Chapter 36 Sybil
Sybil
As soon as we made it back to the council room, Samian disappeared to bring back Aster to heal everyone.
Now that the adrenaline had worn off, every ache screamed at me—every place the vampire’s nails had torn into my skin burned—but I didn’t care.
My mind felt light, my heart so full of hope it threatened to burst. I couldn’t stop smiling, even if I had wanted to.
Soon, I would be free of Ambrose, and I was growing stronger.
I was changing the fate Queen Cassia had warned me about.
I was sure of it, certain enough to feel it deep in my bones.
Rough hands tightened on my sides, and I tipped my head back to meet Kieran’s proud gaze.
Ever since we’d been back, he hadn’t been able to stop touching me.
My body heated at the feel of him, and I relaxed, letting my back rest against his stomach.
Kieran bent down, pressing his lips against the top of my head, lingering to breathe me in.
I loved every minute of his tender affection.
“You did good today, Princess,” he murmured low enough for only me to hear.
“Good enough to forgive me for Hale?” I asked, giving him my sweetest, most innocent smile.
I could feel his chuckle rumbling from deep inside his chest, and I couldn’t help but close my eyes from the pleasure it gave me. “I’ll forgive you this time, but don’t do it again, understood? I don’t want to think about what I’d do if anything ever happened to you.”
“What? Would you destroy a town or something?” I laughed jokingly.
“Princess, I would destroy this entire realm. I would watch it all burn just to get back to you, and then, as the fire decimates everything around me, I would find whoever hurt you and slowly rip them apart to make sure they felt every pain they ever caused you. And that would just be the start.”
I opened my eyes, meeting his darkened gaze. There was a fire in them that made electricity surge through my veins, making my body come to life. Reaching my hands up, I cupped the sides of his face, feeling breathless under his stare. I pulled his face closer, pressing my lips to his.
His hands twitched, as if he wanted to move them along my body, but someone cleared their throat, breaking the moment. Kieran grumbled at the interruption, and I let out a laugh, lifting my head. Aster stood in front of us, her lips pursed together, looking very unimpressed.
“I heard you killed a vampire,” she said, walking up to me while reaching for my hand.
I held it out for her, letting her power coil around me, healing my wounds and aches from training. “I did,” I breathed, my pride growing at the respect that gleamed in her eyes. “It was hard, but I can feel my strength and my magic growing.”
Aster nodded, her eyes dipping to the blood that still stained my skin under my nose. “Just be careful with how much you use at a time. You still need to work on your endurance. If you push yourself too much, you’ll get more than a nosebleed. You or your mates could die from it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said softly, fighting the urge to wipe at the memory of the blood rushing down to my lips.
Aster patted my hand before moving to Kieran, healing to cut along his cheek and chest. Kieran gave her a nod of thanks, letting her check on Vivi and Ezra.
Samian came up and knelt between my legs.
The ass still looked as if he wasn’t just in a battle, while the rest of us were covered in dirt and grime.
“Since we are supposed to be at Ivara’s estate, we will stay the night here at the camp. Kieran has a room in the manor where you can sleep without the rebels knowing. How about we get you cleaned up and let you get some rest?”
“You mean I finally get to see one of your rooms?” I laughed. Even though Samian’s room was across from mine, I had yet to see it, especially since Samian gave it up for Ivara. “Is it weird that I feel a little nervous to see it?”
Kieran laughed, his fingers curling under my chin to tilt my head back. “I know just the thing that will make you forget all about that.” His voice grew dark and gravelly, making me shiver against his touch. “But first, I agree with Samian, we need to get you cleaned.”
Kieran slowly let me go, and I swallowed hard, taking a deep breath to calm my heating blood.
Samian helped me to my feet, directing me to follow Kieran out of the council room and through the manor.
We made our way down a hall filled with portraits of various faeries and landscapes until we reached a door at the end.
Kieran opened it, letting it swing open so I could walk in first. I smiled at how simple the room felt, reminding me so much of Kieran, a male of all action.
