CHAPTER 11 #4
“I have to, he has the key,” Dragus says. There’s worry in his voice as he watches me writhe in pain on the floor.
“No, no,” I scream breathlessly as I feel it rolling from my toes, wildfire consuming every inch of me. I claw at my skin, trying to stop it.
“Stop, Lora, Matitus is on his way. You’re making yourself bleed.
” Dragus sounds strangled. I am in too much pain to care.
I crawl toward where I think the pile of snow is, reaching out my fingertips brushing the snow.
I force myself to move, slumping on top of the pile like a lizard sunbathing on a rock.
The snow melts almost instantly when I scream as searing pain consumes me.
I can hear the blood in my body pumping through me, pulsating as I try to find relief.
The pain becomes too much and all I can focus on.
Bright light suddenly comes on and I squint, trying to adjust to the light’s brightness when I see Matitus run down the stairs, keys clutched in his hand.
Silas hurrying down the stairs behind him, a worried look on his face.
Matitus fiddles with the keys with shaky hands, trying and fumbling to get them in the lock.
Silas takes the keys from him, opening the door.
Matitus rushes in while Silas unlocks Dragus’s cell door.
I fight against Matitus when he picks me up.
The heat from his body makes it worse. I’m thrashing so much he drops me with a thud.
“Just grab her, Matitus,” Silas growls.
“She won’t stop thrashing; I will hurt her,” he spits back at him. I am too far gone, the pain all consuming. It would be nicer to just kill me; at least the pain would be gone. Never in my life have I prayed for death to come as much as I do now.
I hear Silas growl as he walks in and grabbing me. I scream as his heat seeps into me, and I am sure I’m going to combust. Air rushes around me and a rapid temperature change. So I can tell I am outside.
“Break the ice,” Silas yells and I hear the sound of ice cracking then I feel it all around me, dulling some pain but not enough for me to stop screaming.
“Let me mark you.”
I shake my head, words failing me besides the agonized screams escaping my lips. Silas growls.
“Hold your breath, then.”
I don’t even know how to do that, my brain refusing to function even for the most basic survival instincts. Suddenly, I’m underwater. My temperature drops and I gasp, choking on water. Silas pulls me back above the water’s surface, and I choke, coughing on the water that rushes into my mouth.
The heat eases and I slump against him, my head on his shoulder. I open my eyes and see we are in the frozen lake that runs behind the castle. I try to catch my breath once more as the heat grows hotter, and I try to slip back under the water.
“Let me mark you, it will stop. Lora”
“No, kill me. Just kill me, please,” I beg, screaming after another wave washes over me, making my entire body tense.
“If one of us marks you, it will ease, and the third wave won’t be as bad,” he says, but I shake my head. Marking me would mean I am stuck with them forever, and I don’t want to be stuck with Silas forever.
“Let Matitus then,” he says. Matitus rushes into the icy water toward me, stopping next to me, worry etched on his face. Shaking my head, I try to get away from them. Silas holds me tighter and moves my wet hair, revealing my shoulder and neck.
“No,” I gasp, thrashing, I would rather die.
“If you won’t let me mark you, one of them has to,” he says.
I hear Matitus groan as Silas grabs his shirt pulling him over.
I find myself trapped between them. Silas hands moving to my ass as he hoists me up higher and I wrap my legs around his waist, not wanting to be pulled even slightly from the icy water and the relief it offers.
“I won’t let you kill her, Matitus,” he says, grabbing his face and kissing his lips.
The sight of them makes arousal flood me, but not long enough as heat wraps itself around me and I scream in agony again.
Matitus kisses my shoulder. His teeth bite deeply into my shoulder near my neck, and I feel his tongue lapping at my blood.
The pain leaves as another feeling washes over me and I can feel foreign emotions rush into me.
The heat leaves, being replaced with intense pleasure making me moan loudly.
My legs around Silas’ waist tighten, and pleasure makes my core pulsate, and my toes curl.
I can’t help but rub myself against Silas, making him groan, his hands on my ass tightening.
I feel his teeth get ripped from my neck painfully and I whimper, missing the feeling of his bite. Opening my eyes. I see Dragus has Matitus by his shoulders and Silas’s hand on his chest. Staring at Matitus, His flickering pupils constricting and dilating and I can see the hunger in his eyes.
