Chapter twenty-one
What was a stronger word for despair? What could she use to describe the fear that had nausea churning in her belly?
Amaya could think of no words as Sebastian and Lucas brought an overheated, thrashing Levi into his bedroom.
She’d awoken ten minutes ago in a cold sweat, unsure of the source.
There were long moments of confusion until she realized that she was in Levi’s bed, waiting on him to come home.
She scrambled from beneath the covers as Lucas and Sebastian carefully put Levi into his bed.
“What happened? She shook off her grogginess, her focus solely on Levi.
“We were attacked.” Sebastian informed her. “A healer is on her way up.”
Amaya nodded and moved closer. The king was sweating, his copper skin flushed and heated. She rushed to the bathroom and wet some washcloths with cold water. A healer Chawi was coming through the door as Amaya reentered the bedroom. With brisk movements, the witch examined Levi.
“Was he bitten by a Buru?”
“Fuck no,” Lucas told her.
Amaya stayed back as the woman examined him, sick with anxiety.
“Call for your mate, Sebastian,” the healer ordered. “He has been poisoned.”
“Poisoned?” Anger rippled through Amaya and she rushed to the other side of the bed, pushing Lucas away.
Washcloths forgotten, Amaya reached for Levi’s forehead, closing her eyes to concentrate. He was hot to the touch. Sending out her magic, she felt the foreign poison all throughout the king’s body. Who would do this? Who had gotten close enough to do this?
Raven entered the room and Amaya moved her hand, but didn’t give up her spot next to Levi.
“What’s happened?”
“I need you to burn the poison from the king’s blood,” the Chawi ordered.
Raven’s eyes widened but she rushed to the bedside to do as the witch requested.
“Your fire won’t burn him?” Lucas asked her.
Raven shook her head, tilting it as she tried to figure out logistics.
“The king is tied to her,” the Chawi explained. “But the healing fire wouldn’t hurt him regardless.”
“What do you need, Red?” Sebastian asked.
“I need him moved because I don’t want to set fire to the bed.”
“I can fix that,” Amaya interjected, happy to have some way to help.
Using her magic, she wrapped Levi in a protective bubble, his body lifted, hovering over the bed. The Chawi frowned, but backed away so that Raven could work.
“What the fuck,” Lucas whispered.
Amaya nodded for Raven to continue. The fire Mujaji lifted her hand and blue flames engulfed the king, burning off his clothes.
The fire licked across his skin for a second before it seemed to seep beneath the surface.
Levi’s body glowed, his veins a red path throughout his body.
There were dark spots along that path that signified the poison.
Amaya held her breath at the sight of how close the poison was to reaching the king’s heart. She’d never seen anything like it.
Levi thrashed, a moan releasing from him that brought tears to her eyes.
The Chawi stepped forward as Raven worked, using her magic to monitor the progress.
The room was silent as they all waited with bated breath for Raven’s fire to obliterate the poison.
Dawn was approaching as they worked, the noise of the shutters rumbling shut the only sound in the room.
Holding the shield was exhausting Amaya, so she could only imagine the amount of power Raven was expending.
Sebastian stepped forward as his mate stumbled, his hand going to her shoulder.
That boosted Raven’s power and it flared brighter as the Mujaji doubled down on her effort.
An hour later, the sound of the Chawi’s voice broke the heavy silence.
“It’s done,” the witch announced.
Breathing out in relief, Raven released her magic and Amaya slowly allowed his descent onto the bed.
Covering him quickly, Amaya used the washcloth she’d discarded to wipe the sweat from his face.
She watched patiently as the witch examined Levi for a final time, nodding that her work had been completed.
Sebastian led his mate from the room, promising to return once he had her settled.
The Chawi took her leave along with him, leaving her and Lucas to watch Levi.
“Can you bring me some warm water?” Amaya requested. “And a towel.”
She wanted…no, needed to care for him. It scared her to think of the frustrating male she was falling for in so vulnerable a position. She paused and blinked, realizing where her thoughts were taking her. How did she get from barely tolerating to falling?
“Do you need anything else?” Lucas asked, setting a storage container full of water down on the bedside table.
“I’m just going to clean him off so that he can rest better.”
Silence descended between them as Amaya wiped down the king with trembling hands. Every now and then, a soft whimper would escape Levi and her heart clenched. Was he still in pain? She pulled the sheet back and swallowed as she got her first clear look at Levi naked.
She wasn’t even gonna go there.
Lucas chuckled behind her but said nothing.
All the same, her cheeks flamed and embarrassment churned within her.
Instead of focusing on…that area, she started at his feet.
Gently, with care she was coming to realize she had for the king, Amaya cleaned his body.
She was sliding the blanket back over him when Sebastian reentered the room.
“How is Raven?” she asked him.
“Sleeping, which is where I’m headed next. Has he awakened at all?”
Lucas shook his head. “He needs to feed. He hasn’t been feeding for shit.”
Both their eyes turned to her.
“Why hasn’t he?” she finally asked, unable to take the weight of their stares.
