Taken by the Blood God (Devil Springs #4)

Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

Talant

Something poked me in the back hard enough to send a spike of pain through my muscles.

I groaned as the ache expanded, radiating down my leg and up to my shoulder.

“You’ve been asleep for sixteen hours,” a perturbed female voice snapped. “If you want to sleep more, you need to go to your own bed.”

There was another jab, this one on my right ass cheek. It was even sharper than the last.

Without turning my head, I reached back, grabbed the object poking me, and threw it over the other side of the bed. Whatever it was landed with a clatter.

“Dammit, Talant. I want to go to bed, and I am not sleeping with you!”

Slender fingers grabbed my shoulder and shook me. With another grunt, I rolled over, cracked my eyes just enough to see a certain red-headed witch bent over me, and reached out to yank her down on top of me. Then I rolled so we were both on our sides, her face even with my chest, and threw an arm and a leg over her.

Minerva released an enraged squawk and shoved at me. “Let me go, you overgrown ape!”

I ignored her, letting sleep tug me down into the black depths.

Until the little witch bit me.

I yelled and shoved her over, turning her so that her back was to me. There. Now, I could go back to sleep.

“I swear by the gods and goddesses that I will cast a spell on you that makes your fifteen-hundred-year nap under a mountain look like a vacation if you don’t let me go!” she spat, her body arching and flailing in my grasp.

I opened my eyes to find her glaring over her shoulder at me. There was a glitter in her gaze that told me she meant every word.

I sighed. “I’m comfortable and exhausted. What will it take to get you to let me go back to sleep?”

“You going to your own bed!”

“Except that.” I snuggled her closer, throwing my leg over hers again to keep her from kicking me.

“Talant, I’m warning you…”

“Minerva, please. I just need to sleep, and I don’t want to be alone.”

I hadn’t meant to say those words, but as soon as they came out of my mouth I realized they were true. I’d been alone for so long. I was tired of the emptiness surrounding me all the time. Until Ally arrived in my dreamscape, I hadn’t even realized how lonely I was.

She stilled, her body tense against me. Her hand was hesitant as it came to rest on the back of mine. “You don’t want to be alone?” she asked.

Her question sounded the least annoyed she’d ever been with me, so I answered, hoping I was finally getting through to her. “No, I don’t.”

Her fingers were cool where they rested on my knuckles. I could almost feel her thinking, but, as usual, I had no idea what those thoughts were. Other than when she was irritated or angry with me.

After a few moments of silence, she sighed. “Fine. You can sleep in here, but you’re going to keep your hands to yourself and stay on your side of the bed. If you lay a finger on me, I swear you’ll get nothing back but a bloody stump.”

I had to suppress a smile. Her threats were always creative. I could usually tell when she was serious about them and when she wasn’t. At the moment, I had no doubt she would make me pay if I touched her, but she wouldn’t try to cut off my fingers. It was more likely she would bite me again.

“Fine, I won’t touch you,” I agreed.

She was silent for another moment, then she growled. I couldn’t keep the smile hidden this time. I grinned but rearranged my expression when her head turned.

“That means you need to let me go right now,” she said.

“Oh. You mean this counts?”

I could hear her teeth grinding and decided I’d teased her enough for now. I could always continue later after I was rested.

I slid my leg off hers and unwound my arm from around her waist. Though I teased her constantly, this time I half-wished she would have shocked me and gone along with it. I needed the reassurance of her scent, the weight of her body against mine, the warmth of her skin. Every aspect of her reminded me of why I needed to regain my humanity—and made it a worthwhile endeavor.

Minerva moved away from me, getting to her feet on the other side of the bed. She climbed beneath the blankets, careful to keep plenty of space between us. It wasn’t difficult. Her bed was a large one, another thing that I wished were different.

Still, her allowing me to share her bed, even if only to sleep, was a step. I hoped it was the first to getting past the formidable defenses and bitchy armor she wore to keep me at a distance.

I decided to push my luck just a bit more and said, “I won’t touch you, little witch. In case you were wondering, I don’t mind at all if you touch me. Anywhere you like.”

Her eyes shot to mine, burning with brilliant gold fire. She opened her mouth, probably to tell me to get the hell out of her room, but I didn’t give her the opportunity.

“But I understand if you’re worried you won’t be able to control yourself.”

Her mouth snapped shut at my words. There was no way she would kick me out now. I had issued a challenge, and I knew she wouldn’t back down from it.

“I’m sure I won’t have any issues keeping my hands off you.” She smiled, but it was sharp and lethal. “Unless you count the urge to strangle you. Then, we might have a problem.”

I chuckled when she turned back over, putting her back to me. “If you say so.”

“Good night, Talant.”

“I mean?—”

“Talant, shut up or so help me…”

I smirked as I shut my eyes and let exhaustion pull me back into the depths of sleep.

And back into dreams that were haunted by a witch with wild golden eyes and fiery hair.