13. “You took my Eye, Nyxion. Now, you will never speak again.”

Chapter 13

"You took my Eye, Nyxion. Now, you will never speak again."

MORPHEUS

"Blindsided" by Bon Iver

"Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep" by AFI

I watched them from a distance.

She took my brother. She took everything.

Dark envy rises in me again, and I ridicule myself for this vain desire. What purpose could it serve compared to reclaiming my Eye? But nothing in the universe, no dream could ever prompt me to take back my Eye by force. Because…it would mean her death.

Tonight, my brother sleeps deeper. His defenses gone. His guard down. He sleeps with his soul bound to hers.

I tread carefully into his fortress, embark into his room with its dancing bones and ever-shifting walls and passages, and observe him holding her in his bed. Her purple hair falls all around his muscled chest, his being fully restored to his god form.

She is more beautiful than ever with all her tattoos pulsing along her skin.

Their breaths are synchronized. If she moves in her sleep, he moves with her.

My wings tighten, bones hardening.

Fucking bonehead. Traitorous skull face.

Wars have been waged over women. It seems the Oneiroi will wage one over Zenya. He's already made the first move.

Tilting my head with devilish mischief swarming all over my shadows, I swirl my shadows and curl them in the thinnest and most delicate of tendrils—like a precise surgical cut—flowing them into his pores.

Zenya stirs. Nyxion stiffens. I freeze.

A second later, she snuggles up against him, he settles, and I continue.

The fucker stole my Eye, stole my sight. I will take his speech.

Retribution thickens in the air, my shadows suffocating the room. Living entities, bound to my will, they obey me.

Nyxion's eyes remained closed, unaware of my dark force closing on him. The shadows tighten, holding him in place as my force surges through his veins, coursing through his blood.

My eyes burn with intense heat as cold resolve ices my being. I project my will into the shadows. The tendrils of darkness slip into Nyxion's mouth, invading, seeking its target.

Nyxion twitches, a subconscious response to the intrusion. As long as Zenya sleeps, so will he. I swirl my shadows along her eyes and sink them into her heart to keep her in a profound slumber.

Deeper my shadows go until they unearth the hyoid bone.

I smile. Malevolence—however misplaced or misunderstood—overpowers every other emotion. Tethered to my shadows, I find that delicate bone structure suspended in the flesh—fused to no other.

Grim vengeance stirs within me, and I savor the moment of it served up bone-cold.

"Feel the silence, brother," I hiss.

I tighten my shadows around the hyoid bone, isolating it from its surroundings. Nyxion stirs slightly, sensing discomfort but is unable to wake. Constricting the shadows, I sever the connections, wrench the hyoid bone from its place, and hold it in my dark grip, black dust curling around it.

His mouth moves, but no sound emerges. Voice stolen—silence as esoteric as his nightmares. And beautiful, agonizing pain.

Twisting my lips into a smirk, I hold this victorious trophy aloft. My wings shiver with violence…and triumph.

Grinning, I clutch the bone in my hand with his godly flesh, blood, and muscles still coating it. "You took my Eye, Nyxion. Now, you will never speak again."

Closing my fist around the hyoid bone, I leave Nyxion to his deep, dreamless slumber. Heavy oppression weighs down on my heart as I consider the raw enmity between us—worse than ever. We cannot die. But this could leave us forever severed. Forever at war.

Heaving a sigh, I slowly issue out of the bedroom, knowing what must come next. And how much more cautious I must be, following my brother's former actions.

She is his little killer. But she is my weaver, my wonder.

Once I step out of his bedroom, I roll my eyes and bite back a groan at the sight of the hourglass suspended in midair. Its sands have frozen in their fall, signifying a moment of halted time and impending doom.

"Phantasos."

He shifts, wearing a rather somber and dramatic black reaper robe with the hood propped ominously on his brow. Fucking drama queen.

"You here to join my team?" I chuckle darkly.

He waves a dismissive hand. "I prefer to be…New York, abstaining from taking any side."

"Figures."

"I know what team I'm on!" chirps Ivy, darting around his robe to take his hand, squeezing it sweetly.

I arch a brow. "His?"

She shakes her head. "No, silly. I'm Team Zenya!"

Yes, Zenya.

Bidding them farewell, I dream-travel until I arrive once again in that hospital room where her comatose body lies.

If it were not for my Eye, she could not dream walk, or weave. This strange and wondrous force keeps her body hanging in this world while a mirrored one forms in our world, granting us power over her flesh.

I have every right to her as my brother. If not more so.

I remember that long night. And all the sweet dreams I gifted her for her to endure.

She remembered him more. For the mark of dreams is a warm tingle compared to the scar of nightmares.

