Page 35 of Rise of the Queen

I was somewhat startled awake and immediately worried that I’d been talking in my sleep. “Shit. Was I talking?”

He smiled sweetly at me, his warm hand resting against my cheek. “You were mumbling, but I could see the shaking from across the office. Andrei is on his way back so you can go back to sleep on him. You are overdue for sleeping in. It took you two seconds to fall asleep when you laid down.”

“At least I wasn’t yelling this time,” I said, sitting up.

Andrei walked in, looking somewhat concerned, but he relaxed when he saw me awake and talking to Adrik. “Spider monkey, I’m surprised you even fell asleep without anyone next to you. I didn’t think that was a thing you could do anymore.”

“I didn’t either, Bubba. You were right, apparently. I am overdue for sleeping in. I’m really tired,” I said.

“Being bitchy always makes you tired,” Adrik said, grinning at me. He stood up, leaning down to kiss my forehead. “Go back to sleep, love. Andrei can keep you warm. I just have a few more things to finish up and we can go back upstairs.”

Andrei sat down at the end of the couch, stretching one leg out along the back of the couch, opening his arms for me. I curled up in his arms, resting my head on his almost warm enough chest and was asleep again in a matter of minutes.

When I woke up again, I was in the penthouse. I knew I was lying on Adrik now instead of Andrei without even opening my eyes. I could feel Adrik’s perfect warmth against me. I started to stir and felt his arms hold me tighter.

“Mmm, I still love when you hold me down as I wake up,” I said. I could feel the vibration of his quiet laugh in his chest. I looked up at him. “You moved me and I didn’t wake up?” I asked, realizing I was no longer in the office.

I heard Andrei laugh from one of the other couches. “You were completely out, spider monkey.”

“We’d all been talking for like half an hour, thinking you’d wake up. You never did, so Andrei carried you up here and handed you off to Boss,” Misha said.

“Guess I really am overdue,” I said. I looked around to see if Vitaliy and Aleksei were back yet.

“They’ll be here soon. Along with dinner,” Viktor said.

It was that moment that I realized how late it had gotten and that it was now dark outside. “Shit,” I said, under my breath.

“You need a break, Seph. Don’t feel bad,” Stephen said. “You’re always extra tired when new stuff happens. You’ve had multiple new things happen lately.”

I looked at Andrei, then to Ivan. “That reminds me. I forgot to ask if you two knew you were pushing your anger to me when I was fighting to keep the panic at bay at the hotel.”

Andrei nodded his head. “I could feel you panic but then I felt you get angry and figured out what you were trying to do. I had no idea how to do it, but I tried to push mine to you. I know you can deal with insane amounts of anger, but you struggle with the panic and fear. I was hoping the anger would override everything else.”

“You’re so smart and so handsome. It’s like you’re a double threat,” I said.

“It was a little different for me. Your anger amps mine up to the point that it’s all I notice. I felt yours getting stronger, which made mine get stronger. I think it was having the same effect on me as it was you because it calmed my nerves when looking at her,” Ivan said. “It was a welcome change.”

“That’s different,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip. “I felt your bubble too, Squish. A couple of times.”

“Have you learned how to keep your demon eyes under control, Seph? I was sitting across from you and I didn’t see them once when you were talking to her. I was incredibly impressed,” Stephen said. We hadn’t had a chance to fill him and Viktor in on my mood ring eyes yet.

“She’s been wearing contacts since we went to Panama. Her eyes have a mind of their own now. The demon eyes aren’t the only trick she can do now, but she has problems controlling it. Since we were all a little punchy after Trino’s guys had such a problem with her, Boss had contacts made for her so she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing and we wouldn’t have to kill anyone,” Ivan said. He had his devilish grin on his face.

“What else are they doing, sestrichka?” Viktor asked.

“It’s easier if I show you. Be right back,” I said, running to the bathroom to take the contacts out. When I came back out, they’d all moved to the kitchen, where there was better lighting.

I walked to Adrik, knowing how much he loved seeing my eyes change to blue. The smile on his face told me they had changed. He called Viktor and Stephen over so they could see.

“Her demon eyes started as the brown overtaking the other colors and turning darker. Now it’s to the point that they’re black when it happens. The other colors started doing it now too whenever she feels different emotions. Blue means she’sthinking about how much she loves me. Green means she’s being a shit and sarcastic,” Adrik said.

“Now that we’re all here, I want to see the white,” Misha said. He was always the instigator and I loved him for it.

“White?” Stephen asked.

I nodded. “When I get scared, they turn almost white. There’s just a hint of blue still, but it’s mostly white. The other day when the Wonder Twins asked me about my demon eyes, I showed them the other colors but I didn’t want to show them the white because Ivan feels my panic and you guys were gone to get Vitaliy. I didn’t want to distract him. We haven’t tested it to see how far away it works, but my panic and fear are very strong so he and Adrik get punched with it when it happens.”

“It’s scarier than her demon eyes when it happens,” Adrik said.

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