Page 130 of Somnium

She loved him.

And he loved her. The thought alone was enough to make her chest swell with a pressure so intense she thought she might split open.

“I guess I do,” she whispered with a soft smile. “In spite of my better judgement.”

A spirited glint flashed in his eyes, and her squeal split the peace of the moment when he leaned forward to land a playful smack against her ass.

They settled onto the sofa with her legs draped over his lap, and filled the time with laughter, kisses, and simple conversation until the buzz of Elias’s phone against the coffee table yanked them back to reality.

Cadi gripped his shoulders when he tried to pull away to reach for the bothersome device.

“Don’t you dare,” she muttered as she tugged him back down.

He huffed a laugh against her mouth. “I have to get the food, love. And I need a shirt so I don’t make the delivery guy uncomfortable.”

“Fuck the food and your shirt. I like you better shirtless,” she said, claiming his mouth with another kiss. He gripped her arm and let his lips linger against hers for another blissful moment before he pulled away again, laughing when she leaned forward in pursuit.

“I’ll be right back,” he said as he placed a quick peck to her cheek and slipped from her hold. Cadi flopped back on the couch, her eyes tracking his movements when he reappeared from the bedroom and crossed to the front door.

Fully dressed, much to her disappointment.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Cadi hopped up to wipe down the table, more for her own comfort than anything else. Tasting herself had been hot earlier, but it wasn’t a flavor she had any interest in trying on her pizza.

It wasn’t until Elias got back with dinner that she realized just how hungry she’d actually been and quickly claimed half of the pizza, putting it away so fast she was pretty sure she scared him a little.

Once the last bite of food was gone, Cadi tried and failed to stifle a wide yawn while she dried her hands on the soft kitchen towel, the last of their dishes scrubbed and drying in the rack next to the sink. Exhaustion from the day was quickly winning out, and she could barely keep her eyes open as she stepped around the counter to where Elias stood watching her, finishing his drink. She pushed up onto her toes to place a sleepy kiss against his cheek as she passed.

“I might die if I try to stay awake any longer,” she said.

He smiled down at her and lightly squeezed her hip before he tossed his chin toward the hall. “You go ahead, I’ll be right in.”

She nodded and gave him a tired smile, then turned to shuffle back to the bedroom and the growing pull of sleep.

The sheets were still warm from their bodies as she nestled deep beneath the comforter, letting out a slightly embarrassing groan of pleasure at the way the smooth fabric engulfed her. Her limbs began to slacken, each breath growing deeper as they shifted into the slow cadence of slumber, until Elias’s stern voice sliced through the silence.

“ARCADIA KISMET!”

Adrenaline spiked in Cadi’s veins, sending a sharp tingle over her skin as she sat bolt upright. It was incredible the way the disapproval in his tone managed to awaken a long-dormant reflex shaped by years of her mother only using her full name when she was in serious trouble.

“What did I do?” she called back, her voice uncharacteristically timid.

In place of an answer, Elias appeared at the door with a look of reprimand darkening his features. He held up his hand, and the soft light of the hall glinted against the golden surface of the tiny object clutched between his fingers. Cadi winced, looked down at her naked finger, and muttered a colorful curse under her breath.

“I found this on the edge of the sink, practically begging to be knocked down the drain,” he chided.

Cadi groaned, tipping her head back in frustration. It was bad enough that she had, once again, managed to forget the delicate barrier that protected her from Oneirios’s nasty new habit of controlling people through their dreams, but the look of disappointment on Elias’s face was more than she could bear.

“This is exactly why I hate rings,” she said, her shoulders slumping forward. “I always manage to forget them somewhere.”

Elias sighed, and the harshness of his expression began to soften as he stepped further into the room to step around the bed and lower himself down beside her.

“That was before,” he said, his voice full of gentle reassurance as he took her hand. “Now you have me to remind you.” He slipped the ring onto her pinkie, letting his thumb graze the band where it met her skin. “Don’t forget your ring, love.”

The flutter in her chest surged in response, and her eyes slipped closed when Elias leaned forward to place a kiss to her forehead.

“Thank you for rescuing it,” she murmured, her voice once again growing thick with drowsiness as she leaned back onto the pillows. She kept her eyes open as long as she could, wanting to memorize the way he looked smiling at her from the doorway, until sleep finally took her.

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