Within their dreams (Reverse Harem)

Chapter 34

Ivy's POV

The faint tickle as Owen's fingers trail down the thigh that's draped over him pulls a satisfied sigh from my lips. In this moment, everything else falls away. There's no Simon or council or mate bond looming over us. It's just me and him. His hair is tousled from my hands raking through it and his chest is bare, his shirt now on me. Despite the chill coming from a draft in the window, he doesn't complain. He lays there with a soft grin on his face and even softer eyes that if I look into them for a moment too long, makes my throat burn with emotion.

Leo and Owen have been visiting me each night for the past week. They don't always come together, so as not to raise suspicion in the palace, but each night I'm escorted to my room, I find a shadow waiting for me. It means I get even less sleep than I did before, but the tiredness is worth the feeling I have now.

Spending time with them makes the days seem far less ominous, though Simon is still pushing hard in our sessions. I'm surprised I have any magic left for my lessons with the elders. I don't particularly enjoy those lessons either, but I feel more in control than ever before. My magic no longer feels like a tidal wave that I'm trying to hold back before the inevitable rush. Instead, I feel one with it, like it's an extension of me.

After the first time they snuck in, I've felt more at one with my magic here. Erika hasn't tried anything either, though she still looks at me with disdain. It seems that the princes' visit gave me a trickle of respect and I'm no longer treated like a prisoner. I'm still locked in my room at night, but during the day I can wander in the garden and explore more of the coven at will.

While initially the place seemed dark and hollow, the coven is truly beautiful. They have a library dedicated just to spellbooks, the walls covered in embroidered tapestries and snippets of spells in gold lettering. There are smaller books for the children to practise beginner spells, to books from the original Elders, kept high on the shelves and displayed around the room. You can tell that many have survived for generations, tiny writings in the margins where spells have been adapted and modified. It took me two days of flipping through different books to find her writing.

The book was a pastel blue and darker green, with swirls on the cover encasing wild lilies that when you brushed your hand over the cover, felt as real as if you had grown them yourself. There was no title on the front like some of the others to know which lineage it came from, but the book seemed well-loved and worn. I found doodles on some of the pages of butterflies settled on a flower and ivy crawling up the pages, but at the back of the book, I saw the list of names noted down to show how the book had been passed down through the family. The last name on the list made the air constrict in my lungs. Maria Solace. My mother. I snuck it up to my room to memorise every word, but I still visit the spell room daily. This room has become my favourite, giving me a sense of comfort I never thought I could experience here.

As I discover more and more hidden places, I try to imagine my parents finding them as children, running in and out of the room, their laughter echoing down the halls. I imagine it so well that I can almost hear them giggling.

Seeing Leo and Owen each night gives me a reason to try and find comfort here during the day. Knowing that no matter how much Simon uses me, or the slights the other Elders give me, they will always be there to comfort me in the evening. Just that knowledge unlocked a resilience in me I didn't know I had.

I moan softly as Owen's hand finds its way into my hair, combing through the tangles he put there earlier.

"If you keep making those noises we'll never leave the bed."

I giggle softly, pressing a kiss to his chest and feeling his sharp intake of breath. His heart thumps against my cheek, its rhythm ready to lull me to sleep but I force my eyes open, wanting to cherish every moment. The nights are my favourite part of the day, yet they always seem to fade so soon.

"I have to go soon gorgeous." The rumble from his chest pulls me out of my thoughts. I look up at him with a frown. Usually, they wait for me to fall asleep before sneaking out in the early hours of the morning, small rays of sunlight only just appearing in the sky.

"I have to train some of the new recruits to the guard first thing this morning, and later on we have a council meeting. It's Leo's night tomorrow, but I can try to twist his arm and let me come too?"

"No," I sigh, unfolding myself from his hold, already missing the heat of his body pressed against mine.

"You need to sleep some nights at least. You're starting to look a little worse for wear."

"Hey," I giggle as he jabs his elbow into my side, a lazy smile on his face. Despite my teasing, it was true. Dark circles line his eyes which now seem permanently heavy with sleep. He'd forgotten one too many days of shaving, so his jaw was covered in a sprinkling of stubble. If he carried on like this, he'd end up collapsing.

"You forget I'm not human, gorgeous. I don't need as much sleep as they do. Besides, when do you sleep?"
"I nap sometimes in the afternoons. But really, spend tomorrow catching up on your sleep and visit me the next day. Besides, if you keep crashing Leo's days, I fear he might murder you."

He chuckles, knowing that is something Leo would definitely do, before heaving himself off the small bed and dropping a kiss on my forehead. I toss him his shirt, giggling when he gapes at my bare chest like it's the first time he's ever seen it before flopping back down and getting comfortable and closing my eyes. I feel him come closer once more and pull the blanket to my chin, tucking it in at the sides until he's satisfied I'm warm enough.

"You know," he murmurs softly. "You can always come visit us at night."

I peek an eye open, my brows furrowed in confusion.

"You did it before, when we first met. Back then you didn't even know what you were doing. You can do it again."

He kisses me one more time and I nuzzle into the sheets, thinking over his words as I try to drift off for an hour or two before I get woken up to attend my lessons.