With a roar, Astaroth locked up against me, his body bowing back and his hands clenching. Somehow, he kept from cutting me with his claws, but if I moved too much, I might wound myself. I went still, staring up at his primal beauty as the dream offered me sensations that didn't exist. This wasn't really happening. Despite my certainty, heat filled me, Star's cock pulsed, and then, our pure souls merged, his drawing mine into it, mimicking what I did with his flesh. My epiphany drowned in him.
Star shifted back to his normal form as he leaned forward, his skin fading from red to golden brown, his black hair shortening to a modern style, and his Demon accessories vanishing—the horns, claws, wings, and tail. All of it left as he rolled with me in the hammock to bring me into his arms.
I lay my head on Star's chest and sighed. The hammock cradled us, holding us together while a nearby bird sang us a lullaby. It was perfect. I wound my legs with his and decided to stay there with him forever.
“Seren,” Star's sex-deepened voice gave me shivers. He brushed his lips across my forehead. “I want more than this.”
I went still. “What do you mean?”
He leaned back to look at me. “I want you to be my queen.”
I frowned, memories flitting through my confused mind. When I had first gone to him, I wasn't his. Not truly. But now I was, wasn't I? Was I?
“Aren't I already your queen?”
Star lifted an eyebrow, his expression shifting into the sardonic mask he often wore. “You don't know?”
“No,” I whispered, suddenly scared. “Why don't I know?”
He sighed and brushed my hair back. “Because you won't accept it. I'm here with you fully. I know where we are and what this is. I've accepted that this is all I can have of you for now. My mind isn't caging me. But you, love, have too much holding you back. You can't accept that you want me, that we're fated, so you block out everything that holds you back.”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Seren, I've languished in this paradise with you for too long. You've learned how to separate yourself from your other life while you're here. Your denial is so great that it manifests here.” He nodded toward the wall around the garden. “You've built walls around us, my love. And I've let you. I've let you because I wanted it. I wanted you to forget them and focus on me. I was selfish. I don't want to share you. I won't!” His grip tightened. “But I want more than this. I want more than your dreams. More than fantasies in your mind. You and I are morethan lovers. We were never pawns in God's game. We recognized each other from the start. Who else have you shared that kind of connection with? Tiernan? Raza? How about Killian?”
Each name struck me as a lash, making me flinch. Their faces came to me. I gasped as I remembered. “This is a dream!” I shoved him.
Astaroth held me still. “Stop, Seren. I would never hurt you. You know that. Just stop fighting me.”
I stilled. “Star, I can't do this.”
“Answer the question. Did you recognize any of them when you first met?” Star put a finger to my lips when I started to speak. “No, not Danu's Call. Not even Anu's. You know what I'm talking about, Seren. It was different with me, wasn't it? You know in your soul that if you'd met me first, none of them would have gotten through to you. It's the reason they're so opposed to me. You have special bonds with each of them, but what you have with me is different. We are the apex. Take away the magic and the whims of the Gods, and we are still here, still deeply drawn to each other. This is more powerful than love. It's untouchable. It's—”
A chime interrupted him.
Star frowned. “Seren?”
I blinked.
The chiming got louder.
“Seren, don't go!” He grabbed my upper arms. “No! Not yet! Seren!”
I felt myself slipping through his hands.
“Twelve days, Seren! I will come for you in twelve days!”
Chapter Six
I woke up disoriented and blinked until my eyes adjusted to the moonlight. On the bedside table, my scry phone chimed. With consciousness returning like a bullet, I dove for the phone. Killian stirred beside me. He sat up as I opened the leather case and swiped the crystal.
“What time is it?” Killian murmured. He glanced at the clock. “Two? Who the fuck is scrying you at 2 AM?”
“I don't know.”
The vestiges of my dream burned to ash and floated away as the mist condensed. Oh, Gods! Was it Star? I should have gotten out of bed. But no, Star had tried to keep me in the dream. He couldn't be the one who was scrying.
The mist focused into the face of my son, Falcas. His silver eyes were wide. I'd never seen him so worried.
