☯︎☯︎☯︎☯︎☯︎
AMIRA ANDREWS
Four. Nights.
Four whole nights.
And it still wasn't completely over.
My body was tired, my head was in a permanent state of exhaustion, and Colby was getting antsy. I didn't have any complaints about what we'd been doing the last four nights since that man had a way of bringing out a completely different side of me I'd never discovered with others. But we had other responsibilities to pay attention to, and hanging around fucking all night really didn't feel like the most productive use of our time.
I'd marked Colby four more times now, twice in the same night at one point. It helped keep me sane for a little longer while he went downstairs to get updates on what was going on with the rest of the world. All that was needed was a quick briefing and for me to heal, and we would be taking down my attacker's subfaction of Aiden's clan at their hideout. Until then, however, I was stuck in the same cycle.
Extending my hearing downstairs was too much effort so while Colby was gone, I spent most of my time alone on my phone. A couple of news reports had been catching my eye in the local area, all about missing people and peculiar deaths. Something irked me about them. Although they were probably vampire attacks and had nothing to do with us, it felt like perhaps Aiden was getting more reckless. He'd soon have other vampires hammering down on him if he continued like this, as any vampire who revealed themselves to humans was a threat to everyone. The sooner humans figured out vamps existed, the sooner werewolves would be discovered, too, and we were far easier to kill. A gunshot was a mere inconvenience for a vamp but as life-threatening to a wolf as a human.
My mind was swirling with scenarios and desolate futures for almost an hour before I felt a stabbing pain through my chest. It evolved into the same burning feeling that had been the bane of my existence for the past few nights.
Colby was there faster than I thought possible even for a vampire. He sat beside me on the bed running his thumb across my cheek with an apologetic look on his face. It wasn't his fault this was happening. In fact, I'd pushed him into having sex the first time so really it was my fault if we were to point fingers. Still, that goddamn expression lit up a fire inside of me that was different to how I felt most of the time.
I sat up, setting my phone on the side as the agony crept in at his absence. He shifted closer but didn't undress or kiss me like he usually did, still watching me through gentle blue eyes.
"What?" I asked, keeping the pain in my body from reaching my voice.
"You need rest," he replied as he leaned forward to press our foreheads together. I closed my eyes relishing in the way everything subsided from something as simple as his touch.
I tilted my head to one side. "You know exactly what I need, Colby, and rest is as far from that as you can get." I pressed my lips to his lightly, encouraging him to take the next step.
"You do need to rest, Ames. You're a lot more human than I am."
"If I could, I would," I pointed out, "but it's just not an option. This won't last much longer, it's already more manageable."
He sighed. "I know, I can feel when you're hurting." His eyes skipped around my face rapidly, refusing to settle on any single feature. I just glanced at the claw marks on his face that I couldn't even see. I wondered what it looked like to everyone else. Did it look like a badass battle scar? Or was it less obvious than that?
After another couple of seconds, I gave up waiting and pulled him over me, lying down. I practically caressed his lips with mine instead this time, our mouths moving at a slow pace together. He was in more clothes tonight that usual, which just meant he was wearing a shirt instead of just shorts, so I got to play with the hem of it a little as I wrapped one leg around his hips. But we didn't seem to be getting any quicker, cherishing the moment unlike any time before. I was beginning to think we weren't going to move along until Colby reached down with one hand for his shorts.
There was something different about this time; his slower movements; his kiss; his emotions, even. It felt like something had changed between now and before, and I couldn't place exactly what it was.
I moaned into his mouth when I felt him slip inside of me. It was so easy now, as if my body had melded to his, adapting to his shape and accepting him completely as a part of me. I found my fingers gently trailing around his chest and shoulders, and running through his hair. Every slow yet powerful thrust was met with a soft sound I physically couldn't stop from leaving my lips.
The atmosphere wrapping around us was one I couldn't fully comprehend in the moment, but I knew even then that this heat had changed a lot. Not only did I feel different but Colby's side of the bond was locked in, and as much as I just wanted to put it down to the fact he was now marked as mine, I didn't think it was that. It felt more than that; personal, emotional. It wasn't the bond forcing us to feel the way we did about each other and that meant so much more to me than he would ever know.
As his thrusts began to grow sloppier, he pried away from my mouth to my neck instead, nipping at a spot just above my jugular. His teeth felt a little too sharp, which increased my nerves but I had enough trust in him to let him continue, to let him lick and suck. He wasn't going to bite me.