Concealed in the shadows, wings throbbing with my need, I approach her bedside and let my greedy fingers roam along every inch of her. The hairs along her skin prick to life.

"Yes, little weaver. You can sense my touch, can't you?" I purr, wings instinctively curving toward her.

I trace the tattoos along the right side of her body, roving over a purple moon and rosy pink stars, intricate lotus flowers, scattered little butterflies. A balloon animal here. A flock of birds there. Dandelions with half their fluff in flight.

With the darkness folding all around us and my shadows absorbing all light, I mount her bed, spread her legs, and take myself out. Harder than ever.

I take a few moments, kissing along the right side of her body, thrilling in the gooseflesh sprouting there. Later, I will have more time to explore. My brother could awaken any second, roar his silence, and disturb her. She needs to sleep in both realms for this to work.

The soft hum of the machines provides a hauntingly peaceful ambiance. Zenya lies motionless on the bed, her form bathed in the pale, sterile glow of the overhead lights. And the soft glow of the moonlight. Her chest rises and falls with the rhythm of her shallow breaths, proving a thin thread of life still keeps her in this world.

First, I remove her intubation tube and kiss her with reverence and determination. The spell I've prepared is ancient and dangerous, a forbidden ritual that will bond us as fiercely as she is bonded to my brother, a bond that transcends the physical realm.

With my mouth capturing hers, I extend my hand, palm down, and channel my power through my fingers. My shadows shimmer with a dark but ethereal light. I place my hand over Zenya's collarbone, where Nyxion's hyoid bone will fuse within her flesh.

I whisper the words along her skin, my lips a breath from hers.

As the spell takes effect, the bone begins to glow and shift, fusing with the flesh around her collarbone. The process is delicate, intricate, and agonizingly slow.

Once Zenya's soul accepts the bone within her flesh like she accepted my Eye, I spear my cock to the hilt. And groan from the overwhelming flesh of a mortal taking my godhood.

Fuck, she's tight and wet from the mere stroke of my fingers along the right side of her body. It's my first time taking a mortal…unlike my brother who tried this act with others, failing each time.

So raw, so unbelievably human—warm, swollen, soaked. She clenches my cock like a damn wet dream. Pure magic. Even if other mortals could take a god, I will want no other than her.

Nyxion was right about one thing. She is strong and dark enough for him…and bright enough for me.

"Shine…" I command her with a growl, pumping myself inside her in slow, deep strokes.

I sense the resistance of Nyxion's power, his life force within his hyoid, the strength of his voice. But I press on with unwavering resolve. The room grows colder, the lights flicker, and the air thickens with godlike energy.

I grit my teeth and grind my jaw, withstanding the pain of this act contrasted with the unspeakable pleasure of fucking this wondrous little weaver. Buried inside her, seated to the hilt with her tight, hot, mortal cunt strangling my cock. Nothing fucking compares to Zenya. Nothing ever will.

If there is one woman worthy of going to war over, it is her.

When her back arches ever so slightly, her body rising for me, when her wet heat gushes, when her inner muscles flutter before she convulses, unraveling even in her sleep for me, the spasming pressure of her sweet pussy has me chasing my release.

I snap and spill my cum and all my shadows inside her, completing the hyoid bone synthesis. A macabre but flawless melding of Zenya's human anatomy and my brother's godly bone structure. She will not see it barely protruding from her flesh like an imprint.

She does not know how such alchemy, such magic will impact her—just as she does not understand why she can dream weave.

I withdraw my hand, the shadows fading from my fingers. The bond is sealed, pulsing with her heart's rhythm.

For the first time, I see her—not just her physical form, but her essence. She's beautiful in her vulnerable state. The sight of her stirs a deep longing within me.

With my final whispered incantation, I close my eyes and let my consciousness drift into the realm of dreams—returning to my brother's nightmarish world. The hospital room dissolves into the familiar contours of Nyxion's room.

With a devilish smirk, I trace a solitary finger along Zenya's cheek and beckon within our shared bond…

Rise…and come with me, little wonder.

Without waking, she follows my command. Delicately rising, so gently, she doesn't rouse my brother, Zenya sleepwalks, obeying my every whim. All she wears is a thin, sheer sheathe, so high, it edges the ripe curves of her lovely ass.

My wings tighten, feathers shedding from how much they bulge. My shadows curl around her, twisting in tender, beguiling wisps around her limbs. Zenya sighs in her sleep as she follows me to my room, for I can't resist the urge to play a little in my brother's own fortress.

So, I bid her to my room—a mirrored one to Nyxion's—throw off my robe, and lay upon the bed, my cock already thick and hard.

With a heated self-assurance rearing within me and surging more blood to my indomitable godhood, I fold my arms behind my head, settle into the bed, and call forth Zenya.

