Torment: Book Two of Shadow goddess series (COMPLETE)

Chapter Eight

Hades was right, immortals didn’t sleep. Instead, I lay in bed with Cassius as he slept, running my fingers through his blonde hair. It had grown out, and I had to admit I liked it. His hair used to meet his eyes, now it had grown to his ears giving him a shaggy, but still beautiful look. It amazed me how innocent and peaceful people are when they sleep. It was like all worried, concern, pain all seemed to wash away. Until morning when everything came crashing back down on them. I hated Cassius had to go through it.

I sighed heavily, tracing the designs on his chest. The muscles twitched under my fingers and I smiled. Even in sleep I affected him, and I loved it. His cream skin was so white compared to my own tanned complexion. I moved my hand up lightly running them over his thick lips I loved so much. No, I loved all of him. Every inch of him. All his flaws all his mistakes. All the good and bad within him. He was my first in every way, and I still couldn’t think about how I treated him without chiding myself for being so foolish. No matter how much he said it was okay, it wasn’t, and it never will be. I had directed most of my anger to him and Phoenix and it wasn’t fair. I needed to apologize to Phoenix too.

I kissed Cassius’s forehead before I climbed out of the bed, quietly tip-toeing across the room and leaving the room as quietly as possible. Safely out of the room without waking him, I decided to check on the others. This would be me now, a silent sentinel, protecting them while they slept. No one would harm them while I was watching over them. With this power, all this new energy, I was terrified of what would happen if I lost another of them.

I winced, pushing that thought from my mind as I gently opened Phoenix’s door and peeked in on him. His large frame hung off the bed a little, and his shoulders were too broad for the bed. I could see the discomfort in his face. With a thought and flick of a finger, his bed changed. It grew larger under him, longer. The mattress becoming softer. I pleasured sigh left him as he snuggled into his pillow like a child would snuggle into their beds at night. I smiled as I closed the door, happy he could finally get a good night’s rest.

Next, I checked on Ryker. We had found him his own room thankfully. When I opened the door I found him sleeping, not even a twitch. He was peaceful, just as Cassius and Phoenix. I couldn’t help but walk over to him and swipe his black hair from his face. He leaned into my touch, even in his sleep he was drawn to me. I smiled, kissing the top of his head before making my way out of his room and on to Caleb’s.

Caleb was on the ground floor. As I made my way downstairs, I expanded my hearing so I’d know if anyone or anything was up and moving about. It was fairly easy considering I had just gained these gifts. They came in handy though. Of all the space downstairs all was quiet. I didn’t expect anything but it was better safe than sorry. I didn’t want anything sneaking up on us again. Not now, not ever. I couldn’t even imagine a fight in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep. I shuddered at the idea.

Downstairs was modest. A kitchen, living and dining room. There was a small office in the back with floor to ceiling windows, a nice desk and a few books. The laundry room was right outside the kitchen, through a door to far left. Then there two bedrooms. One on one side of the house while the other was on the far side. I was glad they were separated. Hades had one room, while Caleb had the other. And although we were all connected, I don’t think they had fully accepted Hades as I had. I hated it, the way they made Hades feel not wanted, like an outcast among friends and family. But there wasn’t really anything I could do about it. It would take time for them to accept him and both he and I had to understand that fact.

When I got to Caleb’s room, I could hear him inside. He seemed to be crying. I could hear as he sniffled, as his body shook when he cried making the bed creak. I opened the door and peaked inside. He was asleep, curled into a ball in the middle of the bed, his hand wrapped around his knees. Much like I was when I broke on top of Tristian’s grave. I ran to Caleb’s side, wiping tears from his cheeks and sweat coated black hair from his forehead.

“Caleb?” I whispered. “Wake up love. You’re having a nightmare.” I stroked his face with the back of one hand while I rubbed comforting circled on his back. But I didn’t get a response from him, he as still sound asleep. I sighed, and pulled Caleb’s shaking body into my arms. “Caleb, wake up for me now.” I spoke, my voice higher. “I need to see those blue eyes of yours.” I shook him gently, running my fingers through his hair.

