Chapter 4
Chapter Four
ARABELLA
Pouring myself another cup of coffee, I examined the collection of mugs that we kept here in the office for exactly this type of day.
The coffee bar consisted of an expensive machine and two large rows of mugs that were notably different from one another.
My father’s mugs, usually also borrowed by the boys if they wanted coffee, consisted of white and black porcelain patterns.
Mine, on the other hand, that only Zain and Saint usually could be convinced to use, were in an array of bright colors and patterns, including everything from a unicorn one covered in bright pink glitter to several with sassy sayings, like the one my father had handed me earlier.
And yes, Saint holding a unicorn mug was as amazing as you would imagine.
This morning I’d chosen one of my personal favorites. It featured an adorable monster on it with bright green fur, large claws, and a big goofy smile. Above it, in black glitter, it said I love monsters. You can understand why it was one of my favorites, right? I felt like it was fairly fitting.
Although, with how they were acting this morning, I was wondering if I needed two mugs to deal with these monsters that I supposedly loved.
They were being so difficult, and I was having issues understanding why.
I thought Amun was acting rather calm compared to the nightmares we usually had come to us unwillingly, especially considering he was a Class A.
I could tell he was putting the rest of the team on edge, and I didn’t like that in the least.
Muttering a sigh under my breath, I walked across the main control room towards the conference room that was next to my father’s office, separated by the window wall.
I hummed under my breath, my body still lit up from Damian’s touch, as I tried to refocus on what we needed to go over today with them.
I know it seemed fairly obvious, but working with six nightmares that you found extremely attractive could be rather… distracting.
Cupping my mug and taking another sip, I lowered myself down into a comfortable leather chair that sat at the head of the oval conference table.
I reached behind me to grab my tablet that I kept down here, knowing it had duplicate information on it as the one up in my bedroom.
I squinted slightly, as the light from it had me wincing.
As a general rule, we kept the lights lower in the institute unless it was in the hallways or main living spaces.
Nightmares tended to enjoy the dark rather than the light, and our goal was to make those part of the institute comfortable.
Here, in the conference room, it was muted and warm light, so the bright LED screen had me wanting to rub my eyes because of the uncomfortable glare.
I turned it down and switched it to the ‘warm’ setting before crossing my ankles and leaning back in the chair.
I only looked up when Razar walked into the room, followed by Cy.
I couldn’t help but smile at both of them.
Razar slid into the seat next to me, letting out a long exhale before deflating slightly, clearly still trying to calm himself down from his interaction with Amun.
I reached out to rest my hand on top of his massive tattooed one, a low, frustrated noise breaking from his throat that had me frowning.
His stunning crimson gaze met mine as I tried to offer him a small reassuring smile.
Razar did not do well with change, at freakin’ all.
So I had a feeling this Amun thing was getting to him for several reasons.
“I promise you, it will be fine.” I squeezed his hand, wanting to ease his discomfort.
I didn’t blame him, knowing him as I did, but I also couldn’t deny my instinct that was telling me that this was the right fit.
Amun belonged with us. I had met a lot of nightmares, but the ones that I felt a connection to tended to fit our team perfectly, so I wasn’t about to deny that gut feeling now.
Especially when we could have that extremely powerful someone to better our team.
Our missions were getting more and more dangerous with each passing year as the tension between humans and nightmares grew.
I would get along with anyone that could help bring my guys home in one piece.
Not that it had been a problem before, but while I seemed to not feel a lot of fear, I did have a constant drumbeat of anxiety in my chest when it came to them on missions.
Razar offered me a long look before kissing the top of my hand, my gaze turning to Cy, who was watching me with his normal reserved intensity.
My lips pressed into a smile, always thrilled to see him, as his gaze dipped down to my lips before flickering back up.
Chills broke across my skin as I swallowed down the small noise that threatened to come from my throat.
Damn him. There was something about the nightmare that made my body react before I could even stop it.
