I was only spending time with her to try to win over her vote…. was what I was telling myself. It was a complete lie because I knew that wasn’t why I was leaning closer to this woman as she watched me with caution. There was no chance of me getting the House of Death’s vote, but I was loyal to the House of Fallen, so I had to at least give it a chance.
“I have to apologize for the first night we met,” I offered sincerely, keeping my gaze locked with hers as I sat forward, my elbows on my knees. The woman was the picture of elegance, her skin-tight dress shaping the way she held herself—like the future queen she was, sitting on her throne. My cock only got harder at the idea of fucking her on that throne, and I seriously needed to get laid because this woman was doing a number on my head.
I would have attempted a random hookup, devil knew there were enough women here who would be willing, but the idea made me…well, I didn’t have a good word for it. Uncomfortable? Maybe it was because I knew that my attraction to Ama was strong enough that it would taint every other experience. It wouldn’t be worth it. I wasn’t positive what I was going to do, but fucking some random chick wasn’t it.
“You were sort of an ass,” she agreed, her lip twitching. “Why the apology?”
“Because we got off on the wrong foot,” I explained.
“Wrong wing, not foot,” She smiled, eyeing my shoulders as if she expected my wings to pop out over them from my back.
“Of course,” I chuckled. I swear to the devil, if the woman ever asked to see my wings, I would fucking lose it. I tried to ignore the surge of lust that slammed into me at the idea of her touching them. Her delicate fingers running along each and every feather…
“Why were you at that restaurant?” She narrowed her eyes.
“I’d been traveling through your territory for a few days and was exhausted,” I shrugged, “Then, I assumed you were using your magic on me and got pissed.”
Her eyes lit with amusement, “Why did you assume I was using my magic on you?”
Fuck. I felt my jaw tighten, “You had an effect on me that I hadn’t expected.”
“You thought I was hot, so you assumed I was trying to use my magic on you for… what? So, you would fuck me?” Ama’s amusement was only growing, and I felt frustration fill my chest because it sounded bad when she put it that way. It also sounded like I thought a lot of myself, which frankly wasn’t completely off base.
“I’m still sorry,” I grunted as she leaned forward and squeezed my hand.
“Apology accepted.” Thank fuck.
Maybe the dreams would stop now. Ever since that first night I’d met her, I’d been plagued with the most vivid and intense dreams of her and I. It wasn’t unusual for me to dream, but I’d never felt so sure that someone was there with me. It was also possible I wanted her badly enough my subconscious had decided to terrorize me with dreams of fucking the gorgeous princess every night. A dream that would never come to fruition.
My gaze moved over to my parents, who were both watching me, and I felt myself stiffen, having forgotten why I was here. As if noticing, Ama sat back, watching me with equal parts curiosity and caution. What I wouldn’t do to make the caution aspect disappear, but I knew my next words weren’t going to do anything to help with that.
“So, have you given any thought to who you are voting for?” I asked directly.
Immediately, her eyes narrowed, “Is that why you apologized, Colt? Because you thought it would somehow garner my vote? Why the hell would I ever vote for the House of Fallen?”
You wouldn’t. I felt like a dumbass for even broaching the topic, but if I wasn’t here to try to convince her to vote for us…I didn’t know why I was over here. Well, I didn’t want to consider why I was over here. Honestly, I probably just needed to get up and leave. I couldn’t, though, because now I hated that she was pissed at me again, and it somehow made me even more frustrated.
“No,” I exhaled and ran a hand through my hair. “Although, I did assume it would help to some extent.”
She blinked and then shook her head, standing up. Without thinking, I caught her wrist, and she scowled down at me. “Don’t leave. Seriously, Ama, it’s not about that.”
Why was I saying that?
“Then what is it about, Colt?” she growled. “Because this sudden urge to play nice feels like bullshit, considering I have had to listen to your father berate me at every chance he gets. I don’t even need to be over there to know he’s been talking shit about me all night.”