He stirred this time, his cries slowed and his rigid body relaxed into me. “That’s it my love.” I cooed, caressing his face in my hands. He opened his eyes, his ice blue eyes shining with his tears. I smiled sadly as I wiped the tears that still rolled down his cheeks. “What is it love? What has you so upset?”

His head was still in my lap, and I continued to stroke my hand down his face gently, soothingly. Caleb shook his head before shoot out of my lap and all but tackling me onto the bed. His arms were tight around me, almost painfully so, but I allowed it. I held him as close to me as I could, stroking his hair. He had his head buried into my shoulder, sobs once again shaking his body. What had gotten him so emotional? So scared.

“Talk to me Caleb, what’s going on?” I pulled back holding his face between my hands. “What is it my love?”

“A horrible, horrible nightmare.” He whispered, his hands holding onto my forearms. He looked up at me, tears still in his eyes. Seeing him in such pain hurt my heart. “You were gone Rose.” He whispered, leaning and pressing his forehead to mine. “I watched it, saw all of it.” Caleb squeezed his eyes closed. “You, you died, in my arms. I can never forget that look on your face.” Caleb looked back up at me and smiled. “But you’re different now. Even your eyes. I know it was a nightmare, but it just felt…it felt so real.” He closed his eyes again.

“SSHH, now love, I’m here now, with you. I’m perfectly fine. Open your eyes Caleb, look at me.” I ran my hands down his face, his arms and bare chest. “Feel my touch.” I drew my hands back up his chest and rested them on his chest. “I’m right here.”

He did as I asked, he opened his eyes and looked at me. He’d already seen me, looked at me, but it was like he didn’t believe what he was seeing. Caleb’s eyes widened marginally before crushing his lips onto mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck threading my fingers into his hair and holding him close to me, making sure to press our bodies together so he could feel me.

That wasn’t enough for him, he needed to be closer. He pulled my shirt over my head and growled, when he saw I was not wearing a bra. Why would I after what Cassius and I had been doing all night? Caleb’s hands roamed my body, while he kissed along my collarbone and up my neck. Just like with Cassius Caleb seemed to struggle, I heard him growl and his grip on me tightened. It didn’t hurt and I groaned as his grip tightened, his body going rigid against mine.

I grasped his hair tightly and held him to my neck, arching it enough to give him more access to the vein there.

“You can bite me Caleb.” I assured him.

Caleb hissed, before piercing his teeth into my neck. I arched into him with a moan, my eyes falling closed as the pleasure from his bite and touch sent me soaring. When he got his fill he licked up my neck and started kissing me softly. All the way down my, neck, my collarbone, around to my breast. Another growl left him as he sucked my hardened n****e into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it in a way that was driving me insane. When he bit down around my breast as Cassius had, Caleb’s name fell from my lips on whispered moan.

I raked my nails down his chest, when he let my breast go, and moved to the next. I clutched his hair in my hand, holding him to me urging him on. I needed more of him. All of him. Caleb pulled back from me, licking his lips clean of my blood. His icy eyes blazed with a fire like no other.

Another growl left him. I was really beginning to love the sound of him growling like that. I was ready when he lunged at me, his hands tearing yet another set of pants from my body. Thankfully they were just Pajama bottoms. But that didn’t matter right now, what mattered was that he was above me, pressing the length of his body against mine, slowly rubbing himself against me, teasing me, provoking me. So, I did him like I did Cassius, I leaned forward and sank my teeth into his neck. A shudder ran through him, his hands tightening on my hips.

Without warning, Caleb thrust into me hard. I screamed his name, my nails digging into his shoulder. I didn’t even get a chance to see his girth, but by the way I was feeling, he was big, and oh how every thrust hit the perfect spot making his name fall from my lips, over and over. He started slowly, the restraint in his eyes told me how much he wanted to destroy me, and I wanted it to. All of it.

"Don’t hold back on me.” I groaned up at him. “I want you, all of you.”

“I’ll hurt you.” He ground through his teeth.

