Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Ama
We lingered in the salt pools a bit longer to let the water work its magic on our bodies, and before I knew it, I had dozed off while sitting on a ledge in the pool with my head against the deck.
Adrien didn't let me stay that way for long, though, because as soon as I felt the bliss of dreams creeping in at the edges of my brain, he shook me awake.
"Beauty, you can't sleep in a pool of water.
That's dangerous," he chastised gently, his thumb brushing across my cheek softly, causing me to open my eyes and peer at him groggily from under my long lashes.
Between the orgasm and the warmth of the pool, the exhaustion from the day had caught up to me. I had been running on adrenaline from the fight at the capital and then the appearance of the hybrid city, but all I wanted to do now was sleep. It had been a long fucking day, to say the least.
"I've got you, beauty," Adrien whispered as my eyes closed once more, and he scooped me into his arms. He climbed out of the pool, and I heard Damien rise from the water behind us.
My head lolled against Adrien’s warm chest, not enjoying the cold air on my wet skin and seeking out any warmth I could find. I wanted to burrow into him and wrap my body around him, but that might bring extra attention to us as we walked by the other pools on our way out.
I sighed as Adrien lowered me and my feet touched the ground, making it necessary to open my eyes once more. Towels and robes had appeared at one of the entrances to our private pool, and Damien was quick to grab them and bring them over.
When I moved to grab one of the towels from him, he narrowed his eyes as if I'd offended him. "What?" I asked, confused by his demeanor. What was wrong with wanting to dry off?
As he wrapped the towel around me from behind and began to dry me off, he muttered, "I wanted to take care of you."
My eyes widened, and my mouth parted slightly as I breathed out an eloquent, "Oh."
He halted his ministrations, and I rushed to turn around and face him, laying a hand on his tribal chest tattoo. As much as he was feared by the others, I knew deep down he was one of my more sensitive men, and I didn't want him to take my shock as anything other than that.
"I didn't mean that in a bad way..." I trailed off, unsure of how to word it. My lashes fluttered as I searched for the words and finally looked up at him. "I've just never had anyone want to take care of me like that. It surprised me."
He was good at guarding his emotions when he felt rebuffed, but thankfully, his mask fell at my words. His eyes softened, and he continued to dry me as he responded, "It's in my nature to take care of you, little flame. You're my mate."
My breath caught at the sound of the term on his tongue, and I tugged my bottom lip between my teeth to fight off the grin that threatened. I was turning into a puddle of goo with these men.
I felt Adrien's presence behind me a second before he raised a towel to my hair and began to gently rub it dry.
Honestly, I was in a bit of shock as I stood there and allowed two men—no, two mates—to take care of me in such an intimate way.
I had no idea what to expect when it came to having mates, but the contentedness I felt around the two of them seemed more than right.
"I know we haven't known each other long," Adrien began softly, his breath tickling my ear, "But we're in it for the long haul, beauty. You are ours to cherish and protect."
My toes curled as a new kind of warmth spread through my entire body, and my heart began to race as I placed the reason behind the warmth: I felt...loved. Deeply loved and cared for.
The recognition of the emotion swirling through me took my breath away, and I fought the urge to hide from them. Was I ready to face it?
I felt like every day that had passed since meeting them felt like a month, and that would have been a much more understanding timeline in which to have developed such deep emotions.
Was I insane? Possibly. But, call me crazy, because I had never felt more at peace with myself, despite being anxious as hell about how my dad and the other monarchs were being treated back home.
Between slowly accepting both halves of my powers and finding out these men were my mates, I had an inner calmness that had never been present before.
Accepting myself was like discovering a love that was irreplaceable.
Not even your mate could fulfill that inner need.
But then, to also be told by the universe—in the form of my mates—that I would never be alone again brought tears to my eyes.
I felt the prickle of those tears threatening to spill over as the towels left my body and Adrien guided my arms through the silk robe in his hands. As it settled around me, his arms pulled the sash around my waist, and I glanced down to watch him tie it so that the front was closed.
"All done," he said softly before pressing a kiss to the top of my head at the same time Damien moved forward and kissed my forehead.
I preened under the gentle affection, and a satisfied sigh came from me as they moved away to dry themselves off and get into their own robes.
We headed out of our private alcove and followed the path towards the entrance.
The woman who had assisted us nodded her goodbye as we thanked her for her help.
As we stepped outside, my stomach rumbled in a reminder that it required sustenance before I could pass out for the night.
I followed the smell of food, figuring that would be where the rest of the guys had gone.
We approached what looked like a high-end restaurant, and I frowned at our attire, figuring we probably wouldn't be allowed in there.
Jace's head popped out the door, and he smiled deeply as his eyes settled on me, "Come on in! You missed a bit of fun, but you got here just in time for the food.”
"May I have a word with her first?" a gentle female voice called. Glancing around, I tried to spot the owner of the voice but came up short.
Jace inclined his head, "Of course, Seer."
Seer? What the fuck?
"Come on guys, come inside with me. Ama's safe," Jace called out, motioning with his hand for Adrien and Damien to leave me.
Damien let out a growl, "No. We're not leaving her unsupervised at any point."
A rustling of wings drew my attention upward, and my mouth dropped at the most gorgeous purple wings I'd ever seen gently beating in the air as the woman floated down to her feet.
She had long, white hair, similar to the Dark Elves, but her wings made her an Angel of sorts. That must have been her species mix.
It was hard to see in the dark, but it appeared as if her irises were void of all color. Maybe she really was a seer.
She smiled kindly at me, and almost immediately, I felt at ease with her. The energy that radiated from her felt protective and maternal. I knew I'd be safe with her, just like I knew I needed air to breathe.
