Chapter Thirty-Eight
Dulce
Lights Down Low – MAX
I wake up surroundedby two bodies, but there’s a missing piece and she’s several rooms away. It is impossible to resist the pull toward her, even when I’m here. Without being around, she’s consuming me. It’s like she’s in this room, a part of us, but so far away at the same time. There’s nothing that fills me with more hope than to know she’s also mine.
Even if she doesn’t see it yet.
While moving, Raev emits a small, sleepy groan. He wraps his large hand around my hip, pressing his fingers into the soft flesh of my stomach. His leg is also nestled between mine as he holds me tightly, refusing to let me escape.
Vex is also gripping me on the other side, but they are fully awake. They hardly sleep on a regular night, let alone one where they’ve taken blood. “You seem disturbed, dove.” Despite not letting up on his grip, Raev adjusts with me as I roll toward Vex.
“She’s not here,” I reply glumly, wanting Vera to hold me and run her fingers through my curls. Maybe they’ll get trapped in there and she’ll be stuck with me forever.
That’s not even a bad plan.
Smart, smart brain.
My body warms with the comfort of that. While I prefer people to not touch my hair, somehow, I know she’ll be gentle and loving. Vex’s forefinger tips my chin upward to their waiting face, wanting my attention directly on them. Their eyes are thoughtful, dissecting like I’m not an open book with my overly expressive face.
“She will be, love. She just needs to go through her own journey.”
“I want to be a part of that journey.” The words tumble out like a pout, almost hollow and hopeless. We’ve only just met, yet, it feels like I’ve known her forever. “Whatever she’s going through, I just want to be there for her in any way I can.”
A small smile tilts on their lips, a bit of fang peeking through. “Then go find her.”
Both excitement and trepidation dance in my stomach, highs and lows of two vastly different emotions weighing on me. What if she doesn’t want me back?
“Think she’ll send me away?” I say instead, running my fingers over their tattoo covered skin. Being insecure isn’t something I’ve truly struggled with, but I really want Vera to love me.
They pensively raise their eyebrows, almost like they want to say no, but think better of it. “My little dove doesn’t back down from a fight,” they say instead, filling me with another wave of warmth. Vex always knows what to say and how I need to hear it. Something they have always been great at is reading the room. But me? I’m their favorite book. Worn and loved on, tattered pages splayed open, each favorite part dog-eared with highlights and inscriptions in the margins.
“You’ve got to keep the big man busy,” I impart, trying not to laugh at the grip Raev has on me and how it seems to tighten from my words. Since he got his head on straight last night, he’s been clinging to me like glue. Luckily for him, it’s one of the most endearing things about him.
Vex peers around me to Raev. “I like him,” they admit, their eyes glazing with affection. Vex has never allowed themself to grow attached. It’s something they admitted early on in our friendship. They wanted to keep distance between romance and domination. No sex. No love. Not with me. As we lay here, their fingers on my jaw in a sweet way and their eyes on Raev, I can see their walls crumbling.
“I like him too.” It’s not news, I all but declared they’re all mine and no one will be taking that from me. Not even themselves.
“He’s not asleep,” Raev grumps, his voice rough from sleep.
“Sure about that?” I tease, rotating my head. “You sound very tired. Might as well go back to sleep.”
“And miss out on you guys speak sweet nothings to my sleeping self? Never.”
We all laugh at that, and I can’t help but fully move in for a kiss. Raev grips my throat with a possessive hunger he’s lacked while we made our way here. “More of that too. Can’t do that while sleeping.”
Vex reaches for me. I go to them and they take my mouth next, their teeth grazing my tongue as I push into theirs. They make a satisfied humming sound that I’ll be collecting in my mind with all the other sounds they’ve made that I love to hear. “Divine,” they rumble, nipping at my bottom lip. “Now go get our queen. Me and poppet here will distract ourselves in other ways.” Vex smirks, the absolutely diabolical way their eyes virtually glow with excitement tells me that they’re going to be a troubling pair.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Raev’s eyebrows rise, wanting to know what I mean, but Vex knows. Their eyes darken with promise.
“It’s a good time to figure out his limits then. Off you go, dove,” they direct, smacking my butt as I hop off the bed. Raev doesn’t seem to want to let me out of sight but with a wink, I rush for the neatly folded set of clothes that were left for us when we arrived. While the colors are adorable and perfectly mine, I hope the style is for me too.
