Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
ARABELLA
I had meant it as an innocent kiss, I promise.
Okay, it was possible it was meant to be more than that as I surged forward and pressed my lips to the nightmare that had been by my side from the beginning. The man who had been fighting against his true nature, but more than anything, the man that I loved.
I just wanted to express to him how strongly I felt without words, because he seemed to overcomplicate those completely.
Apparently, though, that ‘innocent’ option wasn’t a thing, because I was immediately pulled flush to Razar’s body, the vibration of the space around us surging with power as his hand slid behind the back of my neck and he took control of the kiss.
I let out a whimper, deepening the kiss as I went up on my toes, my fingers running over his short hair as he growled against my lips. When I felt his magic slip and his tendrils run across my skin, spanning the space around us, I briefly heard screams in the background.
I knew I should have cared way more than I did, but I could practically feel Razar feeding off the humans’ fear, and it just made his kiss that much more intense and deadly. Damn him. Why did he have to be such a good kisser along with literally everything else I appreciated and loved about him?
I let out a breathy gasp as I felt tendrils wrap around my waist, pinning me to the wall and lifting me up, allowing me to wrap my legs around his hips.
I thought I heard someone calling my name, but I couldn’t pay attention because of the pure pleasure that was coating everything, absolutely loving his touch and the reaction it incited.
There was a very large part of me that wanted Razar to lose control.
I didn’t want him to view that loss of control as a regret, though.
I wanted him to relish it with me. I wanted to know that I was the only woman that could bring him to that point.
I wanted him to feel as satisfied as I would when he fucked me hard enough that I felt like I was about to pass out, with his tendrils wrapped around my throat and wrists…
“Razar.” A sharp voice broke through the haze, the tone catching me off guard. Zain didn’t talk like that. Ever.
Something was wrong. I tried to pull back, but Razar let out a dangerous sound and further pressed into me, kissing down my neck as I let out a small whimper.
“Precious.” Amun’s voice was loud and clear. “You have to get him to calm down. The humans are sending for people. We have to get you out of here.”
That did it.
My eyes snapped open to a cleared food court, humans screaming in the distance for the authorities, as I heard sirens in the background.
Oh no. This was bad. I tried to pull back from Razar, but the man nipped my neck, and it was like my entire body melted, leaving me in a euphoric haze that washed over me hot and fast. Holy hell.
My eyes fluttered shut, and I felt my breathing halt as he met my lips again in a slow, toxic kiss.
I mean, honestly. Who cared about humans at this point?
I was shocked when he was suddenly ripped away from me, my body falling until I was caught by Zain, his familiar scent making me feel comforted as I sought out Razar. My breath caught as I realized that Razar and Amun were fighting.
Shit. Do you know what was more terrifying than nightmares fighting?
Nightmares fighting in their human forms.
I winced as Razar hit Amun right in the face. The poor man was going to have another black eye, the bruises from Saint finally healing just enough they weren’t noticeable from this morning.
I called out their names, but they continued to fight and blast into one another, the tables and chairs being broken as they slammed each other into various surfaces.
I could feel bruises beginning to form on my skin from when Razar had been ripped away from me, but I didn’t even care. I just wanted them to stop.
I pushed out of Zain’s arms, grunting as I dropped and then jolted forward towards my two fighting nightmares.
“Stop!” My order was sharp and had both of them looking over, Amun frozen with his fist pulled back, about to hit Razar. I immediately saw the reality fill Razar’s face as he threw Amun off him and stood, the second muttering a phrase in Coptic I didn’t catch.
“There are humans with guns coming,” Amun barely got out, his voice rough and uneven. “If you want her safe, we need to leave now.”
Razar had me over his shoulder, and I groaned as I looked up and towards where we had been sitting. “Make sure to grab the shoes!” I shouted in concern. Zain barked out a laugh and did exactly that.
I deflated against Razar, knowing that he was going to be pissed at himself, and the others would give him a rough time for what happened.
Let’s just hope Razar would forgive himself.
The shower water came down hard on top of my head as I let out a slow exhale, running my fingers through my hair while rinsing the conditioner from it.
Damn had it been a long day. I mean, seriously, it was a bit absurd, and it was far from over.
I didn’t regret where we were at right now because it meant knowing how my men felt about me…
but I really needed a few more hours of sleep.
I could hear the sound of arguments going on out in the main part of the RV.
The others were upset that I had been in danger and blamed Razar, despite me trying to take blame since I had literally instigated the kiss.
Needless to say, it hadn’t worked. Even Razar hadn’t let me shoulder any of it, so I had finally given up arguing and went to shower.
It was probably for the best, because I needed to not only relax before tonight but to also try to work out some of this tension running through my body.
Razar had worked me up, and I knew that now was not the time to work out any of that frustration.
Hopefully later…maybe I could get a minute alone with Saint or Blackwell. Or literally any of them.
I should have left the bathroom door unlocked.
Washing my body and even shaving, I looked down at the marks on my skin, namely my ribs, from when Amun had ripped Razar away from me. Marks that were already healing, unfortunately.
They weren’t bad, but I also didn’t want Razar seeing them. I knew he would see them as a bad thing, which made me sadder than I expected. My fingers came up to my neck as I felt his small bite mark there, my center exploding with heat as desire coursed through me.
