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“I guess it was stuck.” I shrug, not offering more than that up as Landon chokes down his sound of amusement.
“I trust your meeting is over.” Denver turns his glare on Landon now. “Otherwise you’ll have Harper here breaking down your door next.”
“Of course,” Landon says, calmly. “It seems it was all a misunderstanding.”
“Good,” Denver declares, dismissing Landon as he turns to me. “Now are you going to keep wasting time, or are you going to actually practice our spells?”
“Oh but Denver it’s always so much fun to piss you off.” I smirk, settling back into the banter we do so well.
“Hart,” he groans, apparently not having the energy for our regular back and forth. A smile plays on my lips as he gestures for me to walk in front of him, and I stroll through the doorway.
As I turn to wave goodbye to Landon I catch the glare Denver throws at him as he closes the door behind us.
My heart sinks at that look but I keep walking down the hall with Denver a few steps behind me, not wanting to draw any more attention from the few students meandering down the hall. I need to explain things to Denver, and finally have that talk that’s been looming over our heads. I’m just not sure how much I’m going to be able to tell him, or how much he’ll be willing to accept.
Chapter Eighteen
Damon
IpromisedmyselfIwouldn’t linger here, but here I am, cloaked in darkness and waiting. When her soul first flickered to me, she was like a beacon in the dim, drab existence I was used to. The senseless feeding on humans and the odd supernatural was how I spent my days, until some force greater than myself pulled me into her subconscious mind. I lost track of time watching her and keeping the nightmares at bay for her. The moment it seemed like her thoughts were about to turn I stepped in, redirecting her to the happy dreams she deserves, the ones filled with the same light that shines brightly from her essence.
The supernaturals that roam the Earth might think of us as monsters, that all we’re meant for is to feed on nightmares, but we’re so much more than that. We can manipulate dreams however we want, creating the most horrifying scenes or the most breathtaking ones. Fear isn’t the only emotion we feed on though. No, we can also feed on lust and sexual pleasure, which is my preferred method.
But I hadn’t fed on her before that night a few weeks ago. It didn’t feel right that she didn’t know. I wanted her to see me, to know that I’m the one who’s bringing her the pleasure she craves and not some man from her memory. I was so consumed with watching her dreams and so repulsed by the thought of feeding on anyone else that I’d let myself nearly starve. I finally relented and was about to find someone to feed on, resigned to prey on their fear, when she appeared in the void.
I almost hadn’t believed my eyes, assuming she was just a figment of the realm, my mind showing me what I truly wanted, but she was really here. With her in front of me, that bond that I had only felt faintly before solidified in an instant, snapping from my chest to hers and confirming my suspicions.She’s my mate.
It isn’t common to have a human or other supernatural as a mate, and most of the time if that happens the shade lives with their bond mate not even knowing they exist. But she found me, and she was even more gorgeous than in her dreams. Her pleasure was the most intoxicating energy I’ve ever felt. The connection we share just ratchets that thrill even higher. We barely had any time together, and yet, her pleasure filled me more than the most glutenous night I’ve ever had. I’m still satiated even weeks later.
“Aria,” I whisper, and my voice fades out into the void with nothing to reverberate off of. The dream realm is where we’re able to create a new world from nothing as well as how we get into the minds of those who are asleep. There’s no door that’s visible to someone’s subconscious. It’s more like a map of light that exists in our minds, but the connection to the dream realm is what gives us the power to not just be a witness and edge a dream in a certain direction, but to construct it from nothing, making our own world, our own reality.
I’ve been keeping an eye on her through her dreams because it isn’t safe for her to return, yet I have to see her again. I have to warn her of what’s happening because being mated to me might put her in danger.
A form flickers to life in front of me, and I vanish in a swirl of black smoke as I watch the body slowly appear. My heart thunders as her legs take shape in the silky black pajama shorts she must’ve worn to bed. Her torso emerges next, and the black camisole flutters in the silent breeze that sweeps her into existence. Anticipation thrums through me as her long neck blinks into sight, and my eyes rove over the expanse of bare skin as her face reveals itself next. Her long caramel-brown hair flutters around her as she searches the void for someone—for me.
“Little witch,” I whisper, floating closer and letting a tendril of dark smoke materialize to feather a light, teasing touch along her collarbone. I soak in the lust that wafts off her from just that graze, and nearly groan at the intoxicating rush as it permeates every sense that I have.
She shudders at the touch and goosebumps raise in my wake. If I didn’t already taste the desire that one caress evoked in her, it would be obvious by her look of ecstasy.
“Damon?” she breathes, searching for me in the void. A shudder runs through me at the sound of my name on her lips, and I wish I could give her everything she craves, that I could start where we left off the last time, but seconds already tick by too quickly.
I shift the void and make our own little paradise, away from any prying eyes. None of the others get to even look at her, and I’d curse them to the fiery pits of hell if they ever try to sneak into her lovely dreams.
The waves crest against the soft white sand and the palm trees sway in a silent breeze, helping to ease even some of my worries. I wish we could stay here forever, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards for us.
“Aria,” I growl, unable to stop myself or keep her scintillating name off my tongue. A moan slips from her lips, her knees quaking as I curl my shadows along her arms. I know I need to stop this, to tell her what’s happening, but if these are my last moments I can’t say goodbye without feeling every inch of her skin before it ends. “I’ve missed you.”
I don’t mean for the words to come out, but when they do I know I mean them. Watching her from her dreams isn’t the same as having her in front of me, her body nearly fully formed, ready and willing for me to devour.
“I’ve missed you too,” she whimpers as my shadows curl over the curve of her breasts and wrap around her nipples, stroking them into hard peaks. “How did I get here?”
The shadows swirl around me as my form appears before her, my chest heaving as I fight against the lust pushing me forward. I close my eyes and focus on the bond that links our souls together, using that as my tether to clear the delicious haze of desire clouding my mind. I can’t give into that carnal need, regardless of what might happen to me. We’re more than this, more than sex and pleasure. We’re mates, and I must make sure she stays safe.
Slowly, the shadows that coil around the tight peaks dissipate into nothing and retreat back into my form. She whimpers as they vanish and my eyes flash open at the sound as I fight against the urge to fulfill every fantasy my little witch has ever had. She steps towards me but I take a step back, needing to keep some distance between us before I lose my mind again.
“I need some space,” I blurt and take another step back. “I need to explain but there isn’t much time, and you are far too tempting my delectable little witch.”
Her lips tug up as amusement dances in her eyes, but she remains where she is, her hands propping on her hips as she waits for me to continue. I keep my eyes firmly locked on hers, rather than exploring the curves of her body again.
