Chapter 9 Amari
AMARI
Damon steps forward while everyone goes quiet. I take Carla’s hand and pull it to my lips, kissing the back of it. Her skin is warm beneath my mouth. I’m terrified. This is going to take Carla away from me, and I don’t know how long.
Selene watches proudly as Damon begins, her hand resting on the knife at her hip. He’s a former soldier of one of the largest armies in history. The Roman Empire. It shows in the way he commands the room.
“It appears we have a new threat, much more powerful than Aya.” He looks to Aya’s ghostly form. “No offense.”
“None taken, you asshole.”
Amir snickers at that, the sound breaking some of the tension. His mouth quirks slightly.
Damon looks to Carla, his green eyes serious. “You’ll need to help with patrols in limbo, and you’ll need to take most of your children.”
I suck in a sharp breath. I hate that idea, but I know it’s the best option. Most of her children. Most of our children. Fighting an army of lost souls in the darkness.
He looks at me, reading the fear I’m trying to hide. “I need you to break into the Brookstone and Blackburn files and get as much information you can about Henry’s connection to them and what they’re doing with Aya’s magic.”
“I’ve already broke the code to their security files. I just need to go through them.” I pull out my phone, the screen lighting up my face. My fingers move quickly across the keyboard, texting Bobby. Need you at the coven. Tonight. Urgent.
The response comes immediately. On my way.
Damon looks to King Amir and Queen Anora. His expression softens slightly when he addresses them. “Solomon is a target, so we’ll need to keep him as guarded as possible. Don’t let him out of your sight.”
Anora and Amir look to each other, sharing a worried look. Anora’s hand moves to her stomach, protective even though Solomon isn’t there. Amir’s jaw clenches, the muscle jumping beneath his skin.
“Go. I’ll find you if anything comes up.”
Amir nods to Damon, respect clear in the gesture. “Thank you.”
He teleports Anora away.
Damon turns to Angie, his posture still military straight. “The academy isn’t safe either. We will need to be on guard as much as possible.”
Selene steps forward and stands beside him, her body brushing against his. “I’ll help with patrols.”
Damon grins at her, and for a moment, the hardened soldier disappears. Just a man looking at his mate with pride and love.
“And after that? What then?” Aya’s ghostly form flickers. “Listen, we need to figure out how to siphon that magic back out of him. There’s no telling what he’s planning in limbo right now.”
Damon looks at Aya, his expression unreadable. “Well, you’re the queen of distractions. So distract him.”
He looks to Kade and Leah.
“You already know I’m not going to let anything happen to the children of Wintermoon. I’m helping Selene with extra security.”
Damon smiles at his sister, genuine affection warming his features.
Leah walks over to Angie. “I can read the spell books. I’ll help you comb through them until we can find a way to stop Nathaniel.”
“I’ll try to find as much information as I can about Nathaniel and Henry.” I look around the room at each face. “They are of my culture, so there’s got to be something in my old journals that I was able to recover.”
Damon nods to me. “We’ve faced threats before and we’ve never let anyone take us down. This is just another, and there’ll be many more.”
Angie opens a portal back to their cabin at House of Zorah. Blue and gold light spills into the room, bright enough to make me squint. The edges shimmer and ripple. Before she steps through, Damon stops her with a hand on her shoulder.
“Check with Micah to see if he has anything in the scrolls. His ancestors have had premonitions of the past. He had something about Amil, he might have something about Nathaniel.”
“I’ll get on it.” Jacob puts a fist to his chest and bows his head, the gesture formal and respectful.
Damon bows his head in response.
Angie and Jacob step through the portal. It closes immediately, the blue and gold light disappears, leaving us in the normal lighting of my office.
Kade takes Leah’s hand and pulls it to her lips, gently kissing the back of it. The gesture is tender, intimate. “I’m going to the academy. We’ll be there if you need us.”
Kade and Leah teleport away, leaving a black cloud of mystical smoke where they stood. It lingers for a moment before fading into nothing.
Damon looks to Carla, whose face is pained. The tension in her shoulders. The slight tremor in her hands that she’s trying to hide.
“That’s not all of it.”
Carla looks to me with a frown but doesn’t argue. She knows I have to tell them. Knows they need to understand what’s happening to her.
Damon turns to me. Selene does the same, both of them focused entirely on my next words. “What is it?”
“Carla’s magic. It’s growing.” I pause, choosing my words carefully. “She was levitating in her sleep.”
The room goes still. No one moves. No one breathes.
Aya huffs like she’s annoyed, breaking the silence. “That means you’re ascending.”
Her words catch everyone’s attention. Damon’s eyebrows rise. Selene’s hand drops from her knife.
“Ascending is rare and only given to the most noble of witches. It’s Mother Fate granting her more power. She’s done it with Hazel. Looks like she’s chosen another warrior to help with this battle.”
Carla looks up at me, and I see it in her eyes. Fear. Confusion. Wonder. All mixed together in those green depths.
“I’m over it.” Aya looks at Tofi, who’s been standing silently beside me this whole time. “Come on, Tofi. We’ve got some work to do.”
I watch in awe as Tofi skitters around my desk to follow Aya. Her massive legs move gracefully despite her size. They both suddenly just disappear, going back into the void of limbo. One moment they’re there, the next they’re gone. No portal. No smoke. Just absence.