Grabbing my guys’ hands and squeezing lightly, I reassured them, "We'll just be out here. I'll be in shortly."
They looked at me, then exchanged a questioning look with each other before sighing deeply and nodding their heads in understanding. As they left my side and walked to Jace, who held the door open for them, I took in the woman in front of me fully.
The tips of her wings brushed against the ground as she folded them into her back. It made my own wings itch with the desire to fly, and they twitched against my back, hidden in glamour.
I couldn't place her age, because she truly seemed otherworldly with her energy, but from the smile lines and slight wrinkles, it was safe to say that she was definitely my elder.
She wore a black shift dress that contrasted with her milky skin beautifully. It reached mid-calf and appeared to be a similar silk material to the robe I had on.
"I've waited a long time to meet you, and we have much to discuss, but it isn't the time yet," she said ominously as she gestured with her hand to a bench nearby.
If it wasn’t the time, then why was she asking to speak with me? That made no sense.
Following her to the bench, I sat on the opposite end and shifted to face her slightly, voicing my confusion. "Then why did you wish to speak with me right now?"
A corner of her mouth tilted up. "I forget that you do not know me at all, whereas I feel as if I know you quite well already from my visions. Forgive me, I merely wished to check on you now that you have arrived."
"It's, um...okay," I answered awkwardly, wondering just how much she knew about me. “I feel like there is a lot I don’t know about this place, and I have no idea where to start.”
"I'll start at the beginning to give you a brief insight," she offered, waiting for my nod to continue.
Glancing up into the sky, she began, "The barrier that obscures our city from the rest of the realm is magic that has been passed down through my genetic line since the very first Queen of Impurus. "
This was a history lesson that I actually found myself interested in, and I greedily awaited more words. It was nothing like the stuffy lessons I received back home.
"Queen Orla's line—my line—are a mix of Dark Elves and Fallen Angels. She was blessed by the devil before he went to sleep, and that blessing gave her the powers that allowed this city to rise up and prosper," she explained, fondness for her ancestor filling her voice.
Wait, did that mean I was talking to the current queen?
She chuckled as if reading my mind. "After we began to rebuild our numbers and she saw the city blossoming into a sanctuary for all hybrids, she abdicated the throne and passed it to a family she knew was worthy."
I relaxed slightly and breathed a sigh of relief. I was way too tired to handle being in the presence of this new kingdom’s queen right now.
"Our line are now the guardians of the barrier, and we also run the temples scattered throughout the kingdom.
We focus on peace of mind, body, and soul.
Many visit us to seek guidance on how to align the three.
Every generation, one of our line is gifted with the sight. I was blessed to receive it for mine."
Awe seeped into my voice as I asked, "What's your name?"
Her white eyes turned from the sky to look at me as she answered with a smile, "Pelia."
I smiled in return, "I suppose you already know my name, but I feel it's only polite to introduce myself anyways. My name is Amare."
A knowing smile crossed her face as she said, "But you prefer Ama, no?"
My eyes widened a fraction, and I breathed out, "That's going to take some getting used to."
A whimsical laugh spilled from her lips, and she reached out to pat my hand, "Well, that is a quick intro to who I am and my role here.
While we do have much to discuss about your role here, I will save that for later.
I truly did simply wish to check on how you were doing.
You have been through a lot the past few days. "
A shaky laugh escaped, "You're not wrong."
We sat in companionable silence as I processed it all for a few minutes. Where did I even start?
Pelia made it easy, asking, "How are you accepting the mate bonds?"
I let each of the men’s faces fill my mind and ran through all of the emotions they instilled in me.
Inhaling deeply, then letting the air back out slowly, I answered honestly, letting the words flow from my heart, "I'm overwhelmed.
Sometimes with confusion about how such a thing is even possible and how we're going to make it work.
But sometimes..." I trailed off, thinking of the salt pools.
"Sometimes, I'm overwhelmed with the love and support they give me, and I get butterflies thinking of how lucky I am. "
"These connections are still new for you all, and they came on very suddenly. Don't give up on those who are lingering in the background, unsure of how to handle the emotions within themselves," she advised, and immediately, Colt and Nico's faces came to mind.
My heart hurt for the loss of their parents, and I asked, "I don't know how to be there for them right now. Do I let them get their anger and frustration out however they want, even when it hurts me? Or do I set boundaries and tell them to treat me right or hit the road?"
It should have felt weird asking this woman for advice, especially since I hadn’t told her of the complicated nature of our relationship. Yet, I had a keen sense of awareness that she already knew what was going on. She didn’t seem surprised by any of what I was saying.
"You know the answer to that," she said cryptically as she stood, her wings snapping out as if she was leaving.
I groaned and said, "Are you asking me to do some soul searching?"
She was. She totally was.
Pelia winked and said, "I knew we'd get along, but this has been even more enjoyable than I imagined. Thank you for taking a moment to speak with me."
Not waiting for me to respond, she kicked off from the ground, and her wings pushed her into the sky as I began to walk towards the entrance of the restaurant.
"Hey...Pelia?" I called out as my hand landed on the door. She glanced down at me. "Thank you for checking in on me. When will I see you again?"
"Very soon, dear. Very soon," she answered before shooting off into the night, leaving me with peace in my heart about how to proceed with my men. A part of me hated that she was right. I did know what to do. I needed to be authentically myself and let my walls down with them.
If we couldn't be honest with each other and have open communication, we were doomed.
Maybe there was something to the temples and their focuses?
Pelia had brought peace to my heart. Next up was mind and soul, according to what she said her line assisted people with finding peace in.
No big deal.