Meanwhile, Jessica cat-calls Athanis and drifts over to him, looking him up and down. "Oh, yes. You, my friend, are also asmash."
Athanis does a double-take at her in surprise. "A fellow guardian spirit? Greetings, but I'm afraid I do not comprehend the meaning of your words."
"I'd be happy to show you," Jess grins before looking at me, switching to pig Latin as she exaggerates winking at me. "I'm-yay oing-gay to uck-fay this iest-pray."
"Were you expecting your brother or anyone else?" Asher checks, finally jogging me out of the ghost-filled moment of shock I've been stuck in.
I see his hand already going for the knife sheathed at his waist. I hold up my hands quickly as my inner animal begins to whimper at the idea of violence.
"Whoa, there. Relax. It's no one dangerous, so let's just?—"
Ian has already blurred to the front door. When he throws it wide open, I gawk at the sexy-as-hell ancient warrior standing on my front porch. Sure enough, it's Athanis's warrior friend, and he's…
Naked.
I repeat, except for a bracelet on one arm, he'scompletely naked. His spectacular, lithely muscled body is on full display, drenched in rain with his long, dark hair dripping. His dark gaze immediately locks onto me, and a bright smile lights up his striking face.
"Tseramòr,"he breathes.
My nervous system starts to cave in as the full force of his emotions crash into me. They're the same as they were when I first opened his sarcophagus: overwhelming layers of extreme excitement, adoration, fierce loyalty, possession, curiosity, blazing need…
But they're not only his feelings. It feels like there are echoes, too—as if there are multiplesomethingsinside him who are just as thrilled to see me.
My knees are on the verge of giving out under the onslaught of so much intense emotion. The ancient sleeper moves fast, darting toward me with a skyrocketing sense of relief and excitement. It feels like the world is moving too fast and too slow all at once?—
Before sudden pain explodes in my right shoulder.
I cry out and crumble, clutching at my shoulder as the ancient warrior staggers back with Asher's knife embedded in the exact spot I feel pain. The weapon is in him, but I feel every bit of it.
Still, the warrior's emotions are pummeling me. Surprise, alarm, irritation toward Asher, pain, protective rage, worry for me, vindictive fury.
"Youidiot," Ian snarls somewhere nearby. "You can't fuckingstab someonearound a type four empath!"
Someone else is cradling me all of a sudden, swearing viciously.
"Shit.Shit,I'm so sorry—I stopped thinking the second he tried to attack you," Asher says through gritted teeth, rocking me slightly in his arms.
Pain is clouding my already exhausted head, but it begins swiftly fading as the ancient warrior removes Asher's knife from his shoulder, which quickly heals on its own.
“Hey, hellprick. Put your shirt on the naked dipshit so the mytherun will shield Heidi from his feelings. If he resists, kill him," Asher orders Zak, who I almost didn't notice crouched beside us.
Zak moves quickly, slipping off his dark jacket and then his shirt as he approaches the newcomer. The instant my half-demon isn't wearing mytherun, I can sense his emotions—mostly murderous intent directed at the ancient experiment in this room and concern that curls protectively around me.
The shifter tosses Asher's knife aside, looking ready to rip Zak apart until Athanis speaks to him in ancient fae. I don't understand any of it until the very end, when Athanis switches to English.
"…hello, I am also her mate and will not hurt her.Aithrisere," Athanis waves urgently at him.
To my relief, the ancient shifter relaxes and allows Zak to not-so-gently force his mytherun-pinned shirt onto him. Then he looks over the other guys in my living room.
"Hello," he repeats after the priest in clumsy English. Despite how rage-filled he was a second ago, he now looks as gentle as a lamb. "I am also her mate and…"
"I will not hurt her," Athanis emphasizes.
The gorgeous experiment looks at me, his gaze warm and gentle. He places a hand firmly over his heart like he's afraid it's about to break free. "I will not hurt her.Ethi’ma tseramòr.”
Something about his voice is so incredibly soothing that it makes the knots in my stomach relax. Zak's emotions are still intense, but even though my exhausted body wants to stay in Asher's secure arms forever, I finally feel like I can breathe again.
"Aww, Naked Man seems sweet. And hung," Jessica adds, glancing down and whistling.
