The Magic of Destiny: Emerald Lakes Book Four, page 19
“You okay down there?” Bram looked down at me with a grin on his sexy face.
“I've never seen anything so... I've never felt this feeling of…”
Fuck, I wasn't making any sense.
Firefly reached down, offering her hand. I took it and stood, our bodies pressing together once more. “How did it make you feel, Faris? We want to know,” she said softly, brushing my wayward curls from my eyes.
I glanced between her and Bram, suddenly completely overwhelmed with this feeling. I knew why I'd never felt it before.
“Tell us, Baby Fang. How do you feel?” Bram asked, encouraging me to find my voice.
“Whole. I feel... whole.”
After the intense sex with Bram and Faris, I took another quick shower and then collapsed into bed. Sloane was in the middle with Fischer on his other side, his head resting on Sloane’s chest. They were completely out, snoring softly. We hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep in Besmet—the ground didn’t make for the most comfortable of naps. At least I’d gotten enough rest to regain enough power to open the portal and get us back home. I knew Cam was still upset, but I'd been expecting as much. I wasn't sure what our conversation was going to be like when it finally happened.
I snuggled up to Sloane, and in his slumber, his arm came around me and held me close. Sleep came for me as I listened to his heartbeat thumping steadily.
When I woke up later, Sloane and I were wrapped around each other like a couple of pretzels. He was still sleeping, and I peered over to find Fischer no longer in bed with us. Rolling onto my back, I stretched and glanced over to the window. The sun was setting, the dusky lighting spilling through the window. Hues of oranges, pinks, and purples swirled on the horizon. We'd been asleep for hours and I was thankful the guys were letting us rest.
Sloane shifted, rolling toward me on his side. His face was so relaxed and boyish when he slept, like all of the trauma he'd been through in his life couldn't touch him. He was going to be an amazing father. All of my men would be—I had no doubt. In a way, I knew Sloane would go above and beyond for any children in his life because he'd been let down so horribly by his own father.
And Bram... An image flashed in my mind of him swinging around a little girl with long red hair, as she squealed and he laughed. Cam would be the kind of dad who hovered, always protective of his kids—the way he was with all of us. Fischer would be the easiest for the kids to go to if they needed to talk; his affinity would make it easy for him to understand in a way that none of us could. As for Kai... I chuckled to myself. I could see him completely buried under a pile of children, laughing and pretending to growl. And Faris? Well, Faris was going to lose his mind when he found out. He'd already expressed his interest in seeing me pregnant.
“P–please…”
Sloane's strangled voice drew me out of my daydreams. I looked over at him to find his face, which had been peaceful just moments ago, now pinched and red.
“Don't. Don't touch her!” he growled, and my heart broke. Instinct told me he was reliving whatever he’d witnessed in Besmet.
“Sloane,” I said gently.
He didn't respond, but his breathing sped up considerably and a hoarse cry came from his mouth. “Sorry... Red.”
Oh gods. My eyes filled with tears. I didn't know what to do for him. Should I just let him sleep? Try to wake him? When he started to thrash, I decided it would be safer for me to let it ride and get some space. Sloane was a large man, and I didn't want to catch a wayward fist. He'd never forgive himself if he hurt me like that.
I sat up slowly, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I gasped when his hand wrapped around my wrist and I was yanked back down to the mattress. He moved with speed and precision, pinning me down with his hand now wrapped around my throat.
“Sloane,” I gasped as I clawed at his arm. “Baby. It's me!”
Sweat beaded on his brow, his eyes darting back and forth, like he wasn't really seeing what he was doing.
“Sloane!” I croaked, the pressure on my throat increasing now. My scratching down his arms didn't seem to be waking him up. Pulling my arm back, I slapped him as hard as I could across the face. The clap echoed in my room, and tears fell from my eyes like rain from the heavens.
His eyes focused on my face, and I watched as recognition dawned. His face turned from panicked to confused to absolutely horrified. Releasing my throat like my skin was burning him, he looked at his hand as if it was someone else's.
