Lucille
Chapter
Eleven
“You think that was smart, Hellion? Taunting me with the pet while wearing that?” Ronen growled.
“Wasn’t it?” my dream-self purred, pushing out her chest, the lace of her camisole pressing against our minimal cleavage.
I had to commend her for the sass and confidence.
I could only imagine the expression on Ronen’s face as he stood over me at the foot of his massive bed, naked.
His tone alone hinted at an aggressive, searing gaze.
Real me would’ve been fumbling. Or just speechless, as I was now.
But also aroused, and wide-eyed over his muscular ass.
I prayed to the Weaver, or whoever would listen, that he wouldn’t turn around. I’d read another thing about Somnivado. If the dreamer saw the dream-walker, one of two things could happen. They could either wake up or become aware their dream was being invaded.
I really didn’t want that second option, but I couldn’t seem to pull myself away from the scene. Was I a glutton for punishment?
Possibly.
Or Ronen’s ass was just that distracting, and the only part of his body besides his head, hands, and feet that didn’t have tattoos. It jumped out at me, masculine and muscled. But then he shifted, and I smiled into my hand.
His ass wasn’t tattooless.
He had one on his lower left cheek. A tiny black heart.
The innocent mark on this big, bad male warmed me. Before, if someone held me at knifepoint and asked if the General of Hell had a cute heart tattooed on his ass, I’d think they were insane. But nope. There it was, and I’d never forget it.
“The pet mentioned something to me the other day.”
My dream-self quirked a brow. “Oh?”
“Something about running his tongue down your body.”
Oh fuck. My smile fell.
“Interesting,” my dream-self drawled, egging him on.
Was she insane?
“Do you know what it feels like to ache, Lucille?” His voice lifted with curiosity, almost sounding sweet, but danger lurked beneath the higher tone.
I’d never been more worried or aroused in my life.
“Do you?” my dream-self asked.
Did she not realize she’d crossed the line into a circle of Hell—one that was shadowed, tatted, and gilded in gold? Were her warning bells missing? Because mine were sounding off loud and clear. We had just taunted a dark, merciless angel, and his subconscious was about to enact vengeance on us.
He hummed—the sound a soft, sweet caress.
Heavenly Hell.
I’d never heard him hum like that. I had to physically restrain my toes from curling against his soft rug. Really, I needed to leave. This scene was better off playing out before it became seared into my mind forever, like that heart was.
“Let me show you what it’s like.” His shadows struck, tearing off her black panties and exposing her.
He hummed again, but this time it sounded like he was savoring a bite of chocolate cake. I bit my lip. My dream-self grinned.
He crawled up his bed, prowling toward her like a predator who had clearly caught his desired prey. I’d never unsee him on his hands and knees.
I’d never unsee him dropping his head between her—my—legs.
His tongue dragged up our core. She arched, and we both moaned, but for different reasons.
Fuck.
I clamped a hand over my mouth, waiting for Ronen to turn around and see me. But he didn’t. My dream-self’s moan must’ve covered mine.
Ronen did it again, swirling his tongue over her clit and making her squirm. Ronen chuckled against her, his hands and shadows creeping up her thighs to pin her down. She begged for more. Needed more.
Heavenly Hell, how I needed more. Part of me wanted to strip and replace my dream-self, to see his face as I fell under his mercy. I fingered the waistband of my shorts. Just a couple steps. I could replace her and see all of him—feel all of him.
I stepped forward and watched his tongue plunge inside her. Then I trailed my gaze down his body and finally caught a glimpse of his cock. Something glinted at the tip. No way… I moved closer, eyes glued to the metal.
His cock was pierced.
Heavenly Hell. Kill me now.
My hip bumped the bedframe, startling me out of my shock.
He paused.
I luscelered to the other room. My heart rate climbed as I waited.
Why didn’t I leave?
But I knew why in the next second.
Ronen never came to investigate what hit his bed.
Instead, he continued doing things that forced obscene moans from her mouth.
Their noises gave me a perfect picture of what was happening.
I sank into a chair in his sitting area, visualizing his tongue thrusting inside her, then the tip of his pierced cock.
I didn’t even have to imagine how wet my dream-self was.
I could feel it. My panties were soaked.
I ached for him.
I wanted him to come out of his bedroom and repeat everything he was doing to her on me.
It didn’t matter if it was slow, fast, rough, or gentle.
It didn’t matter that I’d never had sex before.
I needed him to push me over the edge I lingered on.