“We are going to figure this out. We always do.” Damon’s voice is steady, confident.
Carla nods, but I can feel her trembling against me.
Damon takes Selene’s hand and they both make their exit, walking out the door. Giving us space. Giving us privacy.
The door closes behind them with a soft click.
She leans into me, just wanting to listen to my heartbeat. I wrap my arms around her, holding her close.
“Let me feed you.”
“I’m not really in the mood for food.” Her voice is muffled against my chest.
“I thought I lost you. Those three days were agonizing. Please, Carla, have mercy on me.”
She pulls back enough to look up at me. “Okay.” She just smiles at me, and that smile is everything.
I grab her hand and walk into the kitchen. The familiar space grounds me. I don’t want to think about our troubles right now. I just want to focus on her, our love. On the simple act of caring for my mate.
I walk Carla over to the kitchen island and pull out a chair for her, sitting her down. The stool scrapes slightly against the floor. I walk around to the other side and start pulling out pots and pans from the cabinets. The metal clangs together. Then I turn to her with a smile.
“How about a cheeseburger? I remember when I made you one before.”
She smirks, and the expression lights up her whole face. “That sounds lovely. I could get used to being catered to by my vampire mate.”
I grin and open the fridge. I pull out the ground beef, the package cold and slightly damp in my hands. I grab a bowl from the cabinet and unwrap the meat, dumping it into the ceramic basin.
Seasonings. I need seasonings.
I reach into the spice cabinet, pulling out containers one by one.
Garlic powder goes in first, a generous amount.
Then onion powder. A touch of paprika for color and a hint of sweetness.
Salt and pepper, the foundations of any good meal.
My hands work the meat, mixing the seasonings in thoroughly, feeling the texture change as everything combines.
I form the patties, my hands shaping them into perfect circles. I’ve lived long enough to know my way around a kitchen. But this is different. This is for Carla.
I set the skillet on the stove, turning the heat to medium-high. The burner glows red beneath the black cast iron. I let it heat up, waiting until I can feel the warmth radiating from it. Then I add butter, watching it melt and sizzle and foam.
I place the patties in, and the immediate sizzle is satisfying. The smell of cooking meat fills the kitchen, savory and rich.
“Ascension.”
I look back at her while I’m still cooking, spatula in hand. “What about it?”
“Mother Fate’s giving me more power. Maybe that’s what I need to stand against Nathaniel.”
I flip the burgers, watching them brown perfectly. The cooked side is a beautiful dark golden brown with crispy edges. The cheese goes on top, sharp cheddar that starts melting immediately from the heat. I let them cook a bit more, making sure they’re done all the way through but still juicy.
I pull them off and place them on toasted buns. The bread is soft and warm. Add some pickles to the plate, the bright green contrasting with the brown of the meat.
I set the burger in front of her with more care than the gesture probably warrants. But everything I do for her matters.
Then I go make her something to drink. Orange juice. Her favorite. I pour it into a glass, watching the liquid swirl. I smile when she takes a bite, her teeth sinking into the burger. Her eyes close in pleasure, and a small sound escapes her throat.
“I love watching you eat.” I tell her.
She opens her eyes and looks at me. “You love pampering me in general. I hope one day I get the time to just pamper you.”
I walk over to her and place the glass of juice next to her plate. I relax against the island close to her, my hip pressing against the counter. I reach out and stroke her cheek while she chews her food. Her skin is warm and soft. My fingers tangle in her curls, soft and thick.
“You spoil me all the time.”
She snorts at that, covering her mouth as she finishes chewing. “I don’t see how, but okay.”
“You choose me. Every day.”
Her expression changes. The lightness disappears, replaced by something heavier. “I’m going to have to go back into limbo eventually, especially to check on the children.”
My face saddens. I can’t hide it. Can’t pretend it doesn’t gut me every time she says those words.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone again.” Her voice cracks. “I hate that. I hate leaving you.”
When she starts to cry, I pull her into my arms immediately. I lift her from the chair at the island and just hold her. Her body shakes against mine. Tears soak into my shirt.
“I know. I know.”
“I’m very upset that I missed the technology center opening.” The words come out between sobs.
“That was out of your control. Please stop blaming yourself.”
She looks up at me, her face stained with tears. Tracks run down her cheeks, her eyes red and swollen. I kiss them away, one by one. Salt on my lips. The taste of her pain.
“How about tonight it’s just us. And if limbo calls to you, so be it, but let’s not think about it.” I give her a wicked grin, trying to bring back her smile. “When’s the last time we’ve had a child-free home?”
“Medina coven is still here.” She tries to argue, but there’s no heat in it.
“They don’t count.” She argues.
She giggles and shakes her head. “Oh, they do. I consider them my family too.”
“I’m going to send the soldiers to the royal island to help with security. Anora and Amir need it more than we do.”
“I agree.” She pauses, then looks up at me with mischief in her eyes despite the tears. “Now shut up and put me to bed.”
I grin, then pull back and look at her half-eaten burger sitting on the plate. “Finish your food first.”
She rolls her eyes and sits back down, taking another bite of her burger. Juice runs down her chin and she wipes it away with the back of her hand.
I watch her with a grin, but deep down, I’m worried about the next time she’ll have to leave me. How long it will last. And if I can handle the separation again.
The answer terrifies me. Because I don’t know if I can.