I knew I shouldn’t, considering they were right outside, but I found myself running my fingers down my frame as I let my head fall back in the hot water, my toes curling as I ran my fingers over my wet heat.
My nipples pebbled as I considered making myself come just to relieve some of the tension running through my frame.
Unfortunately, it seemed literally everyone else had different plans.
The locked door to the bathroom opened as Zain slipped in, offering me a heated look as I quickly removed my hands from my body.
Despite being a bit embarrassed, I still teased him as his gaze ran down to where I’d been touching myself, a growl coming from his throat.
“I didn’t realize you needed to shower.”
He flashed an easy smile that contrasted the energy around him.
“No, unfortunately I do not, but I would love to join you anyway…it’s just that you being turned on is about to send several of them into a goddamn frenzy, which will either result in you being fucked by several of us, or they will fight. ”
I let out a groan of despair and got out, wrapping a towel around myself and walking out of the bathroom, muttering annoyances under my breath.
“Bella…” Zain hedged, suddenly sounding a bit worried and insecure. I felt bad about that. It wasn’t about him or any of them. I mean, I understood what he was saying…sort of.
I turned and offered him an arched brow. “What? Am I supposed to never be turned on again? I am literally surrounded by nightmares I am extremely attracted to.”
Zain closed the bedroom door and leaned against it, inhaling sharply. “Not saying that, you just may want to consider the fact that you have so many of us in a tight space. We are naturally dominant creatures, and if it comes to mating you—”
My cheeks went bright pink as I sat down on the edge of the bed and frowned. “You guys would actually fight over that?”
Zain’s face went completely serious. “Are you asking if I would fight to fuck you, Bella? Absolutely. That isn’t in question.”
“Zain,” I murmured, a shiver trailing across my skin.
“With that being said,” he drew out, lunging forward, making me squeak as he pushed me onto my back before brushing his lips across mine, “I also know you don’t like fighting, and Amun has already been at the brunt of Saint and Razar’s aggression, so it may be better to wait.”
My fingers ran across his jaw as he leaned into my touch. “Fine. Fine. I understand. It’s my body that doesn’t agree.”
“I can help you with that,” he suggested. Hope surged through me, but then he chuckled and sat back. “Later.”
“Zain,” I grumbled, running my fingers over his chest.
“Come on, you need to get dressed so we can get this shit over with.” He helped me up and kissed me lightly, causing me to let out a small moan.
At least we could agree on that.
“Oh, your dad called,” he said as he helped me off the bed. “They are doing good. Shields are still up, and he told me to tell you to not worry.”
I nodded and then looked towards my clothing, realizing I needed to get ready despite having zero motivation to do so.
“Do you think Love is a dick to everyone, or does he have a serious issue with us?” I asked curiously as Zain chuckled from where he sat on the edge of the bed.
“For the record, I thought you were talking about ‘love,’ not the bastard god terror, and I was very confused there for a minute. I was going to say I didn’t think love had too much of an issue with us, rather the opposite, but that bastard for sure has an issue with Saint.”
My eyes widened, realizing what he was hinting at as my cheeks flamed with color.
“Because I beat him in chess,” Saint announced.
I offered him a small smile, realizing that I would have to bring that up again with Zain later. Also, was it weird that I was completely unworried about being in just a towel? I mean, both of them had seen me naked, and I really wasn’t very shy overall, but especially not around these men.
“You beat him in chess?”
“Oh yes, it was a very serious match.” He nodded and then sighed. “It was in front of several kingdoms, and he was the one to challenge me.”
The weird thing is that I knew he wasn’t lying even though it sounded like bullshit.
Zain shook his head and grabbed Saint’s shoulder. “Bella, we will leave you to get ready.”
Before the door could close, another form slipped in, and my eyes widened to find Amun standing there, offering me a heated look. My body turned into a flushed shiver, but before I could say anything he was in front of me, grabbing my jaw and tilting my jaw.
My breath caught as he ran his nose against my neck before nuzzling me, causing a small whimper to slip from my lips. He did it to the other side as well, and then when I grabbed his shoulders, he suddenly pulled back and offered me a smirk.
“Okay, now you can get ready.”
“Wait.” I frowned. “What was that?”
“I had to scent you, precious.” His brow furrowed in confusion. “You didn’t think I would let you go into that terror’s house without my scent all over you, did you? He already thinks he has the right to take liberties with literally everyone; I don’t want him to question who you belong to at all.”
“And I belong to you?” I asked softly.
His face went serious as he cupped my jaw. “Arabella, you are a priceless treasure I thought I would never find. You absolutely belong to me.”
“Oh.” I swallowed and nodded, wide-eyed. “Cool.”
Good one, Arabella.
“Cool?” He chuckled, mirth sparkling in his gaze, and then kissed my forehead. “I will take ‘cool.’ I will take anything you want to give. Always.”
And then the man was gone. I blinked and ran a hand over my face in shock, butterflies filling my stomach and heart. I mean, what the heck did I do with a statement like that? I think that was what I liked so much about Amun—he said exactly what he meant, and he was very sure in his decisions.
Amun had decided I was his, so I was. There was something amazing about that.
I fell back on the bed and let out a sigh, smiling. Despite everything going on and all of the potential problems, I felt good. Better than ever, and I knew it was because of these men.