Even if it was just his fingers or his tongue—anything to give me relief from the torment he caused.
The bed shifted and rustled as if he were moving.
“Wait. Where are you going?” she asked, breathless.
“That’s what it feels like to ache, Lucille. Just a reminder for when you feel the need to provoke me again with him.”
His bedroom door squeaked as he left his room, and I ripped myself out of the dream-walk so fast that I woke up gasping, waking Rune.
I flung off my blankets and luscelered into my bathroom, slamming the door and throwing up every shield I possibly could in my mind to hide my emotions.
Heaven forbid Ronen woke and felt my lingering arousal or panic.
If he could block his emotions, then I could too, right?
Or maybe it was just him and his shadow powers.
Regardless, I reinforced my mental barriers with my Hellfire, wrapping the flames tightly around my feelings until sweat slid down my temple.
I hoped it worked, but I wasn’t sure how I’d know.
If I was unlucky enough, he was probably already awake either with a smug smirk on his face for affecting me so thoroughly, or pissed off that I’d entered his head again.
I slumped to the ground, resting my head on the shower door. Truly, I should get in and wash off the heat lingering in my core. But the cool glass calmed my flushed face and eased my adrenaline. My eyes eventually closed.
Bang!
I jerked awake, pushed myself off the tile floor, and groaned. My neck was not happy with me for falling asleep on the ground.
“Lucille!” Ronen bellowed.
Oh no.
I stood and quickly locked the door.
Another bang had me stepping farther into the bathroom. That was definitely my bedroom door, and it was most definitely damaged—or the wall was.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he snapped at someone.
“The same as you,” Aspen retorted.
This night just kept getting better and better. And it had to be night, because I felt utterly exhausted. But I couldn’t tell. There were no windows in my bathroom.
“Lucille!” they both shouted.
Rune whimpered and scratched, her claws peeking beneath the crack in the door. I should open it. Or at least answer them, but I was paralyzed with apprehension. My mouth wouldn’t move, and neither would my feet.
Did Ronen know I invaded his dream? He had to. Why else would he be this upset?
Last time I invaded Ronen’s mind, he lost it.
Remembering how my hallucination stole his clarity and reduced him to a male I didn’t recognize haunted me.
I’d never forget what I did to him. This time, I hadn’t purposefully altered his mind, but entering his head—even his dreams, sexual or not—probably didn’t sit well with him.
But why was Aspen here?
“Move, Rune,” Ronen barked.
Shadows slithered through the keyhole, flipping the lock. In a panic, I erected a wall of ice and felt a slight numbness in my toes. It wasn’t major, but I was surprised to feel it at all. I shouldn’t have been feeling any Divine Wasting.
One of them twisted the knob. It didn’t budge. Then they both slammed into the wood.
“She has to be alive,” Aspen said, voice shaking.
Alive? Why wouldn’t I be alive?
Before I could wrap my mind around that and let them in, Aspen’s blue flames obliterated my door, revealing two worked-up, worried males.
My mouth popped open.
Ronen and Aspen were both shirtless, wearing only sweatpants, and their hair was bed-rumpled like they’d both just woken up.
Aspen scanned me from head to toe, then swept back again as if he thought he’d missed something.
His reaction almost mirrored Ronen’s. Except Ronen’s eyes were wild, and shadows coiled chaotically around every inch of his tatted chest—until they shot out.
I jerked back as if I could avoid them, but they swarmed me.
The instant they brushed inside my nose, his face darkened.
“You’re blocking us,” he accused.
“I’m—”
Then it clicked: their panic, the numbness tingling in my fingers, my exhaustion. I hadn’t just blocked Ronen from feeling my emotions; I’d blocked them both from sensing me entirely, including Aspen’s weighty grief.
But that didn’t stop the guardian bond from stirring inside me. It twisted in my chest, filling me with a raw, unquestionable fear. If Aspen had been hurt… But he wasn’t, I wanted to scream into my own head. He was fine.
Slowly, I released my hold on the Hellfire surrounding my mind.
Aspen visibly relaxed, and Ronen’s slow-brewing anger trickled in.
The moment my fiery walls were fully down, he erected his own block, ripping me away from his essence and feelings.
I bit my lip to hold back a gasp, my heart throbbing as if it cried out to him.
“Never again,” Ronen gritted out. “You are not allowed to block me.”
Aspen scoffed, stealing the sound right from my mouth. But mine would’ve contained a lot more disdain.