His hand slid down my body until he was gently rubbing me in time with his thrusts, sending waves of pleasure throughout me. I arched my back as he quickened his pace for a couple of seconds, and by pure coincidence, we finished at the same time.
I panted beneath him while he slid out and adjusted his position. He laid down on top of me with his head on my chest. Catching my breath, I kissed the top of his head causing him to look up at me through soft blue eyes that were a stunning sight right after a climax. A shy smile took over his face before he quickly hid it away again, and I snickered in amusement.
My instincts were telling me that my heat was over. The phantom pain I'd normally have in my chest even during our sessions wasn't there anymore, leaving my mind to wonder. Was it truly finally over?
I still wasn't going to complain about the last four nights, but having sex had felt more like a chore a couple of times. It didn't feel real... at least, not until this most recent round. Everything Colby kept hidden away behind his stern facade had come pouring out through the bond into me, enhancing every sensation and eliciting a response back. I couldn't be sure, but I was almost certain there was something burdening Colby's mind that he almost definitely wasn't going to admit to me yet. I wanted to know what it was once I had recovered with some long-awaited proper rest.
Sleeping right there and then would have been possible if Colby didn't move. I blinked and he was sat up pulling his shorts quickly back on. I realised someone downstairs must have called him, but I was done lying in bed all night.
As I started to get up, however, his hand landed on my shoulder and he pushed me back down.
"Hey," I complained, frowning up at him. "I'm almost certain my heat's over."
"So you need to rest," he replied simply, stealing my legs and twisting me round so I was forced to lie down. I quickly sat back up, shoving him away. "Ames," he muttered, shaking his head at me.
I gave him a timid smile hoping it would be more effective than being assertive. "Really, I'm fine and I'm done taking a back seat. I want to know what's going on."
He stared at me in silence, defiance written all over his face. I kept my confident but innocent expression for a couple of seconds, but he ultimately shook his head again and zipped out of the room. I huffed loudly, choosing to completely ignore his decision since it had nothing to do with him, anyway.
After a shower and changing into my normal clothes, I abandoned the bedroom I'd stared at for nights on end and jogged down the stairs. It felt good to properly use my legs again, especially when a little black ball of fur came bounding up the stairs to meet me halfway.
"Neoma!" I exclaimed excitedly, bending down to wrap her up against my chest. She didn't argue as she purred softly and stared at me. I was petting her head, continuing down the steps. Most of the scents I recognised from the house were in the kitchen, which seemed to be the plotting room.
Despite knowing the look I would get from my mate, I casually walked inside still cradling my cat. A couple of amused looks were cast my way as I placed Neoma on the floor and hopped effortlessly onto a countertop, the opposite side of the sink to Cassie. My short legs were just long enough to reach the island, so I raised them and crossed my ankles comfortably.
A conversation had continued as normal, ignoring my entrance. It was something about some of the other allies the clan had, none of which I even knew the names of. Until Reggie spoke.
"There's the option of new alliances, too. I've, uh... I've been talking a bit with Tom."
Colby instantly glared at Reggie with flickering red eyes that only seemed to burn brighter when he glanced back at me. I reached forward for his shoulder, dragging him backward just enough that I could drape my arm lazily over him. He let me.
"He's left Aiden now," Reggie continued, "and seems to be willing to join us instead. It didn't matter how many times I told him he shouldn't pick sides, he's convinced this is a full-blown war."
"Tom seemed alright," Cassie added with a nod. "Might be a good addition."
Mike weighed his hands. "We can't be sure if we can trust him or not. We did threaten his life multiple times and he had to have been with Aiden for a reason."
"Whatever it was, it can't be anything we can't offer him, too," Corey pointed out.
Reggie nodded. "The guy seems to have had enough of unreliable allies. He wants us to take him in — he's even chosen to sell the restaurant he had before because it's too close to some of Aiden's other allies."
Colby's body was tense at the conversation. I wasn't sure exactly what he was so annoyed about as Tom really did seem like a good guy. Even if he was going to bite me, he gave me the opportunity to agree to it and even admitted he wasn't going to do it, anyway, all because of some fake story I'd told him about an abusive boyfriend.
If we were going to align ourselves with him, I could see him becoming quite a meaningful ally. One who had morals and understood the importance of mercy.