It was possible that it had to do with his dangerous natural magic, but I honestly didn’t believe it was just that.
No. The man was so much more than the massive basilisk that he could shift into.
This morning, he was wearing a dark shirt with ripped and worn patches that were no doubt purposeful, with black jeans and dark combat boots.
All of it fit to his lean but extremely cut frame perfectly, making my cheeks flush the longer I looked at him.
It was so dangerous, my reaction to him, and it didn’t help that the man had an imposing air about him that made me want to crawl up onto his lap and rub against him.
He was somewhere around Razar’s height, but sometimes he felt even larger than Blackwell, which was saying something.
It probably didn’t help that when they shifted into their nightmare forms, even the most ‘human’ looking of them turned larger than life.
No, I didn’t find that sexy—why do you ask?
Cy’s pale, almost silver gaze, streaked with mint-green and black, seemed to be constantly moving and fluid.
They were nearly as distracting as the silver piercings that he had covering his ears and the snake bite piercings under his lip.
Yes, I understood the irony there, considering he turned into a massive fucking snake.
The nightmare was legitimately gorgeous, his features chiseled in nature, paired with white hair with ends that were dipped in dark green, mint shades highlighting throughout.
Cy could have easily been a model or something like that.
His entire look was dangerous and unique.
Hell, that wasn’t even including the tattooed serpentine figures that decorated his skin from his neck down to his fingertips.
It was intoxicating to be around, especially since I was a sucker for unique and beautiful things, or in this case, monsters.
I hadn’t hesitated to tell him my opinion, either.
In fact, I wasn’t positive how he hadn’t caught onto the fact that I thought he was a total hottie, because I was pretty damn direct.
Mind you, it was usually when I was half asleep or maybe a bit tipsy, but there had also been times when I had just been laying out on the couch with him after a long week of work and told him how handsome he was.
I don’t think he believed me, but it did manage to pull some smiles from him.
Plus, it meant I was in close enough proximity to run my fingers through his silky hair while inhaling his comfortable, cool scent.
Unlike myself, the man seemed to have no issue just holding me without wanting to rip off my clothes.
Sometimes I wish he knew what was going on in my head just so he could appreciate the restraint it took to not act like a total weirdo when I was pressed up against him.
Those smiles were worth it though. I adored his smile, and while his canine teeth were in fact sharp venomous fangs, I found that even sexier.
They caused the slightest lisp, barely even noticeable, but that paired with his deep voice caused my ears to perk up and my body to melt like an ice cube on a hot summer day.
The nightmare literally turned me into a puddle of need.
It made me see red when I thought about how many women got to spend time with him in his two hundred something years of existence.
I should just be thankful that he ended up here and stop complaining.
Unlike Amun, Cy had come to us willingly around two years ago.
I’d been thrilled to hear that a Class A creature terror had come to us wanting to help out, so much so that I hadn’t even bothered fully getting dressed for the day, sprinting down towards the office while ignoring Razar’s calls for me to slow down, no doubt worried I would slip considering I was in just socks.
I couldn’t help but smile, remembering the exact moment I realized how powerful and amazing Cy truly was as a nightmare.
I’d also nearly given my team a heart attack.
“Fuck, Arabella, slow down!” Damian shot up from his seat as I slid into the office and jolted both Blackwell and him from a conversation in the conference room. I waved them off, not bothering to ask anything, as I pressed my hand down onto the electronic entrance panel.
A giggle—that I would deny completely, for the record—escaped my lips as Blackwell appeared on the other side of the door as they sealed shut and I locked them.
I could hear him cursing in Greek as I offered a wink, a glint of future retribution and concern flashing in his eyes.
I confidently turned towards the secondary door and walked into the massive containment room.
Almost immediately, I drew the attention of my father, who was holding a clipboard and looking into the shadows, his eyes covered in a pair of specialty glasses.
“You need glasses,” my father stated.