Page 128 of Night Fae
Malik blinked. "Sleep? Just sleep?"
Something mischievous flickered in Zev's violet eyes. "Were you thinking of something else?"
"You know I was."
Zev brushed his knuckles against Malik's cheek. "Do you trust me?"
"Of course I do."
"Then sleep," Zev said, guiding Malik beneath the covers. "And let me meet you in your dreams."
Understanding dawned, finally.
Zev wanted to…
Oh.
Well, this was going to be different.
"Dreams have certain advantages," Zev said, sliding in beside him.
"Such as?"
Zev's lips curved against Malik's neck. "No physical limitations. No interruptions. And I can do things to you that wouldn't be possible in the waking world."
Heat pooled in Malik's stomach at the promise in those words. "I didn't know dream sex was a thing."
Zev's hand traced a path down Malik's side, gentle but possessive. "It requires a very intimate connection."
Like ours. Even the thought made Malik's heart beat a little faster as he settled against Zev.
How was he supposed to fall asleep like this?
The events of the past days had left him bone-tired, but now excitement warred with exhaustion.
"Just relax," Zev whispered, his fingers threading through Malik's hair. "Let yourself drift. I'll find you."
There must have been some magic in that touch because Malik's lids felt heavy, suddenly, and the last thing he felt before sleep claimed him was Zev's consciousness brushing against his mind, a gentle caress that promised much more to come.
When Malik opened his eyes, he stood in a garden unlike any he'd ever seen. Colorful flowers bloomed around him, shifting subtly in the gentle breeze. The sky above wasn't blue but a deep violet, scattered with stars.
"Do you like it?" Zev's voice came from behind him.
Malik turned toward it, drinking in the sight of him. He looked exactly as he always did: beautiful and deadly and entirely irresistible.
"I do," Malik answered. "But where are we?"
"A place of my choosing," Zev explained. "Where nothing bad can ever happen. Where we're free to do as we please without worrying about anything else." He smiled at Malik. "I thought you might need it after everything that's happened."
"All I need is you." As soon as he spoke the words aloud, Malik wondered if they sounded trite or silly, but he didn't have time to worry about it. Zev stepped forward and kissed him until his head swam, leaving his thoughts scattered to the wind.
"You'll have me," Zev promised. "For all your days."
Malik shivered, desire sparking through him as their gazes met. "Show me what you can do here."
Zev's lips formed a wicked smile, and then he pushed Malik back onto the grass and kissed him again, harder this time. There was nothing sweet or gentle in the way his body moved against Malik's, and the sudden intensity made Malik gasp for air.
The fact that their tumble to the ground didn't hurt reminded him that this was a dream—but everything else felt very real, every shift and press of Zev's muscles, every point of contact. The scent of Zev's hair filled his lungs, the warmth of his breath tickled Malik's neck.