I smiled, running my nails down his chest again making him shiver and growl at the same time. “The old me, maybe. But this new me? You can’t hurt me. I want all of you.”

Caleb’s eyes grew crazed as he started pounding into me relentlessly. He thrust so hard and so fast I could hardly catch a breath between the screams and moans I voiced. His name fell from my lips more times than I could count, as orgasm after orgasm washed through me. The pleasure got so intense it almost hurt, but oh, how I loved it.

Caleb stopped just long enough to flip me over on my hands and knees before he rammed back into me. Harder, faster. I grasped the sheets in my fists, biting my bottom lip to stop myself from screaming. But when he grabbed my hair, pulling my head back and used it as leverage to pound into me even harder I screamed his name again. I could feel he was close as he pulsed within me, the groans and moans fell from his lips as his head fell back with pleasure. When he knew we were both there, he pulled me upright, where my back was to his front and bottomed himself out within me, while biting my shoulder. We both came togegher, our bodies shuddering with the intensity of it. Caleb didn’t let up though, he drug it out as long as he could before stilling.

I groaned every time he pulsed inside me, shuddering beneath Caleb’s touch, reaching behind me and grabbing onto the back of his head holding him to me. We were still connected, still united as one. But when I felt the power build again, I knew what it meant. I turned, pushing Caleb onto his back, once again trying to hold the power at bay.

“Can I mark you as mine? Truly mine? Forever”

“How is that even a question? I was yours from day one.”

The power burst out of me and into him, settling into his chest like Cassius’s did. But his mark was different. It was blue, ice type designs covered him, again our names etched into his skin, connected to what looked like a snowflake shaped heart. Again beautiful, just as he was. I smiled as I traced the designs with my fingertips. Oddly they were cold to the touch, almost like the ice it imitated.

“What is it?” Caleb asked, as he too looked down at the beautiful markings.

“It is our bond.” I smiled. “I figured out why each marking is different. Cassius’s eyes always reminded me of the night sky. Now they swirl with purple, making them look as if a galaxy lay within them and his markings are intricate designs and runes. I’ve always seen your eyes as a beautiful icy blue, so your markings, your designs and runes are of ice and snow.”

“So however, you see us, is how our markings turn?” Caleb asked.

“No.” I shook my head. “However, I see your eyes.” I whispered, running my fingers around his eyes with a soft smile. I looked over to the clock and saw it was four in the morning. Caleb needed sleep. “Sleep now my mate, my bonded. I will remain by your side until you are sleeping peacefully.”

We both settled into his bed skin to skin. Neither of us wanted to dress, we both wanted to feel the other. When I left though I would have to steal one of his shirts because he ripped my pants. I pouted a little. I liked those Pajama pants. They had stitch on them, and he had always been my favorite Disney character. Hey, don’t laugh at me. I do still have an inner child.

Caleb and I were in a reversed position. I lay on my back while he lay on my chest his ear over my heart. It soothed him, just, as theirs soothed me. And after the nightmare he had I didn’t blame him. I would be all over the person who I had a nightmare about. But I can’t dream, or sleep, so there was that. There were up sides and down sides. Sleep was the one way to escape from reality, from the world. But being here with Caleb now was as close to serenity as I could get right now.

I stopped playing with his hair for a moment to look down on him. He was sleeping peacefully now. His face slack, but a small smile still on his lips. There was no more pain or fear, he wasn’t crying or distressed anymore. And the relief I felt from that was unbelievable. I gently pulled myself out from under him, careful, slow, so I didn’t wake him. When I was free, I grabbed one of Caleb’s shirts, which hung down to my mid-thigh, and left his room for him to sleep.

I liked this new me. I was always awake, alert. I could watch over everyone while they slept while also spending time with Hades. I could make sure everyone was safe. Speaking of safe. I called on Alethea for her help, her magic along with the immortal magic running through my veins made me feel like a live wire, but as soon as it was under control, I weaved a powerful shielding spell. One that will protect all the land around us. And should someone try to pass, I would feel it, and I’d be ready for them.