Page 20 of Snatched By the Sandman

“You think this will help you, Icelos?” I taunt him, my wings tightening in irritation. “Stealing what doesn’t belong to you? Hoping to take up my mantle?”

He touches his fingers to his brow in a mock salute. “Consider it more of a reallocation of resources.”

Massive, sinuous serpents, formed entirely of interlocking bones, slither toward me. Their spines ripple and shift as they move, their patterns near hypnotic. Their jaws can unhinge to an impossible width, revealing rows of razor-sharp bone fangs.

I surge my shadows, coiling around the spines, shattering them, and spraying the bone dust to the four corners of his forest.

“Arrogance suits you, Morpheus.”

“Bitterness suits you. What doesshethink of all your brooding?” I nod toward the sleeping girl.

I feel his smile in every dark iota of my being as he proclaims, “Perhaps you should ask her when she’s exploding all over my cock.”

With a roar, I lunge for him.

A deep laugh ripples through the air, and I groan.

“Rib cage rattlers?” I spit. “Really, Phobetor?”

His insect-like creatures attack me, their bodies formed from rib cages and multiple bone legs that clatter as they move. Their skull heads with mandibles crafted from broken bones bite and claw for me. If their jaws sink in, they will bombard me with nightmarish hallucinations.

I send shadow swords to break each one and shatter the mandibles to smithereens.

When Zenya stirs in the bed of hair, Nyxion and I pause.

But at the playful ripple in the tense atmosphere, everything comes to a halt. Our unified groan from the whimsical energy invading the forest is our rare commonality.

Any other bone manifestations scatter in the wake of our middle brother appearing.

“Oh, don’t stop on my account,” Phantasos says with a grin. “I’ll share my popcorn with Zenya. And by the way, the name is Glitz n Goddess.”

Today, she is an enthralling force of energy.

“Morpheus, dear,” she practically purrs at me. “I wish you could see this gorgeous golden gown. The train must be fifty feet long! And I spent hours weaving my lustrous dark hair in allthese exotic braids before coiling them into a bun on the left side of my head.”

“Fashionably late,” I muse with a shrug.

“Naturally! And I brought popcorn. Have fun, boys!”

Streams of glitter fleck against my face, no doubt from her gown.

“The red carpet is a little much,” mutters Nyxion.

“Glamor isnevertoo much.” She blows us a kiss.

Mine and Nyxion’s breath grows heavy as we linger here, our auras battered and bruised from this incessant battle.

Phantasos aka Glitz, seemingly oblivious to the tension but engaged with every iota of her energy, manifests a sleigh, carried by spectral stags. My shadows sense the familiar form since it’s not the first time she’s used them. Our middle brother is exceptional at manifesting or taking on object forms.

Glitz n’ Goddess begins to lead Zenya away on that sleigh, her tone light and cheerful as she hums a lighthearted melody.

I focus on Zenya, her essence a soft, pulsing glow as she stirs from her slumber. Concern for her safety wars with the jealousy I felt earlier. But not on account of our trickster brother. Especially not in her Queen persona.

Nyxion and I face one another again, my expression hardening despite the entertainment we’ve played in our little battle.

Nyxion’s growl vibrates through the air. “Always so smug, aren’t you, brother?”

I smirk. “Confidence, Icelos. Try it sometime.”

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