The bond is overwhelming and the feeling coming from him is hunger and lust. His emotions are running through me and igniting my own as arousal coils within my stomach and I feel my walls clench making me moan breathlessly.
Matitus moves away from me when I see Dragus tug on his shoulders.
I can see he is fighting with himself, trying not to attack me.
Once out of the water, he takes off with Dragus fast on his heels, leaving me in the water with Silas. I rest against Silas, the heat dissipating, and I shiver at the icy water. My temperature plummets and I suddenly feel cold.
“The heat won’t come back now?” I ask, resting my head on his shoulder.
“It will until we all mark you, it won’t kill you now,” he says, kissing the side of my face. I am too exhausted to care about his closeness.
“You said it would stop?” I murmur into his neck.
“It will once we all mark you, then the second heat starts.”
“Second heat?”
“Yeah, the mating heat. It will make you want to mate with us.”
“What?” My voice came out in a squeak, horrified by his words.
Silas chuckles. “Let’s just get through the first heat, then you can worry about the mating heat. It isn’t painful like the Dragon heat.” He grips me tighter and steps out of the water.
I cling to him as he walks inside, my body turning cold as we go upstairs toward their bedroom. He places me on the edge of the bath before peeling my wet clothes off that are sticking to me like a second skin.
When I feel him try to unclasp my bra, I smack his hands away. He raises an eyebrow at my actions before unclipping it.
“Don’t be shy, Lora. I have seen you naked before and you have nothing to be ashamed about,” he says, pulling my hands away from my breasts.
My nipples rock hard from the cold and I hear Silas’s breath hitch before I feel the pad of his thumb rub over it.
Pushing his hand away, I try to stand, my muscles all locked and aching from the cold.
Silas turns the shower on and helps me stand before placing me under the water.
My body slowly relaxes under its warmth as my body thaws out.
Silas leans against the counter watching me. I keep my back to him, not liking the way his eyes roam over my body. I can literally feel the intensity of his gaze boring into my flesh.
“Can you turn around or hop out?” I ask, starting to become creeped out.
“Why? You’re mine; I will look if I want to.”
“I’m not yours,” I mutter so low, not expecting him to hear. Silas growls low. It vibrates off the tiled walls.
“Why do you deny it? You know there is no way out of being our mate. So why not just behave and make things easier for yourself? It doesn’t have to always be backward and forward with us.”
“Probably because I am not a piece of property to be owned, Silas.”
I switch the shower off, and Silas passes me a towel.
I quickly wrap it around myself before stepping out.
He moves off the sink basin, standing in front of me.
His breathing is hard as he stares down at me.
He reaches his hand up and I step away from him, his eyes flashing with anger before he drops his hand and stalks out of the bathroom.
I follow him out, stopping when I see Matitus and Dragus lying in bed.
I enter the walk-in, ignoring their watchful eyes before grabbing a shirt and underwear and quickly pulling them on before walking out.
I go to walk out and back to my room when Silas’s voice makes me freeze. “You’re staying with us,” he says, stripping off his shirt and pants.
Looking to the door, I mentally debated what my chances are of making a run for my room before he catches me.
“I wouldn’t, he will drag you back,” Matitus says, making me glance at him. Giving up, I go to hop on the couch when Silas growls. “In the bed, Elora.”
I shake my head, looking over at the bed. Matitus moves over, patting the bed beside him.
“No, you don’t even wear pants,” I tell him when I realize Silas would be next to me. Silas walks into the closet, coming out with a pair of briefs on. “There, better? Now what is your next excuse?”
I roll my eyes, climbing on the bed. Matitus instantly rips me to his side and wraps an arm over my waist. Silas climbs on the bed, the bed dipping slightly under his weight as he pulls the blanket over us.
I turn away from him and face Matitus who has a huge grin on his face.
“Can you not smile like that? You look like you’re about to take a bite of me,” I tell him, bringing my hand up and closing his eyes with my fingers, making him snort.
Matitus snuggles in closer, pressing his face into my neck and inhaling deeply.
His hand snakes underneath my shirt, brushing my skin softly.
I shiver when I feel sparks wherever he touches, making me gasp.
Silas moving closer to me quietly chuckles and his hand go to my hip.
“Go to sleep, Lora,” Silas says, and I feel his nose in my hair.
“I would if you two would stop being so handsy,” I tell them, hoping they will move. They don’t. Eventually succumbing to sleep, I drift off, only to have my dreams invaded.