“Holy shit,” I breathed, my chest rising and falling quickly.
Crawling up the bed, Samian hovered over me, his smile widening. “We need to get dressed. Ivara and Daelan will be here soon.”
Rising to my elbows, I pressed my lips against his, tasting myself on his tongue. He groaned and moved away, rolling off the bed to put on his shirt. Following Samian, I stood and closed the distance between us, my fingers fumbling with the button of his pants. But Samian’s hand wrapped around mine, stopping me before I could unbutton them. His eyes were heated when I frowned up at him. “I’ll give you more later, but for now, we must get ready and meet the others in the forest.”
“Fine,” I sighed, sitting back on the bed. “When did we undress, anyhow? We were fully clothed when we fell asleep.”
Samian barked a laugh and shook his head, his eyes crinkling in amusement. My face heated at his response. I must have done something embarrassing for him to act this way.
“You woke up at some point, muttering about the heat and began to strip,” he said between his laughter. “I tried to stop you, but you bit me.”
“I—what?” I asked, my face turning crimson.
Samian shrugged, handing me my shirt. “You bit me.” Lifting his arm to me, there was an oval-shaped mark with teeth indentations on his forearm.
My mouth gaped open before I let out a breathy laugh. “I can’t believe I bit you,” I mumbled, my hands covering the humiliation on my face. “I’m so sorry!”
Samian chuckled, moving my hands away, bringing them to his lips. Pressing a small kiss to my fingers, he leaned down to meet my gaze. “I thought it was cute, but then when you were grinding against me, your body becoming flush with mine, it was all I could do to restrain myself.” His deepened voice echoed through my mind, and my throat bobbed, heat coiling low in my stomach. “When we return, I’ll splay you out before me andfeast.”
Samian quickly stepped back, cool air filling the now-empty space, sending a shiver down my spine. Bringing me my clothes, Samian whispered, “quickly”against my head before pressing a kiss there and leaving the room to meet Ivara and Daelan. Once the door to my bedroom closed, I rushed to the bathroom to clean up. I threw on my clothes, fighting my mind the entire time, forcing myself to calm down. But those lips, and those lust-filled eyes…
Shaking my head, I pushed back those thoughts before they could go further. I didn’t need to be strung out during training, especially when I knew how Kieran liked to ‘play’ with my head while correcting my stances. I stepped out of my bedroom,finding everyone waiting for me. A blush bloomed on my face, and Ivara let out a throaty laugh like she knew the suffering I was going through.
Following Samian out of the palace, he transferred us to the usual meeting spot in the forest. We were early this time, surprise taking over me when we found our spot empty. Easing onto one of the stones, I stared at the space where Kieran and the others would enter, my chest aching with longing. We didn’t part on the best of terms this morning, and it made me uneasy. I could understand why he was upset, but I couldn’t help but wish for him to see my point of view—to accept why I felt like I had to keep these secrets to myself.
“Where are you?” I asked Kieran through our bond, hoping that he was close enough to hear me.
“Miss me already?” Kieran sent back, chuckling, easing the heaviness I felt. “We’re almost there, Princess.”
I sent a scoff back through the bond, hoping that he could feel my annoyance. A branch snapped, and I looked up, my lips rising in a broad smile, my heart leaping with excitement at how soon Kieran had meant.
But it wasn’t Kieran who stood there. My smile faltered as two beings appeared in front of us, though the shadows of the night covered their faces. Samian cursed, moving to block me from view, though Daelan and Ivara stood their ground. Dark shadows emerged like a fog around my feet as Salem appeared. His ears were cocked toward the beings, and the hair along his back was standing straight. There was a thick tension in the air, growing as the beings watched me with dark curiosity.
The two stepped closer in the moonlight, and I sucked in a gasp. The female had pale skin and horns white as pearls. Her body was lean and graceful, and her eyes seemed to glow in the night. The other was a male with bright red hair. Black tattoosswirled along his neck, down to his chest. He looked powerful, the air humming from his presence.
My magic pulsed, thrashing under my skin. My hands prickled as it gathered there, waiting to burst. Salem’s ear twitched, listening to the thrum of my power growing to defend me. The shadows around him whirled as he grew, his body expanding and stretching until he stood at my waist. Bands made of pure night surrounded him, readying to strike.
I blinked, looking away for a moment when a whip of sharpened water struck Salem before I could even comprehend the attack. A scream lodged in my throat, but the water went straight through Salem, leaving him unharmed. The female’s eyes widened as Salem bared his teeth to her, releasing a silent growl. The male grinned, his yellow eyes turning bright before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. My body jerked, and I sucked in a breath when he stood in front of me, his body almost touching mine. Pinching my chin between his thumb and knuckle, he lifted my face higher. Salem attacked the male, but the shadow bounced back from the shield of water surrounding us.
I swallowed, my heart pounding hard in my chest, when the male angled my face to a sliver of moonlight to get a better look.
“Let go of my mate if you know what’s good for you, Edris.” I tried to turn my head toward the sound of Kieran’s threatening voice, but the male—Edris—kept his grip firm.
“So, you’re his mate,” Edris chuckled, turning my head in the other direction. “And Samian’s too.” Edris paused, his smile faltering as he narrowed his eyes, lifting my face higher, my throat stretching painfully. “Well, well, well. This is interesting.”
“Not as interesting as losing your head,” Samian growled. “Back away from her.”
Edris released my chin, slowly stepping away. I sucked in a shuddering breath, hoping no one could see how my bodytrembled. My legs felt ready to buckle, but I forced myself to keep standing.
“I see it,” Edris drawled, his head tilted as his gaze raked down my body, noting how I shook. “But you don’t have to worry; we’re not here to cause you any harm.” Meeting my gaze again, one side of his lip curled into a smug grin. “In fact, I’m here with information that could help you.”
Chapter 28
Sybil
“What do you mean, ‘help her’?” Kieran said, his voice lowering. His gaze shifted to the female behind Edris, widening. “You found something?” The surprise in Kieran’s tone caught me off guard. There was a war in my mind between keeping up my guard and relaxing in case they were potential friends. However, something deep within the crevasses of my psyche told me to keep a careful watch on them.
“Yes,” the female ground out, her narrowed focus still on Salem. “We found an entry that dates centuries back. Though we’re not sure how accurate it is. The entry was of a story passed down through the family of a goddess from long ago. However, the story discussed how she was forced into a bargain and how she realized it wasn’t fully completed.”
