Chapter 65 –Dreams & Expectations– Raine's POV

When we returned home, pent up emotion flowed through me strongly. Too much had happened over the last few days. I wasn't ready to go to bed. I knew sleep wouldn't find me anytime soon. Alaric sensed my mood and suggested, "Would you like a glass of wine? We can sit on the balcony for a while."

I nodded appreciatively. He disappeared into the kitchen and I made my way to our private balcony. It was quite large with comfortable seating. I sank down onto a plush bisque-colored couch and gratefully eased my feet out of my six inch stiletto heels.

When he returned, I was startled for just a moment to find he had removed his shirt. I guessed he also wanted to get comfortable. He settled next to me and handed me a glass of wine. He bent his knee and rested his foot on the nearby ottoman. I noticed he had removed his shoes and socks as well.

Neither of us spoke for a moment. The only sound was the ice in his glass clinking together as he swirled the bourbon absentmindedly. I sipped the wine appreciatively.

After a moment, he asked quietly, "What happened?"

The tone of his voice caused anxiety to run through me. I whispered, "What do you mean?"

"Tonight. And in the weeks before you came here. It is clear now that there was much more between you and Micage than just sex. I want you to tell me what happened," he explained. There was a hard edge to his voice, and I suspected this conversation was not optional.

"Why would you want to know that?" I breathed. From my personal experience, most current boyfriends didn't want to chat about their significant other's ex.

"Our situation is unique, to say the least. Now I understand why you were so panicked when I told you Armand and Cage would be attending our mating ceremony. You let me believe you were worried about Armand, but that wasn't the case, was it?"

"No," I whispered honestly, not exactly sure what to say.

His jaw tightened as he processed my answer. He asked, "How far had your relationship progressed, before you realized you were promised to me?"

Oh shit. I hesitated and bit my lip.

The longer it took me to reply, the darker his features became. He demanded, "How far?"

I breathed, barely above a whisper, "My lineage was revealed at the beginning of our mating ceremony."

"Fuck!" he exhaled. He stood to his feet, his drink still in hand, and paced to the other side of the balcony.

"Alaric, please..." I pleaded for him to understand.

He refused to look at me.

I crossed the balcony and touched his bare shoulder tentatively.

He still didn't turn to face me. He set down his glass of bourbon, and growled low in frustration as he stared out into the night, "Our circumstances are unchangeable. If it were within my power to release you...Maybe I would. Maybe I wouldn't. At this point, I honestly don't know."

His words took me off guard. I had assumed he would want his freedom as much as I would.

Finally, he spun around. His hands gripped my hips possessively, and he continued fiercely, "But I cannot change what is going to happen,  and you belong to me now, not him!"

Tears breached my eyelashes. Struggling to maintain my breathing over the frantic anxiety in my chest, I gasped, "I am trying. Really I am. I don't know how to do this! I don't know how to change my heart!"

His features softened immediately when he saw my distress. He reached his thumbs to my cheek and tenderly brushed away the tears. I exhaled in relief, grateful that he was no longer angry with me. He led me back to the couch. We sat down, facing each other, one of my small hands still tucked into his.

He began slowly, "I'm not saying to forget everything that happened in the past. Nor is it realistic to expect yourself to immediately fall out of love, even if you wanted to. But maybe the only way to free yourself, to find relief in our unchangeable situation, is for you let go of the image of the two of you together, in your head."

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"Dreams can be very powerful. They are different than feelings. Dreams are based in expectation, hope in planning for the future. And unlike with feelings, you do have control over your expectation for the future. As long as you cling to the image in your head of the two of you together, I don't think you will be able to give yourself to me. I believe you can and must choose to replace that image with one of us. You have to willingly embrace the picture of me in your future now."

I thought about his words. Could I really do that? Part of me had felt guilty that I would be betraying Cage if I let go of my love for him. But Alaric wasn't asking me to fall out of love, nor was he asking me to love him. He was asking me to genuinely picture us together, to allow that image ownership in my brain, and to accept that future.

I closed my eyes and focused on changing the image in my head. It wasn't easy, but I understood what he meant. I didn't try to alter my love for Cage. Instead, I focused on including Alaric in my expectations for the future. I blinked my eyes open and studied him, taking note of his features that I had noticed before, but never really saw until now – the strong masculine planes in his face, his perfectly disarrayed blonde hair, his kind and knowledgeable eyes, his lips...

He belonged to me.

And he was right in front of me.

