Dedicating this chapter to @Dreamymoodie because when I first saw your username I read it as dreamy noodle (not sure why- it's way off base) and it's been living in my head rent-free ever since. Thanks for commenting!

CHARLOTTE

Alexander and Silas don't even spare me a glance as I enter the dining room, their faces cast downward at the devices in their hands. I refuse to even look at Gray as I slip inside and sit in the chair farthest from the three of them.

My hands clench into fists by my sides as I realize that this is the room from my dream and that the positioning of the three of them is identical. Gray sits at the head of the table smirking, with Alexander on his left and Silas on his right.

The sight of it confirms that Gray was the one who forced my dream, crushing any hope within me that it was all a figment of my imagination.

Matching the rest of the estate, the dining room is grand and expensive-looking with vaulted ceilings and dark decor that gives off the vibe that I would expect from a Demon. The brass chandelier above the long wooden table somehow manages to light the room up enough that I don't feel like somebody is going to jump out of the shadows and nab me. Still, it is just dim enough to cast eerie shadows along everybody's faces.

These three men live in luxury, which I suppose I should be grateful for. Men who live in such abundance don't often feel the need to share their females, and if I'm lucky they might even purchase more and take some of the pressure off of me.

I continue to avoid Gray's stare as I cross my hands over my lap and look out at the spread in front of us. Meats and dishes that I do not recognize sit on display, making my mouth water, but I remain still and wait for somebody else to make the first move.

Silas finally looks up from his phone with a huff, making eye contact with me as he shoves it in his pocket.

A sly smirk plays on his lips as he looks over my face.

"You're looking better." He comments, capturing the attention of Alexander. "Lively, almost."

Alexander hums in agreement as Gray bursts out into laughter. I cringe at the sudden noise, face reddening as I try to figure out what it is he's laughing about out. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduct that it's probably at my expense, but I hope that it doesn't have anything to do with the dreams that he subjected me to.

"That's because of me!" He boasts, slamming his hands on the table before bringing them together in a joyous clap. "We fed each other real good this afternoon."

I drop my face towards the table as he shouts this, holding back tears as he shares my shame with the other two men. It was foolish to think that he would keep what happened between us a secret. I should know better than to expect such privacy from a Demon, especially an Incubus.

It's in his nature to boast about his conquests, proudly sharing with all who will listen the intricate details of how he has brought me to ruin.

"She had way more essense to offer than I thought she would. Our female has been kept unsatisfied for a long time now." He jokes, words slurring together as he stands and begins to fill up his plate.

He seems almost drunk as he continues to boast about my ability to feed him, his voice loud and jarring in the otherwise quiet room. I do have to admit that he looks better, his sharp cheekbones slightly more filled out and his black eyes holding a spark in them that wasn't there before.

I suppose he must have been hungry.

Alexander's lips turn upwards into a small smile as Gray shares his approval of me, his excitement probably revolving around the selfish fact that Gray will not be needing to feed off of him.

As Gray finishes scooping up food, Silas grabs his plate and begins to fill it, his face flat as he listens to the ramblings of the Incubus.

Stepping away from the table, Gray locks eyes with me as he approaches, his movements fast and confident as he practically skips over and picks up the plate that still rests on the table in front of me. His smile grows as he replaces it with the one that he filled up earlier, his head gesturing towards it in a silent invitation for me to begin eating.

I remain stiff and unmoving as he bends and plants a wet kiss to my forehead, my nose scrunching up in disgust as the physical contact fills me with want.

"Don't know why you sat so far away." He murmurs as he pulls back.

My pulse picks up as he eyes me closely before reaching for the back of my chair and drags it towards his. Clearly he is unhappy with the purposeful distance I tried to put between us, and I resist the urge to argue as he slots me next to him at the head of the table.

Silas leans over wordlessly and grabs my forgotten plate, his chest grazing against the top of his as he stretches over the two empty seats that were between us. He hardly spares me a glance as he picks it up and moves it in front of me once more, his interest very quickly being captured by his phone again.

