Chapter Forty-Seven
The rest of the day passed in a rush. Guards showed up to take care of Thinius and Rowan stuck around to talk to the ladies who were applying to be his wife.
I did my best to ignore him, and Brandon did his best to always be in between us.
The effort he put into keeping us separate was almost amusing.
I kept an eye on him, not trusting him for a minute, but the day got busy.
“Here.” Toya handed me a drink, and I nearly cried. I was so thirsty.
“Thank you.” I chugged the bottle down. “Who knew this was going to be this busy?”
Toya leveled me with a look, and I just laughed. “Come on. This was always going to be a huge event, but with Rowan actually here, it was bound to get insane.”
I chuckled. “You’re right. Thankfully, we are almost done.” I stretched, then I looked at the last of the girls at the table. A few were still filling out the form, and the rest were hanging around Rowan, seated at the end of the table.
“Yeah. I just want to crawl into my bed.”
I shook my head. “I’m going to head home, and get into a nice hot bath with the jets on, then I’m going to curl up in bed and watch trashy human reality tv to fall asleep to.
I haven’t watched the newest season of Lust Isle.
I can’t wait for the drama.” I licked my lips, feeling the dryness there.
My throat had gone dry too. I rubbed my neck. “Is there any more water?”
“Yeah, give me a sec.” Toya grabbed another bottle, and I chugged this one down, too. “Better?”
I felt heat rise up my back, and I groaned a little. Something was wrong. Nix and Megan came out of the forest, panting. Something is wrong. Nix was breathless.
So much need, so much heat. Megan laid down with a thump. Her fur rippled with shivers that were racking her body.
“Toya?”
“Yeah?” She came closer, sniffing. “Amy?” Her voice held concern, causing both men there to look my way. I saw a flash of worry on Rowan’s face, but it was the barely hidden triumph on Brandon’s face that hit me like a punch to the gut.
“Where did we get these waters?” I whispered to Toya, and I watched her think.
“I don’t know, they just showed up.” Toya turned and called Wendy. “Hey.” She ran over and we all huddled together. “Where did the water come from?”
“Most of it, I brought, but a few Brandon brought himself. Why?” Wendy looked at me, and we all remembered Lynn’s call at the same time. “Oh, fuck Amy.” Her hands reached my face, and they were blessedly cool.
“Get me out of here. Now.” I started to pant, and Rowan’s eyes narrowed in my direction. I watched as both men took in a deep breath. Rowan’s eyes went wide. But Brandon looked like he was waiting.
He’s not strong enough to smell the heat coming on. Rowan is. Nix panted as she settled on her side. Her body was dancing like Megan’s now. Any movement was hard to control. Get home and lock the door before you make a decision you will regret later.
Toya ran over to the other girls and whispered something, and Rowan stood, making his way over to me. “Are you not feeling okay?”
He was giving me an out, and I was thankful for it. “No, I’m not. I’m going to head home. The girls will finish up here.” Rowan’s nostrils flared, and his eyes flashed to his wolf’s. Nix and Megan both gave a low mournful howl, almost begging, and I knew I had little time.
Brandon was randomly at my side. “I’ll take you home.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and I shivered. Any touch was making my skin dance, but his made my stomach crawl.
Toya came back over and tried to pull me from his arm. “Thanks Brandon, but honestly me and Wendy have her. Plus, you aren’t allowed up to the apartments, so you won’t be able to bring her home.” She smiled as she tugged again, but he was holding strong.
“That’s okay. I can just take her to my room to rest,” Megan growled at the thought. She was pissed, but I was confused. This was her mate.
I’m…over…him. She panted. Not…worthy.
“It’s fine, Brandon. Amy wants to go home. She will feel more comfortable there.” Wendy smiled and grabbed my other arm, but still he wouldn’t let me go.
“Then I will go with her to the apartments and she can give me permission to go up to her place.” He leaned in and I felt his nose graze my neck, and I shuddered. He grinned in triumph again, but it wasn’t need that made me shudder but disgust.
