“Yeah,” she answered, still steadying herself.
“And the way you kicked him and pinned him to the floor!” The guard mimicked a high kick in the air, grinning. “Epic! Welcome back to Ember Reach, traitor!”
“Ha, ha, yeah, totally.” Rynna forced a laugh, still trying to shake off the adrenaline. “Thanks for the backup earlier.”
“Anytime, ma’am!” He gave her a precise salute before returning to his post by the door.
“Right.” She ran a hand through her hair as she started walking away. “Right.”
She needed to brief Lady Takara before the nightly operations meeting with the Wardens. The new intel had to reach the front lines as soon as possible if the deployed regiments had any chance of survival.
Chapter thirty-three
Rynnalayinthatthick, heavy space between sleep and waking, the edges of the dreamworld bleeding into reality. The pillow beside her was empty, an ache of absence settling where Fenn should have been. The room felt cooler without him, or at least, it had. But now, warmth crept in, thick and unnatural, pressing against her skin like an unwanted caress. She tried to look up, tried to turn her head or move her arms, but her body refused to obey.
Blood rushed in her ears, not from fear, but from the gnawing frustration building inside her. She knew what was coming. The same thing that had come the last four nights. Anger roared through her—anger that she was powerless, trapped in her own body, unable to expel the hallucination or whatever it was. But the deeper truth, the one that made her nostrils flare, was that her disgust had slowly begun to shift to something else. Something darker. Something that felt too much like anticipation.
A sound broke the silence. It was a soft, rhythmic noise like scales slithering over tile. Then, a hiss, soft but unmistakable, filled the room.
He’s here.
She tried to clench her fists, tried to sit up, scream, anything to force herself out of this nightmare, but her limbs remained heavy, paralyzed. All she could do was watch the ceiling, her mind alert, as her body betrayed her.
Then she felt it, the weight, unhurried and deliberate, pulling at the covers over her feet. The woven fabric of the blankets felt impossibly heavy, boring down on her. She strained to look, her neck stiff as iron, but all she could see was the blankets moving, disturbed by something crawling beneath them. Her breath caught as the sensation reached her, a heavy touch sliding against her bare foot. The skin was not cool and slick as she'd expect from a snake, but hot, rough, almost burning, as it slid over her ankle, then up the side of her leg.
What she knew would be a massive black serpent slithered its way toward her. She felt its mass pressing into her legs, each inch of its body, a heavy drag that sent an involuntary shiver through her paralyzed form. Her heart hammered harder, heat pooling in her belly and lower as the forked tongue flicked out, tasting her skin in short, tantalizing bursts.
She wanted to recoil. She wanted to scream, but her body remained unresponsive.
Liar.Such a liar.A darker part of herself, an older part, laughed. Her ribs shrank around her lungs as the serpent continued its slow ascent, its body coiling ever closer, ever tighter.
Soon, its thick, muscular form slid between her thighs as it made its way to her stomach, the friction maddening as it moved with slow, rippling force.
Stars above, her core seized as it slid over her, its firm body pushing through the center of her legs, sending waves of heat and pressure with every twitch. It moved as if it knew every piece, every part of her that she generally tried to keep hidden. Those darker parts that called for something more than any normal, sane person would ever be willing to give.
It moved as if to say,I will give you that; you only need to let me. Let me.
The snake that was Kaelith flexed against her, its massive head sliding up her torso until it nestled between her breasts. Its tongue flicked out, tasting the air, then teasing against a nipple in a delicate, almost possessive gesture.
Fuck!Her hips bucked at the unexpected pleasure of that light touch, the sensation rippling through her like fire.
Then the snake looked up, its dark, glossy eyes locking onto hers. She saw the man behind them, hidden in the depths of the serpent’s gaze. She knew the question it was asking. The same question it had asked for the past four nights.
Each time, she had said no. And each time, the snake had simply settled into the crook of her body, curling around her to sleep until morning, leaving her both frustrated and strangely invigorated in the morning. But tonight…tonight. Maybe tonight…
Suddenly, a knock echoed through the room, shattering the silence. Rynna's eyes flew open, and the snake hissed, a long, low sound of anger, its massive form tensing beneath the sheets. It reared back as if it would strike at the intruder, but before it could, the creature vanished, dissolving into the air as she jerked fully awake, her body covered in a light sheen of sweat.
The knock came again, louder this time.
“Coming!” Her voice croaked as she sat up, her heart still pounding, the last remnants of the dream clinging to her skin.
Rynna stumbled out of bed, disoriented and half-aware of the world around her. The floor boards beneath her feet felt uneven as she navigated the room. Her foot caught on something, maybe a sandal or her bag, sending her tripping forward with a curse. She barely caught herself on the end of the kitchen table, shaking against the phantom heat of the serpent still licking on her skin.
She shook her head, trying to clear the fog, and reached for the door. When she yanked it open, Lady Takara was mid-knock, her fist inches from Rynna’s face.
“Oh!” Takara pulled back just in time. “There you are!”
Rynna blinked, her eyes still struggling to adjust to the harsh daylight pouring into the room. “Yeah, where else would I be...” she mumbled groggily before straightening at the sight of Takara's stern expression. “Ma’am,” she corrected herself quickly, wiping at her face and trying to appear more presentable.
