Chapter 65: .•27•.

She'd been drifting in and out of sleep. Dreaming about Nicholas' dark and frighteningly beautiful eyes. That certain look into them whenever he stared at her for too long. His tattooed hands on her body. Touching. Caressing. She sighed, long and audible. That comforting warmth wrapping around her body so snugly.

She fell asleep once again. Dreaming about Nicholas for the millionth time. His presence. His soft touch. Darkness. There was a gentle darkness wrapping around her like slithering vines. Around her arms, her legs. Her waist. Holding her immobile. She didn't feel scared though. Because somehow, she knew that they were his. A part of him. They felt so comfortable. Familiar.

And she could sense that he was close. Somewhere behind her. She could hear his breaths. His sensual whispers.

"My love...my beautiful moon..."

It was like in that first dream about him all over again. She could feel a gentle breeze caressing her skin. The moonlight illuminating her bare body.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she could feel his fingers trail over her feverish skin once again. Caressing. Teasing. She looked downwards, noticing the way that those tendrils of darkness curled around her whilst Nicholas' hands traced the sides of her hips. Her waist. He was standing so close to her now. She could feel his body. His skin against hers.

"Diana..."

She mewled out a little in reply, watching his inked hand trail downwards, right in between her thighs whilst the other cupped her plump and full breast, gently squeezing it. Pressing her against his warm and hard body. Her breathing quickened, and the very moment that she felt him touching her there she let out a loud and wanton cry, her body buckling against his dark and smoke-like restraints.

"Yes...!"

She struggled to control her breathing, her body trembling as he continued to touch her there. Trailing his fingers up and down whilst other hand fondled her breast. Teasingly slipping into her just a little. Making her lose her mind from the pleasure.

"Please...Nyktos...please..."

She had absolutely no idea what she was begging for. But she wanted it so much. She wanted for him to end this wicked and sexy torture. Do something to curb her suffering.

"Yes, sweetheart. I know..."

She moaned out again and again, her nether regions feeling so wet and pulsing with need as he teased her for just a few moments longer, his sensual lips skimming at the side of her throat. Making her body tingle all over, and thrum with that growing need and pleasure.

"Are you ready for me, my love?"

She could only cry out in reply. Squeaking out a simple "yes!". And the very moment that she felt him entering her she let out another loud and desperate moan, feeling his fangs sink into her throat at the very same time.

She suddenly jolted awake with a startle in Nicholas' arms, making him abruptly stop and peer down at her.

She blinked and stared back up at him, feeling her cheeks heat up so profusely as the remnants of that dream lingered. The ghost of his touches. Those loud moans and cries of hers.

She awkwardly cleared out her throat, averting her gaze as she meekly stuttered out,

"Sorry, uhm, c-can I just...climb down for a minute?"

He didn't say anything, simply obeying her request. Planting her down on her feet with slow, careful moves. The girl swayed a little, feeling just a tad bit unsteady on her own two legs after hours of dangling in between Nicholas' arms.

She fought not to shiver as soon as she felt his hands grab the sides of her waist into an evident attempt to keep her upright, the ghost of his touches from that dream still teasing her. Making her kitty tingle.

Her eyes widened, her cheeks growing even hotter now. Sweet gods. She immediately rushed to slip away from his hold, her breathing so fast and erratic.

"Are you okay, Diana?" He innocently asked from behind her. But she still managed to distinguish that slight twinge of amusement lacing his tone. That mildly taunting inflection.

She turned around, throwing him a scathing look.

"Perfectly fine," she lied between her teeth, offering him a rather forced and irritated smile.

He responded by giving her one of his wicked and knowing signature smirks, quickly making her feel so embarrassed and uncomfortable once again. Realizing that he could definitely sense what was happening into her panties. He'd informed her of it before. Of his heightened sense of smell and whatnot.

She shrunk into herself, feeling that desperate need to cover herself. To run away. So she crossed her arms over her chest, covering the evidence of her hardened nipples before she started to walk away. Adding that much-needed distance between them. She had no idea where she was going. But it didn't matter anyway. She just needed a few moments away from him. A little space to breathe. Focus.

