Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Ama
Letting out a small yawn, I turned over onto my side and was instantly assaulted by the warmth that cocooned me from my surroundings.
My eyes were heavy, and I reached out, trying to feel around for the source of warmth and wondering if I was still curled up with Damien.
But instead of feeling bedding, I felt smooth stone under my fingers. That had my eyes snapping open.
This again?
“Dream dude?” I called out, feeling amused that I was openly trying to communicate with a figment of my imagination. To be fair, he did seem very real. When I didn’t receive an answer, I sat up, peeking my head out of the coffin and finding myself in the same red-lit cave as before.
I was surprised to find the man in question sitting on the edge of the coffin, near the bottom of it, his head down as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees as if in thought. Instantly, I could tell something was different.
I wasn’t sure what, but there was a tension in the air that wasn’t normally there—one that made me feel cautious as I pulled my knees towards me and nibbled on my bottom lip, wondering if he was purposefully ignoring me or if he couldn’t hear me...
Why was I talking about him as if he wasn’t a figment of my imagination?
I shook the thought from my head and easily pulled myself over the edge of the coffin, seeing his head turn slightly to signal that he heard me. I walked to stand in front of him and ran a hand through my hair, feeling that weird sense of tension still.
Why did I feel awkward?
“Are you okay?” I hedged.
“Am I okay?” he echoed roughly, his almost mocking tone making me instantly step back. Alright, then. Clearly, I was subconsciously pissed off at myself or something.
“That is what I asked.” My tone had a bit more sass to it now.
I jolted as his large hands darted out to grasp my waist, pulling me completely between his legs, so that I was plastered against him.
When he met my gaze, I found his eyes filled with a darkness that wasn’t normal for him—one that caused my pulse to turn fast and uneven.
An intense lethal power that I found nearly overwhelming circulated through the space.
It wasn’t one I was familiar with, and it filled me with an odd mix of fear and desire.
“No, I am not okay, Little Temptress,” he chuckled. His tone was soft and relaxed, but his body and expression were far more serious and filled with...anger? Was he angry at me? Why did that thought bother me? Oh, devil. I was literally losing it here.
“Okay...What’s wrong?” I asked, feeling more confused than before. Rationally, I could have justified ignoring him, since he was in my head...But instead, I found myself actually worried about what he thought.
“You let him mark you.”
Come again?
I tilted my head, “What?”
Suddenly, the man was up and stepping into my space. My head fell back, and I realized just how tall he was, which I found way too attractive. Then again, this was my dream, so I shouldn’t be so surprised.
“I understand wanting a distraction, Amare—someone to entertain you and pass the time. I didn’t like it, of course, but I understood it, especially considering our circumstances. Although, truthfully, I hated the idea of a man’s hands on you, and it made me burn with enough rage that— “
He stopped himself, exhaling roughly before seeming to flip a switch. He moved his hands up to my jaw, affection infusing his gaze. The abrupt shift making me recognize that there was a different side to this imaginary man I knew nothing about, and I didn’t know what to think of that.
When his fingers brushed over my mark from Damien, my entire body lit up, and my skin flushed bright red, I’m sure, making him smile as if I was amusing him. Then, his expression went completely serious.
“A Hellhound mate, Little Temptress? Why? Why would you let another man physically mark you?”
I blinked, realizing that he was upset. No, more than upset...
he was hurt. I could see it in his eyes, and I instantly felt guilt that totally did not belong in my head, considering the circumstances.
As if recognizing that he was being vulnerable, he completely switched on me again, his eyes lighting up with a possessive edge as his hand on my jaw slid down to my neck and held it firmly.
It wasn’t enough to feel threatening, but my entire body tightened as desire pooled in my center.
Oh, this was bad.
“I could kill him for that,” he growled softly. “Marking, my Ama? No. That’s unacceptable. I will have to kill the boy.”
Fuck.
“I... I am really confused right now. If you’re in my head, you shouldn’t be pissed that Damien marked me because you’d know both that it happened and that I was one hundred percent into— “
His lips slammed against mine, and my mind blanked. My words faltered, his taste against my lips causing my knees to go completely weak. Holy crap. I pulled away sharply, remembering myself and pushing my hand against his chest to get some space. Not that he let me go far.
“You have to stop that,” I explained breathlessly as he continued to stare at my lips.
His eyes flashed up to mine, his lips tilting, “You would deny me?”
“Yes,” I tried to pull back, but he kept me plastered to him, a soft rumble coming from his chest.
“Tell me, Ama, what would it take for you to believe that I’m real?” His eyes were filled with challenge and wicked light. I narrowed my eyes, feeling like I was somehow becoming ensnared in a web of his making.
“I don’t know...” I muttered, “appear outside of these dreams, or— “
A dark shadow passed behind his gaze, and he interrupted me, “Okay.”
“Okay, what?” I stepped back, and this time, he let me.
Something shook the ground beneath me, making me look up at the large cave ceiling.
I feared that it might give out, considering the force of the movement.
I gasped, finding him back in my space, gripping my face and sealing our lips together once again.
My knees gave out from the power surging through me.
Everything went black, his last words echoing in my head.
“I’m coming for you, Little Temptress.”