Sebastian gave her an incredulous look. “Shawty, be fucking for real. His mate is under his roof, I’m sure he can’t feed from someone else.”
Her mind immediately went back to a conversation with Levi when he’d told her as much himself.
Guilt wiggled its way into her mind, fighting with her justifications.
After all, it wasn’t her fault that the king couldn’t feed, despite what they said.
Circumstances outside of her control had put her in Levi’s path, and she wasn’t to blame for the tumultuous start to their relationship.
He’d been able to feed from the hostess in the club weeks ago. Why hadn’t he fed since then?
“You need to try and get him to feed from you,” Lucas interjected, his tone a lot nicer than Sebastian’s.
She nodded and scanned Levi’s face, her heart softening more towards him.
Though she was sure he would hate being described as such, there was a beautiful innocence to him as he lay recovering.
The power and authority he commanded while awake was dulled, though still apparent.
Thick lashes lay against his cheeks, his lips parted slightly as he slept, his countenance serene.
In spite of their start, she was in a position to help and her heart wouldn’t allow her to deny him.
She took a deep breath. “Do I need to cut myself, or…”
The logistics of feeding the king while he was unconscious eluded her. Sebastian gave her an exasperated look and her temper flared.
“How the fuck am I supposed to know how vampires feed?”
“What I told you ‘bout that tone, shawty?” Sebastian snapped.
Lucas stepped between them. “Go to your mate, Bas, I got this.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Amaya asked helplessly.
For the entirety of her life, her mother had warned her to stay away from vampires. Her first encounter had been when the Bayi had picked her up with her family. She hadn’t the first clue how they fed.
“Call him using the bond he forged. His instinct should do the rest.”
Nodding, Amaya crawled into the bed with Levi, sliding beneath the covers. Biting her lip, she wrapped her arms around him, bringing his body into hers. Lucas moved to the end of the bed.
“You’re going to watch?”
Lucas sighed. “Girl.”
“Alright, alright,” she mumbled, settling Levi’s head into her neck.
Amaya caressed the back of his head and searched her mind for their mental connection. It was much easier to get to now than it had been when his body was fighting the poison.
‘King.’
He stirred in her arms, his face nuzzling into her neck. She held her breath, anticipation of his bite tightening her body.
“He won’t be able to use his pheromones,” Lucas warned.
That made Amaya even more nervous, but she prodded Levi’s mind again. This time she felt an answering pulse from him.
‘Feed, King,’ she ordered him.
Levi licked across her throat and her breath hitched. He moaned and his arms went around her waist. A whimper escaped Amaya and there was a small nudge from Levi’s mind. Even incapacitated, he was trying to reassure her. Relaxing her body, she called to him again.
‘You have my permission to feed, King.’
It was as though that’s all he was waiting on.
His teeth scraped along her skin and goosebumps trailed her arm.
A wave of need crashed over Amaya and her body heated.
Levi bit down and the initial pain made her gasp.
It didn’t last long. The moment Levi began to suck on her skin, there was an answering tug low in her belly.
Levi gripped her tight, a deep moan releasing from him.
It was then the depth of his yearning was revealed.
The more he drank, the clearer his mind became and the stronger his body grew.
Amaya knew the exact moment the king came back to himself.
His touch gentled and the sucking movement on her neck became decidedly more sensual.
Hunger filled the connection between them, his ravenous appetite overtaking her senses.
She understood what both Sebastian and even Levi had been telling her prior to this point.
Levi had been starving himself in his wait to have her.
It brought tears to her eyes and Amaya curled her leg around him to keep him tethered to her.
‘Take what you need,’ she whispered through his mind.
‘Mine,’ he declared, his hands sliding up her back until he gripped the back of her neck.
Amaya couldn’t deny his claim. Not while she was immersed in his thoughts, reading his aching desire for her.
If what he felt was only physical, perhaps she could fight the draw between them, but no.
There were tender feelings that she’d missed in their interactions.
Yes, there was craving there, lust for sure, but underneath all that… was devotion.
It softened her heart and erased the doubts she harbored about their situation.
Levi took immediate advantage of that softening, opening his mind further to her.
She saw the good and the bad, the frustrations he harbored and the peace she alone brought him.
In turn, she did the same, allowing Levi past the shields she’d built over her mind.
It tightened the bond between them. Amaya could feel it, the strings between them, once tentative, now inflexible and solid.
“Your Highness,” Lucas called out.
Levi ignored his friend and fed more, deep pulls that had her clit pulsing along with her heartbeat.
‘Give it to me, baby doll.’ His command was uncompromising.
Her body obeyed and her thighs trembled as an orgasm slammed into her, bowing her back. Pleasure had Amaya floating, a soft cloudiness that scattered her thoughts. A small whimper escaped her as she bit down on her bottom lip to trap louder moans.
“Too much.”
That warning came from Lucas somewhere far away. Nothing could reach her in her current state. A drowsy smile tilted her lips. The king had done that from a simple bite. How much more pleasure could he give when he was focused?
It was the last thought Amaya had before everything went dark…