I thought about his questions before answering. “Not to my knowledge, no.”
He relaxed, then petted my head while his breathing evened out. “My father may have sensed you that way, though. Dream walkers are coveted in Hell because if they can be twisted, they can do a lot of damage to a person’s psyche if they’re properly trained. And believe me, Satan trains his pets well.”
His body was warm beneath mine, which was an unusual thing for me since I’d never slept with another man before in all my years. The even strum of his heart and blood flowing through his veins lulled me into a light doze. I didn’t know what to thinkof the past twenty-four hours, and if what Creed said was true, then I had a lot to think and worry about. His father was Satan, for Goddess sake. A huge part of me worried about how we’d get past that obstacle. The other part—the most feminine part—wanted to claim him in the way of my kind. He called me his Chosen, but what did that mean to him? For my people, they bonded for life. No divorce, no other. Ever.
Taking a few measured breaths, I let sleep come to me. Even when I slept, I could still control where I went. In the dream world, nothing was foreign to me. Only the world I found myself in was far different than any I’d seen before. I turned in a slow circle, taking in the strange place. The sky above looked like nothing I’d ever seen before. The absence of sun or moon worried me. Even the Fey world had a gorgeous sky. Here, the view above was eerie, red and black, with varying shades of orange.
I wrapped my arms around my middle as a warm heat whipped around me, my mind spinning. Off in the distance, a huge structure that looked straight out of Grimm’s Fairy Tales stood with flying creatures circling the towers. Acting on instinct, I took a step back, stopping when my foot sank into something soft.
“Holy shit,” I swore as I stared at what looked like a lake of lava spread out as far as the eye could see behind me. Mountains of black hills were beyond that.
Pushing the fear back, I reached for the control I’d always had in the dream world. The man’s shirt was replaced with black leather leggings and a black leather top that fit me like a glove, covering me completely from neck to ankles. I hummed, my body moving forward on autopilot. A look down at my hands showed they were trembling slightly, and my heart was threatening to pound out of my chest. For the first time, I was truly scared. Which pissed me off more than I liked to admit.
My mind reached for Creed. He had to be near. This world must be where he was from. Images of our flight from the chamber he’d rushed us from looked nothing like this, but the farther I walked, the more I understood this was his home.
“What are we doing here?” The deep growl had me spinning.
“I followed you,” I answered.
Wariness filled his gaze, slowly being replaced with something undefinable. He came closer. “This is my father’s home. Or should I say Satan’s home? He will know we are here.”
I opened my mouth to disagree—the very fact I could control dreams usually meant nobody else could interrupt them.
“Why would he need a dream walker?”
“You can enter others’ dreams, right?” At my nod, he continued. “He must want you for something specific. Or, he wants to see if he can breed a dream walker with you. If he can get a child mixed with his blood and a dream walker, the combination could be…deadly.”
“I’d never do anything for him willingly.” I ran my hands up his hard pecs, feeling them flex under my palms.
He deliberately let his gaze drop to my mouth. “Ah, sweet Raina. My father is far from the cajoling type. He would use anyone, or anything, to make you do what he wanted. Imagine him having control of someone you love above all others. If he were to threaten their very existence, would you do anything to protect them? Even go into someone’s dream and manipulate it?”
I opened my mouth to deny his words, then snapped it shut as he put his hand up. “I know you, Raina. And sadly, my father knows you, too. He makes it his business to find out these things.” He looked off toward the towering structure in the distance.
My mind opened to his completely. In the waking world, I’d feared allowing him complete access to my being, yet now,with his soul laid bare, I wanted to give him the same. Years of torment at his father’s hands assaulted me. I wanted to cry at the image of the little boy he’d been, wanting to be loved by the one man who should have loved him unconditionally, only to be kicked away like a dog. The years flashed by, and I could see how he’d become a fighter for those who were wrongfully accused on Earth. My heart swelled with love for Creed.
My wolf snarled at the many women who came and went in his life. It hadn’t occurred to me he’d have so many, although I should have realized since he was thousands of years old. My wolf growled while the vampire half of me had my fangs dropping.
The red and black world disappeared, replaced by the purple room we’d been given. I blinked down at Creed. His eyes opened, love shining up at me.
“Can I just say that all those women were just practice for when I met you?” His words came out gruffly.
Little bit by little bit, the anger faded. The past was in the past. The future was yet to be decided. The present was a gift I was definitely going to open with both hands.
“I think we should leave all that locked into a box at the back of both our minds.” I knew my cheeks were probably a deep shade of pink and was glad we were in the dark.
He pushed up and rolled us over. “I would do anything to erase all the others from my mind and my history. Anything to never see you hurt, Mon Eros.” I opened my mouth, but he placed his finger over it. “I’m not done yet. You don’t understand the loneliness I have felt for thousands of years. When I felt a tug on my heart, it was as if my soul was being pulled out of my body. I had to go to that chamber. Seeing you there, I would have gladly killed any being who hurt you. So yes, I have done things in my past I’m not proud of, but if you give me half a chance, Iswear to be the best man you could ever want. Hell, I’ll even be nice to your father and brothers.”
I stared at him for a moment, then leaned up and kissed him, hard, then deliberately pulled back. “That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Make love to me, Creed.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. I’d never been at a loss for words, yet hearing her ask me to love her, to make love to her, I found I was beyond stunned. All I’d thought about for years was to one day find the one woman who would love me unconditionally. Never did I actually think she’d exist, especially one as gorgeous and good as Raina. Her soul called to me, like we’d been connected long before she’d been created. The Fates had a profound way of making things work, and in this one, I owed them. My entire life up till this moment had been nothing.
I realized I was nervous as I stared at her. Her arousal called to me the longer I lay looking down at her.
“I love you, Raina.”
“And I you, Creed. I’m not an experienced woman like you’re used to.”
I silenced her with a scorching kiss, one I felt all the way to my marrow. She moaned, licking at my tongue. I tilted my head, my own mouth and tongue wanting to dominate even though I knew her wolf wanted control, when I nicked my tongue on something sharp. The metallic scent of my blood made me hiss. I looked down to see her blue eyes turn red. The vampire half of her sucked on my injury, seeming to enjoy my taste. I pulled back, not giving her too much of my essence out of worry for what my lifeblood would do to her.
