COVEN, Dreamwalker

Chapter 5 pt 2

The Goddesses

The hall disappears.

One moment, Knight is there. Chase is there.

The next—Soft grass presses beneath my bare feet.

I inhale sharply.

Moonlight bathes everything in silver, but there is no moon above me. No stars either.Only an endless twilight sky glowing with light that seems to come from everywhere at once.

In the distance, wolves run across rolling fields, free and completely unburdened.

Something inside me settles at the sight.

Luna.

She isn’t frightened. If anything, she’s calmer than I’ve felt her in years.

A smile graces my lips.

Welcome to the Realm of the Moon, Princess of Dreams.

I spin.

A woman stands several feet away.

One second there was empty grass.

The next, she was simply there.

Chase?His name leaves me instantly.

The woman smiles.

He is still on Earth, with your body.

I look down at myself.

Well.

That’s reassuring.

Sort of.

The Realm of the Moon,I repeat.

My attention returns to her. Then to the wolves running behind her.

One separates from the others.

Larger.

Silver-white.

Something about her pulls at a memory from one of the ridiculously old books Mum made us study as children.

My eyes widen.Artemis.

The woman’s smile deepens.

Realisation follows. You’reSelene?

She nods.Yes. And we do not have a lot of time.

Questions explode through my mind.

Approximately a thousand of them.

Before I can ask even one, Selene raises her hand.

You are one of my rarest creations, a Walker of Realms. Only ten of you have existed, and only five walk the Earth now.

My mouth goes dry.

A Walker of Realms.

Dreams.

The cold.

The road.

The strange visions I’ve spent years pretending aren’t becoming increasingly impossible to explain.

Each time one of you awakens, I bring you here, to the realm of your creation.

Why?

The why is not important right now.

Of course it isn’t.

Why would a Goddess give me a straightforward answer when apparently nobody else can?

Selene’s expression softens as though she hears the thought.

Which, considering she’s a Goddess, she probably does.

Just know you have passed the first test.

My amusement disappears. Test?

There will be more to come. And when they do, my voice will guide you.

I stare at her. What tests?

She steps closer.

Wait—

Selene leans forward and presses her lips to my forehead.

White light consumes everything.

My eyes fly open, my head rocks back, and I release a guttural moan.Our bodies tremble as Knight licks my neck, sealing the already disappearing wound.

Not long after midnight, I sit astride Chase’s lap, my hands braced on his chest and his hands gripping my hips, aiding in our rise and fall.

A voice from beyond the sheer drapes, unhurried and respectful, says, “I’m your matched Druid, Wren. May I join you?”

The question is more like a notice since his participation is required. I nod as my hips grind down on Chase’s length; Wren looks to Chase, who offers a small nod of acceptance.

Wren enters, removing his robes, revealing his own runes permanently etched into his skin. He kneels behind me without instruction; one hand strokes his already hard length, the other steadies my hips, before he slowly presses into my moist core alongside Chase.

The stretch is almost too much for me. The new angle and the pressure of both of them deep inside me are overwhelmingly satisfying, drawing a broken sound from my throat.

It takes a moment for the three of us to find our rhythm, and when it locks into place, it is relentless. I am pinned between them, taking everything they have to offer.

The sounds they draw from my throat are animalistic. Wren’s hands find my breasts from behind, while Chase’s mouth assaults my throat.

For hours we move through positions as though our bodies had done this before. I ride Chase as Wren thrusts deep into my throat, his hand pressing and circling my c**t. Then I’m on my back as Chase moves deep inside me, my back arches, and Wren slides in and out of my throat; their rugged moans reach the moon. Chase presses his thumb to my c**t as his hips buck, and I clench around him; my eyes water as they release deep inside me.

By the time the moon relinquishes the sky, the hall grows quieter, and the ceremony comes to an end.

Wren lies behind me, one hand resting lazily against my hip.

I’m somewhere between asleep and conscious when Knight stirs.

His annoyance hits Chase hard enough that even I feel the change in the air.

Apparently, sharing was acceptable during the ceremony.

Afterward?

Not so much.

