I swallow and shake my head. “No. Not really.” Because I don’t think the dream counts. And I didn’t really get to explore him much in that fantasy; it ended too early.
“Do you want to play with his knot?” Maliki presses.
“Yes,” I answer without hesitation. I feel like I’ve been waiting for eons to actually touch Morpheus. To stroke him. Tokisshim. To everything with him.
I… I want the same things with Maliki.
And maybe Hades, too.
If Hades even wants me.
A pang touches my heart, but I shove that thoughtfrom my mind, determined to focus on Maliki and Morpheus. They’re here with me now and finally want to touch me after two days of holding back.
Which has me wondering,What’s changed? Why now?
“Tell us what you’re thinking about, trouble,” Maliki says, his golden eyes searching my face. “Talk to us.”
“Yes, little dreamer. We want to hear your mind,” Morpheus adds against my ear, his palm giving my hip a squeeze. “We can’t properly please you unless you communicate.”
Communicateseems to be the word of the day.
But I suppose they’re right.
I want to trust them, to be with them, to… to explore whatever this is between us.
I’ve seen how Alina’s mate-circle works, have envied her lifestyle and dynamic. And it seems I might have a similar one forming around me.
If I embrace it.
If I trust fate.
Swallowing, I look up at Maliki and say, “You’ve barely touched me these last few days. I don’t understand what’s changed or why. And… and I’m thinking about Hades, too.” It’s a lot to admit. But why should I hold back? If they’re going to judge me for my thoughts, then they’re not the males for me, right?
Stars, when did I start thinking about a mate-circle and what I want from them?I wonder.When did this become my life?
“We’ve held back because we needed to know if Demeter is a risk,” Morpheus says, his thumb drawing circles again. “But Hades confirmed that she’s locked up and can’t touch you.”
My brow furrows as I try to glance back at him. “You talked to Hades?”
He shifts to let me roll to my back and goes up onto hiselbow like Maliki, the pair of them staring down at me. “Yes,” Morpheus confirms. “While you slept.”
“Oh.” I swallow. “So he returned… and left again?”
“No, he’s still here,” Morpheus informs me softly. “He’s working on something in the maze right now.”
I’m not sure why, but his words make me feel a little lighter. Like a weight has lifted from my chest. Only, I don’t understand why I haven’t seen Hades yet.
Is he avoiding me?I wonder.
Or perhaps he doesn’t want to see me with Morpheus and Maliki.
I know he doesn’t want to share. He’s made that clear. Yet he allowed them entry into the labyrinth. That has to mean something, right?
“Do you want to talk to him?” Morpheus offers.
“Only if he wants to talk to me,” I reply without thinking, then wince. “I mean… if he’s, er, not avoiding me? Us?” Thorns, I feel foolish. Why am I even questioning these things? “Never mind.”
Morpheus arches a brow. “No, Serapina. Nonever mindanything. If you want to talk to Hades, he’ll want to talk to you. He would never avoid you, little dreamer. He would, however, give you time to process everything.”
