’s teeth sank into his shoulder, claiming, grounding, feral.
Elijah reached blindly for the lube, breathless and shaking, grinding back against Rain with desperate need. Rain’s hand slid down his spine, steady and possessive, guiding him exactly where he wanted him.
Elijah liked it rough.
Liked to be handled.
Liked to be dominated.
Rain knew it.
He fed on it.
He took his time, teasing him open with slow, torturous precision; not gentle, not soft, but controlled, deliberate, the kind of touch that made Elijah tremble and whimper and fall apart before anything even happened.
Rain worked him into submission, into obedience, into that perfect, pliant state he craved.
And then he destroyed him.
Just as he had the night before.