Removing my fingers and fangs, my tongue darted out to lap at the two small puncture holes before her body healed them completely.
A lazy smile pulled at her lips, but her eyes remained closed.
“Thank you for allowing me to decide what I needed.” She sighed, sleep beginning to pull at her consciousness. I crawled from between her legs, positioning myself next to her in time for her to roll into me as I settled on my side.
Wrapping my arm around her, I settled my chin to rest on her head and answered, “I’m sorry I didn’t understand that at first, love. I will always strive to understand you more and to ensure I’m placing your wants and needs first.”
She mumbled something incoherent, and seconds later, her breathing evened out. After another short moment, light snores accompanied her deep, even breaths.
My ears picked up on a click of the door opening to her suite, and my body tensed until I heard Kolvar whisper, “It’s us. We want to sleep in here tonight and figured one of us could take turns on guard throughout the night.”
It was a sound idea, and I would never tell them they couldn’t stay here tonight. They had as much of a right to be here as I did. I knew they left earlier to give me some time with her, so the least I could do was take the first shift and let them have their moment to cuddle her, taking the opportunity to calm themselves down with the knowledge that she was okay and in their arms.
Slowly inching away from her, I eased out quickly and clapped Kolvar and Dakath on the shoulder as they entered the bedroom.
“Thank you.”
They nodded and went to opposite sides of the bed before gently sliding under the covers and tucking her in along with them. Walking to the candles in the bathroom, I blew them out before returning to the bedroom and doing the same. Lingering at the doorway to the sitting room, I glanced back over my shoulder to see the three most important people in the world to me twined together, safe and happy.
I would do anything to ensure they remained that way.
Chapter Ten
Kyella
Apleased hum left my throat as I stretched my arms above my head and groggily stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. I’d woken up only minutes ago after a night of deep, dreamless sleep. I was grateful for the rest, considering what I’d been through yesterday, and I credited my peace to the men who held me throughout the night.
When I got up to relieve myself in the middle of the night, I detangled myself from Kolvar and Dakath. Crawling out of the tangle of limbs was harder than it should have been, but only because I craved the comfort of their embraces when I parted with them. It was peaceful falling asleep between them again, but when I woke up next, I was wrapped between Dakath and Elijah. Knowing my men, they likely all switched throughout the night, none willing to leave my side but likely standing guard to protect me.
I lost myself looking at my reflection. Not because I looked particularly different, but more in surprise because Ididn’tlook different at all. After what I suffered, it was strange to not find a lingering physical reminder on my body. I knew I possessed rapid healing capabilities, but it was still a shock to have my neck snapped with no evidence of such a serious injury left behind. The part of me that grew up thinking I was a human still expected to see lingering bruises or cuts.
When a knock on the door sounded, I peeled my eyes away from the mirror and softly called out, “Come in.”
Kolvar eased open the door, freshly washed and dressed for the day. “Morning, darling,” he greeted, voice low and rumbly as I wrapped my arms around his neck and went up on my toes to get a kiss, the hem of the shirt I’d stolen from one of the men just barely covering the bottom of my ass. Never one to disappoint, Kolvar immediately lowered his lips to mine, and a contented sigh fell from my lips as he pulled back.
“Morning to you as well. Did you get enough sleep?” I asked, searching his face for any sign of exhaustion.
“More than enough,” he answered, smiling gently at my obvious worry. “I’m glad you’re up, though. I’m going to wake the others since I have a few things to do this morning.”
My curiosity piqued. Part of me assumed they would try to keep me locked in the room under their supervision for as long as they could.
“Such as?”
Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, he answered, “The Empress is holding a meeting at noon about our plan moving forward—”
“Definitely want to go to that,” I murmured as he nodded. “What time is it right now?”
“Around ten—it isn’t late,” he assured me. “We have a little over an hour before we need to head over there.” I nodded my understanding, and he continued, “I also had a feeling that you might want to check on Tristan and his family.”
Immediately, my heart melted. Kolvar was right—I did want to see them and felt theneedto check on them. Tristan was injured because of me, and Bailey and Rina were put in danger on my account as well. Appreciation surged through me for the man standing before me. The fact that he thought of that, understanding what I needed without me voicing it, was incredible.
“You’re right, I would love that,” I whispered. My stomach clenched pleasantly as he bent down to brush his lips against my forehead.
“Good. Get ready, darling. I’m going to get the other two up.”
I nodded before turning my attention toward getting ready for the day, not bothering with the effort of makeup before twisting my hair into a simple braid. I wasn’t left alone for long, though. After donning an outfit consisting of a simple black dress with a square neckline that hung comfortably around my body, I heard the soft click of my door being opened once more.
A deep rumble sounded as Dakath walked through the doors of my bedroom and came to a hard stop. His gaze ran over my outfit as another sound left his throat, his eyes lingering on my slight curves before he curled a finger at me. I flushed and went to him, his large hand sliding along my back before he took my lips in a hard kiss.
