Loving Amari (Wintermoon Vampire Tales #2)

Chapter 1 Amari

AMARI

Eight Months After Craving Carla

The launch party of the Academy’s brand new technology center floods my mind as my body slowly awakens from its slumber. Three days.

Just three days until I introduce technology to the children of Wintermoon. My fingers twitch first, then sensation spreads through my limbs like warm honey. The elder shifters hate the idea, but their disapproval tastes like ash compared to my excitement.

My mind races through the preparations even as my body fights to catch up.

The virtual reality stations are already installed, the coding terminals arranged in perfect rows.

I’ve personally tested every piece of equipment, ensuring the young shifters will have the best technology available.

They need to master both: the digital tools of the outside world and the instincts that run through their bloodline.

My eyes finally open. Carla sleeps beside me, her dark curls scattered across her face, hiding those green eyes that still make my heart race. Her breathing steadies something in me, even as worry gnaws at my gut. I fight the urge to touch her shoulder.

She’s been gone for days again. In limbo, time moves differently, and while she can’t feel our mate bond there, I feel every second of her absence like a blade between my ribs.

What started as hours has stretched into days, and each time she returns, I wonder if the next trip will be the one that keeps her forever.

I lie awake in the dark, counting the hours.

I study her face, memorizing every detail as if it might be the last time. Each freckle on her nose. The slight parting of her lips in sleep. The curve of her neck. She’s everything, and losing her to that otherworld would destroy me.

I reach out, unable to resist stroking her cheek, brushing those wild curls away from her face. She moans softly, rolling onto her back. The sheet slips down. I pull my hand away, not wanting to wake her yet. She needs her rest after being in limbo for so long.

“So beautiful,” I whisper. “My sleeping beauty.”

Pink magic suddenly swirls around her body, delicate as spider silk but pulsing with power.

The tendrils of light dance across her skin, weaving patterns I’ve never seen before.

My eyes narrow. What the hell? This isn’t her usual magic—this is something new, something wild.

I reach out to wake her, but the moment my fingers touch the magic, pain shoots through my hand like lightning.

“Ouch!” I snatch my fingers back, shaking them. The sting lingers, tingling up my arm.

Carla’s body lifts from the bed, floating in mid-air. Her arms hang limp, her hair falling back like a dark waterfall. The pink magic grows brighter, wrapping around her like a cocoon. My stomach drops as she rises higher, nearly touching the ceiling.

“Carla, baby, wake up!” My voice cracks as I sit up, reaching for her again. The magic pulses brighter, creating a barrier I can’t penetrate. “Please, Carla!”

Nothing. She floats there, wrapped in power that’s never taken control like this before. My heart pounds against my ribs. Panic claws at my throat. Is this because of her trips to limbo? Is she stuck between worlds?

Movement in the vent catches my eye. Moria and Kemnebi squeeze through, their many legs freezing the moment they spot their mother suspended in pink light. Kemnebi’s bristles stand on end, and Moria’s smaller form trembles with concern.

"What is happening to my mate?" The words come out sharper than I mean them to, but fear has its claws in me now.

Kemnebi flashes images—confusion, worry, the same helplessness I feel. They don’t know either. Their mommy has never done this before.

“Carla!” I’m shouting now, not caring who hears. “Baby, please!”

The magic pulses in response to my voice, growing brighter with each plea. I stand on the bed, trying to reach her, but she’s too high. Pink light spills across the walls.

Her eyes flutter open, and she lifts her hands, staring at them in wonder. Pink sparks dance between her fingers like tiny fireflies. Then she looks around, realizes she’s floating, and her mouth drops open.

“What the hell?”

The magic vanishes instantly. She plummets toward the bed with a yelp, but I’m already moving. I flash across the mattress, catching her in my arms as she crashes into my lap. The breath whooshes out of her lungs, and she clings to me, her nails digging into my shoulders.

“What the hell just happened?” She’s panting, her hands clutching my shoulders, her body trembling against mine.

I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. Relief makes me giddy. She’s here, she’s safe, she’s in my arms. “Good morning, baby. I think your magic is growing. You’re getting more powerful.”

Moria and Kemnebi jump onto the bed, bombarding her with worried images.

