The alcove was lined with moss that glowed softly, providing gentle light. The air was thick with mist that tasted like magic and promises. And the way Kaelren was looking at me—like I was something he wanted to devour and worship in equal measure—made every nerve in my body light up with anticipation.
“Elle,” he said, and my name in his mouth sounded like a prayer and a threat.
“Kaelren,” I replied, moving closer.
He caught me before I could close the distance, one hand fisting in my wet hair, tilting my head back. “I need you to understand something.”
“What?”
“This might be a dream, but what I want to do to you?” His voice dropped lower, intimate and dark. “That’s real. And when we wake up, when we’re back in the waking world, I’m going to make every moment of this a reality. Do you understand?”
I could barely breathe. “Yes.”
“Good.” He released me, stepping back. “Now, I’m going to show you exactly what I’ve been thinking about since the first time you challenged me in that forest.”
Wisteria vines erupted from the moss-covered walls—vibrant purple blossoms releasing a heady scent that made my head spin. They moved with purpose, wrapping gently but firmly around my wrists, my ankles, lifting me out of the water and slightly off the ground until I was suspended in the alcove, spread bare before him.
“Kaelren—”
“No,” he said, his voice hard. “Words are done. From now on, the only things I want to hear are the sounds you make when you lose control and scream my name. Understood?”
I nodded, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.
“Good girl.”
He moved to sit on a moss-covered ledge, deliberately putting distance between us. His eyes roamed over me with possessive hunger, taking in every detail like he was memorizing the moment.
“Do you know what I thought the first time I saw you?” he asked, his voice conversational but edged with darkness. “I thought you were going to die. That you were too soft, too human, too unprepared for this world. I thought I’d have to watch you break.”
More vines emerged, these ones thin and delicate, beginning to trace patterns across my skin. They moved like living things—curious, exploratory, maddeningly gentle.
“But you didn’t break,” he continued. “You fought. You adapted. Youchallenged me at every turn. And gods, Elle, do you have any idea how much that made me want you?”
A vine circled my breast, squeezing gently, and I couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped.
“That’s it,” he said, his voice rough with approval. “I want to hear every sound you make. Every gasp, every moan, every desperate plea when you need more.”
The vines continued their exploration. Some traced patterns across my stomach, my thighs, leaving trails of tingling sensation. Others were more direct—one wrapping around my other breast, squeezing in rhythm with the first. The sensation was maddening, too gentle and too much all at once.
“When we do this for real,” Kaelren said, and I watched his hand move to stroke himself slowly, “I’m going to take my time. I’m going to taste every inch of you, learn what makes you tremble, what makes you beg.”
Venus fly traps bloomed into existence, smaller than their mundane counterparts but no less fascinating. They attached themselves to my nipples with gentle pressure that made me cry out—not quite pain, but intense sensation that bordered on overwhelming.
“Fuck,” I gasped, and he smiled—dark and satisfied.
“You like that?” He stroked himself faster, his eyes never leaving me. “You like being at my mercy, spread out for me to watch?”
“Yes,” I admitted, past the point of pride.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I like it. I like—” I broke off as a vine slid between my thighs, not entering but teasing, sliding through the wetness that had nothing to do with the pool. “Oh gods—”
“Not gods,” he corrected. “Me. I’m the one doing this to you. Making you shake, making you wet, making you desperate.”
He was right. The vine between my legs continued its maddening exploration, sliding through my folds with deliberate slowness. Another joined it, this one focusing entirely on my clit with small, pulsing movements that made me whimper.
“That’s better,” Kaelren said, his breathing heavier now. “Keep makingthose sounds. I want to know exactly how close you are.”
