Chapter 26 Dianna #2
“Sammkieel,” I whispered, dragging out his name like a prayer.
My head fell back, and he caught it in his free hand, his fingers curling into my hair.
His mouth dropped to my exposed throat, the teasing scrape of his teeth sending me spiraling into another orgasm.
My lower belly clenched, wet heat soaking not only his hand but my thighs.
Like any true predator, I protected my neck.
Samkiel had discovered early on how sensitive my throat was, and he fucking knew what his bite did to me.
Fingers, cock, or tongue, it did not matter what he used. He could make me scream.
“Bastard.” The word slid across our bond, met by his deep, masculine chuckle.
He slowly slipped his fingers from my still-clenching heat, sliding his hand from my pants in a loving caress. He pressed kisses against my cheeks, nose, and forehead as he tied the laces of my pants.
“Feel better?”
I scrunched my nose at him, catching my breath and trying to remain upright. “Maybe. Do you?”
“Yes.” Pure male satisfaction filled his grin, feeding his already massive ego.
“Get out of my way.” I stuck my tongue out and pushed past him. “I still have to pee.”
He snickered and followed me toward the washroom.
The door closed with a click, the dim light casting a harsh yellow glow over the room from the lanterns on either wall.
The window high on the back wall was half open, allowing some fresh air to enter.
Two brass bowls sat beneath the makeshift faucets, and there was a mirror to my left.
I prayed that the circular bowl attached to the far stone wall was a toilet.
Upon further inspection, and an uneasy glance, I suspected it very well may have been just a wide, gaping hole.
I really didn’t want to know where it ended.
I shook my head and pulled down my pants before sitting to relieve myself.
I leaned my elbow on my knee and rested my chin on my fist. My eyes flicked down and then called toward the door.
“Can you make me new panties since you’ve ruined these?” I called out, knowing he was still right outside.
A deep laugh preceded the door clicking open. Samkiel slipped inside, and I glowered at him. His grin was adorable, although I would never admit it to him. He held out his hand, his rings shimmering for a second before a dark thong appeared on his palm.
“Thank you,” I said, extending my hand.
He handed them to me and asked, “What will you do with the others?”
“Throw them away,” I said, kicking off my boots and shimmying out of my pants.
“I’ll keep them,” he said.
“Ew,” I said, shimmying out of my pants.
Samkiel laughed and leaned against the wall, his silver eyes sparking with heat as he watched me.
I kicked out, flinging my soaked panties toward him. “Get out of here, you pervert.” I loved to antagonize him as much as he did me.
“Burn them if you won’t keep them,” he said, his tone turning serious.
“Why?” I asked, cleaning up a bit before slipping into the clean thong and standing up to pull on my pants and boots.
“They carry your scent. As perverted as it sounds, if she has trackers, they’ll smell it.”
My face scrunched in disgust. “Okay, again, ew.” I waved toward the door. “Please, go check on the others while I wash my hands, and yes, I’ll burn them.”
“Okay.” He smiled and pressed a kiss to my temple, his hand tapping my ass before he left, closing the door behind him.
I shook my head and turned the water on, trying to erase the thought of some weird alien creature sniffing around and finding my underwear.
The water emerged in spurts, the pipes groaning with wear and tear.
I grabbed the terrible excuse for soap and washed my hands, drying them on what looked like napkins stacked on the corner of the sink.
I blew out a breath. This was ridiculous. I wondered if we had time to relocate this whole town to our city. This little tavern was obviously struggling under Nismera’s rule, just like every place we’d visited.
My internal rant died as I felt the hair at the back of my neck rise.
Claws replaced nails as I spun, recognizing the energy that swelled behind me.
It was the same as Samkiel’s, but not him.
A massive hand caught my wrist, the frigid cold of his grip making my bones shriek in alarm.
I gasped and looked up into the eyes of my father-in-law.
Unir.
“How?” I asked, staring at his very solid hand holding me without effort.
“I don’t have much time, and I am sorry for this.” He dropped my wrist, but his huge hands wrapped around my head before I could move.
Pain ripped through my skull, and I screamed, icy claws shredding my mind.
I couldn’t tell if I was still standing.
All I knew was that my world had narrowed to pure, blinding agony as I was ripped in two.
The now familiar cavern of bones came rushing forward, the chalice of blood still sitting ominously upon the altar.
Gathrriel turned toward me, glaring at me from beneath a lowered brow with deep orange and red eyes.
His smile was slow but filled with satisfaction as Unir pulled harder on my mind.
There was another vicious flash of pain, and then it evaporated almost instantly. I stumbled, my body trembling as I tried to grasp onto this world.
“What was that?” I gasped. “What are you doing?”
“I need to speak to Gathrriel. I am sorry.”
Was that what he was doing? I tried to push him away, my body swaying with the effort.
Footsteps pounded outside, heralding a power so intense that every hair on my body stood on end.
Lightning struck repeatedly outside, and thunder ripped through the air, the weight of the dark storm settling heavily over the town.
The door was hit so hard that it nearly disintegrated, the remains raining down as dust. Samkiel stood framed in the doorway, wrath blazing from his eyes as he looked between me, swaying on my feet, and his father standing so close.
Unir barely acknowledged the son he claimed to love before he grabbed my hand and yanked my ring from my finger. He tossed it to the floor, separating me from the one person who could stop him—my husband.
“Forgive me,” Unir said, finally looking at Samkiel.
Pure and blinding terror suffused Samkiel’s features, twisting them with desperation and anguish. He lunged forward, reaching for me, and I for him, but before our fingers could touch, the bathroom disappeared into a thick black mist.