Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
SAMARA
There was a soft touch on my shoulder, and my eyes fluttered open to find Val staring down at me. “It’s your turn.”
I carefully slid out of Nico’s arms as Val held out a hand to help me up. He pulled me up with too much force, and I stumbled into him, planting both hands on his pecs. He smirked at me and lifted his hand to brush a strand of hair out of my face.
My breath caught in my throat as I gazed into his blue eyes. I used to stare into them for hours. Now, when I stared into them, there was hurt there.
“I’m sure Nico won’t mind if you cuddle with him.” The corner of my mouth lifted as a look of shock and horror crossed his face. “You do like men now, don’t you? He doesn’t like men in that way, but he certainly doesn’t like women all too much either.”
“What is he to you?” Val always had the ability to know when something was bothering me. He brushed another lock of hair away. The damn thing kept falling into my face, giving him an excuse to touch me.
“He’s my best friend. He found me shortly after I left, and he and his mate took me in…” I wasn’t about to tell him Nico’s business. Val was a smart man. He could fill in the blanks about why Nico’s mate wasn’t with us.
“Do you love him?”
I bit my tongue. What kind of question was that? Clearly, if I’d been around someone for centuries, I loved them. But I knew what he meant, and it stung.
“Do you love Amari?”
“Yes.” He searched my eyes and brought a hand to my cheek, running his thumb over my bottom lip. “But there have been no women since you.”
My eyes widened at his confession. “What do you mean?”
“Amari and I have shared women for sexual purposes a time or two. But I haven’t been inside one or romantically involved.”
My heart thudded at his words, but not because he’d just admitted he hadn’t been with another woman since me—because I wondered what it would be like to be held between him and Amari. The thought alone sent a dangerous heat spiraling through me.
My imagination betrayed me with vivid scenarios I had no business considering. I shifted my weight uncomfortably, suddenly very aware of Val still standing too close.
“Can I ask you something?” I shivered, and Val pulled me closer.
He traced my collarbone with a finger and looked at my lips. “Anything.”
I took a deep breath. “Did you love me? I mean, like, really love me?”
I looked down, afraid of his answer. Given that we had an arranged agreement, I wasn’t sure if it was all an act.
It certainly hadn’t been for me.
He tilted my chin up so I was looking at him again. “I’m still in love with you, Samara.” His voice was a whisper, and his eyes landed on my lips again.
I wanted to kiss him so badly. We leaned toward each other tentatively, and our lips brushed. They were as soft as I remembered them. I suddenly wanted them all over me. I wanted them on my neck, my shoulders, my breasts, and between my legs.
Val stepped away. “I should get some sleep. Goodnight, Samara.”
And just like that, the spell was broken. He lay down a couple of feet away from Nico, and I went over to the log and sat down next to Amari. I brought my fingers to my lips, tracing where Val’s kiss still lingered.
I shifted my attention to Amari, his stoic profile illuminated by the firelight.
His expression gave nothing away, but he seemed to take in everything, even made of stone.
What did he see when he looked at me now?
Could he read the confusion written across my face?
Did he notice how my fingertips wouldn’t leave my lips?
Did he want to murder me?
I scooted closer and put my arm around him. “Thank you for saving me today.” I leaned my head against him, the hard, cool surface providing some relief from the heat that had spread across my cheeks after kissing Val. “I’m sorry for kissing your boyfriend.”
I stroked the smooth stone of his back and continued talking.
“When I was younger, I wanted to be queen. My father didn’t think I had it in me because I was a girl.
” I laughed softly and looked over at the two men sleeping on the sand.
“And maybe I didn’t have what it took, and maybe I still don’t, but I needed someone to believe I was more than just a princess or at least pretend to. Val believed in me.”
It seemed weird talking to a statue, but it was comforting that I could say anything I wanted, and he couldn’t say anything back.
“I heard some demons went to Earth. What do you think it’s like there?
Do you think it’s better than here? It has to be, right?
That’s why Lilith did what she did.” A few tears escaped, and I swiped them away.
“I lost my entire family. I lost Val. I know he’s yours now, but I wonder what my life would be like if Lilith hadn’t happened. ”
I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, I was falling sideways as the hard stone moved. As soon as my ass landed in the sand, I jumped up.
