CHAPTER 11

Faye leaned her head back on the smooth rocks. She closed her book using her finger to hold her page as she stretched her arms overhead. She'd been soaking for more than an hour. Standing, Faye abandoned her spring for a lounge chair. After drying off, she draped her fluffy robe over her as a makeshift blanket.

She set the book down, splayed open on her lap to hold her page. The sound of running water and the birdsong overhead lulled her. It was still early afternoon. Faye yawned, covering her mouth. She could afford a catnap. She closed her eyes, listening to the forest.

Falling asleep before she realized.

A dream arose. This wasn't like her usual dreams that took shape softly. This was jarring, snatching her to another place. A steady, low roar seemed to come from all around her.

She grabbed at the ground to steady herself. No, not ground. This was too soft. Faye blinked, realizing she lay on her stomach in a large bed covered in a heavy blanket. The dark silk sheets snagged on her nails.

She pulled her hand free, tearing the silk. Faye examined her nails in disbelief. They were thicker and curled, ending in sharp points. Claws?

Her vision adjusted slowly as she looked over the room. She could see the walls were dark but couldn't make them out yet. She glanced over the large four post bed, draped in dark silk. She knew this bed. This was Fang's bed.

Even her perfect dark-blooded man was still a typical dark-blood underneath. Excessive and wasteful. This bed could fit four people easily. No one needed this much room. And silk? The sheets alone would cost more than she made each month selling her potions and ointments.

Faye thought back, remembering she decided to take a nap at the hot spring. But she felt awake here. Faye could hear Sparrow's teasing voice.Maybe the Shadow Prince is poaching you.

The thought sent a chill up her spine. She cast it away. She wasn't being poached. She was an Anarian, nothing worth poaching. And even if they did want something, they wouldn't leave her aware. She would be dreaming of fangs right now, not alone in his bed.

Faye sat up on her heels. Dressed in her swimsuit, but she wasn't cold. The weight on her back didn't slide off. Shifting her shoulders, her eyes widened.

She had wings. Real wings. They were like Vashien's but smaller, and the scales shimmered in whites, greens, and purples. Faye bounced on the bed, pumping her wings. She disturbed the air around her, tossing her hair wildly. She had to tell Sparrow about this.

Faye's vision cleared enough to see the rest of the room. The curved walls were made of a swirling mist that churned constantly. Tendrils of sharp, glowing purple twisted inside it, illuminating its depths.

She remembered this place. Faye crawled to the edge of the bed, spotting white sand that covered the floor. This was one of her dreams. She slept as he held her in his arms. She could almost feel him running his fingers through her hair while she rested her head on his chest. His heartbeat lulled her to sleep. The simple act meant so much to her. He cherished her.

She wouldn't mind curling up to him now.

Faye half expected him to appear in bed next to her. Wasn't that how lucid dreams worked?

She glanced at the empty side of the bed, running her fingertips along the sheets. Her claws snagged the material, lifting it as she pulled her hand away.

Faye tested the points of her claws and straightened.

A man stood inches from her, beside the bed.

She gasped, stopping short of swiping her new claws at him.

He glanced at her hand before pinning her with his gaze. "Apologies."

Darkness, his voice. It was deep with an accent she couldn't place. This lucid dreaming was amazing. These weren't flashes of moments or glimpses of him. She could actually see him. He was tall, dressed in a tailored black suit. His long white-blonde hair hung loosely around him.

His eyes were different, a clear, piercing blue. No trace of the black crimson that covered his eyes during the other dreams or the shadows that swayed beneath them. He was still nice to look at. His sharp jawline, straight nose, and those kissable lips.

Without his bad eyeliner, he seemed… tame.

His gaze lowered over her body for a moment. The corner of his mouth lifted as he met her gaze. He didn't stop at her bare index finger or ask her what court she belonged to. He didn't see what she lacked. He saw her.

Wanted her.

She pulled him to her by his jacket. Her lips met his in an urgent kiss. In those first moments, he didn't respond. His rejection stung her, cutting deeper than she expected.

Faye pulled away, but he followed, moving with her in a fluid motion. She stared at him as he leaned closer. His lids slid closed, and their lips touched. He met her with a slower, soft kiss. Pulling her in, holding her against the hard planes of his body. His fingers traced over her lower back. She parted her lips for him as he kissed her with short, languid strokes.

Darkness, he felt so right. His scent of amber and sandalwood caressed her senses. He was made for her. Her perfect, dark-blooded man. Faye closed her eyes, losing herself in the feel of him.

She'd kissed a handful of boys and a few men before she invoked her blood. None of them compared. They'd all wanted something from her, something she could offer. Faye never gave in, knowing once they took what they wanted, they would discard the rest.

When fangs held her, she felt their connection, a tangible bond between them. She was all he saw, and for once, she wasn't lacking. With him, she was enough.

A small part of her knew the only reason he looked at her with such reverie was because she made him up. Men like him didn't exist. Faye shoved the nagging voice down. She was dreaming. This was real enough.

He slowed, sliding his hand into her hair as his thumb traced her jaw. "Tell me your name." He rasped between kisses.

