Chapter 11 Prince Sloth
ELEVEN
Prince Sloth
PREDICTABLY, MY QUESTION went unanswered.
I pressed Nightmare Lore harder into the stone, annoyed I hadn’t noticed the goddess’s dark power seeping in.
I’d allowed myself to get distracted by flirtation of all things.
It was a mistake I wouldn’t make again.
Nightmare Lore trembled against me.
“Is there a problem?” I asked.
“This isn’t quite as thrilling as I imagined,” she said, sounding disappointed of all things.
I moved back enough to glare down at the deceitful goddess in my arms. My magic hadn’t clicked with the telltale signal that she had lied.
It had to be an anomaly.
There was no way that Lore could have guessed my true name if she hadn’t plucked the knowledge from deep within my mental wards.
And that was not something a dreamweaver was capable of, no matter how trained or powerful.
Which indicated this was another realistic nightmare and I’d yet to wake.
“What isn’t?”
“Dagger to the throat. Obviously. Were you not paying attention earlier? I expected it to be… a little more intoxicating.”
She looked me over, a crinkle forming in her brow.
“You need to work on your seduction methods. Which reminds me. We never finished our discussion about the goddess who looked like me and stabbed you.”
Her attention dropped to my trousers, a frown tugging at her full lips.
“I don’t see how you enjoyed it.”
“Am I not feeding into your fear fantasy enough?”
She released a long-suffering sigh as if explaining this would be more tedious than being trapped between me and the stone wall.
“It’s the romantic tension that’s appealing, not fear.”
That hadn’t been true in the last nightmare. The goddess had desired the fear above all else.
Using the flat part of my blade, I tilted her chin up.
Her breath caught as I held it there, forcing her eyes to meet mine.
I waited, knowing the monster couldn’t resist violence.
If this nightmare followed the same sequence as the one from last night, it wouldn’t take long for her eyes to flash red, alerting me to the fact this was just another elaborate dream.
Her eyes didn’t change from their normal warm brown, but she was definitely having a reaction.
I kept her pinned to the wall, satisfied by the swift flow of her pulse.
I felt it everywhere we touched.
Her tongue swept across her lower lip, wetting it in invitation, and my body responded against my better judgment.
It was just a physical reaction, so I leaned into it, using it to my advantage as I took the upper hand in this nightmare.
I brought my mouth close to hers before slowly trailing it along her jaw, noting the shiver that rolled through her as my lips lightly brushed against her skin.
Desire slammed into me.
Not my own, but hers.
I sensed how her body reacted to the contact and adjusted my strategy accordingly, aiming for optimum success.
I wanted the goddess to show herself so we could end this charade.
She reached out, clutching my arms as if to pull me closer instead of pushing me away.
But I would not be directed in this dream, not even by the goddess who ruled over slumber.
Using one hand, I pinned her wrists above her head and leaned in, erasing all distance between us.
Her breaths turned shorter, her desire spiking higher.
She truly enjoyed the sense of danger.
She had to know I could just as easily end her life as I could kiss her. Yet she didn’t fear me when so many others would.
I stared into her dark eyes, keeping my blade at her throat the whole time. From this close, I noticed little starbursts of gold flecked in the brown.
She swallowed audibly, and I still didn’t detect fear.
Anticipation thickened the space between us.
She wanted more.
If the nightmare wearing Lore’s skin wished to play this game, I would win.
I’d studied seduction texts combined with psychological studies and memorized them, and that knowledge combined with my ability to sense emotions gave me an edge most couldn’t resist.
They were useful tools in my arsenal that my brothers had teased me about, but none of my lovers ever complained.
Nightmare Lore’s heart thundered so hard that I felt it pounding against my own chest and the sensation stirred a strange, primal need within me.
It was an ancient call I couldn’t stop myself from answering.
I drove my knee between her thighs, and they parted without resistance, welcoming me as she submitted to my advances.
I paused to ascertain the goddess’s reaction.
She tilted her face up to mine, and the molten look in her eyes told me she wanted me to keep playing out her dagger fantasy, to push the limits.
I shifted, pressing my hips against hers, and her breath hitched.
“Is this more thrilling, little nightmare?”
Her desire suddenly vanished, and I let her arms go at once.
She might be a monster wearing Lore’s face, but I was not.
She mumbled something unintelligible as she peered over my shoulder, seeming dazed for only a second before shouting, “Get down!”
I hesitated. If this was a trick…
She shoved me hard to get my attention.
I immediately dropped my dagger from her throat and stepped back, watching as she swiftly sank to the ground and covered her head with both hands.
I had no idea what to make of this nightmare.
If its purpose was to confound me, it was working.
Nightmare Lore tugged at my shirt, attempting to drag me to her level.
“Duck, Blondie!”