Page 89 of Malice
“I can’t just will myself awake,” she said with an incredulous laugh. “Can I?”
“I suppose the only way to know for sure is to try,” Grim grumbled. “Just... take one of us with you when you do it.”
“What do you mean? That’s not how the dreamwalks work. I can’t force people to just fall asleep and wake up at my whim.”
I laughed. “Yes you can. You’ve done it more than once.”
“No, I haven’t. I have to seek out your subconscious realm”—she waved a hand as if we should all have a fully comprehensive understanding of said realm—“which is how I join you in your dreams. How can I do that if you aren’t already asleep?”
“Merri,” I murmured, placing a hand on her knee, “did you really never stop to consider that your seeking us out in that realm is what makes us fall asleep and join you there?”
“Well . . . no.”
“All right, then. So the next time you dreamwalk, you will make the choice to end it at random. Control all aspects of how it starts and how it finishes.”
“But it’s notmydream. I’m not in control at all.”
“Hellcat,” I said with a chuckle. “I think we’ve just arrived at the crux of the issue. This whole time, you’ve believed that you are simply a passenger, but the truth is far more complex.”
“But aren’t I a passenger?”
“No, sweet girl. You’re not just the one driving the car. You’re the whole fucking vehicle. And the road. And the map.”
“Really?” Her nose did that adorable thing it always did when she was uncertain. I wanted to smooth out the little ridges with the pad of my thumb. But not while Grim was here to bear witness.
“Tonight with Sin, test the theory. What do you have to lose?”
Determination flashed in her eyes. “Tonight.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
SIN
Fuck, I loved a warm ocean breeze across my bare skin. Even if it was conjured by my own mind. Merri sighed and stretched, the black string bikini she was wearing doing wonderful things for her curves. A shaft of sunlight spilled in through the break in the cabana’s curtains, hitting both my legs and Merri’s, which were tangled together.
She picked up a fruity umbrella drink and took a sip. “This is heaven, and I never want to leave.”
Reaching out, I tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear. “We don’t have to. Let’s just ride out the apocalypse right here.”
“Is that an option? Won’t our bodies atrophy or something?”
I considered the question, realizing I had no idea, so I shrugged. “Worth it?”
“Probably.”
I couldn’t keep from kissing her, not when her soft lips were so close and I could smell the sweet vanilla of her lip gloss. Leaning in, I closed the distance between us and claimed her mouth in a slow and deliberate kiss. When she parted her lips, I used the opening to tease her tongue with mine and deepen it.
She melted beneath me, her luscious body cocooning mine as I readjusted our positions so I was mostly lying on top of her. My hands worked their way down her body until I was tugging at the flimsy string holding her bottoms together.
“You know, kitten, it’s just us here. You don’t need to wear one of these.”
“You’re the one who dressed me. The blame lies with you. I would’ve been naked if I’d been in charge.”
A low chuckle escaped me as the fabric fell away, granting me access to her already wet pussy. “Missed me, I see.”
“Of course.”
