Chapter sixteen
Levi waited until he was sure Amaya had made it upstairs before he stormed into the house. He skirted the dining room. To run into anyone else would set off the temper he was barely holding on to. He needed…fuck!
What did he need?
He needed her.
Her just being next to him outside had calmed the beast that had rode him all evening while he’d tried to work.
Her presence had soothed him and from the moment she stepped outside, her magic had reached inside of him, balancing the conflicting drives between him and the monster the Akachi had made him.
And instead of basking in that, he went and opened his mouth.
Sitting next to her was both calming and stirring.
His night hadn’t been particularly bad, but he’d spent the majority of it missing her.
Frustration had his temper frayed. He’d thought giving her space after their night out would lower the tension rising between them, but if anything, it made it worse.
Backing away from her had been hard and he’d braced himself for her renewed requests for freedom.
But no escape attempts or pleas came from his mate.
That confusing fucking woman.
He’d let his mask slip at the club and showed Amaya some of the power he’d hidden from her.
Slipping into her mind past her shields had been easy, the warning in the action clear to them both.
The thought that she would fear him had crossed his mind at the time, but it mattered more to him that he showed his mate just how much restraint he’d had when it came to her.
It had worked, but it had also backfired.
The same images he’d projected into Amaya’s mind played in an endless loop in his. Sleeping was out of the question, and most nights, all he could do was sit in his office and watch her sleep. Did he feel bad for the camera he had in her room? Hell no. Did it make him a bit of a creep? Absolutely.
Something between them had to give, or it wouldn’t only be the Akachi driving him to madness.
The moment they’d gotten back from the club, his stubborn witch had fortified the shielding over her mind, keeping him from any hint of her thoughts. All of the progress he’d made with her had been wiped out, but at least now he could lower the facade he kept over his emotions.
Let her feel how she affected him.
Except…Levi didn’t know how she was feeling and that was starting to make him doubt himself.
Was he doing the right thing holding her here?
Yes, it would keep her safe, but that had nothing to do with his reasoning.
Had he been less impulsive, he could’ve found a better way to get her to stay.
For once in his long life, Levi found himself unsure.
He’d been ruler over his small coven for close to thirty years.
Small shit in vampire years, but in that time, every step he’d taken had been determined, solid.
His impulsive decision to secure the Akachi had been the source of his missteps and he was finally at a place where he needed to admit that.
He couldn’t rule his people this way.
What, then, was the alternative? Run to the Archive, hat in hand, and give back the stone? Pride wouldn’t let him do that, and it had nothing to do with the Akachi. He paced his room and fought with his fractured thoughts to gauge a solution to that. Bas touched his mind and caught his attention.
‘Your Highness, a messenger from the Collective has requested a last-minute meeting.’
Levi checked the time on his watch; there was maybe an hour before dawn.
He growled at the disrespect. Even though the Bayi were not beholden to the sun, it was still presumptuous for the Collective to send a lackey to him at this hour.
They’d caught him in just the right mood too.
This messenger would be lucky if he left this compound alive.
‘I’ll be down in a moment,’ he told Bas.
His steps were unrushed as he headed downstairs.
As he entered his throne room, Bas and Lucas were posted up next to his throne, their balaclavas in place.
Settling into his chair, he eyed the Collective’s messenger.
The white crew neck sweater the male wore, marked his affiliation.
It had a gold C with a snake winding around it decorating the upper left breast of the sweater.
Levi scoffed at the gray glen check slacks the male wore.
The warlock was highly overdressed to deliver a message.
Especially one that could well end with his death.
Clearing his throat, the male waited on Levi to speak.
“What can I help the Collective with?”
“The Collective is requesting a meeting with you,” the warlock announced.
“That could’ve been an email,” Levi said dryly.
“There are rumors that you are holding a Chawi captive. I’ve been sent ahead to see if there is any truth to that.”
“Rumors? As in more than one person speaking on the business that happens behind my compound walls? Does the council have spies among us?”
A small flinch from the male betrayed the truth. Levi kept his face neutral even while anger bubbled in his chest.
‘Bas.’
‘I’ll get to the bottom of it,’ Bas reassured him, already knowing what he needed.
If there was a spy among his people, he wanted to know who it was immediately.
He focused his attention on their guest. Using the power he’d received when Sebastian mated with Raven, he raised the temperature in the room.
It could be the remnants of Amaya’s power curtailing his temper, but instead of lashing out as he wanted to do, he regarded the messenger and allowed his anger to show on his face.
Sweat beads gathered on the male’s temple and he tugged on the collar of his sweater.
Levi let the male sit in the heat and uncomfortable silence for a long moment before he finally spoke.
“If you think I’ll allow the Collective to further disrespect my coven by letting them to search my compound, you must be dumber than you look.”
“Either that or he’s ready to meet the final and lasting death,” Sebastian said next to him.
The messenger lowered his head. “There was no disrespect meant. I’ve only come to deliver the message and—”
“And put eyes on the unruly vampires.” Levi growled, his patience snapping. “You have three minutes to get the fuck off my property or I’ll send you back to your masters in pieces.”
