Rushing into the bathroom, I fought my long locks into a sleek, high pony-tail that was about all I had time for right now. It was harder than you'd imagine with my horns getting in the way. I brushed foundation onto my face, quickly added a light blush dusting to my cheeks and a coating of black mascara to my already-long lashes. Touching up my eyebrows with a powder and highlight on the brow bone, I decided this was going to have to be good enough—I was likely approaching that ten-minute mark.
Quickly, I sprayed on some deodorant and applied a light perfume with a charred floral aroma on my neck and wrists. I found the scent to be intoxicating and alluring in a discreet manner. I was hoping someone would eventually compliment me on the uniqueness of the scent, but I was still waiting.
I tossed my toiletry bag into my luggage, and my boots clicked against the floor of my sitting room as I opened the door to my quarters, annoyed to see Drayven still waiting right there. He could have easily waited for me outside in the carriage. I wanted to be around him as little as possible.
Ignoring him, I started down the hall and towards the stairs to take me outside. A peculiar sound came from behind me and I turned around, shocked to find Drayven with half his body in my room and his jaw set firmly in anger.
"Get out of my room, you psycho!" I yelled in annoyance, not appreciating the intrusion into the safe haven that was my room. I swear, the man had no understanding of personal space. Like, how would he feel if I just went into his room without consent? Huh?
The two guards stationed on either side of the door glanced between us uncomfortably, unsure of how to handle the situation.
"Good for nothing," I grumbled under my breath as I stomped over to Drayven and yanked on his arm, pulling him out of my room and closing the door for a second time. I made it a few feet before he stopped me, far enough away from the guards to give us some semblance of privacy, his arm wrapping around my bicep before dropping it as if I was diseased.
His nostrils flared, and he looked down at me with such intensity it made me forget what was going on for a second. "What?" I asked, genuinely confused as to how I could have pissed him off this time.
His voice came out even-keeled, but his tense body language told a very different story, "Who was in there with you, Ama?"
I stared blankly at him, extremely confused about what he was going on about.
“What?”
“Who was in there with you?” A slight growl in his tone had me frowning as I finally processed his question.
I spluttered, feeling like his question gave me whiplash, "No one." And then promptly remembered it was none of his fucking business anyways. Putting my hands on my hips, I added, "Even if there was, I would not owe you the answer to that question."
In half a second flat, his face was in front of mine, his head dipped so that his words were a whisper against my lips, his citrus scent wafting around me as he admitted, "I smelled your arousal, Ama. Was someone in there with you, or did you make yourself come?"
Oh. Oh wow.
My eyes widened and my lips parted in shock that he had asked the blunt, sexual question. Heat flushed my cheeks, and I knew he'd be able to see how much his question had rocked my world. I wouldn't be ashamed of this, though. It was a natural thing to do, and he had ruined it.
Snapping out of my shell-shocked state, I flipped my sassy switch and rebutted, "Well, I wish the answer to that was yes, but as I said earlier, you ruin everything."
Deciding this conversation was absolutely done, I headed back down the hallway and yelled, "Come on! You're the one who was rushing me."
I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the hell was going on in Drayven's head. Sometimes, it felt like he truly cared about my safety, that he was jealous, and that he wasn't okay with Otto slighting my hybrid heritage. But that couldn't be right...right? Maybe it was just my crush from years ago creeping in and making me wish that was the case.
This was exactly why I avoided Drayven.
I snagged a couple banana nut mini muffins and some coffee from the foyer, which was constantly stocked with food and drinks for our residents and guests. Crossing out of the large entrance, I made my way to the black carriage that awaited us, our bags already packed on the back of it and strapped in.
Walking towards where our horses stood, I quickly gave the two beasts a muffin each and rubbed their heads. Just because they were soulless horses that were permanently dead didn't mean they didn't enjoy love and food just like a normal horse. I made sure to sneak them some treats every time I saw them. Much like me, most people seemed to ignore their happiness, and I did what I could to treat them better.
They bumped their heads into me, demanding more treats, and I giggled as I made my way back to the carriage and climbed in. The interior was a crushed black velvet with ample seating on both sides to comfortably hold six people.
Plenty of room to ensure Drayven and I did not share a seat.
The carriage tipped slightly as he used the step to enter and take the seat across from me. He was dressed nicely today...who was I kidding—he was dressed nicely every day. But today, he took it a step further by being in a three-piece black suit. It contrasted nicely with his pale skin and silver hair.
He let out a chuckle and smirked knowingly at me as I finished my inspection of him, making me scoff, "What?"
I sipped my coffee, enjoying the burn it left down my throat. That was ruined when I choked on it as he said, "You were just checking me out like you'd consider kissing me again."
That would be a negative, sir. After all, I wouldn't want to kill you. Or would I?
Lowering my cup to my lap, I glared at him, deciding his ridiculous statement didn't deserve a response. The carriage jolted as we started on the journey to the capital. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes and ran through the short tutoring session yesterday and Otto's tips on who I could possibly sway to our side and who to not bother with.
I'd tucked his advice into the back of my head, but I was determined to come to my own conclusions about who to trust and who could be a potential ally after I’d met the key players myself.
