Page 47 of A Surrender Of Hope

“I love you.” His words ring in my ears as the dream falters and then completely disappears.

I gasp,eyes flying open as I try and fail to sit up in bed. A large, heavy arm pins me to the mattress, and a low growl vibrates from the massive bare chest at my back.

“Little Demon?” Nox rasps, his body shifting impossibly closer to mine as he holds me, his skin pressed to mine, reminding me that we’re both still naked. “Are you alright?” I can tell I just woke him, and from the dark, starless sky outside the windows, I’m guessing it's the middle of the night.

“Yes,” I whisper, my hands running over Lennox’s thick, tattooed arms, letting his warmth calm my racing heart.

“You sure?” he asks, lips at the shell of my ear, his sleepy voice thick and gravelly as he nuzzles his nose into my neck like a kitten wanting cuddles. I smile and relax into Lennox's arms, letting his slow, steady heartbeat soothe me. I just pulled myself from a dream! I controlled it!

“Never better,” I reassure him, my eyes fluttering shut as I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

TWENTY-THREE

Valen

“Where did you get the dress?” Mi Sol calls from the bathroom, and I smile, thinking about how Mom had selected the gown from her closet, claiming it would be perfect for Meyer’s coloring and Demonic race. The dark blue silk gown was dripping with tiny sparkling jewels that encrusted the bodice before running down to the cinched waist like little water droplets. The color only excited me more, and I longed to see Mi Sol wearing it somewhere other than in her dreams.

“Mom chose it for you,” I answer, my anxious steps pausing as my beautiful girl walks over to the partially opened door of Nox’s bathroom, dressed only in the delicate white lace panties and bra I had magicked for her. Her long blonde hair is swept up in a simple bun on top of her head with small tendrils that curl around her face, and it looks like she’s applied some makeup. I briefly scold myself for not thinking of getting her some personal items, but it seems like Nox handled it.

I hold my breath as my gaze rakes down Meyer's stunning body, miles of creamy, soft skin on display as she clutches the gown to her breasts and grins at me. I swear my heart stops, andI have difficulty catching my breath as I watch her and thank all the Gods that this enchanting creature is mine. I know this girl was born for me as much as I was created for her. She is everything I want and didn’t know I needed. She may be only Nox’s mate right now, but she will be mine and my brothers’ as well.

“I love it,” she admits, hugging the dress, and I grin back at the woman I love.

Obsidian black is the color of the Versipellis Kingdom, with the now hardly ever worn color of rich, ruby red from the Devil's destroyed Kingdom. Then there are the Dream Walkers, who wore royal blue, the same color as the starlight seas surrounding the once beautiful castle in our Kingdom.

When Mom brought the gown to me after breakfast, I longed to see it on Meyer, especially after walking in the gardens of my father's palace with her in her dreams. I wanted her in something representing our race, something I hadn’t known I longed for. I had to alter the gown with magic since it had technically been made for Mom, shrinking it down enough to fit Mi Sol’s more petite body. I set out from there to collect my Princess, knowing she would want to get cleaned up and dressed before speaking with Mom and Father this morning.

It had killed me not to use my magic to clean and re-dress Meyer after she fell into the Demonic realm. However, we all agreed that we shouldn’t use any unnecessary magic on her until we talked to Father and ensured there wouldn't be any adverse reactions.

She had responded well to Nox’s healing magic, but when I had coaxed her from her dreams, magically forcing her into reality in order for her to start breathing again, she had released a horrible scream of pain, her back arching on Nox’s bed as he tried to heal her. The moment I recalled my magic, she settled, and the bright red mark now engraved on her wrist appeared.The memory of her screams still haunts me, and I have to fist my hands at my sides so I don’t rush over and smother her.

“I worried you might not like it,” I admit, trying to put a smile back on my face but knowing it probably looked fake. “You always complained about the gown you wear in your dreams.”

“Yes,” Meyer laughs as she takes a few steps closer. She moves the gown in front of her so she can look it over with bright green eyes. “But that was because it’s typically freezing, and I’m more often than not running for my life from Beastia.” A frown puckers her brow as she looks back up at me. “I need to ask Elaine how to fight in a dress. I know she changes into leathers when she knows she’s going to fight, but I’m guessing she's pretty badass in a dress, too. I kept tripping and losing my shoes,” she reminds me, and this time, my smile isn’t as forced as I cross to her and grab the gown, holding it up to her to ensure I sized it correctly.

