Chapter 16
GAELAN
I’d spent most of the day trying to prepare myself to see Ari again. The last few weeks waiting for her to contact me have been torture.
The day of her grandfather’s memorial, I knew she was my Rose. Still, seeing her sitting opposite me in my car with her amber eyes and wearing that necklace—it is her. I just hope that this time I get to keep her for longer, that I get to save her.
“Where are we going tonight?” she asks me, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“There is this little restaurant that has the best view of the sunset, just outside of town.” A bounty has just been issued for any information on the whereabouts of the Book Reader.
Despite my best efforts, a rumor has already leaked that she may have been reborn.
Since my own people staff the restaurant, it should be safe enough for now.
She smiles at me. “The Amore?”
“Yes? Have you been there before?” I ask. She laughs lightly, and fuck me, I’ve missed that sound. My cock twitches, and I have to fight my need to pull her to me and kiss her.
“No, but I’ve seen articles about it. It has the best reviews for a restaurant of that kind,”—she knows it’s a non-human restaurant, much like her club. I did my research—“It’s also costly,” she finishes.
“It is, but I’m lucky enough to know the owner.
” I wink at her, and her cheeks go pink before she smiles at me again.
I can tell she’s nervous, so I do my best to put her at ease.
I shift a little closer, our knees almost touching.
“Where do you work?” I ask her, even though I already know the answer.
“I own The House of Hades,” She says excitedly.
“I’ve heard of it.” I nod. “A few of my work colleagues use it; they have… er… certain tastes that your club caters to.” She flicks her eyes to me, and I can tell that she wants to ask me something—My Rose, inquisitive as ever.
“You can ask me anything, Ari.” My knee brushes against hers, making her look down, swallowing hard.
Her scent gets even sweeter, and the reason for that…
She’s turned on.
I have to fight back a groan. I want to pull her to me, rip her clothes off, and feast on her pussy. I know how sweet she tastes when she comes, and I’ve been desperate for another taste of her for years.
Her eyes lift up to mine. “Are you human, or a supernatural?”
I can’t help the grin that crosses my lips. “Supernatural,” I answer. “A daemon, to be exact.”
“What kind of daemon?” She asks cautiously.
“I am a dream daemon.” It’s rare to find dream daemons topside. From the look on her face, she has never heard of us.
“Dream daemons? What does that mean?” She says with a little bubble of laughter.
I lean closer, my eyes locking with hers. “It means that I can be someone’s sweetest dream, or their worst nightmare.”
My eyes flick down, and I watch as her mouth opens and a tiny exhale of breath leaves her beautiful, full lips. “What about you? Supernatural or human?” I ask, trying to distract myself from devouring her completely.
“Supernatural, a witch.” She answers nervously.
Oh, but you are so much more than that, I think, but that’ll be a conversation for later.
“I could have guessed that from the beautiful necklace you wear.” She looks down at it and sighs sadly.
I’ve not seen that necklace for many centuries—it’s a protector necklace, made by her soul in its first life cycle.
I remember the care she put into making it, making me promise that I would give it to her in her next life and so on.
She bound it with a spell from her book to give her future selves a fighting chance.
Neither of us had realized that she would not remember any of her reincarnations.
The fact that she already has it, in this life, and without my intervention, means something. I just don’t know what.
“It belonged to my aunt, the lady I was with at the memorial.” Her voice breaks into my memories, and I clear my throat to shift the emotions that are threatening to spill over.
She’s here now, and that’s all that matters.
She lifts her eyes and frowns at me. “I’m not sure what the dragon represents, or the amber stone, my aunt never got a chance to tell me.”
I hide my grin, knowing that she picked the dragon because it’s my family crest. The amber stone is from her book.
It’s the key.
I can’t tell her any of this yet, though. Past experiences have taught me the importance of being patient. “Why not?” I ask.
“She died that day, actually…” Her eyes fill with tears, making me reach out and run my fingers over her hand. She looks down at it. She smiles softly, “I’m sorry, I promised myself I would have fun tonight and I’m being a downer.”