Amari stood there, staring at his arms in disbelief. Then his wide eyes found mine. The green shone so brightly that I backed up a step.
I looked over my shoulder. Nico and Val were still asleep. If I screamed, they’d come to my rescue in a heartbeat, but I didn’t want them to.
“So, you kissed my boyfriend?” Amari stepped forward, and I continued to back up. That answered whether he could see and hear while stone.
How was he not in gargoyle form anymore?
As he got closer, the answer became abundantly clear. His skin had a very faint purple glow to it. It was fading by the second, but it was definitely there. “You’re a witch… but you’re something else too.”
My back hit a tree, and my hands found the wide trunk behind me. He put his hands on either side of my head, and I felt trapped like prey.
“I’m sorry.” Why was I apologizing? Val was the one who had started the kiss, not me. If anyone should apologize, it was him.
Amari rarely showed his emotions from what I had seen, but there was something lurking deep behind the expanse of his emerald eyes.
I gulped.
He brought his hand to my cheek in the same gesture Val had, his hand softer than expected. There was something about him being dominant that excited me, and I whimpered.
“You changed me back.” He slid his hand down to my shoulder and ran a single finger along my collarbone.
He had seen and heard everything.
“I don’t know how I did it. I was asleep.” The words came out in a rush, and I trembled under his touch. “Don’t hurt me.”
This was so stupid. He would’ve hurt me already, and I wasn’t exactly screaming for help. I had an ache inside of me, and maybe he could ease it.
“I can smell your desire.” He traced the edge of my bra with his fingers. The touch was light, and I couldn’t move away. I didn’t want to move away.
“I’m not sure if that’s a great pickup line.” My voice had dropped lower.
A smile played at the corner of his lips. I wanted to see him smile. “You have a beautiful body.” His fingertips still explored my chest, never going exactly where I wanted them to go.
His other hand dropped from the tree and went to my hip, where he squeezed firmly. I could imagine him gripping me from behind.
“What would Val say if he knew I was doing this right now?” He lowered his lips to my ear, kissing there and sending tingles down my spine. “I don’t think he’d be mad. I think he would be jealous and want to watch.”
My knees trembled, and I pushed myself back into the tree to keep myself from falling. “Are you two... monogamous?”
No answer.
I groaned as he trailed his lips across my collarbone. “I don’t think this is the best time for this. As much as it pains me to stop.”
He pulled away. “What do you want me to do? Go wake him up and ask permission first?”
I looked back at the two sleeping men.
He grabbed my chin and brought my attention back to him. “Now you want to ask permission? Did you ask before putting your mouth on what’s mine?”
I opened my mouth and then closed it. He let out a grunt and took a step back, the absence of his warmth causing goosebumps on my skin. Then he turned and walked away.
I glared after him before sitting down against the tree. My guard duty should be done since he was no longer stuck in stone and could take over. I didn’t trust him, though. It was hard to trust someone who wound me up on purpose only to walk away and leave me aching for more.
I desperately needed to have an orgasm. It was as if returning to the castle had set my libido ablaze for some inexplicable reason. If we had our tents, I could easily get off under my covers, but currently, my only option was to duck behind a tree or bush.
That wasn’t happening.
Amari paced along the shore before he sat down on a rock. He had a right to be mad, but he could’ve just said as much and not gone through such great lengths. Speaking of which, the erection he was sporting made my thighs clench together.
I wondered what he was going to do to Val once he woke up. Amari had watched us closely enough to pick up on Val’s subtle touches and had replicated them on my skin.
Nico would pelt them both with nuts if I told him.
As if summoned by my thoughts, movement caught my eye. Nico stood and stretched, his eyes landing on Amari first, then darting around the area, searching for me.
His eyebrows were furrowed in concern almost immediately.
I was just as concerned. Whatever was going on with me, we needed answers. I was doing something in my sleep and couldn’t control myself anymore. What did that mean for Nico, who had slept next to me for years?
Nico walked over to me and sat down. “Why are you way over here?”
I shrugged, trying to appear more casual than I felt. “Amari is an asshole.” I couldn’t quite convey the complicated tangle of frustration, attraction, and wariness I felt toward him.