14. Out for the Moon – Rosemary #3
Perhaps I’d found someone who would stand with me against whatever darkness lay ahead, someone whose promises were as unbreakable as starlight and as enduring as the mountains themselves.
The thought terrified me more than any monster we might face in the woods ahead, but as I watched the firelight dance across Elias's features, I couldn't bring myself to push it away entirely. Some fears, I was beginning to realize, were worth embracing.
That was the last thought I had as sleep pulled me under.
The moss beneath me felt impossibly soft as I stirred in sleep.
In my dream, the cave had transformed, luminescent flowers bloomed along the walls, casting gentle blue light that made everything ethereal.
The air was warm, filled with night-blooming jasmine and something distinctly masculine.
"Rosemary." His voice was velvet in the darkness.
"You're still here," I whispered, surprised by the relief in my voice.
"I'll always be here," he said, moving closer. The flickering light from the luminescent flowers danced across his features. "You were calling for me."
"I was afraid you'd left."
"Never," he murmured, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from my face. "Not unless you tell me to go."
The moss seemed to pulse beneath us, alive with ancient magic that made everything feel heightened. When he leaned closer, I could see the conflict in his eyes.
"What are you afraid of?" I asked softly.
"Losing you," he admitted. "Losing this. Whatever this is between us."
"You won't lose me."
"Won't I?" His eyes searched mine. "When this quest is over, when you save your sister—what then?"
"I don't know," I said honestly. "But I know that when I’m with you, everything else fades."
The words hung between us in the soft glow. His eyes widened, as if he hadn’t dared to hope.
"I know it’s complicated," I continued. "I know we come from different worlds. But when I look at you, when you touch me like this, nothing else matters."
When he kissed me, it was with a desperation that spoke of dreams deferred and time running out. The moss beneath us seemed to glow brighter, responding to the magic building between us.
Time felt suspended in this magical place. There was no urgency, no fear—just us and the soft glow of dream flowers. When we joined together, it was with a tenderness that brought tears to my eyes.
His hand moved lower, tracing the curve of my waist and resting on my hip. Our breaths mingled as our lips met in a fiery kiss, full of need and passion. Elias tenderly cupped my breast, his thumb brushing over my erect nipple through the thin fabric of my gown.
He slowly lowered me onto the mossy ground, lifting my dress above my waist and teasing his fingers along the inside of my thighs before gently parting them.
"It is real," he whispered against the moist skin between my legs as his fingers slipped inside me, eliciting a shivering moan. "More real than anything else in my life."
His tongue followed the path of his fingers, tasting me, drawing circles around the bundle of nerves at the apex of my thighs. The sensation was electrifying, sending waves of pleasure through my body. I gripped his hair, urging him closer.
When he entered me, it was with the same desperate longing, as if time itself were running out. The moss beneath us glowed brighter, responding to the energy we created together.
Elias thrust into me, each movement deliberate and powerful. Our bodies moved in perfect rhythm as he brought me to the edge of ecstasy. My nails dug into his back as I climaxed, gasping his name.
"Elias," I moaned.
"I know," he whispered against my neck as his own release approached. "I feel it too."
With one final thrust, he groaned, spilling himself inside me as he kissed me with tender sweetness.
Afterward, he held me close, and I listened to the steady beat of his heart as it returned to normal. The luminescent flowers dimmed to a soft glow, like stars in twilight.
"I wish this were real," I whispered against his skin, knowing this was a dream. That I would wake up hot and wanton, with Elias sound asleep just a few feet away.
"It is real. This is the most real thing I've ever felt," he murmured against my hair, kissing me. He repeated the words again, like a mantra. As if, even in my dreams, I was still clinging to hope.
"Promise me we'll find a way to make this real—outside of dreams," I said to him, knowing I could only say these things here, where it was safe. Where it wouldn’t matter once I woke. Just a nice dream.
He was quiet for so long, I thought he wouldn't answer.
"I promise I'll do everything in my power to give you the happiness you deserve."
It wasn't quite the promise I’d asked for, but before I could question it, the dream turned fuzzy, as if the waking world was pulling me back.
As I drifted toward consciousness, I felt something I’d never experienced before: a warmth that seemed to connect us, thread-thin but growing stronger. In my dreams, I felt his presence like a second heartbeat—steady, reassuring.
Whatever this was between us, it was deeper than desire. Stronger than attraction.
It felt like destiny.
Morning came too soon.