Chase’s arm tightens around me.

Knight.

A growl vibrates through his chest. Chase reaches for the stone band around his wrist.

My eyes widen. “Chase—”

The hall disappears.

His wet-room materialises around us; cold tiles replace linen; Chase hits the panel, and the water comes on, hot and forceful.

Steam rises as my back meets the tiled wall; Knight doesn’t wait for the room to warm. Instead, he takes me against the cold tiles, one of my legs hooked over his arm and the other barely touching the ground; circling my wrist, I summon a shelf to brace against.

Water runs down both of us, and my voice echoes off the walls, a contrast to the Druid hall. Knight is not rough from anger, but from ownership, each thrust of his hips a claim, each mark on my skin a reiteration. Mine. A word he should not even be thinking.

I give him what he needs and take in return. The steam thickens around us until the glass walls have vanished and all that remains is heat, the sound of water and flesh meeting flesh and my own broken cries.

My fingers dig deep into his shoulders as my orgasm hits me like a train. Knight gradually retreats, until it’s only Chase holding me upright.

He turns off the water and wraps me in a towel with a gentleness that almost feels silly given everything that preceded it.

He carries my limp body over to his bed. I’m asleep before he pulls the covers over us both.

I awake to the warmth and pressure of Chase’s mouth between my thighs. An undignified sound is pulled from my throat.

Good morning, Princess, he says without pausing his tongue.

I come twice before he works his way back up my body. What follows is slow and steady, free of the frantic energy of the night before. I lie on my side, and he curves behind me; we move quietly and satisfied until we’re both spent and loose-limbed, basking in the afternoon light.

The clock on his nightstand reads 12:40. My stomach rumbles in recognition of missed meals. Hungry? Chase smirks. I nod. Starved.

Walker of Realms.

Selene’s words push their way back into my head.

A Goddess.

An actual Goddess just told me I’m one of only five Walkers of Realms currently alive, that I’ve passed some mysterious first test, and that there are apparently more to come.

Nope.

Not dealing with that right now.

I’m exhausted, starving, and I’m pretty sure my legs have forgotten how to function.

Chase stands and pulls me from the bed. “Come on, Mum should have lunch ready by now.”

My clothes are waiting in a neat pile on the ottoman at the bottom of Chase’s bed, brought here by whatever magic the Druids use to reunite ceremonial belongings with their owners.

Convenient.

Particularly when your Beta decides teleporting home without warning is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

I dress and pull my curls into a messy bun before examining myself in the mirror.

Not bad for someone who hasn’t slept properly in days.

Chase appears behind me.

“You ready?”

“Yeah.”

We follow the smell of food and the sound of cutlery downstairs.

“Ah, there you are. I was about to send Aaron out to get you.”

I smile and take the empty seat between Chase and his sister Erica.

Which is apparently my first mistake.

Erica glances between us.

Her lips curve.

Oh, Goddess.

“Fun night?” she asks, shovelling a piece of steak into her mouth.

Their mother Beta, Leane, shoots her a glare.

“You’ll know soon enough. Aren’t you about to be bonded to one of my cousins?”

Aaron snorts.

Leane’s glare immediately transfers to him.

Erica lowers her head and mutters something that sounds very much like an insult.

I smile, then my attention moves to Aaron.

“How are your mates? Still insisting they cut you down the middle?”

Aaron sighs.

The whole mess started because he went on a mission that should have been his brother’s.

Except his brother couldn’t go because I was in heat.

The Blood Bond had dragged Chase straight to me, leaving Aaron to take his place.

One redirected mission later and Aaron came home with a second mate.

“Sean is slowly coming around, but Rain? She’s of the opinion that Sean should f**k off since he can’t give me pups.”

I snort.

Then Aaron’s eyes meet mine. And the world shifts.

Then… Rain. Her face twists as realisation hits. And suddenly she understands that every demand she makes for him to choose is hurting the person she’s so terrified of losing.

The vision fades. I blink.

Aaron is still staring at me.

I smile. “Give it a week. Oh, and keep Sean away from the north border on Thursday”

His eyebrows pull together.

I reach for my glass.