Page 12

Damn.

One taste, and I’m practically feverish for more. I feel the weight of his hand in my hair, but he doesn’t move me along. He doesn’t need to. I’m in a frenzy. He hits the back of my throat and I retreat, repeating the motion faster and needier with every pass as I hollow out my cheeks, tightening my suction.

“Fuck, Raven,” he rasps, his eyelids falling to half-mast as I feel him grow in my mouth. Hotter, longer, wider, it stuns us both when he fists my hair and lets out a low groan, spilling his cum down my throat.

He slumps back against the tiled wall and I jerk in surprise from the water that hits my face. I hadn’t realized he was shielding me from the shower.

Releasing his cock from my mouth, I lean back, a satisfied sigh parting my lips before I stand. He eyes me with a sense of bewilderment I’ve never seen from him before, and I instantly worry he’s expecting me to demand something in return. That’s not what this is about, so I quickly step out of the shower and wrap a fluffy towel around my body.

Reality begins to creep in again, the small reprieve from the actuality that we’re drenched in making its way back to the surface. I turn to face him, offering him a soft smile as I hand him a towel. No words are needed, and no regret bubbles to the surface. He needed the pause from the crazy just as much as I did.

I hold the towel tight around my chest, clinging to the warmth as I step back into the room. I don’t want to look at the bed, but it’s impossible not to. I’m sure it’s going to break me down this time, but before I can exhale a pained breath, a sound catches my attention.

My ears perk as I stand tall, trying to follow where it’s coming from. Brax’s gaze catches mine, and he frowns for a moment before understanding washes over his face.

“It’s Zane’s shell,” he mutters.

Shell? Oh, shit. The device he has to speak with his father? I stare down at it, confused with why the fuck it’s going off right now. “Weren’t these things broken after Captain Bag of Dicks arrived? Isn’t that why we spent all that time in Lyra’s little pocket dimension?”

Brax shakes his head. “No, he was using it, his father was just unable to answer, which is why he had to take the more open communication route.”

I nod like it makes sense, but it really doesn’t. I don’t have time to process it. My eyes widen and I quickly use my magic to lose the towel, replacing it with a pair of leggings and a sweater, leaving my damp hair to fall over my shoulders.

Whirling around to Brax, I find him dressed in a pair of black jeans and a black fitted tee with a peach-colored shell filling his hand. He cocks a brow at me, seeking my confirmation that I’m ready, and I nod.

A moment later, the space between us is filled by a projection of Rhys Denver.

“Hey, son, I just wanted to—” Rhys goes quiet as he slowly glances from Brax to me and back again, a deep crease forming between his eyes. “Where’s Zane?” I gape at him momentarily, at a complete loss of where to begin. “Brax?” he encourages after he’s greeted with more silence from the pair of us, and all Brax can do is grunt in response.

Fuck.

Shifting, I take a seat at the foot of the bed before I lock eyes with the glimmer of hope that’s been keeping us going. I take a deep breath but it does nothing to calm my racing heart. “I don’t know where to start,” I offer hoarsely, the concern on Rhys’s face deepening as he moves around the space as if he’s here in the flesh, taking the spot beside me.

“At the beginning.”

I don’t even know where that is.

“Erikel learned you were coming to rescue us tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Rhys questions. “You mean in a few hours?”

I shrug. I have no idea what time it is, and it feels like I’ve lived a whole lifetime since I last spoke with him. “I don’t know. All I know is he learned the truth and insisted we go on a mission to the caves in Ashdale.” My gaze drifts to my hands, knitted together in my lap as my lips dry. Thankfully, he doesn’t push, giving me a moment to process. “Everyone was searching for the Potens Ruby, but we actually found it.” I force my gaze back to his, and even though he seems surprised, I can still see the uncertainty in his eyes, waiting for the part where we explain where Zane is. I want to cut to the chase and give him the details he needs, but explaining it all out loud from the beginning is helping me understand better. Breaking everything down is almost cathartic.

“Do you have it with you now?”

I shake my head. “No. Eldon has it.”

“Is he with Zane?” he pushes, a storm swarming in his eyes as he tries to show me as much patience as possible.

Nodding, I see a pinch of relief in his eyes, but not enough. “After we found it, we also found the emerald gate to the Realm of Shadows.”

His eyes widen but he doesn’t utter a single word.

Brax clears his throat, pulling both of our gazes to him as he nervously scrubs at the back of his neck. “It’s my fault, Monarch Denver. Ever since…” His eyes drift to me before resettling back on Rhys. “I’ve been having vivid dreams of visiting my parents in the Realm of Shadows. I had researched the emerald gate when we were trying to learn more on the Potens Ruby.” He glances down at his feet, defeat getting the better of him. “If I had kept my curiosity to myself, Rhys, the burning desire to… seek more, we would all be here together.”

“Is Zane in the Realm of Shadows?” The question hangs heavy in the air, forcing a pained squeak from my throat as I nod, unable to say the words out loud. “Creed and Eldon too?” I nod again, and he exhales slowly. “Are Marieta and Peta with them?” I frown, unsure who he means, but Brax nods this time, answering for us.

His parents.