Faye pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as she rolled her hips. "You're overdressed fangs."

He chuckled, smiling against her lips. "Am I?"

She brushed her hand down the front of his throat, petting his chest. His muscles tightened and flexed as he pulled off his jacket. She fought the urge to sink her claws into those hard muscles and pull him to her. She wanted him closer. Needed more of him.

"And you talk too much." Faye sighed against his lips.

"Minx."

Faye flicked her tongue to his bottom lip, giving it a playful lick while she held his gaze. Crimson spread through the whites of his eyes. The same way dye would when poured into water. But it dissipated, his ice blue gaze returning.

Faye bit the inside of her lip. Maybe fangs weren't so tame.

She kissed the corner of his mouth, his jaw. He lifted his chin and purred as she trailed kisses down his neck.

"Plan on biting me again?"

Faye unbuttoned his shirt and found her dark oval of teeth marks. She pressed a soothing kiss to it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." She pressed her hand against his chest, the vibrations of his purr reverberating through him. "This startled me."

His lips brushed her ear. "I may ask you to do it again." He brushed the side of his face along hers. "If you allow me to reciprocate."

Faye parted her lips, spreading her hand over his chest. "I'll think about it." She pressed her hands higher, feeling his purr. At his chest, the vibrations were weak, but as she moved higher, they intensified. Fangs smirked as she brushed her fingertips over his mouth. She gasped when he bit her index finger, holding her with his teeth.

His purr reverberated through his mouth, tickling the tip of her finger.

Faye pulled her hand back, needing more of him. "Touch me." She pulled him down with her as she laid on her back, her wings outstretched above her.

Her vampire guided her legs around his waist. He kissed her collarbone, the side of her neck. In her ear, he purred, "Tell me your name."

Frustration mounted in her, she wanted his mouth on her, but he wouldn't shut up about her name. Without thinking, she gripped the front of his throat and immediately dropped her hand. What was wrong with her? "I'm sorry." Faye lowered her gaze. Shame burned her. She was taking what she wanted from him. Behaving no better than the dark-blooded men she despised.

He brushed her hair from her face. His purr softened as he coaxed her to meet his gaze. This close, she could see flecks of yellow in the blue of his eyes.

"You have nothing to apologize for." He gave her a dazzling smile. "Vampires appreciate aggression." A crimson so dark it was nearly black bled through his gaze. Those lovely shadows crept from beneath his eyes, swaying over his cheekbones. He lowered his head, nuzzling her throat. His lips brushed her ear as he whispered, "I crave it."

She drew him in. Faye knew she shouldn't, but she preferred him this way. His dark gaze felt right, his eyes holding so much more emotion like this. She could see his yearning. How much he needed her.

He lifted his chin, a lock of his long white-blonde hair falling forward. "I am yours to command."

Faye swallowed. She ran her fingers over the front of his throat before gripping him lightly.

He lowered his head, his lips meeting hers. Light and slow. A savoring kiss.

He pulled back after Faye was breathless and whispered in her ear, "Now grab my neck like you mean it."

Faye tightened her grip, and he obeyed as she guided him. She brought his lips a moment from hers. Arching up to him. The power she wielded over him was intoxicating.

But she was still unsure how to proceed. "Now what?"

"Command me."

Command? Faye didn't know where to start. There were so many things Sparrow told her about she wanted to try.

Her mind went back to the Hunter's Moon ball. The first night she glimpsed him. How she imagined sitting in his lap. Her nails scratched over the material of his suit with his mouth pressed to her neck. The moans he would elicit from her as he drank.

Wicked thoughts arose in her mind, scenes of him taking her body and drinking from her at the same time. Faye tightened her grip, meeting his heated gaze. "Drink me."

Faye released him. If this was her fantasy, she should have all of it. "And touch me if you can do more than one thing at a time."

His mouth lifted in a sexy grin, flashing a fang as he spoke. "Seeking a demonstration before you accept me?"

His words made her chest tighten. He wanted her acceptance. Hers. This wasn't real. Fangs was her dream. Something she desperately wanted but didn't exist.

Faye returned his smile, playing with a length of his hair. "You talk an awful lot."

"And still, you withhold your name."

"Does it really matter?"

He studied her and seemed to come to some decision. "Offer me your throat."

Faye turned her head to the side, baring the slender column of her neck. She sighed at his first touch. His mouth was hot. He nibbled and licked, not piercing her with his fangs.

Faye's breaths turned shallow as she parted her lips.

He caressed the swell of her breast and trailed his hand lower. Over her navel. Tracing his fingers along her hip and down her thigh.

"What court do you belong to?"

Faye's fantasy shattered. Years of resentment burned her desire to cinders.This poaching bitch.

Faye gripped the front of his throat, digging her claws in deep, so he knew she meant it. Darkness, she hoped he felt it. Hoped it carried to his actual body. She dragged him up to meet her fury.

Suddenly her lungs burned. Faye choked as her dream ended. Her surroundings snapped to blurred streaks of blue. She felt rocks and gravel.

She was underwater.