My face is a mask. I hadn’t realized that her aunt had passed away. This means that Ari is now alone in the world, with no family to teach her about her origins or the true extent of her power. This is unsettling.
Leaning closer, I place my fingers under her chin, lifting it to make her look at me.
I could put my lips on hers if I leaned forward just a little.
“Do not apologize, I want to know everything about you, my Rose.” I don’t realize I’ve called her by her pet name until she pulls back and frowns at me.
“What kind of powers do dream daemons have exactly, Gaelan?” she asks, her voice full of suspicion.
“The kind that will help me keep you safe.” I try to reassure her. She’s not ready to hear who I am to her just yet. The necklace is still whole, which means she hasn't found the book; so, neither her powers nor her past memories have been unlocked yet.
Her eyes search mine before she slowly nods. “Tell me why you call me Rose? You’ve called me that before.”
Have I? I must be slipping. “Because you smell like roses,” I answer directly. My voice has an edge of need to it because I remember the way she smells so much sweeter when she is riding my cock. Or when my face is buried deep in her pussy.
She is about to say something else, but Mark opens the door for us to step out. I climb out first, adjusting myself to hide the hard-on I now have.
“All clear?” I almost growl at Mark. I asked my security team earlier to inspect the place before we arrived to ensure it was clear of any daemons that might be looking for her.
“It’s clear, sir.” Mark nods.
I turn and give Ari my hand to help her out of the car. She still looks like she has a million questions to ask me, but as she first lays eyes on the restaurant, she gasps, and I can’t help but smile as a grin spreads across my face. I know she thinks it’s stunning. I designed it just for her.
The front is a dark gold color, featuring two matching bay windows on either side of the black-framed glass door. The tables out front are also gold, with black chairs and blankets over them in case it gets chilly.
There are two tall trees on either side of the door from the Underworld—they have an aphrodisiac scent that gives people a euphoric “I fancy you” feeling.
These trees are still saplings, so the effect is very light.
Some daemons use these trees as a form of date rape, extracting the oil and mixing it into any drink.
The person who drinks it, if it is mixed correctly.
Can fall head over heels in love for a few hours, making them want to do anything.
If they’re exposed to too much, however, they will go insane, their heart literally breaking. The fully grown plants are hazardous.
The ones we have here are kept from growing, but there’s also a protective ward around them that prevents them from being picked. It's a bit complicated, but it's worth it for the subtle scent it adds to the romantic atmosphere.
I open the door and let Ari walk in ahead of me.
She looks delectable in that tight black dress.
My eyes trail down to her ass as she walks.
Fuck I want to bury my face and cock between her full cheeks.
My eyes glow brighter blue with my need in the dark room, illuminating it slightly—I need to stop thinking about her ass, otherwise I’m going to fuck her right here on the table.
The restaurant is quiet as requested, with only a few couples scattered around at the booth-style tables.
I wanted to create an open and friendly setting for couples, while also giving them enough space if they didn’t want to sit next to each other.
The art on the walls is all views of France.
My Rose and I had spent a few years living in France in one of her past lives.
She’d handpicked the artwork in that life, and I’ve kept it with me ever since.
The only form of lighting here comes from the candles on each table and a few torches placed around the room.
My table is at the back, out of the way of prying eyes, as I often do business here.
“This way, our table is ready for us.”
I lead her through the restaurant, and a few of the daemon seated look up, gasp, and low mumbles of shock reach my ears for a second when they see who I am with. Ari’s conscious powers are locked till she connects with the book, but her dormant ones activate when she’s in danger.
But once that happens, every supernatural who comes close to her can smell how powerful she is—her power has always had the sweetest smell, like Roses mixed with honey and orchid.
I glare at them as we pass. If any of them so much as come close to her, I will kill them all.
It was a risk bringing her here tonight, but it’s only rumors at the moment.
However, if one of my enemies sees me with her, it could all be over.
Reaching our table, I wait for Ari to sit before taking my seat next to her. The booth allows us to look at each other while also being close enough to touch.