Chapter 3
Chapter Three
ASHUR
My head was thudding, a low vibration of energy moving through the Oceanic Forest warning me of danger. Not the danger we had just faced, but danger to come.
The one thing that forced me up after face-planting in the stone clearing was Arabella’s safety. I let out a low hiss, realizing I’d hit my head fairly hard when Arabella’s magic had rebounded out of her.
Fuck, my moon was like nothing I’d ever experienced before.
I nearly shook my head at that—what right did I have to call her ‘my moon’?
None, but it had slipped from my lips so easily, wanting to communicate with her in her own language, even if the simple name didn’t portray everything I felt towards her.
I wasn’t positive that word even existed.
I wished she was ‘my’ anything, but that wasn’t possible.
The vibrancy that came off of her, the life she glowed with, was so different from the existence I’d lived for thousands of years.
It wouldn’t be right to taint her life with that, to drag her down.
I blinked across the stone clearing, the first to wake up from unconsciousness, and found her crumbled form surrounded by mud.
I picked her up, pulling her against my chest, and breathed out a sigh of relief to see that she was completely unharmed.
Even her arms were untouched despite having been buried in the earth moments ago…
Moments ago? I had no idea how long it had actually been since we’d passed out.
Something that was unusual for me because I had felt every hour, every minute— hell, every second—of this immortal existence I’d been sentenced to.
I used one hand to push up her torn sleeves to ensure she wasn’t hurt, cradling her in my other arm. Outside of some mud on her and the torn clothing, Arabella simply looked like she was asleep. But after what had just happened, I wasn’t positive I could trust that…
What the hell had just happened, exactly?
Maybe this was one of my extended dreams. I’d found myself doing that more lately in hopes of an eternal slumber, but now…
Now I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to be dreaming up Arabella; I wanted her to be as real as she felt.
Kneeling down on the ground, my knees feeling weak, I held her against me while breathing in her scent.
I needed to find my bearings. Of course, it didn’t help that it’d been nearly forever since I’d been shifted for a long period of time.
My skin felt tight and itchy, my magic repressed—and I absolutely hated it.
What I hadn’t hated? Arabella’s reaction to seeing my shifted form.
Honestly, I felt like I’d been on a different plane of existence since this vibrant pink moonbeam of a woman walked into my forest. I closed my eyes and buried my nose in her hair, ignoring the very strong physical reaction I had to touching her.
My cock was painfully hard, and while I loved the blush that had stolen over her cheeks, I knew now wasn’t the time. Never would be the appropriate time.
Arabella was on a different level than myself, and I felt a strong enough connection to her that I wanted to respect that instead of tainting her with my jaded bias from living thousands of years.
Although it was extremely difficult to not think about what she felt like squirming in my arms as I brought her to climax in her dream.
Arabella inspired dark needs, really fucking twisted, that I hadn’t realized even existed within me.
I’d said some insane shit to her, and instead of being freaked out, she had come to the words themselves.
How could a woman so perfect have existed within this universe without me knowing?
My gaze wandered down her body as I relaxed my hold, feeling far better now that she was in my arms. I wanted a lot with Arabella, even if it wasn’t right.
Right and wrong didn’t change what my instincts were telling, and not just because she was a sis meta.
Although, knowing she could handle me called to a deep, dangerous part of my being.
From the moment I’d felt Arabella, the minute I’d laid eyes on her, I had known what she was. Not a sis meta—no, she was my moon. My mate.
I had never expected to have a mate. I knew that I could, but it had been…
Well, forever. I had grown used to the concept of being alone, and this forest had provided a comfort of sorts, reminding me of the times before anyone lived on these lands, when it had just been the darkness of night and the creatures inhabiting it.
Then she’d walked right into my goddamn forest and made me feel a crazed sense of primal need. I had known I needed her—not just wanted, but needed. I had acted rashly, taking advantage of the moment when my magic had forced her foot off the path.
My domain had warped to my needs and my trees lifted her off the ground, I could feel how good she felt through their grip.