The walls were a deep navy blue, mostly empty except for some sconces, a few smaller paintings, and mirrors.
The bed was set against the wall on the right, draped in black bedding.
There was a desk in the far-left corner, with a mix of weapons propped against the legs and papers scattered on top.
Kieran came up behind me, his warmth seeping into my back as he leaned closer to murmur in my ear. “What do you think?”
“It’s not so bad, I guess,” I breathed, a shiver shooting down my back at his closeness. “Could be better, though.”
Kieran smirked while putting his hands on my waist, twisting me to face him. “I agree. I think having you writhing in those sheets beneath me would make it a lot better.”
Kieran leaned forward, and I sucked in a breath when Samian shoved his head to the side. “She needs to clean up first. She’s covered in dirt and blood. I’m sure you can wait until then.”
Kieran frowned, swatting Samian’s hands away, but his lips rose in a wolfish grin. “And here I thought you would want to make Sybil’s little bathing fantasies come true. That’s fine; you have your own room to get cleaned up in. Now go, I’ll keep Sybil occupied.”
My face flushed at his words. He didn’t mean what I thought he meant, right?
I had told no one about the times when I thought of Kieran and Samian’s hands on me while I bathed.
But then Samian’s words came to mind when we fought about the soul-bond, how he always kept our bond open.
I flushed even further at the memory, though my blood pulsed, causing heat to pool low.
I was stuck between feeling embarrassed that Samian knew of my fantasies and anticipation curling my toes.
Samian stared at Kieran with narrowed eyes, his jaw ticking.
Finally, turning toward a door behind him, Samian pulled off his shirt, disappearing into the room.
Kieran grinned, his dark gaze crashing into mine.
I swallowed, my breathing heavy as I stared into his eyes, unable to look away.
Water ran in the bath while Kieran began to unbutton my uniform, pulling my jacket off and throwing it to the floor.
Grabbing the front of my pants, he pushed me backward into the room where Samian waited.
The sound of water hit my ears, but I couldn’t think of it when Samian came up behind me, sandwiching me between him and Kieran.
Samian’s fingers gathered the edges of my shirt, pulling it over my head while Kieran slipped my pants, along with my underwear, down my legs.
Samian unclasped my bra, his hands sliding gently against my shoulders, pushing my straps down until the fabric fell to the floor, leaving me bare before them.
Kieran brought his hands up, cupping and kneading my breasts, and I shuddered against his touch.
I closed my eyes, my body relaxing against Samian.
A soft moan escaped my lips when Samian wrapped a hand around my neck, tilting my head back enough to bring his lips to mine.
His tongue swept along my bottom lip, and I opened for him, letting him kiss me slowly.
Kieran’s hands moved away, but were quickly replaced by his tongue stroking my nipple before pulling it into his mouth.
Samian swallowed my whimper as Kieran sucked and teased, filling me with an ache I was desperate for him to fill.
However, they both pulled away, leaving me standing there, panting and delirious.
Samian moved to the tub that was more like a small pool. It looked like part of the floor, with steps leading deeper into the water. It was large, big enough to fit all three of us, plus more. Samian checked the temperature of the steaming water while Kieran moved me closer to the stairs.
I stared down at the endless depth, fear dousing any of the heat I felt. Samian’s head snapped toward mine, concern flickering in his gaze. Coming to my side, he jerked his chin at Kieran in a silent demand for him to take over checking the water.
“I know you’ve been avoiding the bathing tub in your room,” he murmured, his hand coming to my face when I winced. “We will take it slow, I promise.”
I released a tight breath and nodded, letting Samian lead me to the steps.
Stripping off the rest of his clothes, he threw them in a corner before holding out his hand for me to take.
My eyes dipped down, my mouth drying as I studied the hard planes of his chest and stomach.
My heart raced, and my gaze slammed back to his, my breasts feeling heavy.
Sliding my hand into his, I let Samian guide me into the pool, the heated water licking up my thighs as we went.