Octavius is asleep below me, his perfect lips open slightly. His skin is warm against mine, and I feel like I've been wrapped inside a campfire, lying in the warmth of sweet smoke and chocolate. His arms are around my waist, holding on to me as if I could float away at any moment, and only his grasp can keep me grounded.

"I love you so much." I whisper, and lightly kiss his chest, his collar bone, his adams apple, and I begin to trace the muscles of his arms with my nails. Up his bicep, to the dips of his shoulder, so relaxed and stress free. I move up the side of his neck, feeling the passage of air as he breathed deeply. To his sharp chin, and I look up at his eyes, still closed in deep lashes.

I remove my hand from his skin and just stare.

"I didn't say you had to stop." I jump at his voice, his eyes still closed.

"I didn't know you were awake."

"I'll be whatever you want me to be if I get to wake up to that." He rolls over slightly, pulling me to his chest tightly.

"It's nine o'clock at night, Octavius."

"Perfect, then we have all night." His head nuzzles into my neck, his lips brushing over my mark and I moan slightly.

"Octavius, what about Titan?"

"You have until tomorrow, that's ages from now. He's taken too much from me, now I want it back."

His lips move to the side of my neck, nipping along the soft skin.

"Octavius..." I whisper, leaning my head back into the pillow.

Now on my jaw, then to my ear, as his hands move around to my back, pressing me into him.

"Mine." he whispers against my hair, as he kisses me finally, and I weave my fingers into his hair.

"Mine." his lips brush against mine, as he breathes the word that I love so much. He moves so that he is over me, his elbows braced against the bed, making sure he doesn't crush me. He is kissing down my chest, then down the center of my stomach.

"Octavius..."

"Mine." He growls again, husky and low. He is kissing my legs, down the inside of my thigh, then pausing for a moment, and I moan in anticipation. But then he moves back up my stomach, to my lips.

"Promise me you're real. Promise me that this isn't some wonderful, blissful dream."

"Just kiss me." And I pull his lips down to mine again, his lips quick and hard against mine. His hands are moving below me, all over my body and lower, making me praying to a god I don't believe in.

"What?!"

"Alessandra, you're going to have to meet with Titan." I stare at Klaude and Octavius, nodding in agreement.

"Octavius, are you bipolar? I will not go!"

Octavius walks up to me, grabbing my hands in his.

"Alessandra, I hate this as much as you do. But it is the only way we will get into his pack mansion to rescue your father."

"Can't you just storm it! Just get all the army together and knock that monster's tower down?"

"Alessandra."

"I don't give a shit if I'm being childish right now!" I rip my hands from his hold, pacing back and forth just like my emotions are doing inside my mind.

You have to go, you have to get dad back.

He'll kill you and Octavius if he finds out it's a trick.

You'll go insane again.

"Calm down, Alessandra. We will all be right behind you."

"How?!" I throw my hands into the air, my eyes widening at him. "How are you going to be 'right behind me' if I am entering the dragon's lair all by myself?"

"Okay, almost right behind you." Octavius and I turn to Klaude, squinting our eyes at him.

"Sorry." He says, raising his hands in defense.

"Alessandra-"

"Stop saying my name like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like I'm a child!"

"You're acting like one. You need to listen to me right now, your father is alive, and my father has him captive, probably for several years."

He grabs me by the shoulders. "We're going to finally get rid of my father, baby. And we're going to get your family back. I'm not going to let anything happen to you this time."

I stare at him, and wrap my hands around his wrists, closing my eyes.

"Okay, let's go."

"I can't do this, I can't do this." I whisper. Octavius will be listening for my voice closely, so anything I say, he can hear through the bond.

"It's going to be okay, as soon as you're in, we'll be right behind you."

"You better be, I swear to the goddess, Octavius-"

"You can yell at me later, but right now, you need to be serious." "Fine."

I walk through the field towards the mansion, dressed in a winter coat and boots, but shivers cover my body and I don't know if they're from fear or cold. The distance between the door and me seems to grow and shrink by the second, and for a moment, I have to make sure I'm actually awake.

I half hope that this is all just a dream.

What if my father isn't even in there.

What if my father is dead.

What if this is all just a trick and Titan is going to string me up like a piece of-

My hand raises to knock on the large wooden door.

My breathing stops but my heart races inside my chest.

There is silence around me.

One.

Two.

Three.

Maybe I can turn back. Maybe Titan stepped out for a walk and he's going to appear behind me holding the bloody head of some dead animal.

Turn back, Alessandra, just turn around and go-

The sound of echoing footsteps comes through the door, as if some great beast is descending the stairs, ready to pull me into its hall of horrors.

My mind, my body, and my soul all panic at once. I can't breath, but I can't let the oxygen out of my lungs and I feel like I'm drowning again in a sea of shivers and fear.

The door opens.

"Ah, my dear Alessandra, come in, we have so much to discuss." Titan stretches out his hand for me to take it.

The hand of the man who killed my mother. The hand that held the whip that shattered Octavius' childhood. The hand of the man who captured my father. The hand of the beast.

I swallow sharply, and take his hand, stepping into my own nightmare.