“What... What the fuck am I doing, Red? I was... Oh gods.” His voice cracked. “I'm so sorry, so sorry. Why would I?” he rambled, still in a heavy state of confusion.
I rubbed my throat, willing my body to heal whatever he'd done quickly so it wouldn't haunt him. “You were having a nightmare, or remembering something from the lab. When you didn't wake, I decided to get out of bed since you were starting to thrash around.”
“And I put my hands on you?” He held his hands up, and I could see them shaking. “I put my hands on my mate? To harm you? To kill you?” His voice was near hysterical, and I shifted to sit up. I took his hands and held them, lifting them to my lips to kiss his fingers.
“You weren't awake. You would never harm me, baby. Do you understand? This wasn't your fault. We couldn't have known that you'd have this kind of lasting effect from the things you saw.” His breathing was still rapid and he wasn't making eye contact, still trapped in the cage with his memories. “Hey,” I cooed. “Look at me, Sloane. I'm right here. You're safe. I'm safe. Everyone is safe. This is real.”
His icy blue eyes slammed into mine. “Gods,” he sobbed, pulling me onto his lap and burying his face in my neck. “You have no idea—the things they did. It will haunt me for the rest of my life. And I couldn’t stop them from doing it. I'm so sorry,” he told me, his tears wetting my skin. I ran my hands through his hair and down his back, shushing him, much like one would a child.
“You're safe. They tricked you. Nobody harmed me or Fischer, I swear,” I whispered.
“You don't understand.” He shifted me off his lap abruptly and sprang from the bed, running for the bathroom. “I'm gonna be sick…”
When he was done and had washed his hands, the bathroom door swung back open. He stood there, looking destroyed. His face was pale, his hair was a wild mess, and there were dark circles beneath his eyes.
“We can't share a bed anymore,” he announced, a stern expression on his face now as he moved over to the dresser to get a t-shirt.
“What?”
“Overnight. Or when I'm sleeping. Not until I get this under control. I won't hurt you,” he told me.
“But—”
“No buts.” He walked over to the bed and cupped my face between his large hands. “You're a treasure. My treasure. I can't describe it, Red. The thought of you being hurt…” He shook his head. “The thought of it makes me want to roar to the sky and scorch the earth, in the hopes that whoever dared to harm you dies a fiery, painful death.”
“Wow,” I breathed. The passion behind his words was so intense, I had to take a deep breath to calm myself.
“I'm going downstairs to tell them what I did. If I get my ass kicked, don't stop it. I deserve it.” He kissed my lips quickly and headed for the door. I melted; his kisses gave me such a high.
Wait, what?!
“Hey! Sloane, wait!” I scrambled off the bed as he closed the door, and I heard him going down the stairs. Son of a bitch. I quickly threw clothes on—which took me less than a minute, new personal best—and flew down the stairs.
“You did WHAT?”
Oh my gods.
I raced into the kitchen to find Sloane pinned against the fridge by Kai.
“Let him go!” I yelled, and all six of my guys looked at me. I held up a finger and bent over, taking some deep breaths. “Whew. Your girl is really not into moving swiftly from one place to another,” I panted as I fanned my face.
“You mean running?” Faris asked.
“Don't say that word in my house,” I replied with a shudder, and he laughed. But he was the only one laughing. Everyone else was tense and focused on Sloane. “What the hell did he come down here and say?”
Kai growled. “He came in here and announced that he almost choked you out in bed.”
“Sloane, do you want them to kick your ass? Do you think you need some kind of punishment for something you literally had no control over?” I walked over to the fridge and pushed Kai back, away from my sad dragon boy. “Living room. Everyone. Now.” I pushed Sloane’s back to get him to move. I could feel the tension and unease at my back like a thick fog.
Once the guys all took their seats, I headed over to sit next to Sloane. He’d tried to isolate himself off to one side on the sectional, but I wasn’t having it. What had just happened wasn’t his fault, and I’d be damned if he thought he could just close himself off again. Situations like these were exactly why we needed to be there for each other.
His eyes widened as I plopped down beside him and took his hand. I held on tightly, because I fully expected him to try and pull away from me. Our eyes connected and I narrowed mine, hoping he knew what I was saying without words.
