The Red Wing Mansion

The Pearl Wing Mansion : Chapter Twenty-Five

Alix's POV

By the time I've woken from the dream of being in a dungeon with demons that I need to learn everything about, I am already too scared to fall back asleep.

I stay curled up against Claudius with a new fear pooling in my body. A fear I've never had to deal with before. It's existential. Heaven vs hell. I had never been particularly good at going to church. But I knew to fear the devil.

The fact I just talked to him didn't bode well for when I died one day. Am I damned now? I did murder Aelia... literally slit her throat, but does it still count since Bayux moved my arm?

"Alix," Claudius says my name and I almost jump right out of my skin, jerking my head up and sucking in a deep breath. He's awake, watching me freak out and I didn't even realise, "What's wrong?" his blue eyes are wide with curiosity as his arms tighten around me. He must see how pale I am.

"I had a nightmare," which wasn't a lie, "I'm damned, Fontaine. What I did – there's consequences."

"Aelia was a trickster and killed many," Fontaine's mellow voice, quiet in the dead of night, is still full of confidence and helps me feel a little more centred. He doesn't sound worried at all, "I didn't trust her, no one did. My guess is the pressure of taking her place is giving you nightmares," I nod along to that, "How can I help you, Alix?" Fontaine whispers against my cheek.

"Kiss me hard, like it's our last kiss on earth," I request this, thinking of Bayux... I need Claudius' incubus to have my back in my dreams, "Until I fall asleep."

Fontaine doesn't respond in words, he brushes his mouth against mine and we start slow. I part my lips and his tongue finds mine, the kiss not really hard, but full of love and lust equally. My eyes are hooded as I look in to his, showing him how much I love him.

Claudius' eyes flash darker, his pheromones tickle my nostrils as sweet masculinity makes my eyes close. He uses his encompassing heat, the strength of his embrace and his aura to make me submit without any words. Even my mind starts to shut down, choosing sleep as he kisses me to the corner of my mouth, then down my jaw and neck, sucking over the heartbeat in my neck, sucking my skin softly, slowly and possessive. The kind of soft tugging warmth that lets me know he's always going to protect me.

His affection is love and lust – equal to one another.

Fontaine controls my fall into peace of mind.

I fall right back into the dungeon, but this time, in this dream, I have two friends.

Elen is waiting, standing on Bayux's wide shoulder, hands on her hips as she fixes her black and white hair.

Bayux is as terrifying as ever, but he's answerd my call. His cock might be throbbing, able to deliver a thousand orgasms with one fuck – but I don't know what's more scary. That or his very sharp, long teeth and his whole body being red and giant, hard muscle, no fat, only a beast made to kill with his power and demonic aura, pulling females closer and closer.

"You need me?" Bayux rumbles.

"I have to talk to these captured demons in my dreams every night, to figure out which ones I give to humans on earth," I blurt out my worries, "I don't know how to talk to demons. I don't know how to choose humans for Turning... I don't know how to be a Turning Witch."

"You just do everything you just said!" Elen squeaks, her hands ripping into her hair, "The humans I receive are so useless!" she screeches her frustration and curls forward, her scream so loud it echoes, then she straightens and catches her breath, "Sorry, I – I have a very snap temper, I am very, very sorry! That wasn't very professional of me," she flits off and Bayux smacks her with the back of his hand, helping her exit.