I looked up to Rowan, who was watching my reaction and I could see the hurt there; he thought I wanted him. I mouthed ‘Help me’ to him, letting the panic enter my eyes, and he finally understood. Something was wrong.
“Alpha Brandon. While I appreciate you wanting to help your…friend. Toya and Wendy have Amy covered. If you want to help so much, you can stay here with me and the others to help Amy close out the table.” I nearly sagged with relief when he finally understood.
I felt Brandon tense, because he didn’t want to let me go, but once Rowan said he was staying here too, he relaxed.
“Sure, my king, I would do anything to help Amy.” He reluctantly let me go, then turned to me.
“I’ll help everyone close down the table, then I’ll stop by your place with everything.
” He was so sure that I would let him up.
Nix panted some more. If we were weaker, this would work, but Megan and I are fighting the kudzu. Be alone by the time we lose control or else you will lose all your self respect, regardless of the male.
Her words were a warning that I knew I had to take seriously. “Thank you.” But I won’t be answering. I kept those words to myself. Then Wendy and Toya led me out of the building. As soon as we hit outside, I turned to them. “I need you guys to get me home and then lock me down.”
Toya and Wendy looked worried. “We can’t overpower you. You’re too strong.” Panic settled in again.
“Just get me home. We can worry about everything else when we get there.” They nodded and we ran to Toya’s car. Toya pulled out of the car park and flew home. She slammed into the parking spot as I groaned. The heat was becoming unbearable.
“Let’s go.” Wendy tried to pull me from the back seat and her hands slipped down my arm, causing me to shiver and moan. She paled. “Amy, I need you to help.” But I was too far gone.
“Move.” Sterling’s voice came from behind and my friends screamed. “Sorry.” He looked sheepish, but eased Wendy out of the way. Then he pointed to the two boxes on the ground. “Grab those, I’ll get her.” He had me in his arms in seconds. “Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”
“She is going into heat, isn’t she?” Toya ran next to Sterling to the elevator. He nodded. “Why isn’t it bothering you?”
“I’m happily mated.” He swallowed, but it was louder than it should be. I glanced up and even in my haze, I could see the sweat beading on his forehead. “But even so, it is affecting me.” He looked down. “She is too powerful for it not to affect me.”
Toya and Wendy looked at each other, and then we all got into the elevator. “What are we going to do?” Wendy looked pained. “We won’t be able to stop her if she tries to leave.” Sterling keyed in a code, and the elevator shot straight up. “What’s happening?”
“I bypassed the floors. Even if someone is waiting for an elevator, we will be going straight to the penthouse floor.” I nearly sobbed in relief.
We were at my door in seconds, and Toya fished my key out of my pocket. She unlocked the door, and Sterling walked straight to the bedroom. “Where are you going?”
“To her bed, where she will be the most comfortable.” His words had them both freezing for a moment and then chasing after us.
His words barely registered with me, though.
My entire world and whittled down to my skin.
My skin pressed to Sterling’s chest plate.
The soft breeze ruffled my hair and sweat dripped down my neck.
All of it was a world of new sensations.
And I was lost to it. “Put the boxes down and open them. Hurry, she is close to losing control.”
“How do you know?” Wendy’s voice seemed too far away.
“Because her scent is changing.” Sterling’s voice was tight, like he was fighting. “Now hurry.”
There was a thud and a soft clanking. Sterling laid me down on my bed and the soft blankets stroked my skin, sending sensations down my body. I moaned, the soft contact pushing my sanity closer and closer to the edge.
I caught a musky scent and leaned up to it, but it was wrong. All of this was wrong. I cracked my eyes and Sterling’s face was pale, but determined. “Sterling, help me.” I could hear the begging in my voice, and he closed his eyes for a second.
“We are helping you. Lay back down, Amy.” He pushed my shoulder down and the touch sent my skin dancing.
Another moan escaped my lips as I closed my eyes.
And I smiled. It didn’t matter that he had a mate, or a pup, I just needed his hands on me.
Then I felt something soft wrap around my wrist and pull tight.
