“Worse,” he promises. But doesn’t elaborate.
“Now I’m intrigued.”
“And you call me psychotic,” he drawls.
I lift a shoulder. “Two peas in a pod, right?”
His eyes widen. “Did you just use a humanism?”
I grunt. “Don’t get used to it.”
“Ohhh, I’m going to get used to it. In fact, I’m going toencourageit.” His smile grows. “I’m going to introduce Sera to all of my favorite phrases, make her whisper them to you while you sleep.”
I turn away from him, duly annoyed. “You’re wasting my time now.”
“I’m improving your vernacular,” he counters. “Making you more cultured. Introducing you to a whole new realm of?—”
“I’m going to go work on the labyrinth wards now,” I tell him, interrupting his inane chatter. “And I’ll consider talking to Morpheus.”
I don’t give him a chance to respond. Just mist.
All while thinking about the infamous God of Dreams. My cousin. The one who has also challenged me for millennia.
I really don’t want to have a conversation with him. But it seems I’m going to have to.The things I’m willing to do for my mates…
Chapter 22
Morpheus
Meanwhile…
There you are,pretty Omega,I think, finally finding my intended in the dream world. She’s naked and floating in a deep blue sea, her eyes closed, her arms outstretched.
My lips curl at the sight as I disrobe and step into the warm water, eager to join my little dreamer. “You told me you didn’t know how to swim,” I murmur. “Yet you seem to be doing just fine out here.”
She startles, her blue eyes opening toward the sky before searching for me. “What?” she asks, blinking a few times. “I don’t— Oh!” She tries to sit up and ends up spinning her arms in an awkward circular motion that leaves her floundering in the water.
I dive toward her, my arms coming around her andrighting her in the shallow lagoon, the water maybe three feet deep at most.
She stands and clings to me, her lashes fluttering as she takes a big gulp of air.
“You’re okay,” I murmur. “I have you. And more importantly, you can stand here.”This is also a dream, I nearly add, but she’s shivering, her adrenaline rush evident.
So I simply hold her instead.
“Just breathe,” I whisper, my lips against her ear. “Inhale… exhale… that’s it, Serapina. Now be a good girl and inhale again. Mmm, that’s right, sweetheart. Exhale.” I repeat the mantra a few more times, helping her to regulate her breathing, and eventually the shaking subsides.
“How did I end up h-here?” she asks, only a slight quaver in her tone.
“You’re dreaming,” I tell her. “And apparently your mind wanted to return you to the lagoon.” I glance around. “Only this is a pretty different backdrop. All dark skies with glittering stars and two very distinctive moons.”
It reminds me of the Netherworld.
Except there are no blue seas like this in that kingdom. Just the Blood River and a recently resurrected Creek of the Dead.
So this is a glorious combination of her experiences from Hades’s world and Mykonos. “I approve of the scenery,” I tell her, meaning it. “Especially your choice of wardrobe.” I look down at her breasts pillowed against my chest. “You’re beautiful, Serapina.”
She frowns, then follows my gaze down and gasps. “Oh!” Her palms go to my pecs like she’s going to push me away, but her nails bite into my skin instead as electricity hums between us.