It was a necessary step. He was my future. Our mating ceremony would be hard enough, without adding the challenge of new intimacy. My fingers trembled as I reached for his cheek, touching, experiencing the hard plane of his jaw, his soft skin. He wouldn't hurt me.  I could let go, give him my flesh, even though my heart was irrevocably bound to another.

He saw the shift in my thoughts, recognized my serious contemplation of his words, understood I was receptive. His pupils darkened. He leaned in, posturing his intent, blocking out my vision of everything but him. Only him. The air around us thickened, taking on a life of its own. A potent mix of energy and potential coming from our bodies. His words were husky and low, "I think you trust me now. And I think you enjoyed when I touched and kissed you the other night."

I let him lead my thoughts, flashes of memory flared in my brain, the way his mouth had moved against mine, soft and patient. His gentleness, willingness to wait, to be what I needed. My unexpected desire, my body's willingness to give him what my heart never could.

His head dipped, his lips finding my neck, just barely a whisper of a touch, hovering in suspense. I sucked in a deep breath, my body reacting naturally, angling my chin higher to give him more access. His intensity increased, his dominance joining the already heady mix swirling through my senses. A forceful purr of seduction in my ear, "Did you? Did you like it when you felt my hard cock between your legs, knowing you caused it?"

Heat flared out of me bright and strong. I gasped, unable to come up with a reply. He chuckled, the sensual sound rumbling through his chest, "I thought you did."

My eyes fluttered shut. The world around me fled from existence, leaving only his voice, only the memory of him between my thighs. His onslaught continued, relentless, strong and confident in the pleasures he could give me, if I would just let him.  "Can you see what I see?   Can you see my head between your legs, tasting your sweet little pussy? I can. I have pictured you opening your legs wide for me, so that I can bury my face in your heat. You have no idea how fucking bad I want to explore your pussy, licking and sucking hard, thrusting my tongue inside of you until you come undone beneath me."  He whispered, mimicking the motions he would use with his tongue against my neck, flickering it against me playfully...and then latching on to suck hard.

I moaned low and long. Desire ricocheted through my body, causing me to tremble uncontrollably. I was sure the ferocity of his suckling was going to leave a tell-tale mark behind, but right then, I didn't care as long as he kept doing it.

His lips traveled along my jaw line and back down to my collarbone as he purred wickedly, "I know you can imagine it – my cock thrusting into you fast and deep, filling you completely. I am so fucking hard for you right now. Tell me the word I want to hear."

A high-pitched whine of raw need slipped from my throat. I was shocked at the force of my desire. Every nerve in my body quivered and ached for him.

"Say it!" he demanded roughly.

Finally, the word slipped from my lips, "Yes..."

.

Aaaaannd, since so damn many of you cannot seem to remember the PLOT, lets recap:

Cage BROKE UP with her!  She told him she wanted to fight Armand so they could be together.   She was going to refuse to Armand's instructions to be with Alaric.  BUT CAGE said NO!  Later, she risks her budding friendship/alliance with Alaric and asks Cage if he will have an OPEN relationship...so that she and Cage can still be intimate when they are together.  What did Cage say??  That's right...Cage said NO!   Cage broke up with her.  HE was the one to agree with Armand and basically handed her over on a platter to Alaric.  He has given Raine NO hope for their future. 

NOW...she has sexy David Beckham courting her, showering her with attention and affection, caring about her hurt and pain and working hard to win her favor.  Don't you dare tell me any of you mofo's wouldn't latch onto that shit like a lifeline.  Pullease! 

So, if you've got the lady balls to handle it, proceed to the next chapter when Raine makes a smart choice to try to heal her pain and accept her future.  If you can't handle that, I suggest you SKIP the next chapter!

12/18/19 AN: One more little addition, do you think Micage is aware that Alaric will force Raine during their mating ceremony if Raine can't comply willingly? Yep, the answer to that is yes so does that mean Cage supports her future rape if it came down to that? Yes. And before you say that I never told you that, it's a logical conclusion once Alaric explains in the earlier Until That Day chapter that he will have to force her. If Alaric is aware of that fact as a matter of their royal protocols, then certainly Cage knew it and still supported Armand's decision.  Cage is not perfect or innocent in this matter.

Between the two of them, Raine is the one making extreme sacrifices...all of this for a world she hasn't been a part of and frankly doesn't even want.  She has lost her freedom, her body and even her decision on when she becomes a vampire.  However, Cage will continue to live his life just as he always has.  

I get that it hurts when your ship goes down so it's okay to be upset and even angry, but be angry at the shitty situation they are in.  Stop blaming Raine for trying to survive, doing the very things Cage has told her she HAS to do.  You really need to see both sides and jump down off of Micage's dick before you speak.