A Surrender Of Hope (Umbra Hunters #3)

22. Meyer

TWENTY-TWO

Meyer

I blink, my eyes opening just the smallest amount, then freeze when I feel the edges of my vision flicker, and groan as I sit up, looking around the dream I’ve found myself in. I stand, brushing off my blue silk gown as I take in the familiar castle . The air is warm and fragrant, smelling of fresh flowers and water as I look down at the narrow cobblestone path under my blue silk slippers.

Spinning, I take in the lovely garden surrounded by light blue crystal walls that reach for the sky with their sparkling brilliance. Their glow casts a soft blue hue over the garden resting at the center of the large castle. Its beauty is just as breathtaking as it was my first time here. The grand arches at each side of the garden carved with perfect swirling script I can’t read. I hesitantly glance around, worried I may find Inanis lingering in the shadows, but the castle is oddly quiet.

“Mi Sol!” Valen’s panicked voice has me twisting on my heel, eyes searching him out as my hand moves for a blade at my hip before I curse, realizing I’m without any weapons. “Mi Sol!?” he shouts again, voice cracking with fear as I lurch forward, my heart skipping a beat at the pain I hear in his words.

“Valen?” I call out, rushing toward his voice. Shit, is he hurt? I run toward one of the arches just as Valen sprints out from within the castle, and we nearly collide.

“Meyer!” Valen gasps, his eyes flashing with green magic. His arms wind around me, and he yanks me to his chest as he steps back, leaning against the crystal walls as his entire body trembles. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, you?” I mumbled against his chest, my eyes feeling like they’re about to pop out of their sockets from how tight Valen clings to me.

“I… fuck. Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry. I fell asleep and forgot to monitor your dreams,” he rasps, lips pressing to my hair before he finally relaxes his hold on me. “I was worried Inanis might be here and…” he trails off.

“Freaked out?” I offer.

“That’s putting it mildly,” Valen grinds out, hands roaming over me, touching every inch of skin he can. “I need you to stop giving me a heart attack. You're going to put me in an early grave with worry.”

“I’ll work on that. I still can't control my dreams,” I whisper, hating myself for that fact. “Were you trying to block them?” I ask, remembering he’d mentioned doing that in the past.

“No, but I was planning on it. I fell asleep,” he admits in a rough voice. “I blocked the one you started to have on Earth without any issue, and I hoped being in this realm might ground your magic. It’s not lashing out as much as back at the North American Castle. But, I’m guessing with tonight's activities… well, you might have had some control issues.” I nod as I remember the new development in Nox’s room.

“I have claws,” I admit, making Valen jerk back and blink down at me in surprise.

“Pardon?”

“I have claws,” I repeat, my mind still blown about that fact. “I totally shish kebabed Nox while we were having sex. Wait… am I going to get a tail because I don’t know how I feel about that.”

“No?” Valen's answer is more like a question, and I scowl, not liking the uncertainty in his voice. “You… shish kebabed Nox? Is he alright?”

“Yeah,” I wave a hand in the air. “I think it turned him on more than anything,” I admit, pursing my lips as I shrug. Valen scoffs and nods.

“That does sound like my brother. Any more magic show up?” he asks, and I shake my head.

“I can feel it, though. It's like a weird swirling thing living inside me.” Closing my eyes, I try to yank on the feeling, but it stubbornly stays dormant. “This thing has been pretty chill, too. No burning or anything in the last few hours.” I hold my wrist out, turning it so he can see the dark red mark.

“Good. Father and I talked about finding a spell to cover it. He thinks there might be more knowledge on removing it, but he needs some time,” Valen mutters in frustration. I peer up at him, watching as his pale green eyes move over the gardens in front of him, his body tensing back up as he exhales sharply. “How are you here? How do you know this place to create a dreamscape out of it?”

“I’ve dreamt of it before,” I admit, and Valen frowns, but his eyes never leave the beautiful scene before him. Longing and pain are etched in his features as his Adam’s apple bobs in his throat, and he nods. “It was the night Inanis first found me when you struggled to wake me up. The dream started here, then moved to a field outside the kingdom. Everything was on fire.”

“The Reckoning,” Valen croaks and nods. “I remember.” I brush a lock of hair from his brow as Valen inhales and nods again, letting his arms fall from around me. “Did you…” He trails off with a grimace, finally looking away from the gardens and back to me. “Did you see anyone while you were here before?”

I smile a little and nod, making his eyes lighten a little. “Yeah,” I breathe out a laugh and nod to the center of the garden. “I saw you. You were much cuter back then,” I tease, earning a half smile as Valen twines our fingers together, and he hesitantly steps out into the garden.

“No, my sister was the cute one. She was the talk of the kingdom. She already possessed so much magic and beauty at such a young age. She was identical to my birth mother,” Valen whispers, and I grin, looking over his dress coat and pants. He looks every inch the royal Prince who should live in a castle like this. His pale hair tousled perfectly to the side, his strong shoulders set back confidently, despite the pain he must feel at seeing his childhood home again.

“Meri, right?” I ask, and Valen’s eyes widen in shock.

“You saw her?”

“Yes, your mom and dad, too. They were beautiful,” I whisper, and Valen smiles.

