Page 129 of Their Blood Queen

“Cage found it,” I say, rewarded by his mischievous smile.

“It’s linked to the Immortality Sector,” Cage explains. “It wasn’t difficult to find when I had the energy to dreamwalk again. But I wouldn’t have thought to look inside Cain’s mind when he suggested that we take our Sigil on a date,” he says, giving her a flick of his long tongue.

She giggles in delight. We’re maintaining our human forms for now, mostly because when we’re in our monster ones, we’re going to want to feast on our new mate.

Cage visibly restrains himself as he curls his tongue back in, and his eyes pulse with red light. He’s hungry, just as I am, but we aren’t in a rush.

Time doesn’t always pass differently in the Dream Realm, but it can, if one goes deep enough. This place is nearly at a standstill, making it an ideal location to take our time getting to know one another.

Cage explains the nuances of this territory in the Dream Realm while Scarlett glimmers like a walking sculpture with silks trailing behind her. She wanders through the garden and kneels to pick a rose. The smile on her face has my heart leaping for joy and my body eager to please hers.

We’ll have sex. Plenty of it, but first I want to learn more about my new mate and what makes her tick. I want to know what delights her. What keeps putting a smile like that on her face so I can make sure that happens every day for the rest of eternity.

Cage is uncharacteristically open as he joins her and plants a kiss on her cheek. He adores our Sigil, and I’ve gotten to see an entirely different side of the skilled assassin.

He’s not even that sweet with me. Scarlett has carved out a special place in his heart—as well as mine.

We belong here, with her.

Forever.

I join her on the other side and take the rose from her fingertips. Under my touch, it turns black, mostly because I’m turned on as fuck and I can’t seem to control my power. Nightmares bleed out of me, darkening the beautiful garden around us.

“Sorry,” I murmur as I move to set the rose down.

Scarlett stops me and curls her fingers around mine before pulling it to her chest. “Don’t be sorry for being yourself,” she says. Her words are kind and genuine, just like she is. She glances down and takes the rose, then twirls it around by the stem. She’s careful of the jagged thorns that could easily draw blood, but she isn’t scared of dangerous things.

Our Sigil is never afraid.

“I want to learn more about you, Sabre. And you, too, Cage. Can you tell me more about your world? Where you come from? Why you’re here?”

“You’re why we’re here,” I say easily. “You called us.”

She tilts her head, sending her wavy red hair unfurling over her shoulder. “Yes, you mentioned that. But why did you answer? Why would you leave everyone and everything you know for me before you even knew me?”

I lean back and make myself comfortable. I’m wearing a simple pair of pants and an open vest that displays my abdomen and chest. Scarlett drags her gaze over me with appreciation that makes my cock vibrate. A little smirk on the side of her mouth suggests she’s aware of what she’s doing to me, but she patiently waits for my answer.

“Because we were living a nightmare, love. You are our Sigil.”

I don’t know how else to explain it. The life I left behind is a bad memory now. I no longer care about overthrowing my father or the kingdom I left behind.

It’ll be someone else’s problem. I have no loyalty to my birthplace and no need to return.

Everything I could ever want or need is right here.

“And what is a Sigil, exactly?” she asks as she leans back into Cage’s embrace. His hands roam over her body, exploring her with gentle touches.

The term has such innate meaning to me that I’m speechless at first. Cage surprises me by being able to articulate what’s in my heart, because I know it’s also in his.

“The word for what you are doesn’t really matter. We call you a Sigil because you are a symbol of everything, a symbol of the beginning, of the end, and of all that exists in between. You are a medium of power, one who exists in the Dream Realm and the real world at the same time.” His fingers trail over her arms, sending goose bumps over her skin. “You are endless.”

“Endless?” she asks, glancing at me. There’s arousal burning like low embers in her eyes, but I want her to understand how special she is.

I lick my lips before I add to Cage’s description. “Every dream, every darkness, every shadow, every thought, you are capable of holding on to all of it, Scarlett. You’ve protected yourself all these years, finding outlets for all the horror you’ve already absorbed. You’re stronger than you can possibly know.”

She blinks at me with understanding. “My nightmares have always been real.”

I nod. “Cain activated you. I don’t think he understood what you were or why you were compatible with all of us. But you knew, on some level, and you called us so that the true power you contain wouldn’t destroy you. You need us to drain you, to divert your power and help you manage it.”

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