Drayven cleared his throat obnoxiously loudly, but I kept my eyes shut as I lifted my coffee to my lips once more and drained the rest of the precious liquid. Sighing in contentment, I let my mind drift to the Summit and all that would occur over the next few days.
Thankfully, today was just a day to get settled in. We would have an introductory day tomorrow, followed by lunch. Next up would be an open day to “explore the city”, which really meant “make private alliances in secret”, followed by an extravagant ball at night. The final day would be voting day, where each member would cast their vote in private, then the Supreme seat would be announced before we were allowed to return to our territories.
Four days, including today. I could do this. That was nothing in the span of our existence.
I let out a shaky breath with the intent of expelling my nerves with it, but it didn't work. I felt such immense pressure to make my dad proud and to prove to our house that I could be fit to be their next leader.
"For what it's worth, I think you're going to prove everyone wrong," Drayven admitted so softly I almost thought I’d imagined it.
I peeled my eyes open slowly and found him relaxed in the corner of his side, eyes closed as if he was going to take a nap.
It took me a moment to figure out if I should continue to ignore him or if I should respond. That had been a really nice thing for him to say, and with no audience around us, he truly had no reason to say it if he didn't mean it.
"Thank you," I hesitantly said back, manners towards Drayven feeling like sludge on my tongue. I was used to the exact opposite with him, and the politeness was strange.
If he was going to be nice to me, we were headed into uncharted territory, and I, for one, had no map of how to navigate those waters.
This Summit would be anything but boring.
Chapter Nine
Ama
&n
bsp; I wasn’t positive when, exactly, I had fallen asleep, but the lull of the carriage heading towards the capital finally allowed me to relax. With that realization, unfortunately, came the awareness that I was still extremely needy. Even in sleep, my body was uncomfortable. Despite shifting, I could feel heat on my skin, creating a flush, and my breathing wasn’t as steady as normal. So, I wasn’t exactly surprised when I fell into a rather…interesting dream.
My eyes fluttered open, and my breath caught as I met a gaze that was dark but pulsating with a neon green. Almost immediately, my fingers curled into the bedding beneath me, the dark green sheets twisting as I resisted the urge to touch him. I tried to force the words from my mouth to ask Drayven what he was doing, caging me to this unfamiliar bed.
Were we in his room? I had no idea what it looked like, so that wasn’t possible. Why?
I didn’t want to ask him. I didn’t want to ruin the fantasy that I should have hated but didn’t in the slightest. His massive frame almost completely covered my own, and he watched me with a predatorial intensity that had never been there before. The walls that were normally up between us were completely gone, exposing the raw heat and need that seemed to thrive under the surface of the broody Reaper.
“Why are you in bed with me?” My voice sounded soft and almost foreign, the seductive lilt to it making his chest rumble in a response that vibrated through every part of me.
“Ama.” His voice was rough and raspy, causing my nipples to tighten against my…well, I assumed my shirt. But my eyes traveled down the black lace teddy I wore, the scrap of material somehow covering all the important bits but looking completely indecent.
I would have never chosen this for myself…I mean, I looked hot, but this was not my usual type of thing to wear. The way Drayven was looking at me, though? It made me consider if lace was going to become a new staple in my wardrobe.
No. Bad Ama. He’s an asshole who humiliated you. Thankfully, this was just a dream, so I could allow myself to indulge a bit.
“You didn’t answer,” I pointed out as his head dipped and his lips grazed mine briefly before trailing down my jaw and neck. A whimper left my mouth as I squeezed my thighs together, not knowing how to handle this version of Drayven. The one that wanted me. That fed into my secret desire for him, despite this being a dream.
“Don’t make me leave.” His voice was nearly pained, and I felt my entire body flush with heat as his kisses moved lower. A tremble went through me as his rough hand pushed aside the lace material, exposing my breast. He let out a deep feral noise. Holy hell. That noise jolted a part of me that had everything turning into a roaring wildfire.
I couldn’t even form a response as his hot mouth closed around my nipple, making me moan his name needily. My fingers slid into his hair like I had always imagined, and my legs opened for him further, his massive frame coming to rest between them.
“Holy shit,” I felt breathless as he moved to the other side, his fingers replacing his mouth in tortuous and teasing movements that had my clit pulsing with need. If the man wasn’t careful, I was going to end up coming from this alone.
“Every day,” he groaned. “Every fucking day, I have to ignore this Ama. Ignore wanting you.” His words should have annoyed or frustrated me, but instead I was far too caught up in the way he was playing every inch of my body, making my magic light up under his touch. It was toxic and absolutely dangerous.
When his lips brushed mine, I nearly pulled back, afraid to break the spell even though none of this was real. Instead, his kiss deepened, and I found myself almost dizzy from the taste of him. His growl against my lips as he slid his fingers beneath the lace teddy let me know he realized just how much he affected me.
Before I had a moment to be embarrassed, he slid a finger inside of me, sending a bolt of desire through me as he used his thumb to roll my clit with wet heat. A scream caught in my throat as his teeth bit down on my neck just enough to make everything slam together at once. I shook as my climax ripped through me, and I closed my eyes, feeling as if opening them would break my perfectly lust-filled haze…
“Ama.”
