A Dream of Three

"Thalia hasn't left the pack since the incident; I don't think she is behind this," Kaius said, his voice uncertain despite his words.

"Hear me out. Thalia has every reason to hate you. Do you remember the deal you never kept your part to? Or the fact that after I left she might have hoped you would finally make a move, but you didn't." The pieces were coming together in my mind, a puzzle I hadn't known needed solving.

"She seems to have moved on," Kaius replied, but I could hear the doubt creeping into his voice.

"That might be what she wants you to think. Do you really think she could move on after everything? She did sacrifice a lot, but of course that's just a speculation." Even as I spoke, I became more convinced. Thalia's ambition, her ruthlessness, her hatred when Kaius chose me instead of her—it all made perfect sense.

Kaius was quiet for a long moment, considering. "I'll keep a close eye on her," he finally said. His gaze shifted, something new entering his expression. "We can't keep you hidden here forever, I wonder if you are ready to officially meet the pack once again."

The implication was clear—he was assuming I would stay. "Kaius, this is not and would never be my home," I said, needing to establish that boundary.

"I didn't mean anything I said back then, but that doesn't excuse my actions. I hurt you and deserve every last bit of the punishment, but I can't let you go." The naked honesty in his voice startled me.

"Why Kaius? Why do you want to bring me back to the things I had tried so hard to forget? I cannot stay here; my mother must be so worried." I thought of her back at Storm Wardens, how frantic she must be not knowing what had happened to me.

"Then she could come live here; it would all be like it once was," he suggested, a hopeful note entering his voice.

"She would never come back here; she had always hated this place, and more than ever, she abhors it." I remembered my mother's face when we first arrived at Ophelia's house, the deep-seated loathing for everything associated with Ravenhollow.

"If you'd let me, I could talk to her; I could make her see reasons to stay here."

I shook my head. "Is not just that. I made a deal with Kieran. He had played his part, and it is my turn to do mine." My fingers found the moonstone ring, a physical reminder of my promise.

"Is that why you are marrying him, as part of a deal?" Kaius's voice hardened slightly.

"Yes, but more to that, he would never hurt me as you did; I would always be good enough for him." The words were meant to wound, and from the flicker in his eyes, they hit their mark.

"You were always good enough," he said softly, his amber eyes holding mine.

"We're not in the same cycle. You know it; I know it, and everyone else does too." I looked away, unable to bear the intensity of his gaze.

"What cycle do you speak about?"

"We are not meant to be, and maybe that's why everything seemed to be against us all the time." It felt like a fundamental truth, something I'd always known but never fully admitted.

"No, the fact that you are here makes it even more clearer." He leaned forward, his conviction unwavering.

"I led the attack on your pack; I didn't come back to see you." Even to my own ears, the protest sounded weak.

"Are you sure?" His voice dropped lower. "You can't deny a part of you had wanted to go against all odds; a part of you did want to meet me again, even after everything."

"And what if you are wrong?" I challenged, my heart racing.

"I could be, but I am not. Is not too late; I know that. I am going to fight for you." The determination in his voice sent a shiver down my spine.

"Again, you are wrong; it is too late. I would get married to Kieran, and the faster you let me go, the easier it is for the both of us. I promise you, you wouldn't have to see me ever again." I needed to believe this, needed to convince myself as much as him.

Kaius studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "I can't force you; I wish I could, but I can't. I would let you go, only if you could tell me to my face that you don't still love me, that you don't dream about me each night as I do of you; tell me to my face that your body doesn't yearn for me as mine does."

The words stuck in my throat. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

"That's what I thought," he said softly, a sad smile touching his lips.

We finished our meal in silence, the weight of unspoken truths hanging between us. As he collected the dishes, he paused at the door. "Think about Thalia. I'll look into it."

After he left, I sat on the edge of the bed, my thoughts a tangled mess. If Thalia was behind the attacks, then everything I'd believed about Kaius was wrong...

I lay nude on the bed, letting the cool air caress my skin, willing sleep to come and silence my turbulent thoughts. Eventually, exhaustion pulled me under, into dreams more vivid than any I'd experienced since my transformation.

In my dream, I found myself in Kaius's chambers, the familiar, potent scent of him enveloping me. I stood by the window, gazing at the moonlit grounds, when hands settled firmly on my shoulders.

"I missed you," Frost's voice was a low growl against my ear. He turned me, his ice-blue eyes burning with raw desire in the dim light. His lips crashed down on mine, hot and possessive, stealing my breath.

"Frost," I gasped when he finally pulled back, his gaze intense.

Instead of speaking, he took my hand, his grip firm, leading me towards the foot of the large bed. Then, his hands pressed down on my shoulders, a silent command. In the strange logic of the dream, I obeyed without question, sinking to my knees on the soft rug before him.

The rasp of his zipper cut through the quiet. Frost pushed aside the fabric of his trousers, his erection springing free—thick, hard, and pulsing with need, starkly displayed for me. My breath caught in my throat.

"Take it," a different voice commanded, low and resonant. I glanced up. Kaius stood near the bedpost, watching us, his amber eyes dark, possessive, filled with an unnerving approval. “Suck him, Elowen.”

My gaze returned to Frost, to the blatant offering before me. Obedience felt inevitable, wired into the dream's fabric. I leaned forward, my lips parting, taking the heat and heavy weight of him into my mouth.

As I took him deeper, tasting the salty, male essence of him, I felt movement behind me. Kaius knelt. His cool fingers brushed against the bare skin of my back as he deftly unfastened my dress. It slithered down my body, pooling around my knees, leaving me naked except for the heat flushing my skin.

Then, Kaius’s touch turned intimate. Slick fingers found the entrance between my legs. I gasped against Frost, arching slightly as Kaius slid one, then two fingers inside me. I was already wet, slick for them, dripping onto his hand as he began to stroke rhythmically within me.

Pleasure slammed into me from both directions. My head swam.

"Oh...Kaius..." The name was a muffled moan.