I could feel her soft skin and taste her desire in the air.
The wave of primal instinct had reared up in that moment, demanding things of me that weren’t possible—especially since at the time I’d been in a form not compatible with her kind.
Her nature called to me in a way I’d never experienced before.
The nearly feral, possessive urges ringing in my head demanded that I steal my mate away to claim her—to lock her to me in every way possible.
I wanted to fuck her until she was bred, so she could never leave me.
I wanted to bite her soft skin until I tasted her sweet blood.
I wanted to be buried so deep inside of her that she only knew my name.
Until she only craved me, not these other males.
It was tortuous.
Those instincts weren’t the only thing torturing me, though.
No, if it had only been that, I could have forced myself to let her go…
probably. The minute she had opened her perfect mouth and began talking to me, I’d known I was absolutely fucked.
The calmness she radiated, the strength, the life—it was all so damn appealing, and now that I was finally holding her, I couldn’t do anything but savor the moment.
I knew the others would rip her away from me soon.
I didn’t blame them. I was dangerous. It was why I had retreated to this forest so long ago, after hurting my own kind. I wasn’t positive why I even had a human form…well, except for her. Maybe the fates had known that I would need to protect her eventually.
“Ashur.”
Saint’s voice wasn’t filled with the anger I expected, and when I looked up, I realized he was striding over to Arabella.
He exhaled in relief upon seeing that she was okay.
When he blinked, looking away as if to gather his emotions, I realized just how deeply in love this man was with my mate.
Instead of being upset, I found myself glad that she had been surrounded by safety and love.
Many humans and nightmares were not nearly as fortunate.
“Has this happened before?” My voice was rough, almost unfamiliar to me.
Saint shook his head and looked at the others, who were lying unconscious in the blood of the nightmares under the power of Hate.
I felt a stab of self-hatred. I should have done more.
I hadn’t been in human form for so long, and I had felt lost in Arabella, shocked she could handle holding my gaze.
My gaze that had killed lesser nightmares and all humans.
It was why I had begged her to look away, unable to do so myself. My power had somewhat calmed in the years I’d existed, but dominance was dominance. I never broke a stare. It wasn’t in my nature, no matter how much I wanted to.
I had never been so torn on how to handle a situation as I was today. I could tell she hadn’t wanted to kill the other nightmares, but they had nearly hurt her. Threatened my mate and nearly injured her.
Fuck. I didn’t want to think about that. Not right now. I gripped her tighter, rubbing my nose against her hair, wanting to scent her.
“I need you to shift and put her on your back to carry her to your place,” Saint said, his gaze darting behind me. “We need to grab Peace as well. The forest—”
“It’s going to flood again,” I agreed, knowing that was the energy that had woken me, in part.
I didn’t take Saint’s command as an insult to my dominance, but rather as his attempt at keeping Arabella safe, so I gently moved her so that she was clinging to my back in her sleep.
I shifted into my wolf form easily, like slipping into my most natural state, and my magic latched onto her, keeping her on my back as I stretched my limbs.
The others were getting up around me, but I wasn’t focused on that.
Instead, my gaze was tracking the edge of the forest before moving to the god terror on the ground.
Peace. I’d known she had lived here for some time, but when had Hate arrived?
How had I not felt that? I let out a rumble, not liking the idea of something slipping past me, especially now that I had a mate.
A mate.
I nearly smiled at that. Well, I couldn’t smile in my wolf form…at least I didn’t think I could. Then again, I had a feeling a lot with Arabella was possible.
I shouldn’t have been allowing myself to celebrate this. I couldn’t keep her; I knew that. But that didn’t stop my heart from beating double-time with pure joy that we were so close to the woman hand crafted for us by the fates.
As the others woke, I noticed that one of Arabella’s mates aiding in helping Peace stand, the woman slowly opening her eyes as if being drawn out of a drugged state. I decided to lead them towards my home, no one questioning me as we left the clearing from the way we came.