“Ama!” Damien’s voice echoed through the room as I sprang up in bed, my heart racing and feeling out of breath. I tried to clear the black spots from my vision as the man’s words echoed in my head.
I’m coming for you, Little Temptress.
What the hell did that mean? I mean, that was impossible, right? Was my mind that insistent on messing with me? Because, if so, it was completely working. I ran my hands through my hair, finally clueing in to the space around me. More so, who was around me.
“It smells like another male in here,” Damien noted quietly, his voice strained. I could feel his Hellhound under the surface of his skin, almost begging to be let out as his hands tightened on me.
“It’s not any of our magic,” Finias nearly growled. I immediately looked around, finding the two of them on the bed with me, staring at me like I was about to pass out. Which, to be fair, was probably pretty accurate.
“What?” I asked, rubbing a hand over my face and feeling another wave of dizziness.
“It smells like another man in here. Not one I recognize,” Damien repeated his concern quietly, looking both possessive and worried.
“What? That’s impossible,” I stated hesitantly.
A knock sounded on the door, and it opened to reveal Jace.
If he was surprised to see the other men in my room, he didn’t show it.
He did pause in the doorway, though, his eyes flaring with a ring of what appeared to be orange hellfire before looking at my bed.
I made a surprised sound as the man moved absurdly fast, disappearing then reappearing next to my bed in a split second.
I leaned back as he crawled onto the bed, ignoring the other men, and dipped his nose against my neck, making my breath catch.
“Jace,” I whispered, “what are you doing?”
“Who kissed you?” he growled.
“What?” Damien snarled, and I inhaled sharply, knowing he wasn’t talking about any of my mates.
That was impossible, though, right? I mean, it had been a dream...
right? I put my hands over my face, thinking about the man whose gaze seemed to burn into my subconscious so strongly it nearly shook me to my core.
“Guys,” I tapped Jace’s chest so he would back up. “I need a minute, please.”
Before they had a chance to argue, I slipped from the bed and walked to the bathroom. Closing the door and locking it, I looked at myself in the mirror from across the room. My face was flushed and my hair tangled, my entire body heating from the inside out as I thought about that damned dream.
No. No. I was not doing this right now. Not today.
Thankfully, no one followed me—something that was quite shocking—considering how overbearing they could be sometimes.
Trying to push away those thoughts relating to the dream, I washed my face and brushed my teeth, slowly pulling myself out of that mindset as I woke up.
Luckily, I had set out my clothes the day before, and I ran my fingers along the dark material, loving that it was a simple pair of pants and a tunic instead of the dresses I’d worn here since arriving.
Jace had found me the outfit, and while I was almost positive they weren’t originally meant for a woman, since most here seemed to wear dresses, I appreciated the gesture more than he would ever realize.
Tugging the dark pants over my hips, I made sure to brush over my hair and pull it away from my face and into a thick braid.
The tunic was on the loose side, but comfortable and a bit heavier, reminding me that when we left here, there would probably be a change of temperature.
Once I was completely dressed, I stood in front of the mirror and focused on centering myself in this moment of time.
I was here, in the Kingdom of Impurus. Not in a weird dream.
I was with my seven mates. Not some weird dream hottie.
I was finally traveling, with an army, back to the Kingdom of Pura today. Not in a cave.
Already, I felt better as I reminded myself how important today was—how essential our efforts here had been to save everyone from the evil plans of the House of Runes and restore peace.
I frowned at that. Okay, maybe not peace...
because it was clear the Kingdom of Pura needed some serious change.
Was that an impossible task? I didn’t want to think so.
I wanted to believe there were people there who would completely understand the need to push forward and not be stuck in the past.
After all, despite the bullying I’d undergone, I had known good people as well. I was doing this for them. For my father, my mates’ families, and Zurie. And if, at the end of the day, they still wouldn’t accept me, my mates, or the change that needed to occur?
Well, I wasn’t completely positive what I would do. I would figure that out later.
What did I know? I no longer lived day to day, thinking about how I didn’t belong in my own home.
I knew that I now had a place with men as complicated as myself.
Men I was coming to feel so strongly about that it pushed away much of the anger I’d held for years about how I’d been treated.
I had no idea what came after this, but I did know I was going to save all of them.
“Ama?” Colt’s voice had me turning towards the door.
I opened it and immediately took a step back, finding the man right in my space and making my entire body flash with heat.
As if recognizing my immediate reaction to him, he offered me a small smirk and stuck his hand out.
I wouldn’t deny that I stared at it in confusion before looking back up at him, finding him even more amused.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, looking almost excited.
After taking his hand, his fingers twining with mine in a sweet and unexpected gesture, I recognized that he was happy to be going back to the Kingdom of Pura.
Colt may have been angelic looking, but the man had vengeance and bloodlust written across his face, and I had absolutely no doubt that he planned to find justice for his parents.
I couldn’t blame him. I was both eager and determined to get my father out of imprisonment as soon as fucking possible.
As I entered the hallway, I found all of my mates dressed and ready to go.
I took a steadying breath, and as we made our way towards the throne room, I realized that the last time we had been in the Kingdom of Pura, everything had changed in a few quick seconds.
I had a feeling this time would be much the same...
Except, this time, we would emerge the victors.