Chapter 8 #2
Although there was no denying how delicate she was, despite the power she indisputably held. Arabella had magic. I didn’t understand it, but I did know that the way she held herself and acted had my body hardening in ways it hadn’t in hundreds of years, if not more.
I had the desperate urge to know what it would feel like to peel those dark clothes off her skin.
Or to kiss the small drawn-on heart underneath the scar that crossed through her eye.
Who had done that to her? I found myself both furious and curious, wanting to trace my fingers along it.
In some ways, the slight imperfection made me feel better about my own.
I mean, this woman was like a precious gemstone, and I was an ancient bastard that kept trying to get closer to her.
There was no way I would ever measure up enough to keep her attention.
Which was why it would make sense to take her away and hide her.
She would probably hate me for a bit… but I could make her see reason.
I may not have had a lot of recent experience, but I was betting that I could make her feel enough pleasure that she forgot about the others, even if only momentarily.
Her innocence rolled off her, and I didn’t want to say I viewed that as a good thing, but considering I was probably a bit rusty, I wasn’t going to complain.
Mostly because I knew if I ever slid my cock into her tight warmth, I would probably come in minutes.
I know. Absolutely pathetic.
Maybe I could find other ways to bind her to me.
“Are we good to go inside?” the Director asked.
My eyes flickered from Arabella to him, my nod sharp and short as she offered a small happy noise at something.
I only tensed slightly in surprise when she hooked arms with me, leaning into my side with a small sigh, her thoughts seemingly elsewhere.
I knew she was probably only comfortable touching me like this because she did so with her nightmare team.
She probably wasn’t considering how easy it would be for me to kill her.
Completely drain her of life. Then again, she very much touched Death on a daily basis, so the ‘lack of self-preservation’ theory seemed a bit more accurate.
I did have the urge to also warn her.
Warn her that if she acted this familiar with anyone else besides me, I would bend her over my knee for putting herself at risk.
My cock twitched at that thought, not making any of this easier.
I may have trusted myself—and possibly the others—to an extent, but anyone else and I would probably lose it.
Something that was actually fairly amusing, because the nightmares that she did surround herself with were dangerous, even by my standards.
As we walked through the impressive modern establishment, a comfortable silence between the two of us as she clearly got lost in thought, I found myself surprised by all the things that had changed in the time I’d slept.
Even the materials to build had been altered, and this institute was actually quite impressive, even by modern standards.
Whenever we woke from our long sleeps, we fed our magic by draining humans and with it gained their cultural current knowledge, language ability, and mannerisms. It was an ability that allowed us to fit in, and in this case, act a bit more ‘normal’ than how I would have fresh off of sleeping for four hundred years.
The ability to speak English was also rather helpful, and I was praising my good fortune to come across an American tourist before being captured.
It was a bit odd to understand the world around you in context and through their eyes, so still, seeing it for the very first time on your own was very different.
Which was why, despite knowing what Arabella wore, for example, was actually rather conservative, it was a shock to my system.
So much so that the longer I focused on it and the way it clung to her body, the more turned on I got.
“What do we do now?” I tried to clear my thoughts and focus on her voice, despite it also having a strong pull on me. Honestly, I just wanted her attention back on me.
“Now we wait until they land.” She let out a small huff as if the concept frustrated her and looked at her father, who was scrolling through his tablet. “Do you care if I run up to my room for a bit? You know how I get sitting around and waiting for them to start.”
“I understand.” Her father nodded and looked at me. “Amun, are you going to accompany her or come with me?”
Was this a trick question? I feel like most fathers would not be okay with any man, let alone a nightmare like myself, being alone with their daughter in her personal quarters. The mere concept turned me the fuck on. Luckily, I didn’t have to answer.
“I would like some company,” Arabella admitted quietly.
“I’ll have dinner ordered from the kitchen.” Her father offered me another speculative glance before parting ways. The man was smart to not fully trust me with his stunning daughter… alone in her bedroom…
Maybe this was a bad idea.
Arabella led me towards the end of the hallway as we entered back into the small metal contraption from before.
Honestly, I thought these elevators were horrible, but when she explained them to me earlier, I had eaten up every word, loving her voice against my ears.
The delicate nature infused with strength was absolutely amazing and rather addictive to listen to.
When the metal doors closed, Arabella let out a shaky breath, and I jerked slightly in surprise as she wrapped her small arms around my waist, burying her head against my chest. Despite my initial shock, my arms immediately wrapped around her, confused but loving the way she was letting me hold her, my fingers playing with the ends of her pink hair.
Once I got my emotions under control, I managed to get out a rough question. “Are you alright?”
I mean, clearly she fucking wasn’t, but I didn’t know how else to be comforting in a moment like this.
“Yeah.” She nodded and then sighed. “Actually, no. I’m not alright. I don’t usually lose my cool when they go on missions, but something feels off about tonight. I don’t like it.”
I settled on something that I hoped would provide a level of comfort. “They will come back.”
Unfortunately. No matter what.
After a small head nod, she continued to cling to me for a few more seconds before seeming to think of something.
A small laugh broke from her lips as she pulled back, seeming to shake herself.
“I’m sorry, you must think I’m crazy. I didn’t even ask if you’re okay with me touching you.
After what happened with Cy earlier, I need to be better about that. ”
I caught her chin. “I am very much okay with you touching me, precious.”
Her cheeks turned a bright pink, taking her from being the leader I could clearly see that she was, to something a bit softer and more innocent.
I found both attractive, and I couldn’t lie, there was a part of me that got really fucking hard at how flustered she got.
The pink blush only highlighted her unusual eyes and bright hair that I didn’t think was normal for humans.
It was perfect for her, but it did add to the mystery that was Arabella.
“This is the floor you live on?” I asked curiously as the elevator opened and she turned, hiding her face a bit and leading me down a luxuriously designed hallway.
The dim lighting and relaxed atmosphere was far different than that of the rest of the institute, and the entire space smelled like her, the Director, and…
was that Razar? So he really did live on the same floor as her?
Jealousy filled my chest at the idea of being able to sleep so close to her every night.
“My father and Razar each have a suite on this floor,” she explained, leading me towards a massive dark door.
I inhaled her delicate scent, which saturated the space, as she opened it and led me into a two-story bedroom that was not only modern but filled with luxurious furniture in shades of purple, pink, and black that seemed to fit the unique woman perfectly.
In one corner were large windows and an office setup, while the rest of the space seemed aligned with comfort.
My eyes darted up to the far corner of the ceiling, sensing the strong power signature and trail of red magic that was left by a night terror. A rumble broke from my throat before I could stop it.
“What?” She looked around, slipping off her tall, dangerous-looking heels and becoming that much shorter than me once again.
“A night terror has been in here,” I growled, looking up at the corner of her room. I didn’t understand the small smile that pressed onto her lips until she cleared her throat and explained.
“Razar sometimes sleeps in here.” Her delicate hand ran over the back of her neck, which may have been a nervous habit. Or embarrassment.
I frowned slightly. “He sleeps in here, but you are not with him? Romantically?”
I didn’t think that was common even in this day and age, to sleep in the same bedroom as someone you weren’t fucking. Then again, it was possible I had missed something.
A sad look flashed across her face, and I felt instant regret for putting it there. I could see longing on her expression, and her words were far more clinical and calm than I knew she actually felt.
“I don’t really know how to explain the dynamic going on. If I say no, that won’t make a lot of sense since he sleeps in here, and well, you saw Cy kiss me today. But technically, no, I am not involved with any of them romantically.”
Her body slumped at the end of her bed, and I found myself crouching down in front of her, examining her expression as she took off her glasses and ran her fingers over her face.