AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I did.”
He waits a moment, but I don’t speak. “Why?” he finally asks.
“I’m not sure. I missed you.”
He smiles, his handsome features lighting up. “I missed you as well. Does this mean you are ready to return to our dreams?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I’m not entirely surewhatthis means. Like I said, I missed you. But I also don’t feel like I truly know who and what you are.”
He shrugs. “I’m anything. I’m everything. I am monster and man. I am panic and passion.” He kneels in front of me and takes my hands in his. “But most of all, I am yours. If you will have me.”
That makes something inside me feel shimmery. I know I compared him to Evan, but they aren’t alike. Evan truly was a monster. Callister is just a Nightmare King trying to figure out how to understand a human.
His statement carries a lot of weight. But it’s not enough.
“I don’t know how to trust you.”
“That’s fair,” he says. “Human values and ethics are foreign to me, and I cannot change what I am. All I can do is try to treat you well. Try to learn. If you will show me.”
Isthatenough?
“I’ve never had a normal romantic relationship before. Evan was my first boyfriend—if you can call him that—and after that went so spectacularly wrong, I shied away from them completely. I’m not even sure I know what a healthy relationship is,” I say.
“Is that what you want with me? A romantic relationship?”
I blink. “Isn’t that what you want?”
“Yes, of course. But I have never had what you would characterize as a normal relationship either. I am a monster king, surrounded by lesser demons. There is no one in my realm suited to be queen, and before you, I was never interested in humans romantically.”
He pauses for a moment, then resumes. “I know how to take you to the Nightmare Realm, how to explore dreams with you. I could make you a queen. I could give you pleasure and let you play in the dreams of others. But I don’t think that’s what you want, and I don’t know what else I have to offer you.”
His words break my heart. I’m certain he has a lot to offer, but he doesn’t realize it. He sees himself as this one-dimensional being with a single purpose, and maybe, compared to humans, he is. He doesn’t have a family, or hobbies, or interests, really. Just his job. But I know there’s more to him, that he can grow. That he can become more. He keeps demonstrating that.
I just have to decide if I’m willing to give him the chance.
“You’re not only the King of Nightmares,” I tell him. “You’re caring, you can be kind, you helped me when Evan came to kill me. You tried to protect me in your own way, by shielding me from the nightmares that plagued me. And you’re sexy. The times we had together, even if they were just dreams…” I blush and take a breath. “They were the best I’ve ever had.”
A little smirk forms on his face. Monster he may be, but he’s still male and men like to be praised for their prowess.
“You enjoyed our dreams together?”
“You know I did. Your shapeshifting ability is very handy when it comes to meting out pleasure. I’d be curious…” I let the thought trail off.
“Curious about what?”
I can feel my cheeks getting hotter. “Curious about what you’re like in your natural form. I assume this is it, right?” I say, gesturing to him. He’s at least seven feet tall, with lean muscles and those interesting whorls on his skin. “And whether it would be as good when I’m awake,” I add. I’d like to tug on his horns and wrap his long hair up in my hands.
“This is my true form, yes.” His smirk broadens. “In my world, the demons serve me. But here, in your realm, I would be happy to serve you, if that is what you wish,” he says suggestively.
I raise my eyebrows. “Is that so?” In the past two weeks, my life has basically returned to normal. I’m back to baking and boxing, making up for my missed shifts at Queen of Tarts and giving Oaklyn a much-deserved break. But my dreams have been lonely and boring, and my waking life has seemed…lacking. Like I’ve just been going through the motions.
Maybe this is exactly what I need.
To shake things up. To take some risks. To actuallylivea little.
“Take off your clothes,” I demand. He’s only wearing leather pants, a belt, and his crown, but I want all of that off of him. He grins at me as he complies, stripping to the skin. The whorls continue down his legs, but I’m distracted by what dangles between them. His cock is thick and long, the same dark gray as the rest of him. And the underside is ridged with multiple piercing studs.
I was pierced down below once, at Evan’s request, and it did add to the fun. I eventually took the barbell out, as part of the whole “washing Evan completely out of my life” thing, and I’ve never regretted it. But seeing Callister’s piercings reminds me of the added sensation. “This is going to be fun,” I say.