“True, and I bet she does. I don't know Elaine as much as Nox, Creed, and Raz do, but she seems like she knows what she’s doing,” I agree, nodding happily when the gown looks to be an exact fit. It’s not too long that she may trip on the stairs, but long enough to cover the small slippers I also made for her to wear. “Do you need help getting dressed?” I ask, and Meyer smirks and wiggles her brows.

“Normally, I would ask you to help undress me,” she teases, making my smile freeze as my cock hardens pathetically quickly in my pants as I think about our activities last night. I’ve always enjoyed sharing a woman in the bedroom; loved how we could double her pleasure and make her see stars before passing out in our arms. I typically shared the most with Creed since Lennox and I often have a hard time sharing control, but I have a feeling we will quickly learn to work together for whatever this girl wants.

“But probably. There are a hundred buttons on the back of this thing, and I know I’ll never get them done correctly. I’ll be here for hours trying.” I smile and take her hand, leading her over to Nox’s bed where I left the blue silk slippers I made her and set the gown next to them. I take her into my arms, sighing when she immediately melts into my embrace and lets me relax for the first time since coming home. “Are you alright?” she whispers into my chest, her arms snaking around me so she can hold me as tight as I’m holding her.

“I’m always okay with you in my arms,” I whisper, pressing my lips into her wet, sweet-smelling hair. Her presence alone calms me more than anything else in this world. The stress and nerves I felt at returning home had affected me more than I thought. The overwhelming joy filled me to the brim, yet the sadness that things would never be the same is always at the back of my mind.

The family I left four years ago is gone, for better and worse. Archer’s betrayal and Meyer’s addition have altered life as we know it, and trying to act normal, like I hadn't been locked in a dark prison for four years, is a pressure I’m constantly feeling. It's easy to push everything behind me with Meyer nearby. She smothers the darkness with her light and makes me feel whole, but there are those moments when she’s not with me that I wonder if I’ll manage by myself.

Some of that internal conflict dissipated as I sat with my family last night. It had been years since I had seen my father's smile, and I finally felt like I was actually here, my life no longer on hold when I sat at the dinner table with them last night. Creed kept everyone smiling, telling them the story of how Meyer had saved his life in Idaho before she was dragged back to the castle. Razar ate in silence, his eyes bouncing between the two doors, always on guard to ensure his family was safe.

Nox’s chair and the smaller one placed at his side for Meyer remained empty. The mating bond finally got the best of my brother, urging him to keep Meyer locked in his rooms. But there was still the empty seat next to Razar that he refused to glance at even once, the seat which seemed to haunt us all but Mom. Father had chosen to keep Archer’s betrayal from her until we had more information, so we had to act as if our anger and pain were simply from his death and not from him stabbing us in the back.

“Hmm. Ditto,” Meyer whispers, snuggling into my embrace, her arms tightening around my waist, and I smile at their strength. Almost like she’s convinced she can hold all my broken pieces together and make me whole again as long as she squeezes me tight enough… and I think she might just be able to do precisely that.

“Let's get you dressed. Mom is impatient to actually meet you. We all got a tongue-lashing last night for allowing you to arrive at her home in that condition,” I tease. Meyer blushes, pulling out of my arms so she can tug the dress over her head. I help her with the buttons of the gown, admiring the color against her skin.

“Nox? Have you seen Meyer? I thought she was with Valen, but they're not in his rooms,” Creed's voice drifts through the large space, making her perk up and turn toward him as I finish the last button.

“In here,” she calls out, bouncing on her toes a little as she grabs her dress and swishes it around her legs before turning and beaming up at me. The urge to have her in my arms again to kiss her cherry red lips is almost painful, and I can't stop myself as I tug her in for a deep kiss, licking into her mouth and moaning at the taste of her on my tongue.

A low whistle makes me pull back, and I look up to find Creed leaning against the doorway, eyes raking over Meyer witha hunger in his eyes that I’m all too familiar with. “Damn, Lemon Drop,” he whispers, standing to his full height and walking to us when Meyer looks over her shoulder at him. She holds a hand out, lacing their fingers together when he steps to her side and pulls him close while staying in my arms. “This dress,” he whispers almost reverently, a finger trailing over the sparkling gems, running from the curve of her breast and down to her waist.

---