Don’t even fucking think about it, mister.
He huffed, settling back against the couch, and I looked away to hide my smile. Which evaporated fairly quickly because my other men were clearly wound up.
“Let’s talk then,” Kai rumbled, his voice holding a primal edge to it that lifted the hairs on the back of my neck.
The silence in the room was unbearable. We were never silent. Someone was always laughing, teasing, touching, or talking.
Turning to Sloane, I kept my voice low because I didn’t want to embarrass him if he was uncomfortable. “Do you want me to tell them what happened? Or do you want to?” His jaw ticked in agitation, but his thumb traced circles over the back of my hand, so I knew it wasn’t me he was upset with.
He cleared his throat and looked at the guys. “When I was taken, they had, uh, an interesting technique they used to get me to obey.” I watched as everyone straightened up, except for Fischer since he already knew. “My father was there when I was taken, and when I woke up, I was strapped to a table in some kind of exam room. A woman came in and administered some kind of drug via injection that suppressed my magic. They wanted me to be in my dragon form all the time, so they could study me. When I refused...” Sloane paused, and groaned. The pain in that sound was so obvious that Kai released a whimper at his obvious discomfort.
“It’s okay. You’re here with us. We’re all here and we love you,” I whispered, encouraging him to continue but hopefully helping him to stay grounded in the here and now.
“The people who worked there… they had you guys. Or I thought they did. It all seemed so real. At first, they would torture them when I refused to shift, but they quickly learned that by actually hurting them, the shift to dragon would happen regardless. I’d lose my fucking mind. Stuck in a cage, with no escape. I’d have to watch them... watch while... while they…” Sloane released a heartbreaking noise that was as un-Sloane-like as a noise could be.
“Jesus,” Cam hissed.
Sloane took a deep breath. His hand trembled in mine, so I covered it with my other hand. “When it became clear that I’d shift just to avoid Red or Fish being harmed further, they started doing it just to see how powerful I was, or to watch how I’d react to different scenarios. They wanted to break me... and I think they might have,” he explained, the last part coming out softly.
Kai hopped to his feet and came over to plop down on the floor next to Sloane’s legs. “That’s not possible. You’re one of the strongest men I know. It may take some time, but you’ll be okay, brother.”
Tears welled in my eyes at the love these guys had for each other. With a foundation as solid as their friendship, I knew everything would work out. These men took care of each other, and they’d done so long before I ever came into the picture.
Crossing his legs, Bram ran a hand through his hair. “Fucking shapeshifters,” he spat, holding his hands up when every person in the room looked at him with identical ‘are you serious’ expressions. “Yes, I know. Shapeshifting is a power I have, but I would never abuse that power like they did. Mentally torturing someone like that? I wish I could go back there and personally decimate those bottom-feeding assholes.” His eyes flared, and I knew he was literally working through the logistics of that in his mind, to see if it was possible. When this demon wanted blood, it was nearly impossible to deter him from his goals of carnage.
Faris had been quiet the entire time, listening and watching the room closely. I knew he and Sloane had issues, but I was really hoping they’d be able to work them out.
A wave of calm suddenly blanketed the room, and my body relaxed. Sloane’s arm wrapped around me as he tugged me against him, and I released a deep sigh. Guppy stood and walked over to us, taking Sloane’s other hand and twining their fingers together. I was thankful for the use of his affinity in this moment; it felt like we could all breathe for a moment.
“Tell us what happened upstairs?” Guppy asked, looking at Sloane, who looked almost like he was in a daze.
“I was asleep and I was having a dream. Flashback would actually be more accurate. Only this time, I got my hands on that fucker who was hurting them—the one who’d been the most cruel. I wrapped my hands around his neck, but then he slapped me. Except when I looked down, it wasn’t him anymore. It was Red.” He pulled his hands away from Guppy and I, holding them up like he just couldn’t believe what he’d done. “I was strangling her. Like they did. Like my dad used to—”
“You’re nothing like him,” Cam snapped. “You went through hell, brother. I still have dreams about the cabin burning, and I wake up sweating, gasping for breath. This is going to stay with you forever. Having a natural reaction to a traumatic event doesn’t make you weak.”
