“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.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
We all froze. The words, the voice, it all connected to a deep part of our consciousness that told us to flee. I looked to the door and I saw Rowan standing there, nearly vibrating. “I said get out.” His voice was low, his need burning right under the surface of calm he was trying to project.
Nix and Megan both started to purr. They were content with this choice. Rowan could help with our heat, our need. I tried to stay a little clear of it, but their need lapped at my resolve. I reached for Toya and Wendy. “What should I do?” My whisper broke the thick silence, worry clear in my voice.
Toya turned. “My king, Amy, isn’t in her right mind. Please leave before you both make a mistake.”
His eyes shifted to his wolf and his voice dropped to a level that made my skin shiver. “I won’t take advantage of her.”
“I never said you would. But she might force the…um, potential mating.” Wendy tried to smile.
His eyes met mine and I could see his needs. It matched my own, and in that moment I was no longer scared. This is what I wanted. “What happened?” Toya looked to me and I nodded. I couldn’t form coherent sentences any longer. My mind, my body focused purely on the need that was running along my skin. I needed to be touched, licked, kissed. I needed his body next to mine. Now. My eyes latched onto Rowan. I felt need gather at the apex of my thighs, staring at him. He was gorgeous. “Kudzu?” That caught my attention. I realized the conversation had continued when I lost focus. He walked closer to me and my only thought was to jump up and climb him like a tree. I needed to get close. “She is this affected by the poison?” Both my friends nodded, but I could remove my eyes from his. “She shouldn’t be this bad.”
“Why not?” Wendy came closer. I think she noticed my hands rubbing the edge of the tub and she could tell I was fighting the need to get out.
“It usually only affects a person who has fully mated with their mate. It is to help couples struggling with fertility.”
Wendy and Toya looked at each other. “She hasn’t mated with anyone yet.”
I watched his face close down before he asked the next question. He was hiding something, and that made it through the fog of need I was feeling. “Has she met someone she wants to mate with yet?”
Toya looked at him a confused looked. “Yes.” She looked at Wendy. His face grew angrier.
“Who?” His one word was a splash of cold water on my face.
“My king…” Toya started, but I stood.
“You can’t be this stupid Rowan.” I could feel the anger rising and it pushed back the need I was entranced by.
His eyes seemed to glow. “Who is it, rabbit?” His voice held an edge, and I wanted to scream. I stood in a rush, water trailing down my mostly naked body, and his eyes glowed. But I was pissed as I turned to my friends.
“Get this idiot out of my house. If he wants to pretend to be this stupid, or for the sake of our realm, I hope he isn’t, but if he is this stupid, I do not want to deal with him at this moment. Get him out.”
Rowan growled, and Toya stepped in front of me, blocking his view. “My king, I have to ask you to leave.” She pushed him out of the door, and he seemed to want to fight, but then he took a step back. And then another. I settled back into the freezing water as he left, closing the door behind my air, and I looked up to Wendy.
I could already feel the tears hot trail down my cheeks. “I’m the idiot.” I choked out before her arms came around me.
She rubbed my back and I silently cried before we heard a commotion outside. “You really are that fucking stupid.” We both froze when we heard Toya tore into him.