I gulp as he pulls the object out of his pocket begins to tap angrily at the screen, his fingers moving quickly as he types out a message. Despite my best attempts to remain polite, my gaze darts to the screen and I catch sight of who it is he is speaking to.

I hold back a frown as I read over the name Alexander at the top, embarrassed and hopeful that they are not speaking poorly about me. Did Gray already tell them what happened in my dream? Did he say that I desire them?

It would be a lie if he did. I don't want any of these men.

Alexander pulls out his phone and reads over a message that I now know is from Silas, a smirk playing on his lips as he turns it off and turns to Gray without responding.

"I presume that this means that you will not need to feed off me any longer?" He asks.

Gray shrugs, and Alexander's smile falls.

"I mean, I don't need to, but our female is a kinky one. She wants both of you guys, and it might be fun to pull you into her dreams too." Gray explains, sounding earnestly hopeful.

Alexander's gaze briefly moves to me as Gray shares this, his eyes trailing over my face before dropping down to my body. I can feel Silas doing the same, his gaze practically burning my skin.

"I'll be passing on that invitation." Alexander eventually responds, grimacing as if the mere thought disgusts him.

I try not to be offended as Silas chuckles and declines the offer as well, reminding myself that I don't want them to want me anyways. Gray continues to try and persuade them as they begin to eat, his desperation to pawn me off on them making me angry.

My lip quivers as I begin to shovel the food in my mouth in the hopes that I will be excused once I'm finished. The thought of being forced to sit here and be humiliated so openly for any longer than absolutely necessary fills me with dread, and I struggle to hold back my tears as I force the burning hot food down my throat.

If I weren't so anxious to leave, I'd be shocked and impressed with how delicious the food tastes and would probably slow down in an attempt to savor it some more.

"I would appreciate it if you refrained from crying." Alexander speaks up, interrupting Gray's rambling and capturing my attention.

Continuing to stare at the plate in front of me, I nod my head and try to force my tears to reabsorb into my eyes. They can probably smell the saltiness of it. Despite my attempts to rein it in they continue to fall and streak down my cheek, dripping quietly onto the plate in front of me.

Alexander stands and leaves the now silent room with a loud sigh, his footsteps echoing off the floor until disappearing altogether.

They are going to sell me if I can't get my emotions under control. I clench my hand around my fork as I chant to myself that I am merely a pet to them and, unless I want to be punished, I need to get my shit together.

Gray places what I'm sure is supposed to be a comforting hand on my thigh as the room falls into a tense silence, the quiet broken as Silas sighs and leans back in his chair.

"Ignore Gray. We've all fallen prey to the Incubus at some point. It truly isn't anything to be too ashamed of." He kindly explains, eyebrow-raising as Gray scowls at him.

"She knows it's not anything to be ashamed of." Gray snaps.

Silas's mouth drops open as his eyes narrow at Gray, confusion written all over his face.

"Are you stupid? Why do you think she's sitting here crying? Not everybody enjoys having the details of their first sexual experience being thrown around at the dinner table. Especially when it involved the other people present." Silas scolds.

Gray's posture deflates as Silas snaps at him, his hand leaving my thigh as he grabs his fork and begins to eat angrily. The atmosphere is practically unbearable as I anxiously wait to be excused.

Will Gray take the initiative and do it himself, or am I expected to ask to leave? I don't want to offend or anger him, and the fear of doing either renders me silent as I work to clear my plate. Gray gave me more food than I can possibly ingest, but I still shove down as much as I can.

"Do you like the food?" Gray questions, his voice lacking the excitement it held when I first arrived for dinner.

I nod, confirming that the food is enjoyable.

As Gray opens his mouth to respond I realize that I do not feel any essence in the room. My head snaps up to look at Silas to confirm that his suffocating power is gone, my lips threatening to turn upwards into a smile as I search for it and come up empty-handed. My eyes dart to the seat that Alexander once occupied as I realize that I didn't feel his either when he was present.

Did Gray ask them to hide it? Did they choose to do it on their own? Either way I am appreciative, and surprised, that they would do such a thing for me. I doubt I would have been able to sit through this painful meal if I also had to experience the crushing weight of their power.

