Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Ken and Mikah stood in Alexa’s room, staring at her. Levi had left hours ago to go back to Reiya and it was now late. Everyone had returned to normal except for the paper bag situation Ken was still dealing with.
The group was now getting ready to turn in for the night.
Mikah insisted on staying in the room with Alexa.
The extra bed was still in her room, and Ken had agreed it would be an extra level of protection.
However, Alexa was not amused and was pouting about it.
She was hoping to make Ken give in to temptation and give her a steamy treat before bed.
But all of that was ruined if Mikah stayed in there overnight.
“Mikah, it isn’t necessary. Ken will be right here watching over me.”
Mikah snorted. “Ken said he doesn’t plan to touch you now, so I don’t see why me staying in here is a problem.” Mikah looked over at the paper bag on Ken’s head, searching for his eyes in the peepholes. “Right?” The paper bag nodded its head.
“Well, that’s what Ken says now. But he would be singing a different story if I stripped off my clothes in the middle of the night and—” Ken coughed and Mikah slapped his hand to his forehead.
“See? I told you, man. She is trouble. You can’t trust her. Yep, best I stay in here and protect your virtue,” Mikah teased and Alexa snorted.
“Too late, Mikah. I’ve already tasted him, and I want another helping.” Alexa grinned as Ken took in a sharp breath.
“Lex, why do you have to be so perfect for me?” Ken shook his head.
There was no way he could resist that temptation.
It was definitely for the best to have Mikah with them.
“Mikah, put the blindfold on her. You’re staying with us tonight.
” He could hear the pouting protest as Mikah put the sleep mask over her eyes.
The moment her eyes were covered, Ken removed the paper bag.
“I can breathe.” He inhaled the fresh air.
Ken walked over to Alexa and scooped her up into his arms, walked her over to the bed, and eased her down on it.
He ran his hand through her hair and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
“My love, right now, your safety is the most important thing, and Mikah has a unique ability when it comes to sensing presences. But I love how open you are about your feelings.”
“Well, will you at least hold me?”
He chuckled. “Of course, my love.” He turned to look at Mikah. “Do you have some clean clothes I can change into?”
“I don’t know. My shirts might be too big for you.” Mikah smirked as Ken chuckled.
“Are you really trying to compare chest sizes?” Ken tugged his shirt off over his head and flexed his muscles. “I’m a deity, Mikah … this isn’t a challenge here. The expression ‘body of a god’—there’s a reason for that.”
“Well, I must be a god then.” Mikah grinned as he yanked his shirt over his head.
“You guys aren’t doing what I think you’re doing?” Alexa had a feeling she was missing an interesting show. She couldn’t care less about Mikah’s body. She saw him shirtless all the time. But watching Ken flexing his muscles would be mouthwatering. Especially in the spicy mood she was in.
“We’re comparing penis sizes.” Mikah teased. “Mine is bigger. Do you want to compare that next?”
Ken scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, little bear cub. My arms clearly have more diameter than yours do. And I don’t think that is the only thing with more diameter …” Ken rolled his arm out with a smug, victorious smile.
“Not by much.” Mikah walked over and held his arm out. “I think they’re about equal …”
“You guys!” Alexa whined. She was left to her impure thoughts about exactly what was going on in the room. Pretty soon, she was going to take the mask off. A woman could only take so much.
“We’re bro bonding, Alexa. This is what men do. It’s like how you girls grab each other’s breasts in the shower.” Mikah listened to Alexa’s snort.
“What movies are you watching? We don’t do that. You must be watching a show about Candy and Buttons that airs at x-rated o’clock. Spanktravision?” Alexa mocked. She was hating the restricting eye cover more and more. All joking aside—she missed Ken’s face, and it had only been a day.
“You watch your shows and I watch mine.” Mikah shrugged and Ken turned his head to look at Alexa.
“Your shows?” Ken looked at her with amusement as she giggled.
“Not the same as Mikah’s shows. And Brian and Mikah watch them too.” Alexa shrugged her shoulders. She watched series shows and reality tv. It was not the same thing that she was insinuating that Mikah was watching.
“Well, I have to know who the bachelor chooses now,” Mikah said, clicking his tongue in fake exasperation. He chuckled and threw a shirt over at Ken. “Sorry if it’s too big for you.”
Alexa felt her eyes burning. At first, it was both eyes, and then it shifted to one. With the fiery sensation, the sounds around her began to muffle.
Ken rolled his eyes and put the shirt on. He walked over to the bed and had just sat down next to Alexa when Mikah turned his head sharply toward the bed.
“Alexa!” Mikah yelled, running over.
Ken looked down at her, noticing her fists squeezed so tight her knuckles were turning white. Once again, Mikah was able to sense a difference in Alexa before he did.
I’m there with you, my treasure. Can’t you feel me? I’m right beside you.
Alexa sat up and held her hand over her eye.
Grabbing the mask, she ripped it off, ignoring the two men beside her, and jumped off the bed to head to her dresser, where there was a mirror.
She looked at herself, her mouth gaping.
Her one eye was glowing red, not unlike the red-eyed man from her premonition. What is this?
“Alexa!”
Alexa heard Mikah’s concerned voice. She closed her eyes and took in deep, relaxing breaths to keep Mikah calm. She was pretty sure he hadn’t seen her eye, so she covered it with her hand and began to rub it lightly.
“I’m fine. It’s just burning a little bit. I think I’ll take a shower before bed.” Alexa forced a smile as she held her composure.
“Something felt weird—” Mikah studied her as he stepped closer to look at her. Ken was behind Alexa, trying to stay out of her view.