Come, sit on my cock, little weaver. Take your pleasure.

Her whole body softens for me. Lifting her sheath, she bares herself. That pussy is already wet, glistening with her arousal. Swollen, pink, lush flesh. Like a flawless clam shell with her ripe, little pearl at the cleft of her femininity.

Oh, how I will give her a night of unparalleled bliss. I'll crash my lips against hers, and they will be mad with love for her fleeting, mortal flesh as she submits to me. My muscles are as taut as a whip.

Mounting me with her strong limbs on each side of my waist, the flesh of her thighs roped with lean muscles from her adventures and skin patterned with the mosaic of her tattoos, Zenya arches her neck. And rubs her pussy against me. I groan from those plump nether lips parting to drench my cock with her arousal.

Her pierced nipples are stiff as pink pebbles, protruding through the sheath. Smirking, I lift one hand to tweak her pretty bud on the right side, savoring the little moan in her throat.

Lift me, my wonder, I must command, given how heavy and hung I am.

I prop both hands behind my head again.

Eyes still closed but all of her flush, Zenya closes her little fist around my godhood and eases the crown between her lips, positioning my member at her opening.

That's right, Zenya. Now, sink down, bury me inside you, little wonder.

She slams down, impaling herself on my cock. Fuck! Now, that we've bonded, she feels even more miraculous.

"Wake up," I growl.

Her eyes open.

She gasps, deadpanning. I grin as she clenches, surveying the sight around her.

"Morpheus?" she whispers, her breath stunned, her bold eyes watering as she adjusts to my size. "What…?" She looks around, puzzled before turning back to me.

I raise my hand and finger a loose lock of purple hair. "You followed me wondrously, Zenya."

"Mmm." She glances down at where we are joined, all her pink flesh stretched and dripping over my cock. "And I suppose I conveniently walked in my sleep right to your bed and just happened to wake up with your cock inside my pussy."

I snicker and tuck her hair behind her ear despite how it simply falls again. "What can I say? Your subconscious has great taste."

"You think you're so charming," she huffs, but I see that cute little smile right before she clenches all her muscles.

"Fuck!" I harden my jaw. Dastardly little creature. I touch my thumb to her plump lower lip, loving how she bites the lip for me. "I can't help it if you're drawn to perfection, Zenya."

Glancing around again, she turns back to me and tilts her head with a coy smile. "Can you…?"

I sift my fingers through her hair. "Yes, love. I see you. Every beautiful shard of you. Now, do you plan to move or would you rather climb off my irresistible cock?"

Rolling her eyes—a gesture for which I will soon punish her in my own beautiful way—Zenya locks eyes with me, and that smile crooks with mischief. "Well, since I'm here…"

Her flawless cunt squeezes again, and then she slides up, ejecting me to my tip before ramming her hips down. A whimper escapes her throat at the same time that I growl with deep-seated hunger for her.

"Gods, woman, you feel so goddamn unbelievable." I grip her hips and urge her upward, taking control, commanding her. "Take off that sheet you're wearing and show me your glorious artwork."

She blinks but then lifts the sheath over her head, casting it aside like a bridal veil. Fuck, all the tattoos on the right side of her body swirl to life. Tiny unicorns clip-clop, stars twinkle, the moon waxes and wanes with its cycle, and the cotton blossoms burst, tingling the hairs on her skin.

I thrust upward, stabbing my cock deeper. She gasps and throws her head back, her hair swinging around her. Her chest thrusts, and I cup her breast and palm the flesh. Perfect tits. Small C-cups, plump but perky with upturned nipples of dusky rose and silver-dollar-sized areola.

Unable to take the pace any longer, I swing her to one side and pin her beneath me with my cock still seated in her. Bobbing my brows, I thrill in her laughter and how she skates her fingers along my back. My shadows play with her, frolicking along her skin.

"Fuck, sweet girl." I thicken from the sensation of her fingers, her nails digging into my ass.

"Fuck me, Morpheus." She lowers her lashes in a seductive plea.

Tilting my head, showing her how I am still a predator, I cup her brow, grip her throat where the hyoid bone rests, and lower my voice to a husky tone, "With pleasure."

Wings fanning to give me more leverage, I thrust my hips and crush my mouth to hers, devouring her moan. I deepen the kiss, grinding my jaw while pumping slowly and deeply into her.

I love every inch of me inside her.

MORPHEUS!

Zenya locks up because she can hear him within our now triune bond. He has no speech outside our mind. No ability to roar at the nightmares of his realm.

I should have known it would be short-lived.

Pressing my lips to her cheek, I whisper in her ear, "Brace yourself, Zenya. For after he sees us, I will carry you away, my little wonder."

