Chapter 17 #3
“That was cool,” Zain afforded, though he wasn’t any happier about the situation than Razar was. I knew there was a reason I liked the guy.
Arabella let out a soft sound that had me walking forward, Ashur following. Cy let out a possessive rumble, but he didn’t stop the nightmare from draping a blanket over her. Once he was satisfied that she was comfortable, Ashur stepped back and laid his head on the ground, watching her.
After a long moment, her eyes opened and she frowned, seeming confused about where she was. “What…what is going on?”
“You passed out.” Cy kissed the top of her head. “I’m so sorry, pixie.”
“Cy, no.” She shook her head and smiled. “I loved it.”
Razar let out a rumble that I knew was in response to her using the word ‘love,’ which drew her attention to him.
“Why is he tied up?”
Of course she looked right at me.
“He was trying to kick the wolf out,” I explained. “I knew you would be upset.”
Also, did we call him Ashur when Arabella was around? I had no idea. No one else had mentioned it yet, so I sure as hell wasn’t. Did she even recognize that he was a terror that could switch into a human form? I assumed so, to some extent.
“Razar,” she said in admonishment, and I eased the bandages, knowing he wouldn’t do shit around her. He didn’t respond, shaking off my magic and glaring at me.
Arabella sat up and wrapped her arms around Ashur, who started nuzzling her neck and purring. I narrowed my eyes at the bastard but didn’t try to stop him. I did need to remind Arabella that this was a nightmare, though, and an extremely lethal one at that, not a seemingly normal wolf.
I knew she wouldn’t purposefully think like that, but he was really amping up that shit, and I would have bet if he shifted into his human form he would have her pinned to the goddamn ground.
Then I would have to suck the life out of him.
“Arabella, he’s a nightmare,” Razar chided. “Not a pet.”
She snapped her gaze up with a scowl. “I am well aware, Razar.” Then she looked down at Ashur with a smile. “But I also don’t seen an issue with showing affection—”
“Why does he get affection?” I felt the words come out of my mouth of their own accord as jealousy surged through me in an unexpected whiplash.
Arabella tried to stand, looking concerned, but she only made it part of the way before the wolf tugged her back down and nuzzled her neck. I could feel the others moving closer to rip them apart, and I didn’t blame them completely—those teeth didn’t look like normal wolf teeth at all.
I crouched down and spoke quietly. “It doesn’t matter.” I narrowed my gaze at the wolf. “I would suggest you either shift or move away from her, because those teeth are a goddamn issue.”
He growled at me for a minute before backing away, and Arabella stood up and looked at the others. “Can we all relax, please? I need a minute to breathe.”
Everyone stilled at the word ‘please’ leaving her lips, and I pulled her gently into my arms. Her eyes were on Razar.
“Razar? Promise? I want him here.”
“How do you know it’s a him?” Damian asked, sounding more curious than anything. I had to admit, it was fascinating to watch her interact with nightmares, seeing what she could sense and not sense.
Her head tilted as she looked down at the wolf. “I don’t know, exactly…”
Cy spoke quietly. “His power is reaching out towards her. It leaves an impression of identity. Creature terrors often do that.”
Ah, but Ashur was so much more than just a fucking creature terror.
“Can we just take a little bit to relax?” Arabella murmured, seeming a bit out of it as she turned towards Cy. “Are you okay?”
“Pixie…” he hedged, almost so quietly I couldn’t hear, “I should be asking you that.”
“Perfectly good,” she promised before looking at everyone else. “As long as we stop arguing.”
Arabella got up, took a shaky breath, and walked towards the edge of the barrier, looking ahead on the path.
Instantly, Saint extended the bubble barrier into a longer part that led to another dome.
It wasn’t necessary, but it was also beyond clear that she needed some space… Which is why I followed her.
When she laid on the floor of the pathway and looked skyward, I briefly noticed that it was somehow night already.
You could barely see it through the canopy of the trees, but the sky was darkened above, making me know that the time here in the Oceanic Forest was far different than outside of it.
I joined her, and I realized as we laid on our backs that there were many creatures we had been missing.
Ones that floated through the treetops, ones that reminded me of a lot of ocean creatures…
I was going to assume that was where the name had come from.
“Are those…”
“Something I have never seen before,” I murmured, noticing the way they seemed to leach onto the surface of the dome, their darkness changing from black into neon.
“They remind me of jellyfish, but also leeches.” She smiled softly, snuggling against me as I kissed her temple and breathed in her scent.
“I haven’t seen jellyfish in a very long time,” I admitted.
“I’ve only seen them in movies and pictures.”
I frowned down at her. “This is really your first time out of the institute?”
“I never felt a strong reason to leave before,” Arabella noted quietly, “but I do want to travel more… I just don’t want to face the constant battle of humans causing problems wherever we go. I want to experience things in an isolated bubble where no one can insult or hurt you guys.”
I nodded in understanding. “When this is over, we will travel. I have no idea how I will make it happen, but I will, precious.”
Arabella made a curious noise as the darkness suddenly grew more intense as more of the jellyfish-like creatures piled onto our bubble and neon flashed across her face.
Distantly I could hear the others, but I didn’t care about any of that.
I was completely focused on Arabella. I touched her jaw, and she turned her head towards me, my eyes tracing her lips.
Last time I kissed her, there had been fear involved…
I didn’t want that to be the case anymore.
I rolled her onto her back and settled my weight over hers as I looked over her relaxed and heat-filled expression, not an ounce of fear or discomfort to be had.
I wanted Arabella to enjoy every single moment we had together.
I wanted the woman so badly, but I wanted her with me one hundred percent, especially since my magic drained life.
I had a feeling our pairing wouldn’t be an easy one, and I had the urge to test it with a kiss.
When she tilted her face back, I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers, causing a shaky breath to leave her.
“What are you doing?” Arabella’s whisper was soft and almost sweet.
“I just wanted to touch you,” I admitted, my lips moving onto her neck as she inhaled sharply, her hands stringing through my hair.
“I always want to touch you, and it never seems to happen enough. I am greedy with your attention and jealous of other hands on you. I want to be on every inch of your body. Always.”
It was true. Even my marking, which had gone a long way to make me feel better, wasn’t enough. I had a feeling it would never be enough.
“Amun.” Her voice was a breathy whisper.
I could tell that Arabella was sorting through emotions that she had carefully concealed for a long time.
I could hear her blood rushing through her veins, and my magic latched onto her life force as her breath came in an uneven stutter.
There were so many things that she was feeling, not just in this moment, but in life…
Desire.
Need.
Love.
So many things that she had thought she needed to keep hidden, so many feelings that she had beat down, afraid of rejection and unable to express exactly what she wanted.
Arabella was an intoxicating mix of innocence and shadows.
Of kinks and sweetness. The woman had me wanting to beg for her attention on my knees before pinning her to the ground and taking what we both needed.
As a young king, I had been convinced I had no weaknesses, and I hadn’t at the time… But I did now.
My weakness was Arabella.