My mouth opened as I tried to figure out what I could do to fix this. I attempted as much truth as I could muster. “I don’t have an excuse for him. I am telling you, as the heir to the House of Fallen, that I wish to make amends. It isn’t about the vote—although I can’t discount that’s important. It's about taking responsibility for my shitty behavior. And getting to know you, Ama. I would very much like to know you better.”
Her eyes dilated slightly as she looked down at me, although ‘down’ was a stretch because even standing in heels, she was nearly eye level with me sitting. I fought the urge to tug her down onto my lap so that I could feel every inch of her curves, and instead waited for her response.
Before she could respond, though, a shadow crowded over us, and my spine stiffened. Annoyance flared inside me.
“Colt,” a voice purred. I frowned, looking away from Ama, and found a woman from my house standing there looking at me expectantly. What the hell was she expecting? Ama tried to tug her wrist from my hand, but I held it there.
“What?” I snapped out at the woman, suddenly annoyed that Ama was trying to escape. Unfortunately, Ama jumped at my tone and pulled away in earnest. I stood up and tried to follow her as she walked across the dance floor, but the new woman stepped in the way.
“Your father sent me over here to get you out of talking to the hybrid whore,” she whispered conspiratorially, flashing a smile I was positive she thought was sexy.
“Do not call her that,” I growled, shoving past the woman as she called out for me. Luckily, I was tall enough that I could see the tips of Ama’s horns as she weaved through the crowd towards a side door. Where the hell was she going?
I muttered in annoyance as she was suddenly stopped by Damien, who looked all too concerned about her. Normally, I would have backed away, but I needed to talk to her. Not just about the misunderstanding about why I’d been apologizing, but also because I hadn’t been lying. I very much wanted to get to know her better.
“I just need some air, I’m seriously fine,” Ama insisted quietly. “Just hard to be in a room with so many…” her words trailed off as she motioned to the room. Assholes. She meant assholes, and I didn’t blame her. Even coming from a house that hated most of the others, I had to admit that people were being exceptionally cold towards her.
“Want me to come with you?” Damien asked, his voice filled with a ridiculous amount of compassion. Her cheeks tinted pink, and I fought the urge to punch him. If I tried being that sweet to Ama or used that tone she would think I was plotting her death or some shit. Something that was completely my fault, to be sure…but I still hated it.
“I was actually in the middle of talking to Ama,” I ground out, and Damien turned his gaze on me, narrowing his eyes before wrapping an arm around her waist.
“We were pretty much done,” Ama mumbled, looking at me with speculation, as if she couldn’t decide exactly how much she hated me.
“I just want to talk. We can even go on a walk—”
“Over my dead body,” Drayven hissed over my shoulder, and Ama went completely still, her eyes darkening with emotion. Way more emotion than I could dissect, and that had me more annoyed with Drayven than before, because it was clearly linked to him. Which probably inspired what I said next.
“That can be arranged.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Ama
I scowled at Colt, whose words were harsh and frustrated, as Drayven rounded him looking pissed. I knew why he was wor
ried about Colt wanting to go on a walk with me, but it didn’t make things any better. In fact, nothing about this night seemed to be going well.
Between everyone staring at me and very clearly talking shit to Mr. Creepy King of Sin, I just wasn’t having a very good time. Even Damien was frustrating me, because despite his sweetness, I very much needed a moment to breathe right now, and I wasn’t being given that opportunity. Rather the opposite, considering we were all crowded into a corner of the room, near a door that would have been my escape route, if it hadn’t been for my Hellhound's secure grip on me.
Sorry, not my Hellhound.
“Ama, if you need to go on a walk, I’ll take you,” Drayven leveled, not meeting my gaze, despite his words being directed at me. Oh good. Glad I wasn't the only one feeling horribly awkward about last night. Also pissed—I was extremely pissed.
“She isn’t any safer with you than me.” Colt chuckled, looking both amused and annoyed, “You nearly lost your shit last night.”