“Mikah, look at me. I’m fine. It was just burning, but it stopped.” Alexa grabbed some clothes out of her drawer and smiled at Mikah. “I’ll be back.”
“I’m coming—” Mikah started as Alexa laughed.
“Are you going to join me in the shower? I think Ken might have issues with that. Right, my love?” Alexa heard Ken hum in acknowledgment.
“I can join you, though,” Ken added.
“I don’t want to interrupt bro bonding time. Besides, you have some more measuring to do, right?” Alexa smiled, biting her bottom lip. She could feel his heat behind her, and honestly, she would love to watch water droplets run down his rock-hard chest.
“Lex,” Mikah said in an accusing tone.
“What, Mikah? You can’t expect me not to feel a bit self-conscious, right?
I’m going to be cuddling with my mate all night long.
I want to make sure I’m fresh and clean.
Excuse me and my feminine habits.” Alexa smiled and shook her head, then turned on her heels.
“I’ll be back, boys.” She emphasized the boys part as she opened the door to the bathroom.
“Leave it open, Lex,” Mikah said as he narrowed his eyes at her.
“My door?” she asked, and he snorted.
“Both doors. I’m sitting outside the bathroom door.”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’ll leave it cracked,” Alexa said indifferently as she made her way to the shower.
She could feel the two presences following behind her as she continued to hold her composure.
She pushed the door shut to a crack and turned on the shower.
The steam soon began to fill up the room and Alexa removed her hand from her eye.
She stared into the mirror, studying herself. Her eye looked normal again, but the voice returned. With its hissing whisper, her eye began to glow red.
You aren’t interested in your mate. You want someone else in your life.
Alexa scoffed. The power of suggestion? Really? Who the hell do you think I am? I can’t be manipulated. What trick is this? You can’t win a woman’s heart the normal way, so you try to brainwash one? That won’t work on me.
Really? You don’t think it will work? I wonder how long it will take. I—
Power encircled the voice, strangling the sound out of it.
What is this? Erebus choked out.
This is the strength of the fairy princess.
You cannot exist in my head. But thanks for leaving me a way to reach you.
This is just what I needed. Alexa smirked and focused on the string connecting them.
Meanwhile, she froze the door, layering the ice on the inside to create a thick inner barrier, making sure no one could break it open easily.
Alexa seized the magical string and felt her beasts growl in approval. They pushed their strength into her mind, and she sent out a devastating blast of power through the mental connection. She smirked as she felt the explosion connect, and the link was severed.
An instant later, the door busted open, and pieces of ice shattered everywhere. Alexa gaped at Mikah as she raised a towel up. “What are you doing, Mikah?” she hissed.
“I felt a disturbance in here,” Mikah growled as Ken stepped inside with his bag over his head.
“Yeah, just me putting up an ice barrier in case your male urges got the better of you.”
Mikah growled, unconvinced. “Cut the crap, Alexa. Since when have I ever tried to look at you?”
“You just did. Look, I’m trying to help you here. What if you end up taking a mate? I don’t want her body to suffer by comparison. If you see me naked, you may never be able to view her as a real woman.” Ken snickered behind his paper bag while Mikah’s gaze continued to drill into hers.
“I don’t know what your game is, but I know you. You aren’t shaking me off the trail so easily. Tell me what is going on.” Mikah watched as Alexa looked at him like he was crazy.
“You’re about to see a lot more than you bargained for. That’s what’s going on.” Alexa set the towel down and began to lift up her shirt. Mikah immediately turned away while Ken stood there, admiring the view. She slipped out of her clothes and winked at Ken before stepping into the shower.
Mikah growled and shook his head. “You haven’t pulled anything over on me Alexa. Something is going on. I know it.”
“Fine, Mikah, you got me,” Alexa hissed in irritation as the hot water cascaded over her.
She had to feed him something. Otherwise, he wasn’t going to give up.
And she knew exactly what to say to throw him off the trail.
“I haven’t been marked yet and my mate is around.
I’m having a power struggle trying to prevent my beasts from going into heat.
There. Happy, Mikah? Thank you for making me air this embarrassing moment. Now if you don’t mind … GET OUT!”
Mikah turned completely red and cleared his throat. “Oh. Umm. Shit. Sorry, Lex. I … we’ll just be … yeah.”
Ken stood there as Mikah put pressure on his shoulder, trying to usher him out of the room.
Everything inside him raged for him to join his mate in the shower.
But his damn face—he was going to need a shower now.
An ice cold one. He finally allowed Mikah to push him out, and the door shut behind them.
Alexa sighed out in relief and leaned against the shower wall.
We hit him hard! Yuki panted happily with smug satisfaction. He won’t be able to use that again on us. We severed the mental connection with the glass.
Good. This must be a new trick, or Dad and Ken would have known about it.
Alexa sighed as she let the hot water run over her.
For now, she had taken care of part of the problem on her own, and she did it without Mikah getting upset over it.
She was going to do her best in the future to keep Mikah safe.
He was always protecting her, and now she needed to do the same for him.
Erebus held his head in his hands. Blood dripped from his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth onto the stone floor beneath him. He spit out a pool of crimson liquid, some of his blood clinging to his teeth, his breath ragged as he hunched lower to the ground.
He had underestimated her. It was going to take him days to recover from the wave she’d hit him with. He looked down at the blood beneath him and a red smile spread over his lips.
He began to chuckle maniacally, his laughter echoing off of the stone walls.
Still cackling, he staggered over to a chair.
Looking down at his hands, he played with the sticky liquid between his fingers.
She had hurt him. She had made him bleed.
His eyes were wide with excitement at the challenge she presented.
It was better when they put up a fight. He liked it.
“Yes,” Erebus whispered, snickering to himself. “She is the perfect gem.”