Page 52 of Outnumbered

Both tensed again, Riddick, who I faced was the first to ask.

“Are you saying you want to be mated to us, Ember? This is a very serious discussion, not one to take lightly.”

“And it is not something to be discussed just between the three of us, but the entire pack,” Triston added softly behind me.

Closing my eyes, feeling foolish, I nodded. “Right, yes, of course.” I didn’t know for certain that all four of them wanted to be fully mated to me. The courting time wasn’t just for the females, but the males as well. Everyone had to make their decision as to whether they wanted to be mated or not.

For all I knew, Riddick didn’t want to be mated, but only wanted to keep the connection we had until he was absolutely certain. It had only been a couple months, after all. I was moving too quickly.

Climbing out of the bed, I hurried to the bathroom, brushing my teeth to try to distract my brain and stop the tears stinging at the back of my eyelids.

Riddick knocked on the bathroom door. “Ember? Are you okay?”

I needed a break. I needed to breathe somewhere alone, somewhere I could truly be alone. “I need some time alone,” I told him.

“Okay,” he said softly. “We’ll head downstairs to help with breakfast.”

No, he didn’t understand. I couldn’t be here right now. There were nine people in this house, maybe more of there were guards or Leona and her men. I needed pure quiet.

Closing my eyes, I pictured my cabin, or the smoldering wreckage that was left, envisioning a rectangle opening just about roof height, gathered my magic, and opened a portal beneath my feet.

I fell with a yelp, but my feet quickly hit the dirt, and I opened my eyes to find myself in the dirt yard in front of what used to be my cabin.

With a small smile, that was short-lived, I gave myself a mental pat on the back for successfully using a portal and landing without falling like I had several times this week in my training.

Yes, I could have teleported instead, but I wanted to ensure my portals were as perfect as my teleporting.

Immediately, I felt a tug on the center of my chest, one that felt like Caleb, but I couldn’t be sure.

Shaking out my hands, I walked over to my hammock between two large trees on the inside of my border, lay down and closed my eyes as it rocked back and forth.

Drawing in a deep breath, I fully relaxed as I enjoyed the peace of being away from others. The sounds of the forest, birds calling, animals rustling through the underbrush, the river, combined to create a lullaby to ease my anxiety and fears.

What would it mean if one or more of them didn’t want to mate with me? Should I just wait longer, to see how our relationship continues to progress? It was too soon, wasn’t it? This was my first time in a relationship, perhaps I was still in my lust phase.

No. Shaking my head, I knew that wasn’t the case. I loved them. Even if it felt insane to admit that.

Slowly, the panic ebbed away and I was able to relax. To accept that I needed to give them all more time to decide what they wanted to do. I wouldn’t bring up the marks again or mating until they were all ready to discuss it.

After several hours of relaxing, I felt the tugging on my chest from not just one, but four parts.

Was it the guys trying to get my attention? Maybe something was wrong.

Climbing out of my hammock, I gathered my magic, and this time used a portal to return to my bathroom.

Opening my eyes, I found my bathroom door torn off the hinges and thrown onto my bed. “Uh, did I do that?” I whispered in horror. Had I blown the door of when I used the portal? That hadn’t happened in any of my practices!

“Ember!” Caleb yelled, his voice deeper than normal as he ran into the room. His eyes were wide, frantic, and he was in a warrior form. He raced to me, grabbed my arms, and spun me around. “Are you okay? What happened? Where did you go?”

Riddick, Branson, and Triston ran inside my room behind him, their chests heaving.

“I’m fine, I just needed some space,” I told him.

He froze, looked down into my eyes and asked, “You teleported away?”

I nodded. “I went to my property for a bit. I was feeling really anxious, like a panic attack was about to happen, and just needed to be alone.”

He dropped his hands and took a step back. “You could have come to us.”

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