Page 110 of Pain

“You’re having one,” he said, the tone of his voice leaving absolutely no room for negotiation. A moment later, the sound of water running in the bathroom echoed through the small apartment.

“Go eat,” I said to Maxar. “I’ll be fine.”

“You’re not fine, Omaera.”

“No. I know I’m not. But I will be. Go eat.”

He didn’t move. He just sat on the edge of the bed and continued to massage my shoulders, which I will admit, felt wonderful.

Eventually, the faucet in the bathroom shut off, and Zandren re-entered. He scooped me up, carried me to the bathroom, and plunked me down on the counter. Then, without saying a word, he peeled me out of my clothes.

His gaze when it landed on me was all kinds of gentle. Swirling pools of browns, coppers, and honeys. “Whatever happens, Little One, we’re in this together. All of us. You’re not alone anymore.”

Tears stung the back of my eyes, and my throat grew impossibly tight as he scooped me up again and gently set me down in the steaming water. He’d even found bubble bath that smelled strongly of jasmine. A few white pillar candles lined the black windowsill, flickering gently from the mild draft.

“We’ll let you know when we hear something,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head before closing the door behind him when he left.

I sunk down into the water completely, holding my breath and letting the world around me fade into nothing more than an indecipherable echo. I counted in my head, surprised that I was still under water after over a minute. Then another minute passed. Was this another perk to being a demon, and mate-bonded with a bear and a mage? I could hold my breath for an inhuman amount of time?

Eventually, after nearly four minutes, my lungs started to burn, and I was forced to come up for air, and when I did, both Maxar and Zandren were standing there staring down at me. Drak was behind them.

Even though the water was still plenty warm, my body instantly went ice cold. They wouldn’t all be there if the news of Gemma wasn’t terrible.

“What is it?” I asked, sitting up against the back of the tub. “Just tell me.”

Zandren Adam’s apple bobbed thick in his throat. “Ottvo called.”

“And?” I probed.

My bear swallowed again, his eyes sad, mouth down turned. “They smelled … vampires when they got there. Phaceanesh, to be specific.”

My pulse thundered in my ears. Then Zandren’s mouth was moving, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. My limbs began to shake, my breath came out in ragged pants as a panic attack clutched my body and made my brain throb.

I couldn’t even keep my eyes focused on my mate as he spoke. My hands trembled, and thank god, I was sitting down, otherwise my knees surely would have buckled beneath me. I reached for the edge of the tub on either side in an attempt to ground myself, but that did very little.

Suddenly, Drak pushed past the other two and without taking off any of his clothes, he climbed in the tub behind me. “Breathe,” he said, wrapping his arms around me tight. “Breathe, Omaera.”

I shuddered in his arms, but did as he commanded as best I could.

“In through the nose … two, three, four … and out through the mouth … two, three, four. Again.” He squeezed me tighter, the deep pressure welcoming. “Good girl,” he praised. “Good.”

My breath stuttered out as I continued to inhale and exhale the way he told me to. If he wasn’t squeezing me, water would be on the floor from how hard Itrembled.

“Tell me five things you can see,” he whispered deep and quiet in my ear.

“Huh?” My head shook.

“Just do it. Don’t think too hard.”

“Uh … Zandren’s beard.”

“Good. Four more.”

“The … the pillar candles. Maxar’s weird genie pants. And um … the gray towel hanging on the towel rack.”

“One more.”

I blinked and swallowed, forgetting that I still needed to breathe, so I took a deep inhale. “Uh, the tub faucet.”

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