Page 75 of His True Beloved

He was drenched, head to toe, in his pants, dress shirt, and vest, his eyes widening as my fingers gripped into his shirt. Hell, even though I was scared to death right now, he was still the sexiest thing alive.

“What happened?” I croaked. My hair tangled with ice cubes, my naked body hanging in the air as he lifted me over the tub while his long legs stepped over. Yanking a towel from a nearby rack, he pulled me to my feet, wrapping my body.

“Is she all right?” Rowan barged in, along with his mate Adaline whose hair was disheveled. Her grip tensed on her mate only to let go suddenly to touch my arm.

“Goddess, you saw him, didn’t you.” I bit my lip, unsure if this was a dream or reality. I wasn’t sure anymore, one moment, I was speaking to Sebastian in the tub, and the next, Wyatt was hovering over me.

“I don’t know what’s real?” I spoke out louder than I had expected. More men came into the small bathroom, all with firey gazes in their eyes.

“Back away.” Sebastian held me close, covering my body from them. My ass was still hanging out, and my body was trembling. Either by fear or the ice that was still trying to melt into my hair.

“Is this real? How do I know?” I held onto Sebastian’s vest. “I really don’t know. I thought we were talking, then I blinked, and therehewas.” I shook. The rest of the vampires in the room began murmuring, and Sebastian’s growl surprised the room.

“Get out,” he hissed. “Let me get her dressed.” My fingers wrapped around him tighter, feeling like a damn damsel in distress. No amount of therapy could get me through this.

Did supernaturals have therapy? Pretty sure I’m going to need it now.

“It’s all right,” Sebastian cooed in my ear while one by one, they left the room. The heat of Sebastian’s breath calmed me as my heart gradually slowed. Adaline gave one small smile, trying to brush her massively knotted hair. “I was asking if you would change for me, to become a vampire, and you said yes, but suddenly your eyes fluttered, and you fell asleep. An incubus can’t make you fall asleep, but the alcohol in your system must have made you tired with the calming effects of the bath.”

That made sense.

There were too many times in college I’d fall asleep in a warm bath. Sebastian had even given me the perfect rubdown massage, and the sweet oils of the tub relaxed me too much. He may have had an ulterior motive trying to relax me enough so I felt comfortable in saying yes to become like him so quickly. I huffed out a breath of amusement.

I had already decided I would change for him anyway.

“Let me get you dressed, we need to discuss what you saw, but by the sounds of your screams, I’m guessing it isn’t something I would like.” His claws ripped the towel I had held against the front part of my body.

“He didn’t do anything,” I paused. “Like… that.” Sebastian’s shoulders slumped, nodding as he pulled the clothing from the counter. It wasn’t my basic pajamas that I had moved from my house, but his own clothing. The beautifully embroidered, fancy merchant tunic from Bergarian and a pair of loose-knit, extremely soft linen pants.

As amusing as the clothing was, it made me long to go somewhere other than Earth, to start somewhere new and away from Earth. It made me wonder what the women wore and if the world was like a fantasy.

Putting the tunic over my head, dressing me like a doll that he thought I was, he grabbed my hand and led me outside. Vampires stood in each corner of the room. Elder Rowan looked outside the window, pointing to someone on the other side. Adaline held his hand tenderly, looking more put together than when she left me earlier.

“I’m sorry to intrude in your quarters, Sebastian, especially during this difficult time, but it would save time and the hearsay.” Sebastian pulled me tight around his body, his nose buried deep in my wet hair.

“I’m here.” Suron walked through the door, his eyes blazed with fury. “What happened? You sent the alert that there was an incubus dream?” Suron stepped into the room to comfort me, but Sebastian held his arm out.

“I know you are trying to help, but touching my beloved will get your face bashed in.” Suron stepped back, a smirk playing on his once angry face.

“You can’t hit the money maker. The kids only like me because I look less scary,” he quipped.

“Enough,” Rowan snapped, stepping away from the window and sitting at the trunk at the end of the bed. “When Sebastian called for help in the hallway and grabbed ice from the dispenser in the upstairs utility room, I figured it was the incubus.” He ground his fangs. “It’s hard to wake an incubus dream. When I heard the ice dispenser, I knew it had to be him.” Rowan rubbed his tired face. “He was probably waiting in the back of your mind, waiting for the perfect moment, and heard of our plans.”

“They can do that? Listen?” I asked.

“Yes, they can lay and wait in the mind, and once you are asleep, when your mind is most open, they will take over. Wyatt is playing a dangerous game. We have witches on his tail. It will take time to find him since all the sorceresses are in Bergarian, but we will find him, take him down.” Rowan huffed in annoyance.

I rubbed my hands down my linen pants. Sebastian had me sitting on his lap in the sizable floral chair. “I’m not sure you will need to find him,” I muttered, biting my lip.

“Why the hell not?” Sebastian gripped me tighter. His fangs hovered over the mating bite as he pushed the oversized linen tunic over my shoulder. He was staring at it, longing to rake his teeth across it. The room stood still, holding their breath, as they watched him descend his fangs closer to my skin.

“Sebastian,” Suron warned, but Rowan gave a glare that would make anyone shut up. His eyes grew bright red, his fists balling, watching Suron. “Back away,” Rowan mouthed to Suron, who listened and stood at the door.

“He—” I gulped. “Wyatt said he was coming to see me to say goodbye one last time.” The room got quieter still, there was no breathing other than mine, and it became swift. Feeling the rise and fall of my chest, Sebastian let out a growl in forewarning, his voice harsh and demanding.

“Get. Out.” He glowered at everyone in the room. Rowan didn’t question Sebastian’s commanding tone and waved his fingers for the vampires in the room to leave. Suron hesitated, standing by the door and looking from Rowan to me.

“It’s okay,” I mouthed.

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