I felt another on my other hand. Then a soft clink of metal and then he was gone.
My eyes snapped open, and I saw Wendy and Toya staring at me from the end of my bed, and Sterling’s back running out the door. “No!” I screamed after him. “Come back.” But I heard my front door shutting, and I wanted to cry.
“What do you need, Amy?” Wendy came closer. “We will get you anything.”
In my mind, I knew she was trying to be helpful, but my heart, my body, wasn’t listening.
I just started crying. “It hurts.” The heat became unbearable, and I rolled over my bed, doing my best to relieve a tiny bit of the pain.
I snapped my eyes open to my friends. “Water.” I was parched, the need was burning through every ounce of actual thought.
I just needed to be cooled. To get relief in any way possible.
Wendy nodded and ran out of the room. She came back with a big glass of cold water and helped me drink it.
The cool water gave me a tiny bit of pleasure.
The dryness of my throat disappeared for a second, before coming back stronger.
I moaned longer and pushed her away. I looked at Toya. “Bath?”
“You want a hot bath?” She started out of the room, but I called out.
“Cold.”
She turned around. “A cold bath?” I nodded, desperate for the tiny bit of relief the glass of water gave me. She went straight into my bathroom and filled the tub.
I looked back at Wendy and jiggled the thick chains around my wrists.
Understanding dawned on her face. “Silver. The chains, I mean. To keep you safe.” She swallowed.
“To keep you from making a mistake.” I started to cry and I couldn’t tell you if it was because I wasn’t going to jump the next male who called me, or if my friends loved me enough to stop me from making a mistake, I knew I would regret.
“They will reach the bathroom.” She continued, ignoring my tears.
“We made sure before we locked you up, so you can go to the bathroom and stuff. So you will be able to have your bath without unlocking the chains.” I cried harder.
But she kept herself away from me. I didn’t blame her.
“The king…” She kept talking, but my world focused down on those two words. The king.
Rowan. I needed Rowan.
Toya came back into the room and the two women helped me into the bathroom. They helped me undress, but froze when they realized something. “We can’t remove your shirt without cutting it.”
I looked at them and smiled. “I’m under control. You can take off the chains.” I sounded reasonable, but in my mind, I knew I was on the edge. If they unlocked me, I was running back to Rowan.
“Really?” Wendy stepped closer, and I smiled as I nodded.
“Of course.” I jiggled my wrist and waited. In my mind, I was begging them to believe me. Please Goddess, believe me. But Toya snorted and my hope fell.
“Nice try.” She sliced her claw through my shirt and it fell away. “I’m going to leave you in your bra and underwear.” She circled my back and gasped.
“What?” Wendy came and looked.
“When she was hurt, I was focused on the wounds. And it was dark. But seeing her tattoo in the light, after seeing Nix and Megan, it looks amazing.” Wendy agreed and then they helped me out of my pants.
The cool bathroom air touching my skin made it pebble.
This was torture. The heat was unbearable, but the tiny caresses made it so much worse.
Every shift, every breeze, made the heat go up another notch.
I was sure that you could see steam coming from my pores.
Feel it rise off me in a haze like in the desert.
I was boiling, and no one seemed to care.
I cried out, but my friends just helped me into the freezing water. I screamed, but then held myself down.
“I’m so sorry.” Wendy cried. I could smell the saltiness of her tears, but I ignored them. Why was she crying when I was the one dying?
“Let me out, please.” I begged. The pain from the hot and cold was short circuiting my body. My skin felt like it was being ripped from my body and I started to scream. Toya and Wendy held me down in the freezing water, begging me to understand, but I was lost to the heat. To my need.
Until I wasn’t.
My mind cleared enough to finally understand they were helping me. I stopped fighting them and sunk lower into the water. I could hear their panting, smell the scent of blood, and I looked up. “I’m sorry.” My voice was a thick rasp. Like I had hurt my throat from screaming.
My phone rang, but we ignored it. But the front door of my place opened and footsteps ran through my place. And we all froze. I heard panting and then a dark, “Get out.”