She lifts her brows, but I know she already suspects what I mean.

Nyxion storms into the room a moment later, his bone skull fixed, those black diamond eyes gleaming with malice. Zenya parts her lips, shocked with her cheeks blushing crimson.

"Care to join us, brother?" One rattling of his bones, and I chuckle darkly, "What's the matter, Nyxion? Shadows got your tongue?"

His great wings spread, casting great shadows over the room. My shadows are larger.

I guess this teaches you to mock my feathers, I laugh in our shared consciousness.

The second he charges for us, I gather Zenya into my arms, envelop us in my shadows, and vanish us through the walls and into the night.

She gasps, legs clenching around my frame more from the sensation of us in mid-flight, my cock still sheathed inside her. Gods, flying fucking her is a new challenge, a delicious one I embrace as her arms tighten around my neck, fingers digging into my dark curls.

"I have you, Zenya. I'm never letting you go," I assure her.

Calming in a way she never will for my brother, Zenya nuzzles her nose into my neck. My veins bulge, the cords in my neck tighter than ever as I fly to the great divide of our realms.

The world below becomes a blur of indistinct shapes and colors.

When the wind picks up a notch from behind us, I know Nyxion is on the move, the beat of his wings propelling more wind at us. I press on harder—narrowing my vision to that great, black expanse until the shimmery barrier to my World of Dreams appears.

Nyxion will send more nightmares than ever. But I will be ready. Now, I have something to protect.

Eyes clenched, Zenya hugs me tighter since she knows the punishment that will come if he reaches her. For once, she's running from her fears and taking refuge in me.

Just as his presence encroaches, his skeletal hand stretching toward Zenya, a desperate attempt to reclaim her, I unleash my shadows. I surge them into every goddamn bone in his body, knocking him off balance and sending him falling into the desolation of the chasm below us.

MORPHEUS! You'll never be rid of me! I won't stop. I won't stop until ? —

All his threats vanish.

I plunge through the barrier, our journey into the World of Dreams swift and silent.

The landscape shifts around us in surreal, ever-changing patterns. Whether she knows it or not, Zenya has transformed our surroundings into golden and pink ribbons of light. Like the Northern Lights blanketing us.

My dream realm pulses into me, my power stronger from her presence. Here, my power is absolute. Strong enough to reinforce my barrier. It will undoubtedly take weeks for Nyxion to weaken the border to enter. By then, she will be utterly mine.

I will tell her of the Trials. She will be too enamored with me to refuse.

I descend into my domain, landing softly in the heart of my kingdom, my wings beating a current and shedding shadows and feathers.

Without leaving her beauteous heat, I lay my Zenya gently on a bed of soft, luminescent clouds.

"Oh, god, Morpheus!" she gasps, and one hand lets go of my neck to curl within the clouds as she sinks slightly into the ethereal material.

"Shh, you are safe now…"

I move strands of hair from her face.

In this world, she is mine—completely and utterly. The bond we share through the hyoid bone and even my Eye thrums with energy, a constant reminder of our connection.

Leaning closer, my lips hovering just above hers, I breathe my love and possessiveness, "I will protect you, no matter the cost. The Oneiroi are at war, little wonder. I will wage a siege for you if need be. And you will be my Queen of Dreams."

She parts her lips, gazing up at me in awe, in worship. Finally! My vow that she would look at me the same way has come true.

Subtle shifts in her expression signal the transformation, how she is unleashing the light side of her duality. Now, she does not have to be strong.

"I will be your strength, sweet girl," I tell her, feeling her melt and gush all around me, her insides growing warmer.

With the ribbons of light shimmering all around us, with the clouds wisping to play on her skin with my shadows, and her right-side tattoos sparking to life, I fuck her anew.

I hammer into her, staring at her beauty, cherishing every movement and gesture. The sparkle of awareness in her eyes. The way her spine arches and her hips lift. The way she surrenders so tenderly to me. While she will always battle my brother, as she battles the darker side of her nature, she utterly receives me.

The spell is working, binding her more to me.

Triumph surges through me, knowing that once I fuck her to oblivion, shattering her like stardust, Zenya will be mine. Nyxion may hold a stake in the claiming, but I will reign supreme.

Her eyes water, glistening with a love and light unlike any other. With her emotion choking her speech, I fuck her slow and deep and long, gifting her with soul-shattering orgasms, watching her fall apart—it seems a million times. A million beautiful, little deaths until I finally spill myself inside her.

Now, she is my Queen and my slave.

From now on, I will protect her, worship her, and rule her, ensuring that she stays safe and undisturbed in my World of Dreams.

In the faintest corner of my mind, I hear the God of Nightmares roaring in agony before he silently…weeps.