Chapter Ten
C offee.
Kisses.
Snuggles.
Even annoying ass birds chirping way too fucking loud.
All of those are magnificent options of ways you can wake up.
Do you know what is not on that list?
Three assholes arguing.
I bite the inside of my cheek and try to calm myself down. I haven’t even opened my eyes yet, and already I want to punch someone.
Probably Blake.
“I do not care if I have to carry everyone on my back and crawl through the Vadum Swamp, I will not set foot in Lebetem.” Lucian’s gruff voice sounds stern… and does very naughty things to me.
Oh, my Gods, I’m a fucking heathen.
Instead of saying something inappropriate for the current conversation, I give my body a good stretch. When I blink my eyes open, I realize that none of them have noticed that I’m awake yet.
Whatever. I am happy to let them figure out their shit without having to play mediator.
My stomach grumbles, and I place my hand on it as it clenches uncomfortably in hunger.
Ah dammit. I guess laying in bed for two weeks has given me a bit of a pouch. Not that I care too much, and neither of my guys would mind. It’s just a bit of a shock.
Blake gestures back at me as I lean up on my elbows. “She can’t make it that far. Especially if we have to fight.”
I scoff at his words, and they all turn to me. “Blake Coakley, I am perfectly capable.”
Pushing myself the rest of the way up, I move toward Lucian. Wrapping my arms around his waist and squeezing him tightly. When he returns my embrace, I realize that someone must have seen to my clothes while I rested.
Instead of being loosely bundled up in an outer robe… I now have buttery soft legging-style pants, a top that is more bra-like than a shirt, and a nearly knee-high pair of supple leather shoes. And the same outer robe that we all four now wear.
Hopefully, the blending in part works out better than last time.
To be fair… I think some of that might be my fault…
Ignoring any thoughts of the garden or my naked ass flying around, I clutch Lucian tighter. Having him and Blake back by my side sets my nerves at ease. I take a huge sniff of my mate. Lucian smells slightly odd, probably due to all the weird soaps here, but he still has that fresh garden scent underneath it all. I breathe deeply and feel him doing the same to my hair.
“Have you missed me as much as I have missed you, Animus Meus ?“ His words vibrate his chest and tickle my ear.
His nickname for me– my soul in magick tongue– nearly makes me choke. “More.” I confess.
“Impossible.” He whispers back.
“Well, now that our mate is awake, maybe she can talk some sense into you.”
I sigh at Blake’s exasperated voice. We need to get the fuck out of here. What could they possibly be disagreeing about?
Lucian pulls back from me and shuffles his feet a little.
Instead of speaking up, my elf friend tries to fill in the gaps for me.“Lebetem is the quickest route, Miss. However, the hybrid seems to have an aversion to going there.”
We hear some voices from outside the door and Midori holds up her hands to keep us silent.
She shakes her head quickly and moves close to whisper. “We are out of time. We have to go now. I can shield us, but with four bodies, we have to move carefully. And my shield will only last a short time, so we have to make the best of it.”
My stomach growls again, and I clutch at it. “Can we stop for supplies somewhere?” I rub my hand on my puffy stomach. Maybe I’m bloated from the strange elven food or something?
Midori nods her head as she starts moving her hands around. “Yes, we can procure supplies in the night market. Everyone, move in tight and stay close.”
I take the same position as before, at Midori’s back, with a loose grip on her robe. The guys press on each side of me. Lucian grabs my hand, while Blake mimics me and grabs hold of the side of my robe. Midori nods at us before clapping her hands. As she extends them out, a bubble expands around us. Once we are all four sufficiently covered, she drops her hands and pants a little.
“Are you going to be ok?” While I am slowly getting a soft spot for the Elf, the truth is that she will not be of any use to us if she drains out too quickly.
She nods. “Yes, I should be able to hold it until we get out of the castle walls.” Her voice sounds strained, but I have no choice but to trust her.
She moves forward and listens for a second before cracking the door. Apparently pleased with what she sees, Midori opens the door and gestures for us to follow her.
Instead of turning left, as I would have expected, and descending down that large staircase into the magnificent garden we were in before, Midori leads us to the right down the long and winding hallway. At the end, we turn right and squeeze through a shorter set of stairs. I spot a thick door only yards away from us and am filled with relief.
So close.
We can do this.
A female voice booms through the corridor, and I feel a shiver race down Lucian’s arm.
I’m not sure who the voice belongs to, but I suddenly wish she would pop out and block our path so that I can punt her right in the vagina.
Anyone who causes my gentle giant to tremble clearly needs their ass kicked.