"Were you dreaming about me again, sweetheart?" She let out a loud and frightened gasp as soon as she heard him talking from right next to her, eyes widening as soon as she turned her head to the side and noticed him casually flanking her side. Walking at the same pace. Hands shoved deep into his dress pants' pockets.

"What was I doing to you this time?" Her lips parted with evident outrage and mortification, just about to yell at him to leave her alone when that certain word finally registered into her mind.

Sweetheart. Exactly as he'd called her into her dream.

Please, Nyktos... those words rung into her mind, reminiscing that she'd called him like that in her dream. Why did she call him like that? What did it even mean? And why did he appear to have shadows under his command? What was up with that? What kind of weird dream even was that?

She stopped and turned to face him, just about to ask him what it meant. Nyktos. Why she'd called him like that. She'd definitely heard that name before. Uttered by none other than his late wife herself.

But the faint sounds of running water abruptly drew her attention, distracting her from whatever she was about to say.

"Wait. Did you hear that?"

Nicholas' brows immediately furrowed with confusion, watching her as if she'd just gone crazy.

"Hear what?"

"Water,"

His brows shot up to his hairline as soon as he'd heard her say that, so utterly and unequivocally shocked. What the fuck?!? No. It couldn't be. She must've heard wrong. There was no way that the realm had just called out to her first. It was impossible.

Still, he watched her stare up at him like that for another moment, brows furrowed with concentration as she stood and listened. Keeping quiet.

Fuck. He couldn't hear anything, other than her measured breaths and beating heart. What the fuck even was this?

His lips parted as he watched her turn and leave all of a sudden. Moving towards a certain direction. Again, what the fuck? Since when did the realm call out to a simple mortal?

No. He refused to believe it. There had to be a mistake. Maybe she'd heard something else. Maybe she'd actually gone mad and now she was hearing things. That had to be it. There was no way that the realm had just chosen to call out to her instead of him. That was physically not possible. Unheard of. There had to be something wrong with this. Which was why he was following her now. Waiting to see exactly where she would go. What she was going to find. If there was anything to be found, of course.

She briskly walked ahead of him, her slender and toned legs carrying her further down that path with nothing but unbreakable determination. Faster. Further. She kept on walking, tireless and unbridled. Like a human on a mission. Driven by purpose.

He kept on watching her, gaze trailing over her form as he followed her. Her movements. The way that those soft caramel curls of hers bounced with every step. The way that his shirt caressed her body. Her sexy little ass. He was still wondering what she was dreaming about mere moments ago. What caused her to rouse like that. Those tiny little mewls that escaped her as she slept. He could tell that it was something naughty. He'd scented her arousal. And if that bright red flaring to life in her cheeks as soon as she met his gaze was anything to go by, he could even bet that it was about him. That he was the cause of those breathy little sounds and sighs. He only wanted to know what it was exactly that he was doing to her in her dreams. Which version of him she was fantasizing about. Was he rough and hardcore, or was he sweet? Was he worshipping her tenderly, or pounding into her soft and wet flesh like a possessed demon?

Either way, he had no way of finding out right now. Because as soon as his gaze shifted from her figure, his lips softly parted from the utter astonishment and incredulity gripping at his mind.

There it was. The realm's portal, spreading out right before them into the form of a waterfall cascading down into an endless pool.

He was simply stunned. Utterly fucking mind-blown. Not by the sight before him but rather by his... the mortal's incredible ability of finding it. How did she even do it? How was it even possible? Her, a mere mortal receiving the call before a born god. How the fuck did it even happen?

Was he...somehow broken after all those decades spent holed up in that mundane manor? Had he somehow lost his right to... No. that was impossible. He refused to believe that. The mortal must've done something. She had to have known somehow, like she did with the possession. There was something different about her. It had to be. And he had every intention of finding out exactly what it was now.

