Knox let out a breath as his eyes drifted shut.
“Do you feel that?” I whispered.
“Yes,” he breathed.
“That’s the tie that binds us, and I am never letting it go, do you understand? That means that whatever you face, I face with you—together. And I have no intention of letting your status as alpha of this fucking city sink you.” I shifted my weight, and he moaned beneath me. “Say you understand…”
“I understand.”
“Good. Whenever you need to, I want you to draw on our connection, no matter what.”
His hands slid up my sides to capture my face. His eyes opened, exposing their golden glow as the beast within the man shone through. He pulled me toward him until our lips touched, our kiss sealing the deal between us.
“How about taking those clothes off now?” he said, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke.
“You’re supposed to be getting some rest, remember?”
“Nope,” he said, nipping my bottom lip. “Don’t remember that at all.”
I pulled away from him and frowned in a playful display. “Well, I do, and I’m going to make sure you get some.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” he replied, grabbing my waist and yanking me forward.
“Rest,” I said, trying not to laugh. “Get some rest.”
“Oh. That. Funny…I’m not feeling very tired anymore.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“Really? Then maybe I should make it more obvious.”
His hands slid the hem of my shirt up, but I pulled away before he could slip it off. The second I got naked, there’d be no turning back.
“Maybe,” I said, intercepting them, “I should just lie here next to you, since you seem to be more at peace when I’m around.”
“I’m not sure I’d call this peace—”
“Knox…” I groaned, letting my exasperation leak into my tone. “I’m serious.”
“So am I—”
“Knox! I mean it.”
His hands fell to his sides as he exhaled hard. “I know you do, and you’re right.”
I smiled down at him in triumph. “I usually am.” I slid off his torso and lay down beside him with his arm tucked under my head.
“You know, there’s no rule against cuddling naked,” he said matter of factly. “Who knows? Maybe it’ll help me fall asleep faster.”
“I highly doubt that.”
His head lolled to the side to look at me. “Couldn’t hurt to try.”
Before I could launch into my argument, his laughter rang out around us, tucking me into a sense of rightness I hadn’t felt in some time. Even once it dissipated and turned to the soft sounds of his breathing, the feeling remained. Without the sense of looming dread that plagued us, I fell asleep in Knox’s arms.
And awakened in another’s.
Chapter Eight
A strong hand pressed against my stomach as I lay on my side in bed. It slowly slid upward until it cupped my throat, and I gasped as it gently flexed against the tender flesh, my pulse racing as I tried to orient myself. Then a low voice in my ear set me at ease.
“You are safe, Piper. I needed to see you.”
Merc’s voice anchored me in place, and my breathing calmed. His protruding canines raked along my neck, and I shivered at the sensation. Even though I knew he would never harm me again, there was something so dangerous and thrilling about being at his mercy—about being the thing he needed to feed upon.
“See me or eat me?” I asked, my voice so breathy it was barely a whisper.
His amusement was plain as he shook with stifled laughter. “Perhaps both…”
I looked over my shoulder to find his dark eyes assessing me. The scant light of the room reflected off his fangs, and I reached back to run my finger along one. The skin caught on the sharp tip and welled with blood. Before I could pull it away, Merc’s lips closed around it and his tongue swept the tiny wound. He moaned as he swallowed back my tiny offering, then released me, though he seemed reluctant to do so. Even in our shared dream, my blood affected him strongly. His wide eyes and shallow breaths were testament to that.
“Why did you need to see me?” I asked as I pushed myself up to sit across from him. For both our sakes, we needed a little distance.
“We have heard nothing from Liam, and though I know you feel otherwise, I am concerned about the turn of events with Knox.”
“I think I can handle that part,” I said. I explained how I could manipulate the bond between him and me, and how it had seemed to pull him back from the downward spiral he had entered. “If I’m right, then things should be different once this is all over.”
“Then I shall hope you are right.” He reached forward to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “But Liam’s absence remains an issue, even if the difference in time between here and Faerie is taken into account.”
“Except we have no idea what that might look like if the queen did somehow make the realm whole again. Maybe it’ll run parallel?”
“Maybe, though there is no way to be certain.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Or maybe there is.” Merc arched an eyebrow at me, a silent cue to continue. “I think I was able to send my magic into Faerie earlier…”
He shot to his feet, exposing just how little clothing he had on in his dream. The view was incredibly distracting, no matter how angry he looked.
“You did what?” he asked, his voice dangerously low.
“I just…I had a hunch after we got back from Mack’s. I wanted to test my theory before I bothered to bring it up—”
“It could have gotten you killed.”
“Not trying it could have the same outcome. We’re at a serious disadvantage here, Merc. I was trying to see if I could track the royals—see what they’re up to.”
His jaw flexed as he worked to control his anger. “And now you think that you could use that strategy to track down Liam and learn more about the state of Faerie.”
“Pretty much.”
His dark eyes narrowed. “How long was your magic in Faerie?”
“Not long. Maybe a minute or two at most.”
“Mhmm,” he mused as he folded his arms across his chest. “Why not longer?”
Oh shit…
“Well, Kingston came out—”
“Why do I feel like that’s not the full story?”
Silence. “Because you know me?”
“Indeed.”
I let out a loud exhale. “A voice said ‘I see you’, and I freaked out and yanked my magic out of there, which really hurt when it crashed into me, by the way—”
“Good. Perhaps the memory will give you pause the next time you decide to do something so reckless.”
“So, for the record, that’s a ‘no’ for hunting Liam that way?”
He canted his head at me. “Correct. But not simply because of the risk.” When he didn’t continue, I pushed off the bed and rounded it to stand before him.
“You think Liam might already be lost? But he hasn’t been there that long—”