“Oh, sweet child,” she murmured, bringing her arms to rest around me tenderly. “You are one of us now. We protect our own.”
My breath hitched in my throat, and I swallowed thickly around the lump forming in my throat. This was truly my home now.
Chapter Eight
Kyella
“You don’t have to carry me,” I pointed out to Kolvar. I didn’t actually make an attempt to push away from him, leaning into the warmth he provided me instead.
I rested my head on his large chest, breathing in his woodsy, cedar scent as his hands tightened around my frame. From the moment we left the Empress's private quarters, he refused to let me go. I wasn’t about to complain.
From behind us, I could hear Elijah listing off everything he wanted brought to my suite to a man who walked next to him. I wanted to peek over Kolvar’s shoulder at Elijah to get a read on his expression, but nerves swirled through my stomach at the thought. In the heat of the moment, when my life had been at threat, I knew exactly how I felt about these men. I still knew how I felt, but the reality of trying to express something like that, while not impossible, was intimidating.
“I do, you’ve been tort—” Kolvar’s words caught in his throat, refusing to vocalize what had happened to me. When I said that I’d beentorturedminutes before, I’d noticed his strong reaction to the word, but I was finally realizing just how intensely it had affected him.
Kolvar was normally lighthearted and relaxed, but I could find nothing similar to what I was used to in his current expression. I smoothed my hand over his muscular chest, hoping it would soothe him to an extent, as he dipped his mouth to my forehead, brushing a kiss to it. I tilted my head back, aching for a real kiss, and as he pulled back, his hazel gaze warmed from far too serious to something a bit softer.
“If I kiss you right now, darling, I’m not sure I could hold myself back. I need to take care of you first.” He rumbled softly as a pout slipped onto my lips. I knew he was right, of course. I wasn’t in the best place physically, and my hunger caused my stomach to feel cavernous and left my head a bit dizzy. The reminder of my hunger had me snuggling further against him, trying to avoid the way my fangs pulsed—wanting to bite into his pulse to appease my ravenous appetite.
“You always take care of me,” I pointed out, remembering that first time he’d fed me. At a time when I had been so clueless to everything that awaited me. A soft smile formed on his lips underneath his thick scruffy beard, and I knew he was remembering the same time.
When he met my gaze again, the emotion reflecting back at me nearly leveled me, and I reached up to push a piece of caramel colored hair away from his face. I could tell he was feeling out of sorts—his hair was messy, as if he’d spent hours running his hands through it in frustration, and his stress was evident in the tension that lined his frame. I wanted to fix that, and I knew the only way was allowing them to take care of me.
“They will be bringing everything to the room.” Elijah suddenly appeared at Kolvar’s side, his gaze running over me as if to assure himself I was still with them. “And Dakath will bring a medical attendant as well.”
I didn’t love the idea of Dakath leaving my side, and I could tell he hadn’t either, but I didn’t think it was a horrible idea for me to see a physician. I knew I was mostly healed, but what I’d been through had been…bad, which is what I think spurred him to go fetch an attendant. I also appreciated that Elijah made the decision to not take me to the medical center but instead have them come to us. I wasn’t opposed to being around others right now, but I would always prefer to be around my men first and foremost.
My men.I loved the sound of that.
“Thank you for handling that,” I said softly as Elijah’s emerald gaze held mine. He was only slightly shorter than Kolvar, but the way he held himself often made me forget that hewasn’tthe most physically intimidating of my men. His mannerisms spoke of control and command, but I knew there was another side to him as well.
I knew what he was like when he lost control. Knowing that the loss of control was a response to his fear of losing me sent a shiver down my spine. The moment between us in his destroyed room felt like a lifetime ago somehow.
“None of that is as important as feeding you the minute we are in the room—” He motioned ahead, and I realized we were nearing the hall housing our private quarters. “I want you to feed off of us, so we know nothing is tainted.”
I nodded in quick agreement. There was no way I would argue with that, my stomach offering a loud gurgle of agreement. Elijah’s jaw clenched at the sound, and both of them increased their speed. My gaze ran over the man who, up until recently, had been a mystery to me. Following his outburst at the arrival of Malakai’s ship, I felt like I understood him far better, which is how I knew he was worried about me.
His skin was bereft of color, and he held tension in his shoulders. He ran a hand through his normally neat, styled locks in a nervous habit I’d quickly picked up on, before he finally gave into the urge that had likely been consuming him since Kolvar picked me up.
Kolvar let out a frustrated noise as Elijah took me from his arms and sped ahead, making sure to hold me tightly against his broad chest not to jostle me. I would have smiled at his impatience if I didn’t know how concerned he was over my well-being. I did, however, capitalize on the opportunity to breathe in his eucalyptus scent as it wrapped around me like a familiar, comfortable blanket.
He flung the door open to my room and brought me to one of the couches, dropping with me on his lap. I didn’t hesitate to adjust myself so I faced him. His hands ran up my legs, hiking my dress up with the movement and causing my skin to break out in goosebumps.
“Feed,” he commanded in a tone so deep it was almost a growl.
I immediately followed his command and leaned forward, burying my fangs in his neck. He hissed, his hands sliding onto my ass and holding me there as his blood saturated my mouth. I let out a moan of relief as I drank from him heavily, my body nearly crying out in happiness. I hadn’t realized just how bad my hunger had grown. It was amazing what the body could block out when it went through trauma.
It was a long moment later that the frenzy of my hunger waned slightly, and I released my fangs from his neck. I wasn’t completely full yet, but I needed a moment to breathe while I melted into his arms. I could hear Kolvar talking to someone in the background, most likely Dakath if my nose was correct. It was his citrusy and spicy scent that filled the room. The feeling of Elijah’s hard length beneath me and his hands tight on my body didn’t escape my notice, but he didn’t move or shift. Instead, he simply allowed me to rest.
“She should keep feeding, but you need a break Elijah,” Dakath suggested softly. I nodded my agreement, not wanting to hurt Elijah before pulling back and seeing that his face was flushed. He nodded sharply but didn’t say anything, his eyes filled with pools of dark emotion that I wanted to delve into.
Kolvar suddenly lifted me from Elijah’s lap, and I leaned back against his chest as Dakath came to sit next to me. He pushed up his sleeve, and I took his wrist, pressing a kiss there as his chocolate gaze filled with affection. I didn’t hesitate to bury my fangs in his golden skin, and I closed my eyes, letting out a hum at how good he tasted. When I opened my eyes once more, I could hear Kolvar talking, but I was completely captivated by Dakath and the intensity with which he watched me.
With each draw of blood, I could feel my hunger abating. More than that, however, I could feel my body pushing itself to heal. When I finally pulled back from his wrist, I found myself looking up at Kolvar, knowing that it was a bit greedy but finding myself wanting to drink from him as well. Until recently, I hadn’t understood why lovers chose to drink from one another, but now I realized it was far more than just a utilitarian need.It was a connection.
“The physician will be here soon,” Dakath said easily from his place next to me. “They were gathering their equipment when I left.”
Kolvar nodded and offered me his wrist, keeping me tucked against his free arm as I held his wrist against my greedy mouth. This time, I slowly bit into him, no longer feeling ravenous but instead taking a moment to savor the taste of his blood. Savor that I was here with the three of them.