I play around with the food on my plate as my stomach grows full, my frown deepening as I think about how lively and exciting family dinners used to be. My father was an excellent cook, always whipping up something delicious while my mother and I teased him for his kitchen dancing. When I was younger I loved to partake in the silly moves myself, but as I grew older I found it more enjoyable to make fun of him with my mom.

He loved it, though, constantly snapping back at us with swaying hips and a waving spatula.

Even when his arthritis grew painful and he couldn't move with the same vigor anymore, he always had enough in him for a quick spin or two.

"What are you so sad?" Gray murmurs, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I shrug, unsure how much I should share with him. Will he grow angry if I talk about my family and home? I can't think of a good reason why he would, but don't exactly want to take the risk.

"Tell me why you are unhappy. I can smell your pain." Gray continues, his sharp tone earning a snort from Silas.

The Fate seems to grow tired of the conversation as he rises and leaves the room as quickly as Alexander did, his half-eaten plate long forgotten as his footsteps slowly disappear with his retreat.

My lips purse as I debate whether or not to share the truth, my back rounding as I realize that I don't have any other options.

"I was just thinking about my family." I murmur.

I expect Gray to question me further, but instead he stares at me before humming and ordering me to finish eating. Despite not understanding the cause of his mood change, I don't comment on it and instead force a couple more bites of food down my throat.

"I'm finished." I eventually state, setting down my fork and cautiously looking up at him.

His black eyes are already staring down at me by the time I meet his gaze, the pull of them making me lick my lips and lean in. He's just so pretty and strong.

I want him to kiss me.

Smirking, he gives me what I want and leans down to press his lips to mine. My eyes slip shut as they connect, a quiet moan slipping out from my throat as he slips his tongue between my lips and grazes it across mine. I shiver at the taste of him, my thighs clenching together as I imagine how good it would feel to have his tongue on other parts of my body.

Gray's hands fall to my hips and pull me out of my chair into his lap as he continues to kiss me, his mouth disconnecting from mine and dropping to my neck. He bites at the skin as he did in my dream, the action acting as a shock to my brain and sending me scurrying off of him.

God damn Incubus.

He watches me with a lazy smile as I throw myself onto the floor and scramble to my feet, my cheeks heating up in embarrassment at how easily I fell into his lure. I remind myself that I hate him as he stands and gestures for me to follow him.

"I'll take you back to your room." He murmurs, turning his head to meet my gaze. "I will not be interrupting your sleep tonight."

I don't know whether or not to believe him as I follow him back to his wing. While he doesn't exactly seem the type to outwardly lie, that doesn't mean that he is keen on speaking only the truth.

My bare feet patter quietly against the floor as I trail behind him, my thoughts rushing a million miles a minute as we reach my room and he steps to the side for me to enter. I turn to see if he plans to follow, but instead he offers only a wink before reaching in and shutting the door for me.

I stare at the wood, debating whether or not to lock it, before deciding against it and turning towards the room. My eyes widen as I take note of the large television that has been placed on top of the dresser and the small pile of clothing that sits on the bed.

Eyeing the fabric carefully, I step forward and lift the top item, my eyebrows furrowing as I take note of the soft material. These are pajamas. Glancing around to make sure that nobody is inside the room lurking at me, I bring them up to my nose and breathe in the scent.

This belongs to Silas, the earthy essence on them identical to his. My body tenses as I do the same with the next piece, surprised as I realize that these are Gray's. The next item is Silas's once more, and the one after that is Alexander's. Did somebody go through their rooms and steal me all their soft pajamas? Was this done with their permission?

Shrugging, I figure that they probably have enough clothing that they won't even notice. Pulling off Gray's shirt that I still wear, I grab a pair of soft sweatpants from the pile and a long sleeve shirt and throw it on. I'm practically drowning in the fabric but can't bring myself to care as I turn on the television to the human channel and crawl back into bed.

____

Read 25+ chapters ahead and gain access to 15+ bonus chapters on Patreon (bonus chapters span all 3 books)!

Anybody have any fun holiday plans? I'm taking 2 weeks off work and am freaking pumped.

____