Page 177 of Mama Si's Paradise

Even so, I could feel my body shutting down.

Over.The Blood Call had ended.

Now, one of them claimed me for himself, and the life I always thought I wanted would remain a fantasy forever.

Thirty-Nine

“Mine.”

My eyes opened again, only halfway because all my energy was gone, and my limbs were shutting down. The heat was still there, though. The sun, though small now, still burned in the pit of my stomach, and with each breath I took, it seemed to be getting warmer, which made no sense.

“No—mine.”

Silence in the room.

I recognized both voices—one Tristian, the other Romin.

“Are you out of your minds?! She’smine, brothers. I felt it—lookat me!” This from Emil.

I reached out my hand to the side, searching for Grey, for a little strength. His fingers laced with mine and the cold I felt radiating from his skin gave me a little energy to look around me, at the brothers still kneeling around me, still half naked, my blood staining their lips and teeth and chins…

The brothers looked at one another for a long moment.

“Something’s wrong,” said Valentine in a hushed whisper, and his eyes locked on mine.

“You’reall wrong,” said Grey, squeezing my fingers.It was a breath of fresh air to feel his touch. “She’s mine. I know how the selection feels.”

“Oh, brother, we alldo,” said Romin, and his hand touched my cheek, inviting my eyes to his. The way he was smiling at me made all the hairs on my body stand at attention.

“It isn’t over yet,” said Valentine, and as if on cue, the heat inside me pulsated once, twice, burning me to my core.

A moan slipped from my lips when I attempted to stop the scream.

“She’s mine. I felt it, she’s?—”

Emil moved, reaching for me with both hands, and Grey slammed his fist to his face so fast I barely caught it.

Emil fell off the bed, blood exploding from his mouth and nose.

“Don’t.Touch.Her.” Grey growled like a fucking animal, and I pulled at his hand, moaning louder. Ignore them—look at me!

Fuck, I needed ice. I need to be bathed in an ocean made of ice so badly…

“She is not yours to claim,” Romin growled.

“No—she’smine!” said Valentine, and Tristian laughed.

“This is your first year participating in the ritual, young blood. You don’t get a bride yet,” he reminded him.

“Not true. Just because no other Evernight has claimed a bride in their first year doesn’t mean it can’t be done. There are no rules, no laws against it,” Valentine said with that quiet calm of his, but he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at Romin. He couldn’t see that it was back, that that heat was scorching me from the inside, and no matter how hard I dug my nails into Grey’s hand, they continued to talk.

Not bite me buttalk.

Then how do you explain what I felt? Can you not see my marks?

Are you a fool? You can seemymarks a lot more clearly!

Nonsense. This is nonsense. You all saw how relieved she was when I bit her. You saw it!

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