Page 42 of Darkness and Deceit
The last thing I see before I close my eyes is Kai—still standing there.
Still watching.
Fourteen
LILITH
I wake with a gasp,heart racing, breath caught somewhere between a scream and a sob.
The room is dim. Firelight flickers low against stone walls, and for a second, I can’t remember where I am. The shadows feel too close. Too heavy. Like they followed me out of the dream.
I sit up fast, breathing hard.
“Lilith,” Simon’s voice reaches me first, low and careful. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe.”
I blink, forcing my vision to clear.
They’re here.
Simon sits on the edge of the bed, close but not touching. Kai is leaned against the wall nearby, arms crossed, eyes sharp with worry. Vaughn’s pacing at the foot of the bed, muttering something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like“should’ve stayed closer.”
The nightmare clings to me like damp air. I can still feel the chains. The fire. That voice.
“I’m fine,” I lie, voice hoarse.
Simon doesn’t call me on it.
Kai steps closer. “What did you see?”
I shake my head, hugging my knees to my chest. “Nothing I want to remember.”
Silence hangs between us for a beat. The three of them hover—close, steady—but it’s like they don’t know how to reach me.
So I reach for them.
“Distract me,” I whisper.
Simon tilts his head. “From the dream?”
“From everything,” I say, louder this time. I meet each of their eyes in turn. “Please.”
It’s not just a plea. It’s permission.
And they understand.
Vaughn moves first—naturally. Always the bold one. He slides onto the bed beside me and brushes a strand of hair from my face.
“You sure?” he asks, his voice lower than usual. Rougher.
“I need you.”
That’s all he needs.
He kisses me—slow and unhurried. Not cocky. Not teasing. Justpresent. Like he wants to ease the panic out of my lungs and replace it with his air. Then he eases back, our foreheads pressed together, breath mingling, eyes scanning mine like he’s checking I’m still with him.
Simon shifts closer on my other side, his hand finding my bare thigh beneath the blanket, his touch featherlight. “We’ll be gentle,” he murmurs. “You call the pace.”
I nod, swallowing hard. The tight coil of tension inside me begins to loosen.