Oh, Drayven did not like that reminder—not if the literal growl with which he responded was any indication. I knew how personally he took my safety, and Colt’s words had the Reaper's eyes flashing green with anger. This was going to escalate.
“I wouldn’t let anyone from the House of Fallen near Ama, especially not you,” Dray snapped, his gaze moving to where Damien was holding me, but he still wasn’t meeting my eyes. What the hell was his problem?
“You want to go?” Damien asked softly to just me, “We can. Just take a moment to relax and—”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Colt shot him a look, “As if you are any better. How do we know you won’t shift around her and do something stupid that could hurt her?”
Damien’s chest released a low rumble, but his face contrasted the aggressive sound, looking both angry and sad and making my heart hurt at the vulnerability there. “I would never hurt Ama.”
“Don’t assume I would either,” Colt snapped at both of them.
Did I believe Colt wouldn’t hurt me? I suppose I did. Sort of. The man confused me, though, and I felt like I couldn’t trust him. I didn’t understand his motives half the time. Like right now—what did he have to gain from being in this situation?
“Listen,” I detached myself from Damien, despite the slightly wounded noise he made, and stepped away from all three of them. “I really would like a moment to be alone—”
My words were interrupted by Adrien’s sudden appearance behind me. How did I know it was Adrien? I could feel it. It shouldn’t have been like that, but it one hundred percent was. I could feel my very core that it was Adrien, and that was before he wrapped a hand around my hip, his grip firm but not demanding like the House of Sin bastard had been.
“Beauty.” He kissed the shell of my ear, making my knees practically give out as Drayven let out a low growl.
“What the fuck did I say about your hands on her?” Drayven hissed, stepping forward. Still managing not to look me in the damn eye.
Colt, to his credit, put a hand on the Reaper’s chest to halt him, and I think Dray seriously considered hitting him, throwing Colt’s hand from his chest as Damien let out a low rumble. I looked over at him to find his eyes on Adrien, something clearly passing between the two of them that I didn’t understand.
What in the fuckity fuck was going on here?
“Hey Dray,” I snapped finally, hitting my limit of ‘bullshit’, “how about you cut it the fuck out? Tone down the crazy, okay? You don’t get to be all...whatever the hell this is after yesterday. Especially after yesterday. You don’t get to tell me who I do and don’t touch, and honestly, I really like Adrien touching me, so how about we stop with the possessive bullshit?”
Drayven’s eyes finally met mine, and I felt surprise and pain slam into my chest. There were so many emotions in his eyes, which were flashing neon green, and his voice grew rough. “Ama, we need to talk about yesterday. Alone.”
I was starting to think he didn’t want to look me in the eye because of how much I could see. Any walls that were normally there were gone, and the man looked almost lost. Lost and angry, not a good combination.
“What happened yesterday?” Nico appeared, joining our little fiasco of bullshit. Unlike the other men, he appeared completely unemotional, sending me a wink but otherwise keeping his face blank of expression.
“Nothing,” I muttered, closing my eyes and trying to regain some semblance of control. I had no idea how to handle this. I barely talked to anyone other than Zurie, and now I was supposed to handle these handsome men fighting over taking me on a walk like I was their pet? Okay.
“Excuse me,” a rumbling voice cut in, making me smile as Finias slid between Colt and Drayven, both men practically jumping out of the way as the Dark Elf handed me my drink.
Despite his eyes being lit up with mischief, Finias acted like there wasn’t tons of tension between the group of us. Instead, he just ‘cheers’-ed me before taking a sip of whatever it was he’d brought us.
My hands were shaking slightly from the anxiety of the situation, but I managed to take a small sip of the drink as well. How had I gotten myself into a pickle like this? And how dare they be all up in my space, being all alpha male and territorial...and sexy.
“So, what did I miss?” Finias asked curiously. Colt and Drayven glared at him. Nico seemed to be enjoying the show. Damien looked worried, and Adrien was just holding me tighter and tighter by the moment. I had a feeling the man planned on whisking me away if need be.