Being in Raev’s cape-like shirt was so comfy, and having confining clothes now will be a nightmare become reality.
Unwrapping the vines that neatly tie them together, I pull out a dress. My heart hammers at the design. It’s white, but like a white with some pink tones to it. It has poofy shoulders and a cinched waist where the ruffles fluff out around it.
I couldn’t have picked a better one for myself. It”s perfect. There are little details, vines, and some flowers embroidered in the trim of each piece. Bringing the fabric to my nose, I breathe in the scent. It’s her. The decadent sweetness of meinshine and rain, my two favorite things.
Slipping it on, I almost squeal with the way my body fits into it perfectly. It’s like she looked at me and had it designed from the simple memory of my body.
For some reason, I can’t fully zip up the back. I don’t even have to ask before Vex hops up, coming to my back to fasten it up. Their lips meet my throat, dragging their teeth along the length of it. Not stopping there, they grab the little strings on the waist, weaving them together before tying them.
“You’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen,” they praise. “My pretty dove in all her frilly beauty. If you don’t leave soon, I’ll have to worship other parts of you, and we haven’t the time.”
I nod into their chest, leaning back to enjoy the warmth they offer. “You’re too tempting.”
“Too bad. Be a good bird,” they taunt, smacking my ass before turning me around. “If you are, I’ll let Vera make you come.”
My face morphs into hope and a heat settles between my thighs. “You sound very confident, Sir.” Their eyes narrow as a darkness flares to life behind them.
“Oh, it’s a promise. When you go in there and she’s desperate for relief... You have my permission to lick her cunt.”
I let out a breath, my exhale loud and shaky. It’s been a very long time since I’ve done that, and there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ve never been with someone like Vera. She’s powerful and the need to fall to my knees for her overwhelms me. “I want that.”
They nod as if they know. How could they not? The very idea of her, the vivid images in my mind, and the expectation of her flavor make my heart race.
“Now go on. Our queen is desperate and you need to be there for her. Don’t make her suffer. You’re a good dove, aren’t you?” I frantically nod at their words as they grip my jaw tighter. “Then be good for her. She’ll fight back at first, but it’s her heart that’s scared, not her body.”
“I’ll be there,” I say, thinking of the distance Vera immediately put between us.
Not now. I’ll fight for my queen, and no matter what she needs, I’ll be that. She’ll see. “Thank you, Sir.” They lean forward, their soft lips resting against my forehead.
“I would’ve ripped apart every realm to find you, little dove. I’d destroy every being if it would make you smile. Imagine what I’d do to see you happy forever.”
“I’ll deserve you, one day.”
“That day is today and every day after,” they declare, their voice deepening with emotion. “Your family might have forgotten to praise you, tell you that your worries and struggles don’t matter, but that’ll never be me.” Their breath puffs against my skin and through our connection, their concern and love intertwine and shoot through me.
“I love you, Vex Asher.”
Love beyond words melts into me, consuming every beat of my heart through our shared bond. They pull back, their eyes closing with an almost disbelieving emotion fluttering through us. “You’re mine dove, as I’m yours, and my love for you will never end. Not in this lifetime or the next.” Their palms grip my jaw, cradling my face as if I’m the most precious thing. “To hear those words leave your lips is an honor I often feel is undeserving. I love you beyond words and the bond we share. It’s been here since the moment we met. It flourished into possession, and now you own me. Everything I have is yours.”
Tears form in my eyes as theirs open and meet mine. The conviction there is almost too much. Too perfect. Too real. I lean forward and take their mouth with mine. We stay like this, kissing, our mouths not breaking apart, not even as lightheadedness overtakes me. My body shakes with the need to breathe. They note my heartbeat, their fingers pressed against my carotid while the rampant beat begins to shutter and stall.
They keep going, knowing that breath play is something I’ve always been keen on, but especially since this moment is one we both need. Teeth dig into my tongue, blood filling my mouth as they lick it fervently. Black spots paint my vision as my oxygen starts to bleed out. They bite into their own tongue and our blood mingles. I don’t stop them as they play with my nearly limp mouth.
I don’t breathe.
I don’t gasp.
I’ve spent so long underwater without an ounce of breath, and this is better than that. Knowing I’m safe with them. I’ll always be safe with them. Their blood fills my senses, decadent sugary goodness meets my tastebuds, and that’s the last thing I think of before my body falls.