She looks down at herself, her lips parting in an expression that falls just short of a smile. Isn’t that always the way with my little bird, always flying from trouble straight into my arms. No doubt that big heart of hers has been her downfall again. What tragedy will my mind produce to bring her to me this time? She’s already mine, but I’ll play. I’ll enjoy every minute of it.
“Damien,” she says, reaching for me. “I don’t know how long we have.”
I swagger toward her, a cool night breeze surrounding us with the scent of roses. Our eyes meet, and I see her breath catch in her throat. Slowly I trail two fingers along her full bottom lip, her jaw, the pulse of her left artery. Down, down, lower. Between her breasts where the sleek edge of the robe wraps silkily around the edge of my fingers along with the weight and warmth of her breasts.
Her chin lifts on a throaty moan, her lids growing heavy. “Oh my God, I forgot how overwhelming it feels to be near you,” she says softly. “But we need to talk.” She grabs the sides of my face like she’s trying to get my attention.
I don’t want to talk, and this is my dream. I capture her mouth with my own, circling her waist with my hands. My tongue explores the map of her mouth, her teeth, her tongue, the inside of her cheeks, ignoring her tiny protests. There isn’t a single part of her I don’t want to taste.
With a leisurely tug, I unfasten her belt, and the robe parts between us.
“Damien…” she protests breathlessly.
Palming the back of her head, I massage the base of her skull, carefully calibrating my touch to the intensity that makes her breath draw lazily into her lungs and the naked front of her body stretch against me. I move my kisses to her ear, her throat, carefully kindling the fire within her. Her spine is a string of pearls. I drag my touch along one mound, then the next. Slowly, seductively.
“Oh my God, you feel so good. But listen, I need to… I need to…” Her hands are in my hair, her breath against my chest. She’s smaller than me, my little bird, but I don’t mind bending to her height. Wouldn’t mind falling to my knees and tasting her. My hands smooth over her ass, gently coaxing her feet apart. Her breath catches.
“Damien, please, listen to me. Please.” Something in her voice gives me pause, dream or not, and I draw back to look at her. Fuck, the peaks of her full breasts are clearly visible through the gauzy fabric and the robe is open, giving me a delectable view of warm, naked flesh from the hollow of her throat to her glistening sex.
A possessive growl rumbles in my chest. My cock throbs to be inside her, but I’m distracted by a sound. A persistent ticking fills the garden. I search for the source.
“Damien,” she says again, and there’s a note of exasperation in her voice. The ticking grows louder. There! I spot the grandfather clock from Eloise’s parlor at the edge of the walkway. My eyes narrow at the annoyance, and I try to send it away in the same way I changed Eloise’s clothes and lit the candles, but it persists.
“This doesn’t belong,” I whisper, my throat suddenly as raspy and dry as it is in real life.
“It’s me.” Eloise grabs me by the face again, looking desperate now. “I drank a potion to journey into your dream. I’m here. This is really me.”
I shuffle away from her. Is this some kind of trick by the Kims? Some new torture? Now they’re using my mind against me.
She holds out her hand. “I’ve been doing everything in my power to get you back. I even went to see Morpheus.”
“Morpheus?” My mind scrambles for an explanation. “What cursed magic is this?” I look around myself. “If this is a trick, I will never give up her name. Not even in my dreams.”
“It’s not a trick.” She brings a hand to her sternum. “Morpheus told me the vampire queen took you, but he won’t help me get you back. Where are you? How can I help get you out?” Her eyes line with silver.
Is it possible this is really happening? I have no experience with astral projection, but all my senses tell me that Eloise is with me. Her body, her scent, it’s too familiar. Too perfect. She moves closer. I jerk back.
Her brow furrows. “It’s me, Eloise.” Her hand flattens against her bare chest, then presses against mine, right over my heart. “Oh God, Damien, I’ve missed you so much. I found the spell in my parents’ grimoire. Maeve helped me with the ingredients.” She gestures behind her. “The grandfather clock is my anchor so that I can find my way back to the parlor. I don’t know how long this will last. You need to tell me how we can help you.”
“Eloise?” No one in Valeska’s camp would know about the parlor or the clock or her real name. Even if they’d discovered her identity, they couldn’t reproduce her in my mind like this. Her soft curves, her luscious pomegranate-and-narcissus scent.
Her eyes widen. “Yes! It’s me.”
“My mate.” I draw her into my arms again, hugging her to me as my eyes burn with an onslaught of emotions. Longing, fear for her safety, desperation to get back to her, love, need. I can’t sort them all.
My mouth finds hers again, but she cuts the kiss short. “I don’t want to stop, but I have to know where to find you. Tell me. I’ll… I’ll find help to come for you.”
“Come for me?” When I realize she’s serious, I take her by the shoulders, scowling at the thought. “No, little bird. You must not come for me under any circumstances.”
“Little bird?” She releases a sharp breath, the line between her brows growing more pronounced. “What happened to calling me little dragon?”
“When the sky is as large as the universe, even dragons look like little birds against it.”
“I freed you, Damien. I killed Tony. I… I have magic. I just need help or maybe the right spell?—”
“No!” I say firmly. “I know you are powerful, my mate. The strongest woman I’ve ever met. But your power will not save you against Valeska. She has an entire hive of vampires at her mercy. You will never reach me alive if you try. Do you understand that?”
She shoves out of my grip, her expression souring with mounting rage. “I can if you tell me where you are! I’ll use the key. I’ll pass through the underworld and come to you. The same symbol can bring us back.”