I still had to apologise again for setting his restaurant on fire, regardless of whether it was an easy repair. I knew better than anyone the devastation a fire could cause.
Although I didn't agree with Colby's distaste toward the man, I felt the need to ease his nerves, so I slid my hand around his chest and draped my other arm round him, too, wrapping him up in front of me. He hesitated to lean back but once he was fully in my grip, his muscles finally eased. I dropped my chin to his shoulder to help.
Sam was talking about how making new alliances now was risky but he, too, thought Tom was an easy vampire to get in considering our kindness towards him — at my hands — and his obvious disliking for Aiden anyway. But like with everything he did, he looked to Colby for confirmation.
"I don't like it," was Colby's short response. I subtly poked his chest with one finger, and he added, "Aiden's too cunning. It could easily be part of a plot."
"We saved Tom," Reggie argued.
"We were the ones threatening to kill him in the first place."
"Excuse me," I piped up, "there's no we about it. I stopped the rest of you from killing him and his clan members. I may have been a part of the plot but I had my own intentions throughout."
Mike raised a brow. "What were those intentions?"
"To give the rest of them a chance," I answered. I shrugged one shoulder, not that any of them could see it behind Colby's form. I was shocked there hadn't been a comment already about our position.
Jake sighed heavily, drawing everyone's attention to him. "This is all a waste of time. Colby isn't going to ally with Tom because he wanted to bite his giiiiirlfwend. That's why you're so against it, isn't it, Colby?"
My mate just stared Jake down, wiping that amused smirk off of his face. I didn't offer him any kind of reaction since I knew that was what he fed on. Like a toddler copying the emotions of those around them.
But he might have had a point.
"Is it?" I questioned, tilting my head to one side to see Colby.
"No," he replied, which was a blatant lie. I stared at him silently, coaxing the truth out, but his poker face was too good. I wasn't going to get anything from him right now.
Jake wasn't as smart. "I don't remember there being any other reason not to like him," he said casually, leaning back against a countertop. "I mean, the guy was actually really nice to Amira. Unusually nice for a vampire."
I nodded. "Yes, he was nice. Kinda handsome, too."
Colby's immensely annoyed and jealous expression instantly ripped a witch-like cackle from me as he batted my arm away from him. I wrapped it back around his neck tighter, shifting up to press a kiss directly on his cheek.
"Stop being an idiot, Colby, I'm only fucking with you. Well, actually, he was sorta-"
"You're meant to be upstairs," he snapped suddenly, and I smiled wider. My eyes flicked from his down to his lips in an attempt to distract him, which worked surprisingly well considering he was genuinely pissed off with me.
"Too easy," I teased through a sigh. "Seriously, Tom was nice and he actually has morals. I don't think he was going to bite me regardless of the story I spun for him. He was hesitant from the start, if you remember. That's the kind of vampire you want to be allied with when a werewolf is yours."
The last bit was what got him. Those pretty eyes trailed around my face for a moment as if he was processing what I'd said, appreciating it, before he looked away completely. I tucked in closer knowing I'd swayed him.
"Fine," he agreed. "I guess we can-" I kissed his mark briefly, causing him to jump mid-sentence; the others wouldn't be able to see the subtle shiver down his spine — "-talk to him."
Tara snorted. "Atta girl."
I sent her a quick smug smirk as Reggie said, "I'll let him know, then."
"Actually, I have an idea for what we should do. If we..."
Colby turned his head toward me, distracting me from whatever Sam was saying as his annoyed gaze landed on my face. He lowered his voice, though in a room full of vampires it was a useless action. "Don't do that."
Laying my head to one side, I muttered, "Do what?" His half-lidded expression told me everything he didn't want to say out loud. I'd teased him in front of everyone; while he was speaking, even. But I wasn't going to admit to it right there and then so I just stared innocently back at him like I was waiting for a response.
He opened his mouth, only to be cut off by his own name from across the room.
"Colby, do you think we should?"
It was Sam again looking for validation for whatever his idea had been. I had no clue since I'd stopped paying attention the moment Colby looked at me, but as always, he was perfectly in the know. "Yeah, we'll do that. It'll serve as a threat," he told them, nodding.
I figured I could ask what the plan was later and just hugged my mate tighter from behind, settling into our position for as long as we would be here.
☯︎☯︎☯︎☯︎☯︎