Free Web NovelChapter 81: Chapter 80: Dream Walking
Eve felt shame burn through her chest. He was right....she’d been reckless, acting on impulse rather than thinking about the consequences. "I’m sorry. I should have woken you first, should have...."
"He didn’t claim her." Silas’s voice cut through her apology, firm and unyielding. "I was careful. Cain says she’s not ready for my mark yet, so I held back.I didn’t complete the bond."
Damian’s eyes narrowed. "Then what exactly did you do?"
The question hung in the air, charged with dangerous tension.
Silas met his brother’s gaze steadily. "I fed her the energy she needed and I held back where it mattered."
"He did," Eve confirmed quickly. "He was so careful, even though I could feel how much he wanted...." She cut herself off, realizing that defending Silas might make things worse.
But Damian’s expression had shifted again, the anger receding slightly. "You held back," he repeated, something like approval entering his tone. "Even with her in your bed, willing and hungry, you maintained control."
"Cain wouldn’t let me do otherwise." Silas’s hand tightened on Eve’s. "He’s been very clear that claiming her before she’s strong enough could damage the bond. So yes, I held back. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I held back."
Damian was silent for a long moment, and Eve could practically see him processing this information, weighing it against his anger and possessiveness. Finally, he uncrossed his arms.
"Wake Damon," he said. "He needs to hear about this dream-walking ability. And then we’re going to test it."
Eve blinked. "Test it?"
"If you can enter dreams, that’s a significant strategic advantage." Damian’s tactical mind was clearly already working through the implications. "But it’s also dangerous if you can’t control it. We need to understand the parameters. Can you only enter our dreams, or anyone’s? Is it conscious or unconscious? Can you be detected?"
"You’re not angry?" Silas sounded surprised.
"Oh, I’m furious," Damian corrected, his eyes flashing. "You took our mate to your bed without permission. The only reason I’m not throwing you through a wall right now is because you showed enough restraint to not complete the claiming. But make no mistake, brother....this doesn’t happen again without Damon and myself present. Are we clear?"
"Crystal," Silas agreed.
Damian’s gaze shifted to Eve, and she felt pinned by the intensity of it. "And you. No more wandering into other bedrooms in the middle of the night. I don’t care if your powers pull you there....you wake me first. Understood?"
Eve nodded quickly. "Yes. I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean...."
"I know." His voice gentled fractionally. "You’re still learning what you’re capable of. But that’s exactly why you need to be more careful. These powers are developing faster than they should, which means you’re more dangerous than you realize. To yourself and to others."
He moved to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. "Get dressed. Both of you. We’re having a family meeting in twenty minutes. And Eve?" He glanced back at her. "Shower first. You smell like him, and I need to be able to think clearly for this conversation."
With that, he left, closing the door firmly behind him.
Eve let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. "That went better than expected."
"Did it?" Silas’s expression was troubled. "He’s right to be angry. I knew better, but when you were standing there in my room, looking at me like that..." He shook his head. "I’ve never lost control like that before."
"You didn’t lose control," Eve corrected, touching his face. "You maintained boundaries even when we both wanted to cross them. That’s not losing control....that’s incredible restraint."
Silas caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. "The dream connection....it changed something between us. I can still feel you in my head. Faint, but present. Like an echo of your consciousness brushing against mine."
Eve concentrated, and yes....there it was. A thin thread connecting her to Silas that hadn’t been there before. She could sense his emotions through it: concern, lingering arousal, and underneath it all, that steady, unwavering love.
"I feel it too," she whispered. "Is it permanent?"
"I don’t know." He helped her stand, steadying her when her legs wobbled slightly. "But I hope so. Even if Damian forbids us from being alone together, I’ll still have this. This piece of you that’s mine."
They showered separately.....Silas insisted, saying they’d never make it to the meeting if they showered together. Eve stood under the spray in the guest bathroom, trying to process everything that had happened in the last hour. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
She’d accidentally developed a new power. She’d connected with Silas on a level that went beyond the physical. She’d broken the brothers’ unspoken rules about balance and equity. And now Damian wanted to test her abilities, which meant more unknowns, more variables she couldn’t control.
When does it end? she thought tiredly. When do I stop discovering new impossible things about myself?
No answer came, because of course it didn’t. This was her life now—an endless series of revelations and adaptations, learning to be something she’d never known existed until six weeks ago.
By the time she was dressed and heading toward the master bedroom, she could hear voices.....Damon had clearly been woken and informed. She paused outside the door, gathering her courage.
"....unprecedented," Damon was saying, his voice carrying a mix of excitement and concern. "Dream-walking is supposed to be one of the rarest abilities. And she just... accidentally manifested it?"
"Which suggests her powers are developing even faster than we thought." That was Damian, calm and analytical. "Elder Markov needs to be informed. We need to know what else she might spontaneously manifest."
"Or we could test it ourselves." Damon’s tone turned speculative. "If she can enter dreams, I want to try it. Want to know what it feels like to have her in my head like that."
"That’s exactly why we’re having this discussion," Damian replied. "We need protocols. Safeguards. She entered Silas’s dream by accident....what if next time it’s someone dangerous? Someone who could trap her consciousness or worse?"
Eve pushed open the door before she could lose her nerve. All three brothers turned to look at her, and the combined weight of their attention made her breath catch.
Damon moved first, crossing to her in three long strides. He caught her face between his hands, tilting her head back to study her with those intense green eyes.
"You’ve been holding out on us, little dancer," he murmured. "Dream-walking. What else are you hiding in that pretty head of yours?"
"I’m not hiding anything," she protested. "I didn’t even know I could do it until tonight."
"She’s telling the truth," Silas confirmed from where he leaned against the wall. "It was completely accidental. She woke up disoriented and came to check on me."
Damon’s gaze sharpened. "And found you dealing with the aftermath of a wet dream. How convenient."
"Damon," Damian’s voice held a warning.
But Damon ignored him, his attention fixed on Eve. "Did you like it? Being in his head? Feeling what he feels?"
Eve’s cheeks burned. "It was... intense. Overwhelming. I couldn’t tell where he ended and I began."
"Good." Damon’s smile was dangerous. "Then you’re going to do it again. Tonight. But this time, you’re coming into my dreams."
