Chapter 37 Prince Sloth #3
Lore was dreaming up the world she’d promised for her phoenix and freeing the nightmare creatures from their own hells.
I stood there in silent awe while she worked. Golden rays of sunlight replaced the dark skies, birds sang melodious songs, and bugs buzzed pleasantly from flowering trees.
Several moments later, my attention lifted to the glass ceiling she’d created. Above us, flying together, were the phoenix and her mate. Their joy could be felt all the way here.
Lore did it. In the span of a few minutes, she’d created a new world of dreams.
I tucked my wings away and strode over and tilted Lore’s face up. “You are brilliant. And maybe I concede that you exhibited some main character energy.”
She closed her eyes to avoid meeting my gaze, but I was infinitely patient.
She finally opened them, and whatever she saw in my face caught her by surprise.
“But I told you before, I am no damned sidekick.”
“What—”
“I’m clearly the main love interest.”
I tangled her hair in my fist and hauled her up against me, sealing her mouth with mine.
I kissed her hard.
Needing the reassurance that this was real, and we’d somehow fucking made it. Her mouth parted and my tongue claimed hers.
The sound she made had me rock hard. I pressed her closer, needing to erase the distance. My mate. My beautiful, fierce mate had won.
Lore broke our kiss much too soon and shook her head.
“I’m…”
“Finally admitting I’m the dark hero in your story?”
A smile ghosted across her lips. “Only if you finally admit you’ve read romance novels.”
“For research purposes only.”
“Mm.” Her expression turned serious.
I waited, sensing that she needed a moment to process her emotions. I stroked her arm, soothing her.
She gently placed a hand on my chest and pushed me back a step.
“You know what I am.” Her gaze held mine, unwavering. “You should go.”
My brows shot up.
“I know who you are.” I took a deliberate step closer, erasing the meager distance she’d put between us. “You are Lore Annabelle Brimstone.”
She gave me the exasperated look that I’d seen before. The one that made me want to haul her up against the nearest hard surface and worship her.
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”
“Aren’t you curious how I know your full name?”
“A lucky guess?”
I grinned.
“What I know is you may be the Goddess of Night. And perhaps you might be the scourge of the old gods, and the former blight upon mortal kind.”
“Please, tell me more of my positive qualities,” she deadpanned. “I think I might be swooning.”
“But you fought against your inner darkness, and you won. The Trials tested you and you passed. You set the phoenix free and defeated the Liber Noctem. You just created a world of dreams. You are no longer bound to this realm as punishment. You are free, Lore.”
“What if I go… dark again?”
“I’ll be with you, Peaches. And you won’t.”
I watched her face carefully.
“But the only thing I want to concentrate on now is the fact that you’re my mate and we’re together and we survived.”
Her gaze snapped to mine. “What?”
“You are my mate, Lore.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Not really. Don’t you sense the bond?”
She went perfectly still.
The sort of stillness only an immortal could manage. Whatever had made her human was gone, but I couldn’t say I was disappointed.
She would live for eternity. With me.
“Are you telling me you’re my fated mate?” Hope flickered across her face before she shook her head. “This has to be another daydream.” She reconsidered that. “Or maybe it’s your nightmare.”
I leaned down, enjoying the shiver of pleasure that went through her.
“Keep delaying the inevitable, Peaches. I am a patient male. When you finally accept the bond, there won’t be any doubt that you’re mine. Goddess of Night or small-town librarian. The fact remains you are mine and mine alone.”
She didn’t say anything, but I sensed her desire flare at the bold claim.
Lore peered up at me. “Is it really over?”
“Not yet.”
I fought to keep my expression neutral as her worry intensified.
“There’s the mating bond to complete. We’ll also have to make arrangements to move your things and your family to House Sloth. If you accept me…”
Lore looked at me like I might be crazy.
And maybe I was. But I was crazy for her and didn’t care who knew it.
“Of course I accept!” She launched herself into my arms. “I’ve dreamed of this fate my whole life. Well, until I went evil there for a while.”
I kissed her thoroughly until we were both in danger of completing our bond right there in the Court of Daydreams.
When we managed to break away from our kiss, I glanced around the throne room one last time, admiring its transformation. Where the nightmares had ruled, there were now dreamscapes. More brightness and light. More joy. More of Lore.
Her attention trailed around the room too before settling on the throne. What had once been a solid piece of obsidian was now a solid piece of rose quartz.
“I’ll return here every so often, just to ensure the realm is functioning as the dreamworld it was always meant to be.
Somnia was never mine technically. The other gods used it to bind my essence—sort of like a place for my soul to wait for reincarnation once the time was right.
The throne is the true balance of power here; it’s sentient and, until I came along, hadn’t been subject to corruption. It’s an impartial ruler.”
It seemed to pulse sweetly at her, almost like it was bidding us goodbye.
Lore smiled at it, then looked to me.
“Ready?”
I nodded.
She used the dagger that contained the phoenix tear, and her shadows whipped out and spun themselves around us as they transported us to my House of Sin.
We landed outside the steps of my castle, the snowdrifts rising to our waists. Several sets of fresh tracks led into the double doors.
I sighed.
Lore glanced at me sharply. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ve got one more nightmare trial to deal with, I’m afraid.”
“The book? I thought releasing Aurora destroyed it.”
“Worse.” I nodded to the boot prints. Six sets. “My brothers are here.”