“I could have killed her!” Sloane boomed, pushing off the couch to his feet. Kai scrambled out of the way to make room.
Jumping up myself, I reached for his arm. “You’re acting like I’m made of glass. I have my own magic, Sloane. Trust me, you never would’ve gotten close. The shock caused me not to react as quickly as I should have, but now that we’re all on the same page, I won’t make that mistake again.”
“One of us will make sure we’re with you if you’re sleeping with anyone. Nobody needs to get hurt or be isolated. We’ll get through this together,” Kai said, his voice firm. He’d never let Sloane confine himself. Hell, he’d never let any of us do that; that’s part of why I loved the big bossy Alpha.
Fischer stood off to the side, studying Sloane. “Let me take the memories away,” he blurted out, and every head in the room snapped to look at him.
“Absolutely not.” Sloane crossed his arms, glaring at Guppy.
I huffed at him. “Why the hell not?”
“Nobody—and I mean nobody—will ever see what I saw there,” Sloane warned, a challenge in his tone.
Guppy frowned. “You’re trying to protect me and there’s no need. My powers are stronger than they’ve ever been. I’m confident I can do it quickly, and I swear to you that I won’t look at the memories, Sloane. I just want to help you. Think about it, okay? If you change your mind, I’m here.” He surged forward and wrapped his hand around the back of Sloane’s neck, tugging him in and bumping their foreheads together.
Glancing back, I met Cam and Bram’s eyes. They seemed to be at ease now, thank the stars. I looked over at Faris, feeling slightly confused when I found him scowling. Before I could ask him if he was okay, Sloane dropped another bomb.
“They wanted me to mate with a female dragon.”
I blinked. And blinked. And blinked again a whole shitload of times.
“Excuse me, what?” I demanded.
Bram nodded. “Makes sense. They’re interested in Sloane because he’s able to shift forms, but I think Asrael is clearly looking to make more dragons. If he can breed them…” He trailed off, and the mood in the room darkened.
“Well, did you?” Faris spoke for the first time, and the snarl that erupted from Sloane was a serious warning.
“Did I cheat on my beautiful mate with a scaled lizard that weighs a metric fuck ton? Get fucked, Faris,” Sloane barked, flipping him the bird.
Faris didn’t rise to the challenge, simply leaning back against the couch and shrugging. My brow furrowed at the tension between them. I didn’t like it. There wasn’t much I could do about it right now, though. Hopefully with time they might begin to trust each other.
“Knock it off, assholes,” Cam scolded the two men, but neither seemed to care.
Deciding it was time to change the subject, I brought up our encounter with Vaeryn. It took a while to explain, but we were finally all on the same page about what had happened while we were separated.
Silence descended on us as each of us processed the information overload. It was clear that we needed to help the dragons and hold true to our promise of a rendezvous in a week's time, but what about the facility holding an army of them?
“So how did you know about the dragon army again? I don't think I heard that part?”
Bram, Kai, Faris, and Cam all exchanged glances before Bram spoke. “Well, Goldie. That's an interesting story. Maven came back.”
I stood abruptly from the couch. “Where is he? I've missed him so much. Maven?!” I called, ready to cuddle my little ball of white fluff. I hadn’t seen him since that night Laurie had escaped and Bryce tried to kill me. Gods, that felt like a lifetime ago.
“He's uh... different,” Cam added.
I held my hand to my heart. “Oh no. Did he get hurt?” Not my Maven.
“No, I didn't get hurt. I was freed,” a deep voice said, and I shrieked when I saw the strange man standing in the hallway, his appearance mostly hidden by the shadows.
“What is going on?” I looked at Kai; he'd give it to me straight.
Kai shrugged. “That's Maven.”
I sucked in a breath when the man stepped into the light. His blue eyes were the same shade as my fox's, and his gold wings and long white hair were immediately recognizable. This was the demon who’d saved me from falling to my death.