"How did you do it?" He growled out upon taking a rather rough hold of her arm, his gaze blazing with nothing but hot fury and a twinge of betrayal. Had she...lied to him all this time about who she was? Was it even possible that he had not sensed it?

The girl let out a frightened little whimper, staring up at him so incredibly lost and scared upon hearing that.

What? What was he talking about?

"I..."

"Answer me!" He impatiently snarled, bringing tears into her eyes. What was happening? Why was he talking like that? What did she do?

"Did you lie to me, Diana?"

What?

She blinked as she stared between his eyes, not even sure what to tell him. Lie to him? About what?

"Tell me the truth, for fuck's sake!" She mewled with fright as he suddenly gripped her arms and shook her, making her lose balance. She almost slipped from his hands and fell but he quickly caught her again, that rough hold of his on her arms actually hurting her. She couldn't contain herself as those first few tears started to fall. Accompanied by hitching sobs.

What did he want from her? What was even happening?

"Nicholas, you're hurting me! Why are you even doing this? What did I do?" She softly whimpered between tears, pleadingly looking up at him. She only wanted to know what was going on.

"Stop fucking lying! Enough with the act! Tell me who you really are and how you managed to find the realm's portal!" He roared at her, startling her so violently. She fearfully stared up between his rage-filled eyes, blinking away her tears.

The...what?

Her brows drew together before realization finally dawned upon her. The waterfall. He was talking about the waterfall. It was...a portal? She curiously turned her head to stare at it, watching all that clean and sparkling water flow down the whitish rocks with force and speed, falling straight into that endless and turquoise pool spreading just a few metres away from them.

But...Why was he asking how she'd found it? Surely he must've heard the roaring sound of the water! It was right there! She'd heard it. Clear as day.

She turned her head to stare back at him, noticing that blazing fury still present in his eyes. That vicious disdain. It made him look so frightening. More scary than he'd ever been before. She could tell that she was doomed. This was where her journey ended. Forever. If he had faltered before or found himself stopped by who-knows-what-kind of forces in his attempts to kill her, it was pretty obvious that this time it was definitely not the case. He was going to kill her. The intent was pretty clear in his eyes.

So she did the only thing that she thought that it could save her. She punched him straight in the jewels as her height compared to his actually made it so easy for her to do it, swiftly escaping from his tight grip. And as soon as she did, she ran straight to the pool and jumped right in, diving into that cold and sparkling water.

However, there was one thing she hadn't properly thought through. She didn't know how to swim.

Sluicing coldness enveloped her as soon she plunged into the water, the shock so strong for her feeble and very humane body. She almost felt so tempted to open her airways and try to breathe, or even scream. But she thankfully stopped just in time. And instead she pried her eyelids open, just in time to notice that dark outline of a body darting straight towards her with furious speed.

She barely managed to contain that horrified scream that wanted to tear through her throat this time, her limbs immediately starting to flail at her sides as she fought to escape. She even twisted around after a few failed attempts, unfortunately only managing to conquer a few small pieces of distance before that hand firmly wrapped around her arm, effectively stopping her.

She screamed. Or tried to, actually. Her limbs desperately flailing about as she tried and tried, to no avail. She couldn't escape him. He was way too strong. And she was already dying anyway. She had swallowed so much water during that stupid attempt to scream. And her lungs were full now. Filled with water. Her body was growing so heavy. And it was so hard to keep going on. So she just gave in. Going slack against that grip around her waist. Letting the water carry her away. Those hands hold onto her body. It didn't matter now. She was rapidly fading away. She could feel it. Her throat and lungs were hurting so badly. Yearning for air. But she forced herself to remain calm. It will be over now. Soon. There will be no more pain. No one to torment her any longer. Hopefully. She could only wish that the heavens will receive her after all. Save her from that demon's claws. At least Nicholas hadn't gotten to kill her himself. She was going to die on her own terms now. By her own stupid choice. She had thought that she could reach that portal that he was talking about. But clearly, he had been faster. More determined to end her.