Chapter 17 Dreams
Dreams
It took only minutes for me to fall asleep, snuggled up in Luca and Cade’s cozy bed, surrounded by the scent of fresh pine and vanilla sugar.
I was too tired to care if I missed dinner. After staying awake as a wolf for most of the night, followed by the attack, and then my time with Luca, I had nothing left.
My sleep was deep and dreamless.
At some point, Luca returned and climbed into bed beside me, wrapping his arms around me and pressing his nose against my neck. Cade did not join us, and I was too sleepy to wonder where he was. Luca’s steady breathing lulled me back to sleep.
I walked through the forest near the lake, and then the darkness turned into the vampire den. Numb, I wandered through the empty bloodstained donor beds.
Hesitantly, I stopped at my rickety bed. Unsure what else to do, I climbed in and tugged the covers up to my neck. My hands were small and stubby, and when I ran my fingers over my hair, it was cropped short, the same as when the vampires first brought me into the den.
A boy appeared beside me. He looked to be thirteen or so, with a fullness to his cheeks and a softness to his features. I stared at him, recognizing the stubborn set of the mouth and the scrunch of his eyebrows. It was Cade.
He scrunched up his face and reached out, his hand hovering over my blanket-covered body. “Do you want to be here?”
“No!” I shook my head. My voice was high and thin. “It’s scary. I don’t want to be here. ”
For a moment he glared at me, judging my words. “Fine, get up. We’re leaving.”
“There’s nowhere to go,” I said, my words turning to whispers.
Around us, the shadows swirled, taking the forms of vampires that melted back into the darkness before I could focus on them.
Scowling, Cade twisted to look around us. His hand fumbled with his belt, and he pulled out a hunting knife.
I climbed out from under the covers and huddled as close as I dared. To my surprise, Cade reached back and grabbed my arm, dragging me up against him.
“Come on, leeches,” he growled.
A shadow swooped closer, and Evrin’s face appeared. Cade swiped with his knife and the shadow-Evrin dissipated.
“Let’s move,” Cade said, lurching forward. I stumbled after him, clinging to his hand.
Another shadow swirled nearer, and something seized my neck. Faux pain prickled, and I cried out.
Reality fractured, my world shattering and reforming into a quiet, dark bedroom. I gasped, jolting upright and frantically scanning the room.
Beside me, Luca jerked awake, on his feet in an instant. His muscles tensed as he twisted, looking for the threat.
I gripped my chest, trying to slow my heart.
“What is it?” Luca whispered hoarsely.
Counting to five in my head, I slowly let my breath out, trying to control the residual panic fighting to rise again.
Through the bond, I felt a spike of worry, and part of me felt sorry for causing Cade any distress. But then again, he deserved it.
Closing my eyes, I tried to focus on the world around me, not on my terrible dream and not on my mate bond.
“I think I was having a nightmare. I’m sorry.”
Luca’s features softened and he visibly relaxed, climbing into the bed on all fours. I tipped my face up to meet his gaze. “You’re safe.”
“I know,” I replied, allowing him to pull me down to the mattress and tuck me to his chest. He curled around me in his favorite sleeping position, his arm draped across my stomach.
Luca’s warmth seeped into me, calming my frayed nerves and dulling the memories of my nightmare. The echoes of young dream-Cade’s voice haunted me.
“You’re not sleeping,” Luca murmured, his face pressing into my neck.
“Sorry.”
“Stop apologizing,” he replied, sleep making his words slur. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
Swallowing, I pulled back to face the ceiling. The soft glow of starlight showed the beams crossing the expanse of warm gray.
“I was back in the vampire den, and I was a kid again. And then Cade was there, and we ran but…” My throat constricted, halting my words.
Luca understood. He didn’t say anything, just trailed his fingers down my arm and back up. With gentle movements, he brushed up and down my arms, over my collarbone, and then across my forehead.
The sensation gave me something to focus on, and the fear slipped away. My eyes fluttered shut. I knew Luca was half-asleep, but he kept up his work until I fell back into a new dream.
Instead of dreaming about vampire dens, I dreamed I was back in the woods with adult dream-Cade, naked. And he wasted no time taking advantage of our lack of clothing.
The dream felt so real. He pressed my back into the leaves and drove into me, making me orgasm over and over.
I wasn’t sure breathing was necessary in dreams, which worked well because he never let up, flipping me over and dragging my ass into the air.
My fingers spread in the dirt and leaf litter, looking for something to hang on to.
It was ecstasy. His hand twisted into my hair and he tugged my head back.
He dominated me so thoroughly, I wasn’t sure I could wake up until dream-Cade let me go.
Secretly, I hoped that I would wake up and Cade would be there. He’d press me back against Luca who would position me perfectly for Cade to fuck me senseless. And when he was done, Luca would shove into me from behind and repeat the process.
Dream-Cade flipped me over again and stretched me out until his chest pressed into my breasts and his mouth was inches from mine.
“What are you imagining? I can almost picture it,” he said. His words were soft, but there was no mistaking the Alpha command in them.
It was a dream - I didn’t have to answer. I pressed my hips forward, trying to resume the best part of this dream. It didn’t work.
“Just fuck me,” I whined.
Cade’s hand went to my throat, holding me still. “Tell me, and then I’ll reward you.”
I snarled. This was ridiculous. Dream-Cade should do whatever I wanted. This was my sex dream.
His hold on my neck tightened, and I gasped at the pleasure that bloomed between my thighs.
“You like my hand on your neck?” Cade asked. “Do you like me controlling your ability to breathe?”
“Mmmhmm,” I replied, my thoughts turning to mush.
“Tell me what you imagined,” he whispered, letting his lips drag across my cheek.
“I was thinking that when I wake up, I hope you’re there for real and that you give me everything I want and then Luca takes a turn too.” My cheeks flushed, which was stupid. There was no reason to be embarrassed in my own dream.
Cade’s eyes widened, his brows arching. He stayed frozen for a moment, not responding to my greedy fantasy. I wanted him to say that he could make that happen, but instead, he vanished.
One moment, Cade’s body pressed down on mine, his hand squeezing my throat while he was balls deep inside of me. A split second later, he was gone.
I threw my head back and screamed in frustration. That was the best dream of my life, and somehow, I fucked it up.
My angst woke me, and I dug my nails into my pillow. The covers were tucked in around me, and I frowned. As I moved, I felt warmth in the bed beside me, on the opposite side from where Luca slept.
I pressed my palm to the mattress, trying to feel it again, but it was impossible to tell. It could have been my body heat if I rolled in my dream. Likely, with how much dream-Cade was flipping me around and repositioning me like he owned me.
Who was I kidding? He absolutely owned me. I would trade dream-Cade for real-Cade in a heartbeat.
Unable to sleep after my second middle-of-the-night wakeup, I slid from bed and padded to the armchair by his towering windows.
The bedroom was lit only by starlight, and that same frosty light lit up swaying branches.
My gaze went to the stars above. I lost myself in them, and at some point, I fell back asleep.