“I know this is your dream, but I was able to conjure up the cake.”
Kai’s voice made me freeze, and my heart lurched in my chest. He sounded so close, and I was afraid that if I looked back, he would disappear.
“Are you really here?” I whispered.
His hands wrapped around my waist, and I felt his warmth at my back. “Yes. I wasn’t going to let anyone keep me away from you. That’s why I figured out a way.”
Quickly, I turned around and met his familiar gray gaze, his face exactly how I remembered it. He looked the same, only not. But it was him . . . it was Kai. He seemed more at peace, less haunted. Even his skin made him appear more Winter fae. It was as if the Shadow was no longer a part of him.
Crying, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He lifted me in his arms, his lips feverishly claiming mine. When he set me down and cupped my cheeks, I didn’t want to let him go. Instead, I held onto him as tightly as I could.
He shook his head and laughed. “I’m not going anywhere, Ella.” He brushed the hair off my face, his smile fading. “Are you angry at me for what I did?”
I rubbed a hand over my heart. “I’m not angry at you, but it feels as if I was stabbed as well. The pain makes it so hard to breathe.”
Kai rested a hand over my heart. “I know how you feel. I thought being in the Hereafter was supposed to take away all your heartache.”
“It’s supposed to,” I said to him.
He shook his head. “It hasn’t taken mine away. I still feel a connection to you. Do you feel it with me?”
Tears clouded my vision, and it made me feel his loss more. “No. It went away the second you crossed over. I wanted to be the one to take you.”
Taking my hand, he led me over to the bed and we sat down. “I know.”
I stared at our clasped hands, loving the feel of his skin. “How is this even possible?”
Kai gave me his sexy, devilish smirk I loved so much. “It turns out I still have my dream-walking ability. The world seemed hell-bent on keeping us apart, but I’ve refused to let it. I’ve been told there’s a certain path you must take and that you have to do it on your own, but I say fuck it. If you need me, I’m going to help you get there.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, Kai. You’ve been gone all of one day, and it feels like an eternity. I miss you so damn much. But I understand why you did what you did. I’m just sorry I failed you.”
Kai shook his head, his hands lifting to my face. “You didn’t fail me, Ella. Your love saved me. I’m free because of you.”
“So, what do we do now?” I asked. “Are our dreams the only way I can be with you?”
Kai’s expression saddened. “It seems so. I’ll be here until you don’t need me anymore. There will come a time when you’ll need to move on. It kills me to think of you with another man, but I knew it would be part of letting you go.”
“Stop,” I commanded, pressing a finger to his lips. “I will always need you. Today. Tomorrow. Right now. That will never change.”
He kissed my finger. “I need you, too.”
“Then show me,” I cried, leaning into his touch. “Make love to me.”
He stared at me with raw hunger-filled eyes. “Are you sure that’s what you want? It’s only going to complicate things. Our dreams are the only way we can be together.”
A tear slid down my cheek. “It’s better than nothing.”
I moved farther up the mattress and rested my head on one of the pillows. Kai crawled onto the bed and lay beside me, propped up on his elbow. He traced the hem of my shirt with his finger, lightly grazing my skin underneath. Goose bumps fanned out over my flesh, making him smile.
“I love that my touch does that to you.”
I bit my lip. “It does a lot more than that.” My center grew wet, and I rubbed my legs together to create the friction I craved.
Groaning, he rolled on top of me and parted my legs with his knee. His gray gaze was smoldering hot as he brought his mouth down over mine, softly at first but then demanding, as our tongues twisted together.
“I want more,” he rasped.
“Take it, it’s yours,” I breathed back.