I arch a brow.
And she slowly looks back up at me. “This… isn’t real?”
“It’s as real as you want it to be,” I tell her.
“But it’s a dream?”
“Yes.” I draw my fingers up her spine to the back of her neck. “You’re in my world now, Serapina.”
“So you’re… actually here?”
“In a way,” I hedge, smiling. “You’re still in Hades’s labyrinth, but obviously asleep.”
Her nose scrunches. “Oh. So you could just be a figment of my imagination.”
I nod. “That’s true. But I’m the God of Dreams, sweetheart. So I could truly be here, too.”
“Hmm, maybe. However, I also know that, which means this could still be in my head,” she replies before looking around. “It would make sense that I wanted to continue what was happening in the cave.”
My eyebrow glides upward. “And what was happening in the cave?” I ask, my voice dropping to a lower volume, one meant for the bedroom.
The way her nipples stiffen against my chest tells me she’s not immune to my charm. Or maybe it’s because she’s thinking about what led us to disrobing and walking into that lagoon. “You were going to teach me about your knot,” she whispers.
“I was,” I reply, my lips curling a little. “I still can, if that’s your desire.” Because I would do anything to please her. To know her. Toearnher.
She’s incredible. So resilient. Intelligent. Strong. Independent.
Her life hasn’t been easy, and she’s currently trapped in Hades’s maze, yet she looks up at me with such sincerity and interest in her alluring blue eyes.
“Hades told me I’ll crave a knot during my heat,” she informs me.
“Oh?” My intrigue is piqued. “Did he say anything else?”
She swallows and nods. “He said I’ll want to be hunted… because I’ll want to test my potential mates.”
I dip my chin. “He’s right. Omegas love primal play, as do Alphas. And although Maliki isn’t an Alpha, I’m sure he’ll enjoy chasing you, too.”
Serapina shivers. “Because I’ll want to… breed?”
“That’s the purpose of a heat, yes,” I murmur. “But all of us will understand if that’s not what you truly desire, little dreamer.” Though, admittedly, it will be a bit disappointing, as the notion of a pregnant Serapina is arousing as fuck.
I won’t care whose seed takes inside her womb; I’ll still love her and the life inside her equally. Because creation is magic. And the concept of being part of that creation is divine in nature. A miracle.
I just want to be a witness to that moment and help nurture the gift of life.
“Your expression… you look wistful?” she says, one of her hands traveling up my chest to my neck to trace the line of my jaw with a single fingertip. “You desire a child?”
It’s such an observant question, one that confirms how well Serapina pays attention to those around her. Always studying and reading into situations. That skill is no doubt a product of her harsh upbringing, the ability to evaluate everyone and everything around her a means for survival.
But she uses it now as a way to ascertain my wants and wishes, even though I was primarily focused on her.
“Alphas exist to gift our seed to Omegas and aid in the creation of life,” I tell her honestly. “So yes, it has long been my desire to have a child. But I’ve waited millennia,Serapina. A few more decades or centuries won’t bother me.”
Her eyes widen. “Centuries?”
“Or decades,” I add. “I did say ‘decades,’ too.”
“You would waitcenturiesfor me to be ready?” she asks, ignoring my “decades” commentary altogether.
