“That’s my girl.” I lavish praise on her like icing on a cake, sweet and decadent. She eats it up, her slender arms circling my neck. I make myself wait, ignoring the raging hard-on as I hold her.
Soon, I’ll take her. Soon, I’ll claim her fully.
I can wait.
Something tells me she’s worth it.
She falls asleep tucked in beside me while I hold her. I love the feel of her body pressed to mine, her breath on my skin, the trusting way she lays on me in slumber.
Little by little, I’ll possess every inch of her.
When she’s fully asleep, I close my eyes, my breath joining hers.
I dream of The Castle, meetings with my brothers, and long, empty hallways that lead to dead-ends. Vivia’s crying in one of my dreams, but in the next she’s eating breakfast at one of the long tables in The Great Hall with Marialena and Rosa. Sun pours through into the sun room while we walk the halls hand in hand. I don’t know the details of my dream but I know our enemies are dead and Vivia’s mine.
I’m exhausted from everything that’s happened. When I wake in the middle of the night, she’s rolled over on her side but still touching me. I sling my arm about her reassuringly, and as I drift back off to sleep, I rest in the knowledge that she’s safe with me. And I’ll do everything in my power to keep her there.
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