The messenger flinched, bowed, and rushed from the room.
Levi shared a look with Bas that needed no words to translate.
Sebastian nodded and he and Lucas both left the throne room on the hunt for the source of the rumors leaving his compound.
He knew some of those rumors came from Amaya’s uncle.
Trusting the male to keep his mouth closed had been a fool’s errand, but he’d promised Amaya that he wouldn’t kill him.
Sucking his teeth in aggravation, Levi leaned back on his throne, his gaze staring but unseeing.
Putting aside the notion of a traitor, his thoughts immediately went to Amaya.
The Collective could send as many messengers as they wanted, request however many meetings, and he still would not give her up.
The insatiable need she aroused within him was all-consuming and though it frustrated him, he would take whatever small part of her he could get.
As though just the thought of her had summoned her attention, Amaya entered his throne room.
She hadn’t knocked or asked permission, just simply strolled in, her shoulders back and a confident sway to her walk.
She was exquisite. Amaya was dressed for work, a two-piece linen pants set that fit her wide hips flaring towards the floor.
The shirt was sleeveless, the whole thing an emerald green color that made her brown skin glow.
Levi licked his lips and shook his head.
The way the woman filled out clothes was ridiculous. It made his chest rumble with hunger.
“I wanted to talk to you,” she said softly.
Though she tried to appear docile, Amaya’s strength was hard to hide.
He motioned for her to come closer. She stared at him and he waited her out.
Finally, after a few seconds of contemplation, she rolled her shoulders and closed the distance between them.
Still, she stopped a foot away from where he sat on his throne.
“Before the other night, we were getting along better, right?”
He scoffed but said nothing. The mischievous smile she gave him had his dick stirring. Amaya stepped closer, climbing the stairs of the dais until only inches separated them. His heart thundered. Levi breathed in slowly, drawing in her scent.
“Have you come to ask a favor of me, baby doll?” His voice was thick with need.
She put a hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes. Before the smart quip he knew was on the tip of her tongue could leave her mouth, she sighed.
“It’s more a favor for you.”
Intrigued, he sat forward, his elbows on his knees. It put him even closer to her face. Their breath mingled and Levi wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
“Do tell.”
“The Akachi piece. If you’ll allow me, I can help you shield it in a way that will allow you to keep it, but also keep you from feeling the ill effects of it.”
He tilted his head, curiosity momentarily tapering off his lust.
She continued, rushing her words out. “I understand why you feel the need to have it. I don’t know the first thing about running a coven, or any group of people for that matter, but I do know what I feel when I allow myself to touch your mind.
” She bit her lip, the first sign of her nervousness.
“My mother has those same scattered thought patterns and they will only get worse if you don’t do something with the Akachi. ”
“Are you worried for me, baby doll?” He lowered his tone, his eyes watching her mouth, the lust back tenfold.
Amaya was worried about him? Did that mean she was softening towards him? Had his distance from her worked?
She sucked her teeth. “Do you want my help or not?”
He couldn’t help the smirk that lifted his lips. There she was. The meekness Amaya had entered the room with was completely gone and in its place, the fire that he’d become accustomed to when dealing with his mate.
“I will consider it,” he acquiesced.
After all, it was already something he’d been considering. Her offer was timely. It would allow him to keep his pride at the very least. But…
“Would it still give me access to its power?”
Amaya reared back in surprise. Smoothing back her hair, she considered his question.
“I’m sure there is a way…I’ll work on that.”
He nodded and leaned back in his chair in satisfaction. He reached out his hand, tugging on the waist of her pants to pull her closer to stand between his legs. His hands skimmed her hips.
“Then I thank you, Amaya.”
She smiled at him and the entirety of his bad mood dissipated. He would say yes to almost anything to have her smile at him like that on a regular basis.
“Give me a kiss, baby doll,” he said softly.
Their eyes met, and he watched the progression of her emotions as she debated his request. He saw the moment she fell back onto teasing to break up the intensity between them.
“Is that how you ask, King?” She licked her lips.
Levi tugged on her shirt until her head lowered and their mouths aligned.
He took the kiss he wanted, unwilling to wait on her answer.
Sucking on her bottom lip, he slid his tongue inside.
Lowering her body to his legs, Amaya perched on the edge of his lap and sighed into his mouth.
His hands caressed her waist, bracing her and deepening the kiss, his need consuming him.
It was impossible not to lose himself in the kiss.
Cradling her head, he devoured her mouth.
A moment later, Amaya’s hand went to his chest and she pulled back.
“I need to go,” she said softly, scrambling from his lap.
Levi allowed her to go, fighting to keep the hunger inside of him corralled.
He watched the way her hips swayed as she headed to the door, his body an inferno.
She left the room without another word and the moment the door closed behind her, the shadows of his mind crept in and wiped away that euphoria.
He sighed in frustration. Yes, it was time for him to deal with the Akachi stone.
But more importantly, it was time to stop being passive about his mating.
He wanted Amaya, and he was done waiting on her timing.