The voice that called my name was the same voice from my dream, only filled with far less desire and far more aggression, the growl making me almost nervous. I shifted in my seat, realizing that we were, unfortunately, not in a bed. A blush filled my face. Holy shit. Had I just come in my dream? A dream about Drayven? Oh no. This was bad news.
Still, I couldn’t find it in myself to be more than a little embarrassed about the desire he could probably smell. I felt so much better now that I’d had some relief. Not just sexually either—my magic felt energized and was zapping around inside of me with excitement from feeding off of that sexual energy once again.
I had a feeling this was going to be the perfect loophole to needing to feed off of lust and desires. Despite having no clue why this was all of a sudden working to satisfy my Succubus hunger, I wasn’t going to turn my nose up at it.
I blinked my eyes open and reared back slightly, finding Drayven caging me against the seat, his jaw tight enough that I was seriously concerned it might break. That wasn’t the only thing different about him, either. His dark eyes flashed with a pulse of neon green, showing how little control he had over himself right now. His breath was coming out rough and uneven. Oh man. He was either really pissed or really turned on. I was going to assume the first.
“Why are you in my space?” I asked curiously, my voice filled with false calm. As my post-climax haze settled, I became increasingly more embarrassed. Who has an orgasm from a dream? He probably thought I was weird. Then again, it wasn’t like he could confirm that I’d had the dream. Thank fuck he didn’t know he’d starred in it—
“Why the fuck are you using your magic on me?” His snarl had me freezing as I was hit with a metaphorical slap of icy wind to the face, shaking me from the cozy reality I had been living in. His accusation hurt on several levels, but I needed to address what he was saying first, because…well, it just was ridiculous.
Obviously, I hadn’t used my magic on him. I would know if I had...wouldn’t I?
“Magic?” I arched my brow in utter confusion. The only magic that had occurred was getting off from a dream in secret.
“You pulled me into your dream with your Succubus magic,” he leveled, his energy dangerously sharp against my skin.
What the hell?
I tilted my head, feeling everything inside me tighten with concern and anxiety, “What? What are you talking about?”
“I was in your fucking dream, or you were in mine,” he growled, running a hand through his hair. “I have no idea how you were doing it. I wasn’t dreaming and then, suddenly, I was there when you—”
I felt mortified. Having a sex dream was one thing, but having a sex dream and literally pulling someone who hated you into it…yeah, that was an entirely new level of ‘fuck my life.’
Wait...had the same thing happened with the arrogant man from the restaurant when I’d had my dream last night?
I frowned, not understanding how any of that was even possible. I couldn’t deny that there had been elements to the dream I had thought were odd for myself to think up. Like the bedroom I didn’t recognize, or the lingerie that wasn’t my style. Drayven might have been onto something about me being in his dream, not that it really made anything any better. But some of what had happened in the dream was from his imagination, not mine.
Had my body realized how I needed to feed and called out in my sleep to satisfy itself?
His face softened slightly, “You didn’t do it on purpose?”
I swallowed and sat back—or I tried to, but Drayven’s hand shot out, and he tugged my leg forward before he seemed to process it. My breathing quickened as he stared down at his hand on my leg with conflict and confusion on his face, as if he hadn’t meant to do that. I squeezed my legs together, feeling uncomfortable and flustered and frankly not knowing how to handle the situation.
�
�Yeah, sorry, Drayven. I’m not exactly in the habit of pulling people into sex dreams. Especially not people who have avoided me like the plague since we kissed,” I muttered, pushing his hand off my leg.
“I haven’t—” his voice was tight and uncomfortable.
“Listen, I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry.” I interrupted him, not wanting to hear what he was accusing me of. It was all too apparent that my Succubus magic had acted out or something, and I just didn’t know how else to fix this besides apologizing and attempting to ignore it moving forward.
Self-hatred slammed into me hard as I realized that I was still, after all this time, at the mercy of a side of myself I didn’t even like. A side of myself that represented instability because of the woman who had given me that side then just up and left my father and I to follow her ‘nature.’
I continued before Drayven could say anything, “Could you sit back? I need you out of my space for a minute.” So I could lick my wounds and try to find some sense of pride to salvage. Would he be pissed if I kicked him out of the carriage so I didn’t have to spend the next few hours feeling mortified? I had a feeling he probably would. Maybe I could fly to the Summit instead.
Once we were at the Summit, I planned on being the queen of avoidance. Drayven was going to wonder if I was dead because he would see so little of me.
Drayven stared at me with such intensity that I wondered if he was considering killing me or something. After a long moment, he finally sat back, and I let out a small sigh of relief, able to once again think straight. The man moved to the exact opposite corner of the carriage, crossing his arms and leaning back, watching me closely. I didn’t blame him. Clearly, my magic was predatory and unstable.
If he wasn’t such an ass I probably would have apologized even more than I already had. As it stood, I felt like once was enough.
Insurrection (Monarchs of Hell Book 1) Page 8
