Violet didn't precisely know she was dreaming, but she knew something strange was going on. She was still in Aretia, wasn't she? Had Xaden been there when she'd gone to sleep?
But now she was in Basgiath, in the Archives, looking for something her father had sent her to find. Wait, not her father. Something Xaden needed, something even more important than the journals, but she couldn't remember what it was. How could she forget something so important?
She shook her head, trying to clear it, and heard footsteps behind her. Violet turned, trying to come up with an explanation for why she was there, but it wasn't a scribe.
"Xaden? How did you get in here?"
He didn't answer the question, just leaned in to kiss her like they hadn't seen each other in weeks- and they hadn't, had they? She couldn't remember when she'd last seen him. Violet felt herself melt into Xaden's touch. He picked her up and- wait, why were they naked?
Xaden pressed her against the surface behind her, and Violet felt her back push up against cloth spines.
"Xaden! The books!" she tried to yell, but it came out more like a moan just before he claimed her lips again.
There was a rhythmic banging off to the side, Violet thought it was footsteps and she panicked again. Gods, how was she going to explain being naked in the Archives? And the damage to the books-
"Xaden, stop-" She looked for somewhere to hide as she heard the footsteps again, but they didn't sound like footsteps, they sounded like-
-Violet's eyes snapped open and she sat up in the bed. She *was* still in Aretia, alone in Xaden's bed, and the noise wasn't footsteps but knocking on the wooden door of the bedroom.
Pulling Xaden's robe over her nightshift, she hurried to the door and tried to shove away the lust of her dream. A thousand possibilities flashed through her head, mostly fear that something had happened to Xaden, but the haze of lust was far more persistent than usual.
When she opened the door, it took her a minute to recognize Cat. The flier was wearing… it wasn't nothing , but it was a close call. The gauzy nothingness clung to her curves and Violet found herself staring at the way it hung off her hips far longer than would be polite.
Not that politeness was Violet's primary concern at the moment. Her pulse was pounding in her throat, anger twining alongside the heat she woke up with. When she looked up, Cat's face showed wide-eyed surprise but it narrowed into anger fast as daggers.
Without a word, Violet pulled Cat into Xaden's room. She was certainly not going to have this conversation in the hallway.
"What are you doing?" she hissed at Cat. "Why are you here, and why-" she gestured at the slip of fabric covering Cat's body.
"This is Xaden's room," Cat answered imperiously. "Why are you here?"
"I was sleeping." Violet realized that Cat was looking for him. She missed Xaden all the more intently, trying not to think about whether Xaden would prefer to have the princess waking him up. "I've been sleeping here. Xaden's away."
Cat's lips drew into a pout and the look was infuriatingly beautiful on her face. Why did Xaden's ex have to be so gorgeous? Her perfect breasts, probably the exact size of Xaden's hands… the way her muscles were solid and dangerous beneath a layer of softness that ensured she filled out everything she wore perfectly… those lips that cursed and flirted and begged to be kissed… the blush that was starting to spread across her cheeks…
"I didn't know you felt that way about me," Cat said, and only then did Violet realize she was talking out loud. Gods, where was her head tonight?
"I don't." The response was automatic, but Violet knew she was lying and the heat between her legs that she woke up with came roaring back.
"You're a terrible liar." Cat adjusted her position, pressing her body just a little against the soft fabric of Violet's nightshift.
Something about how hard Violet had to struggle to think felt familiar, and she glared again at Cat. "You're in my head again, aren't you? But you didn't even know I was here."
"I knew someone was here," she shrugged, indolent, as she leaned in to whisper. Her breath was hot on Violet's ear. "I didn't expect you."
"You meant to do this to Xaden."
"He's much harder to get through to. I wouldn't have pushed so hard if I knew it was you."
Violet's anger tried to rear up again. She wanted to wreck Catriona Cordella's perfect face, but she knew she couldn't throw a punch, not like this.
Then again, there were other ways to wreck someone.
Violet pushed forward and up, pressing her lips against Cat's and kissing her until the other woman had to whimper for air. She gently nipped at Cat's lower lip as she pulled away, and the shock on Cat's face was worth it for Violet.
She'd fully intended to kiss Cat once and then send her back out the door. She truly had. But underneath the shock on Cat's face was the closest thing to a real smile Violet thought she'd ever seen on the other woman, and Violet's lust and the complexity of her feelings about Xaden were both pushing her.
Violet swung Cat around with strength the taller woman clearly didn't expect, and in a moment she was sprawled in Xaden's bed.
Maybe just this once we can eat our allies, Violet thought as she raked her nails down Cat's perfect thighs. Cat moaned as she parted for her.
"Gods, you're a horny little vixen, aren't you? I wonder what Xaden will say when he hears about this," Cat said, her voice little more than a mumble. "Will you feel guilty?"
Violet's tongue swept upward, tracing the curve of Cat's stomach while she considered this. "Maybe I want something to feel guilty about."
Cat smirked at that as Violet's head dipped between her legs. Violet knew she'd come here thinking about Xaden, ready to make her best case for why he should change his mind, and so she doubted it would take much.
It wasn't too hard to sort through the things Xaden had done to her and put them to work the other way around. Sure, it was a bit of a workout for her tongue, but that just made her appreciate the work Xaden put in all the more.
There were still sounds coming out of Cat's mouth, but Violet was fairly sure they weren't meant to make sense. The barest spark jumped between Violet's tongue and Cat's clit and Violet estimated that Cat was a hairsbreath from orgasm.
Violet leaned back.
A moment passed before Cat noticed that Violet wasn't returning.
"Out," Violet said, standing up.
"Wh-what?" Cat stuttered.
Violet pointed to the door. "Go back to your bed. If I'm sleeping alone and horny tonight, so are you. "
For a minute she thought Cat was going to argue, but the flier just stood, raised her chin with a hmph , and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Violet collapsed back onto Xaden's bed, hoping the look on Xaden's face when she told him would be worth it.