Page 125 of Somnium

That was the understatement of the year.

Elias shifted to gently tug her ear, and the lines of his face twisted into a look of sorrow that Cadi could have sworn she felt in her own heart.

“But I meant what I said on the pier,” he said.

She tilted her head, replaying their conversation from the Harvest Festival and nearly losing her train of thought when he brushed his knuckles against her cheek. So much had been said that night, he would need to be a little more⁠—

“I won’t survive losing you again.”

Her annoyance dissolved in an instant as the breath caught in her chest, trapped by the way her ribs seemed to constrict at his words. She hated the look of pain and fear in his eyes. Hated that she couldn’t promise that nothing bad would happen. It already had.

Because of Oneirios.

The ache in her chest began to harden as something sharper took shape in its place. That god had taken so much from Elias, from her, and he still demanded more. Moving closer, she lifted her hands to frame his face and pressed her forehead against his.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered, “I’m yours. Remember?”

He nodded and squeezed his eyes shut as he moved to grip her arm. Neither of them spoke, and a silence settled over the apartment in a calm that belonged only to them.

She let her thumb trace against his cheek. It seemed such a trivial thing, but the feel of his stubble against her fingers fed a growing pressure at the base of her throat. How odd to have missed such a small detail so fiercely. The heat from his body warmed her skin, traversing the space between them.

Cadi choked out a small gasp when the flutter behind her sternum surged brighter, vying for her attention like always, only this time it felt more insistent, like it was pulling her forward, leading her to where Elias sat in front of her. Almost as though it had missed him too.

She held back a shudder when his hand slid up her arm to crest the curve of her shoulder. Then, with the smallest angle of his head, he brushed his nose against hers, testing that final step on their path back to each other with a silent question.

And she already knew her answer.

He was her shelter, her safety. The one person who saw through every defense she’d hidden behind and left her feeling cherished instead of broken. Everything she’d never dared to let herself hope for.

So, what the fuck was she waiting for?

Tipping her chin, she brushed her lips against his so lightly she might have wondered if they’d touched at all had it not been for the way Elias’s breath trembled against her mouth in answer.

A slow grin slid over her face. Even now, when desire was practically vibrating off him, he was still clinging to that final thread of control. And Cadi really, really wanted to pull it.

She leaned in further and let her hands slip around the back of his neck to draw him closer, her lips colliding with his in a rush of intent so fierce it made her mind go hazy. His fingers threaded into her hair as he tipped her head back to take them both deeper, his tongue brushing against hers in a familiar dance that felt like second nature.

Pushing up from the couch, she placed one leg on either side of him and pressed her body against his in a barely contained plea. Strong hands settled against her hips, and she rolled them forward, but instead of guiding her movements, he stopped her. She pulled back, panting as she searched his face for what had better be a damn good reason for his sudden hesitation.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He looked at her through hazy eyes, his brimming desire more than apparent in the roughness of his voice. “I just … are you sure?”

Cadi’s eyebrows shot up. The only thing she wasn’t sure of right then was how much more obvious she could be. “I’m literally in your lap.”

“I’m very aware,” he said, reaching up to brush the hair back from her shoulder. “I just don’t want you to feel pressured or⁠—”

“Elias,” she said, as she leaned in close to press a finger against his lips. “Shut up.”

38

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

ELIAS

Adevilish smirk crept across Elias’s face as his last remaining ounce of hesitation evaporated, and he surged forward with renewed fervor to capture Cadi’s lips with his. A throbbing tension gripped the base of his spine at the sound of her soft moan.

Gods, he’d missed her.