Carla sighs, running a hand through her tangled curls. “I’m fine, children. Calm down.” She turns those green eyes on me, and I see uncertainty flickering in their depths. “I had the strangest dream.”

I press a kiss to her lips. Her lips are soft and warm, grounding me in the moment. “Tell me about it in the shower.”

She yawns and stretches like a cat, her body arching in a way that makes my mouth water. The movement causes the sheet to slip further, and I have to force myself to focus on her face. “You are always so naughty.”

“I have every right to be.” I kiss her again, deeper this time, my tongue teasing the seam of her lips until she opens for me. “I have a goddess in my lap.”

She rolls her eyes, but her smile breaks through.

When she slides out of bed, I give her ass a playful swat.

The sound rings out in the quiet morning, and she squeaks, shooting me a mock glare that only makes me want her more.

Her dress from yesterday lies crumpled on the floor, evidence of how exhausted she was when she returned from limbo.

I grab her hand, pulling her into the bathroom.

We brush our teeth side by side, stealing glances in the mirror.

She’s still naked, completely comfortable in her skin, and I have to adjust myself in my sleep pants.

This ordinary moment—her beside me, both of us in the same small space—is everything I didn’t know I was missing.

“Your eyes are doing that thing again,” she mumbles around her toothbrush.

“What thing?” I rinse and spit, watching her in the mirror.

“That hungry thing. Like you want to eat me.”

I press against her back, letting her feel exactly how much I want her. “Always.”

She shivers, and I know she’s remembering last night.

How desperately we came together after her return, how I worshipped every inch of her body until she screamed my name.

But once we’re in the shower, I can’t keep my hands off her.

Water streams down as I grab a washcloth and start washing her back.

“What do you think that was?” I work the soap in circles across her skin, paying special attention to the tension in her shoulders. “Do you feel any different?”

She shrugs, leaning into my touch. “I don’t know. I feel the same.”

My hands move lower, massaging the small of her back. “We shouldn’t skip over this.” The washcloth moves to her sides, and I have to focus to keep my thoughts on track when she sighs with pleasure. “You’ve never levitated in your sleep before.”

Carla turns around, water droplets clinging to her eyelashes. Her hands press against my chest, right over my beating heart. I can feel her pulse against mine. She’s looking at me like she knows exactly what she does to me.

“Let’s not worry too much about this, Amari.” Her fingers trace lazy patterns on my skin. “If something serious comes of it, we’ll deal with it then.”

I want to argue, but she’s looking at me with those eyes, and her hands are on me, and suddenly the pink magic seems less important than the woman in front of me. Water runs between us, and I watch it trail down between her breasts, over her stomach, lower...

“I want you to focus on the technology center,” she continues, seemingly oblivious to my distraction. “You’ve been working on it for a year. I’ve seen how much hard work you’ve put into it.”

Pride surges within me temporarily overriding my desire.

“Yes, I’m excited about it. The virtual reality stations will blow their little minds.

And the coding programs I’ve designed specifically for young shifters.

..” I could talk about this for hours. “They’ll learn to navigate both worlds—the technological and the supernatural.

No more choosing between tradition and progress. ”

“Tell me more,” she encourages, her hands still moving on my chest.

“I’ve created adaptive learning programs that respond to each child’s shifting abilities.

Imagine a computer that recognizes when a young wolf is about to shift and adjusts its interface accordingly.

Or coding languages that incorporate magical theory.

” My voice rises with enthusiasm. “These children won’t have to hide who they are in the human world anymore. They’ll be equipped to excel in both.”

“I am excited for you.” She wraps her arms around my neck, pressing closer. Her breasts brush against my chest, and I lose my train of thought entirely. “I want to be there to support you.”

My smile feels like it might split my face. Having her beside me, sharing in this achievement I’ve built for Wintermoon... I want nothing more.

I lower my head to kiss her, and her lips are soft, warm. The kiss turns desperate within seconds. My hands find her breasts, palming their weight before teasing her nipples into hard peaks. She gasps into my mouth, her body arching into mine.

“Amari,” she breathes against my lips.

“I need you.” The words come out rough, desperate. “I’ve missed you so much.”