Page 31 of Haunted Hearts

“If you keep moaning my name like that, I’mdefinitelynot going to behave,” he warns seriously from somewhere in the steam.

I close my eyes, breathing heavily. My core is so sensitive and swollen that his thrusting is borderline painful. But I don’t want it to stop. All I want to do is keep this going for as long as possible.

“I love and hate you,” I mutter as my hips begin to move on their own.

Jonah’s chuckle echoes around me. “As long as you love me, I don’t care what else comes with it.”

My laughter is breathless and trails off into a breathy sigh as Jonah’s tail sinks deeper into me. Just as the weary muscles in my lower abdomen begin to coil, something shifts inside of me. All sensation in my legs disappears. My breath is yanked from my lungs and as I collapse to the ground, I feel the rest of me shatter.

My scream is cut off as my body drops away and my consciousness slips out of the shower, out of the house, out into the Realm of the Dead. If I had a heart, it would be racing. If I had lungs, they would be gasping for air. But I have none of that.

Not, again. Not this, please, someone help me! My internal screams stretch across time and space.

The panic that fractures my mind is abruptly cut off as I’m yanked back. This time faster than before. One moment I’m everywhere and the next, I’m on the shower floor. I raise my hands to eye level, stunned that I’m back so quickly. They tremble, along with the rest of my body as shock sets in. I pull my legs up to my chest, wrap my arms around them, and start to weep.

“Willow!”

Suddenly, Jonah’s there with me on the shower floor. His arms wrap around my shoulders as his face burrows into the crook of my neck.

“You’re here now, you’re safe,” he whispers into my ear.

“Willow.” Theo is there, stepping into the shower with us, clothes, and all, to crouch down in front of me.“You’re ok, we got you back. Just breathe.”

I hear Kwil’s and Viktor’s voices, but their words sound jumbled in my head. Someone turns off the shower, while another person wraps a towel around me. I’m carried back into the bedroom and placed in the middle of the bed. All the while, I weep. Hard. Thoughts are scattered as terror refuses to abate. Hands and lips press against me. Words of affirmation and comfort are whispered around me.

Finally, my trembling eases. I follow someone’s steady breathing and let my body relax into the chest behind me. Reality comes back into focus and when it does, I find myself surrounded by my guys. They stare into my face, with various degrees of concern written on theirs.

“There you go,” Theodon murmurs into my ear as his arms tighten around me. It’s his chest that my back is pressed against, and his legs that are framing my hips.

“I need air,” I whisper as I look around me. “Please, I need—”

My words are cut off by a knocking on the door. The guys exchange looks with each other before Jonah slips off the bed.

“Brock’s probably back,” he says as he heads towards the bedroom door, adjusting the towel around his waist as he does.

“Send him away,” Theo states. “We don’t need to entertain—”

“Come on, Theodon,” Kwil sighs. He reaches for my ankle and holds it, his thumb caressing the inside of it. “Whatever is going on between you two needs to end. You know he belongs to Willow too.”

Jonah disappears out of the room while the muscles in Theo’s arms bulge as he tenses. I wonder at the animosity, but don’t have the energy to worry about it at the moment. Viktor’s mouth presses into a hard line as he gets off the bed and moves towards a door on the other side of the room. When he opens it, he disappears inside. A moment later he returns with clothes in hand.

“Your father made sure that this closet is filled with clothes for all of us,” he lifts the articles of clothing. “You’ll want for nothing in there.”

I hum to let him know I’ve heard him, but otherwise remain silent.

“It’s not that I don’t like the reaper,” Theo murmurs into my ear. “He just doesn’t know us or our situation. I want to proceed with caution.”

I don’t say anything to this. While my heart is settling back to a normal rhythm and the terror has receded, shock has made my thoughts sluggish. Out in the living space, I hear Brock and Jonah talking. Viktor hands Kwil the clothes and suddenly there is a flurry of movement as the three Fae warriors all work together to dry and dress me.

“Soiel Ywab,let’s get you out into the fresh air,” Viktor says, offering his hand to me.

Giving him a shaky smile, I take it and I get to my feet. Kwil takes my other hand and the two of them guide me towards the door. Theo lingers behind us. His absence is noted immediately. When I look over my shoulder, he gives me a tight smile.

“I’ll be out in a moment,” He lifts his arms and that’s when I notice his wet clothes. “I need to change.”

With a tight nod, I let Viktor and Kwil lead me out of the room. Brock and Jonah are standing by the door, both of their expressions are grim as they look up at me. My heart drops.

“What? What is it?”

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