Page 35 of Rising Darkness

I felt their happiness and satisfaction, and a soft smile easily settled onto my lips. Savoring every last thrum of pleasure, I cuddled closer to my mates. The haze of bliss left me feeling totally satisfied.

Testing the bond, Axel reached for me, and I opened the mental link with Kota as well, letting all our thoughts intermingle.

If you knew how incredible it was to be inside of your mate, I bet it wouldn’t have taken you so goddamn long to pull your head out of your ass and give in, Axel teased, and Kota growled, but I caught the response he tried to keep hidden, stating that his brother wasn’t wrong.

I traced my finger along the mark on Kota’s throat. It was already healing, turning into a faint, shimmering scar.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, covering my fingers with his own, stroking my skin gently.

“No. I’m perfect.”

“You really fucking are,” Axel murmured from behind me. His arm slung around my waist as he snuggled into me, getting comfortable in his sleepy state.

“Did I wear you out?” I grinned, thoroughly amused by how sated he seemed to be.

“Give me a power nap and I’ll be ready to do that all over again,” he said, giving my ass a little tap. Wrapping himself around me, he held me like I was his favorite teddy bear. Sleep claimed him, and his breathing evened out.

“You really are perfect for us,” Kota admitted, sounding amazed. “I’ve never seen my brother so happy, and you openly accepted me after I was such a dick.”

“I care about you, Kota,” I told him, letting him feel just how much. It shocked me how much I wanted to tell Kota I loved him. Taking a silent moment to trace my fingers over the line of his chest, just enjoying being with him this intimately, I knew what I was feeling was true. I loved him.

The push and pull of our relationship had only made me value the moment of surrender that much more.

Kota didn’t need to say anything back, and though I could feel how he felt through our new bond, I didn’t need to search for his feelings. His devotion was apparent in every touch, and I saw it in the way he gazed at me until he fell asleep.

Closing my eyes, I reached for Tye and opened our link, feeling only contentment instead of jealousy. My three connections were a happy thrum in my chest, but I couldn’t help the ache for the rest of my mates as I drifted into a deep sleep for the first time in days.

Chapter Fourteen

Lorn

The eerie feeling of being watched crept along my spine, rousing me from my deep sleep. I hung in the balance, trapped in a nightmare. Dark ink crept across my mind's eye, coalescing into the unmistakable form of a shade.

Join us or you will die. The sound of that eerie, hissing voice sent shivers skating along my skin. My legs tangled in the sheets as the darkness pulsed and thundered, giving way to image after image of my mates falling to Elan; Chayton bleeding on the asphalt, Tye falling to his knees at his father’s feet with a dagger through his heart, Dason sacrificing himself to a shade just to keep it from reaching me. Axel, Kota, Syler and Jolon fought alongside me until, one by one, I lost them to battle.

And I stood alone to face Elan. He held the grimoire open in his hands as he bridged the veil, and the gate to the Shadow Realm flooded open. A hellhound launched at me, and I jolted awake in a panic.

My chest heaved as Axel and Kota hummed and groaned on either side of me. They were asleep, and from what I could tell from my connection, so was Tye, but even in slumber, they could tell something was wrong. I slammed the bonds shut so I wouldn’t disturb them, and watched the twins settle peacefully into the mattress. Slipping from bed, I made my way to the bathroom and took a few minutes to shower. Dressed in a pair of leggings and a gray tank, I padded quietly downstairs.

It was past three in the morning. Being a vampire had ruined my typical schedule and being kidnapped hadn’t helped. I was all out of whack, but I was happy the sun hadn’t risen yet, because I needed some air.

The weight of my role as the Veil Keeper sat oppressively on top of my shoulders. I was solely responsible for my failures, and if I couldn’t figure out how to tap into and control my power soon, everyone in the mortal realm would feel the repercussions. The pressure was like acid eating away at me little by little, and the darkness inside me was growing again, churning and swirling like a storm building in the pit of my stomach.

I stepped outside. The yard was quiet save for the owl that hooted in the distance and the low din of midnight insects.

Driving my hands into my dark hair, I tipped my face to the moon, reveling in the only natural light I could stand beneath. The beams played through the shifting leaves to cast dancing shadows across my face. Inhaling deeply, I distantly scented Syler and Jolon, who were out on patrol, and then picked up on another enticing scent that was much closer.

Lashes fluttering open, I spotted Dason slinking through the darkness in his preferred shifted form; a puma.

I went to him instinctively and met him at the edge of the trees, tentatively reaching out to stroke his beautiful golden fur. Like the cat he was, he nuzzled against my hand before circling me to rub his body against my legs like an overgrown house cat. When he shifted back, I was momentarily disappointed that he was dressed.

Though the two of us had been intimate with each other, we still hadn’t had sex yet, and my body was aching for that closeness with my feral, growly mate.

“You look upset. What’s wrong?” he asked. Though he could never quite tame the alpha part of him that liked to demand things, I appreciated that effort he made to ask more and order less.

“Same old, same old,” I replied, downplaying the mountain of dread that had grown thanks to my nightmare. Sliding my hands over my face, I rolled my head on my shoulders, trying to relieve some of my agitation.

Understanding my mood, Dason jerked his head toward the grassy front yard. “Need an outlet? We can spar.”

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