I was contemplating asking him to do exactly that. I was already feeling so uncomfortable as people stared and whispered at the seven of us, caught in a heated argument.
“Ama was about to tell us why she was angry at Drayven and why he doesn’t have a right to be possessive ‘after yesterday.’ The yesterday element is what we are attempting to fill in.” Adrien mused, his tone filled with what I would almost describe as mirth.
I turned to see his expression, but he kept me tight against him, making me grumble. Although, when I tried to squirm against him, I realized how hard his cock was against my backside and promptly stopped, my face turning pink as my center tightened. Nico chuckled at that, and I managed to ignore him.
“It’s nothing,” I waved it off. It wasn’t nothing, but I didn’t want to air my dirty laundry with Drayven in front of everyone.
“It is most definitely not nothing,” Fin chuckled, but his laugh was far from nice. He chugged his drink and set it down at the table. I could practically feel the Finias I knew disappearing as an icy element to his energy seemed to crawl over him, turning him into a different man.
“Why does he know?” Colt demanded, almost sounding jealous.
“You told him?” Drayven growled, his voice filled with a combination of anger and hurt.
“Told who what?” Damien demanded, seeming increasingly frustrated at being out of the loop.
“I really would love to know,” Nico agreed, his nonchalant attitude shifting to a more serious one.
I was confused about what Fin was doing as he shed his jacket and came over to kiss me on the temple. Such a sweet display of affection that had me preening.
Adrien made an amused sound, and I looked up at him…which is exactly how I missed Finias turning and knocking Drayven out in that split second.
Fuck. Not again.
The sound of his fist colliding with Dray’s face made me wince as the Reaper flew back, and any lightness that had been left in Finias completely disappeared. The Dark Elf stalked forward, slamming his elbow against Drayven’s neck and keeping him pinned on the floor as I fought the urge to go break them up. I had no idea how to describe how I was feeling, and honestly, it filled me with guilt.
I was both secretly happy with Finias defending my honor and annoyingly worried about Dray. I had no idea what Finias said to Drayven next, but Drayven’s eyes turned a vibrant green as his magic began to wrap around him in a smoky black texture.
Shit. Shit.
> “Not a good idea, beauty,” Adrien suggested as I tried to move out of his arms to break up Finias and Drayven. I knew it wasn’t a good idea, but allowing them to continue was an even worse idea.
Damien crossed the space and tried to grab Finias’ shoulder, but the man was gone in a blink of an eye, re-appearing a few feet away and looking down at Drayven with a thrilled expression. I winced as Drayven stood up, blood dripping from his nose as he tried to move after Finias, blocked suddenly by Colt and Damien.
“It’s not a good idea,” Damien grunted. Finias’ smile only grew, and I could see that he very much wanted Drayven to come after him. He was getting a thrill out of this. The bloodthirsty assassin side of him was fully making an appearance.
“I don’t give a fuck,” Dray snarled, “Fucking asshole doesn’t belong anywhere near Ama.”
“Not positive if anyone cares, but I happen to love having Finias around,” I mumbled. Nico shook his head, smiling as if I had said something amusing, before setting down his own drink. What was with the smile at me admitting I liked another man's presence?
Drayven, in a surge of power, collided with Finias, and they crashed into a nearby table, the sound of glass and porcelain shattering drawing everyone's attention.
“Fuck. Adrien, let go,” I demanded, watching Finias easily flip the two of them and somehow procure a glowing purple dagger out of thin air, placing it against the Reaper’s neck. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was causing the entire room to crackle with tension. The scent of blood filled the space as Finias pressed the dagger into Dray’s skin.
“No can do,” Adrien insisted, keeping me hostage. “I can’t let you get in the middle of that.”
I watched in shock and a bit of horror as the others tried to remove Finias from Drayven and failed, the knife cutting further into Drayven’s neck. I could feel a cold sweat breaking out on my skin, and my breathing was ragged when Colt finally pulled Finias off.
Insurrection (Monarchs of Hell Book 1) Page 18