“Yes, they were. How much did you see that day? Were you here during the attack?”

I shake my head, then pause and nod. “Kind of? I saw you and your sister playing here, then everything changed. The castle was on fire, and there were dead Demons everywhere,” my eyes move to the spot where I saw Valen’s mother's body, and I shiver, hating that she was killed. “Then I was in the field, and Inanis appeared, a hoard of Beastia with him. The entire kingdom was in ruins by that point.”

“Hmm,” Valen grunts as he walks us further into the gardens. “I was with my father. He came and brought me to his office to introduce me to Razar and Arch,” Valen admits, and I look up at him and grin.

“Yeah?” I ask, nodding for him to continue, loving the idea of the boys becoming friends before they were brothers.

“Yeah. Arch and I clicked immediately. They were a little older than me, and I was so excited that my birth father introduced me to someone important—Demon Princes, and hopefully new friends. But I couldn't stand Razar,” Valen chuckles and shakes his head, eyes slightly unfocused as he recalls the memory from so long ago.

“He was an ass even then?” I ask, and Valen laughs.

“Worse than he is now. I’m not sure how Mom and Father managed to raise him without locking him in the dungeons. He stole my book and ripped out every page that had anything to do with knights or princesses, telling me it was time to grow up. That princesses were a waste of valuable time and mind space. I was seven at the time, and everything he was saying was completely the opposite of what my sister had told me. So, I thought he was lying and tried to hit him.” I laugh and shake my head, easily picturing Razar tormenting a young Valen. “Thankfully, Arch stepped in between us, grabbed my book, and smacked Raz upside the head with it. When he saw I was close to tears, he told me princesses weren't a waste of time and to ignore his evil twin.” Valen frowns and runs a hand down his face as he looks away from the flowers in front of us. “Now look where we are. Razar is one of my favorite people, and Arch is the evil twin. Ironic, isn’t it?”

Unsure what to do, but disliking the devastation I see coursing from him, I wrap my arms around my dream man and squeeze him tight, resting my head on his chest. “I’m sorry, Valen.”

“Whatever for, Mi Sol? This was not caused by anything you did. If anything, you make the pain worth living through. But I’ll always take more hugs if you are offering them,” he whispers, his arms not only wrapping me tight but completely banding around me as I melt into his embrace. I hum at his words and snuggle into the warm feeling that bursts in my chest. Safe. I’ve never felt more safe than I do in this man's arms. In any of my guy's arms.

We stay there wrapped in each other's arms for so long that I lose track of time. It's not until I feel the shiver of excitement course down my back, followed by my stomach dropping in dread, that I pull back and look around the castle.

“Beastia,” I whisper, and Valen growls under his breath, his eyes flicking around our surroundings like he’s trying to memorize everything he sees as he nods.

“We need to go,” he agrees, and I frown. “I can’t…”

“You can,” he whispers, fingers sliding up my waist and over my shoulders, before he cups my face in his strong hands. Valen bends, bringing his handsome face closer to mine. If it weren’t for the threat lingering near, I would lock our lips together and kiss him until I woke up. “This is not the impossible task you think it is, Regina. In the grand scheme of things, it's rather small. Not only are you in a different realm that you never knew existed, but you possess the ability to walk in dreams and call me to your side with a simple thought. You—my Demon Princess—are far stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

I swallow the urge to argue, scared that I will only disappoint him if I try and fail. Instead, I nod, hands moving up and wrapping around his wrists as he presses our foreheads together.

“Close your eyes,” he instructs as an eerie howl drifts through the warm air, sending chills of fear racing down my spine. I listen and take a deep breath. “Feel my magic, Mi Sol. Let it guide you.” A wash of calmness courses through me in waves, and I feel the odd, almost heavy sensation light up inside me, wanting to be free. “Now command your dreams, Regina. You are the creator here. Nothing can hurt you if you don't want it to.”

I gasp as warmth burns at my wrist, and my heart skips a beat. Valen’s magic cords around us as something familiar yet darker joins the mix. Suddenly, the ground beneath us shifts, and my eyes fly open. The click of poisoned-tipped claws echoes from the grand arches only a short distance away. The garden scene around us warps, and darkness bleeds into my dream as Valen opens his pale eyes and nods in approval.

“I love you.” His words ring in my ears as the dream falters and then completely disappears.

I gasp, eyes flying open as I try and fail to sit up in bed. A large, heavy arm pins me to the mattress, and a low growl vibrates from the massive bare chest at my back.

“Little Demon?” Nox rasps, his body shifting impossibly closer to mine as he holds me, his skin pressed to mine, reminding me that we’re both still naked. “Are you alright?” I can tell I just woke him, and from the dark, starless sky outside the windows, I’m guessing it's the middle of the night.

“Yes,” I whisper, my hands running over Lennox’s thick, tattooed arms, letting his warmth calm my racing heart.

“You sure?” he asks, lips at the shell of my ear, his sleepy voice thick and gravelly as he nuzzles his nose into my neck like a kitten wanting cuddles. I smile and relax into Lennox's arms, letting his slow, steady heartbeat soothe me. I just pulled myself from a dream! I controlled it!

“Never better,” I reassure him, my eyes fluttering shut as I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.