I watched as surprise shown on his face before he asked, “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.
“But she’s human!”
“I said the same thing to Risya. Her exact words to me were, she is, yet she’s not. She’s Cusas.”
“Shit.” He said.
“I know.” We sat in silence and drank our ale. I knew Lukke would keep this news to himself.
After we had downed all of our ale, I looked to Lukke and said, “Have them keep searching until she is found.”
Amber
I woke up lying on my back in the dusty closet. The floor was hard which made my body hurt to move. I don’t know how long I’d been in there, but I felt somewhat rested. As I sat up, I thought about what I should do.
If I used the portal and returned to my realm, I risked the Santiarns finding me. I also didn’t have anywhere to go. If I stayed, I might be safe but nobody liked me being here. I felt betrayed by Mikal. He made it sound like he would help me; instead, he abandoned me as soon as we arrived. Nobody even told me who would train me or how.
I thought about going back to my father’s house but I couldn’t keep putting him in the middle of this. Time to put on my big girl panties, I thought. No more hiding. It was time to embrace my heritage. I reached up, unclasped the necklace and placed it in my pocket. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my surroundings.
I sat Indian-style with my head bowed and legs crossed. I watched the scene unfold before me.
Many warriors searched every room and I knew they were looking for me. Then for some reason, everyone stopped and looked the same direction. I walked among them, unnoticed. I hadn’t seen any of them before when I noticed Mikal walking their way. “Everyone leave,” he ordered. As they left, he kept walking until he came to a door. I recognized the hallway and the door he stood in front of.
Opening my eyes, I jumped to my feet knowing he was heading this way. I didn’t want him to find me hiding in a dusty closet like a scared little girl. I entered the hallway and headed the opposite direction until I came to a populated area. All eyes turned toward me. I heard them all. Who is that? What’s a human doing here? Does the Commander know? They were mostly women and children.
I found one woman standing with her mouth open when I asked, “Can you tell me how to get out of the castle?” She just pointed so I turned in that direction. I’d almost made it to the door when I felt him behind me.
Turning slowly, I faced Mikal standing there with his arms crossed. “Where have you been?” he commanded.
I remained quiet, holding his gaze. For some reason I couldn’t read his thoughts like I could everyone else…hmm. I saw his features soften and when he stepped closer to me, I stepped backwards and crossed my arms. “Ambriel,” he said quietly, “I’ve been worried about you.” My body craved his as my heart beat faster the closer he stood. I kept reminding myself that he didn’t want anything to do with me, couldn’t have anything to do with me and he abandoned me as soon as we had arrived here. I tried to strengthen the crumbling wall I had built between us.
When an unknown man showed up, I looked to him and asked, “Can you please show me to my room?” He looked to Mikal and I saw him nod from the corner of my eye.
“Follow me,” he said as he turned to leave. I walked away and even though it took everything I had, I didn’t look back.
Mikal
When I spotted Ambriel about to walk out of the castle, I felt relieved and anxious at the same time. She was trying to leave here, leave me. My heart pounded in sync with hers. When she turned around, I asked her where she’d been with a voice harsher than I wanted it to be.
I took a step toward her, needing to be close but she stepped backward. I could see the betrayal in her eyes and could feel it in her soul and even though I remained strong, it almost staggered me. How had I betrayed her?
I told her that I was worried and she crossed her arms. Lukke showed up and she asked him to show her back to her room. Jealousy coursed through my body as the words of Risysa rushed to the forefront of my mind. Don’t take too long.
Amber
My emotions were all over the place as I walked back to my room. “Hi, I’m Lukke.” The huge man said.
I looked up at him with a startled expression. I think he’s the only one that’s even tried to be nice. “I’m Amber.”
He looked confused when he said, “I thought your name was Ambriel.”
“It is but I’ve been called Amber all my life.”
“Why?” I heard curiosity both in his mind and in his voice.
I shrugged, “Mom said never to use my real name. It wasn’t safe and now I’m used to being called Amber.”
“I see.” We walked slowly, him now walking beside of me instead of in front. My stomach rumbled loudly from hunger. “When did you last eat?”
“I’m not sure. It’s been awhile. I’m not even sure how long I was asleep or what day it is.” We immediately changed directions and I briefly wondered where we were headed. We passed by people who looked at us with an odd expression. I felt comfortable beside Lukke.
We walked into a large, crowded dining area. “It’s midday meal,” he said as he led me to an empty chair away from everyone. He took a chair opposite mine so we could face each other. “How do you like it here so far?”
I snorted a laugh before saying, “I’m sorry.” With his surprised expression I said, “You are the only one that’s even tried to be nice to me, so I’d say I haven’t liked it very much.”
“What about the Commander?” He asked with a bewildered expression.
“You mean Mikal, right?” He nodded. “I haven’t seen him. When we first arrived, he took me to my room and just left me there.” I shrugged as if it were no big deal.
Just mentioning his name made me uncomfortable and my eyes looked everywhere but at Lukke. That’s when I spotted Mikal sitting with a woman and her hands were on his arm, her body turned toward him. He was talking quietly to her with his head bowed close to her face. Anger swept through me like a tornado as I watched the two of them. He must have felt my stare because his eyes shot to mine with surprise and something else on his face.
“Are you okay?” Lukke asked.
I turned back to face him. “Yeah, why?”
“Your eyes were glowing.” He said in awe.
“Can we go somewhere else to eat?” I needed to leave.
I watched as he glanced down the table to where Mikal sat with a female. I thought I saw a flash of anger on Lukke’s face before he smiled at me and said, “Sure. I know somewhere we can go.” He came around the table and when I stood, he offered me his arm. I hesitated before taking it as he escorted me out. I could feel Mikal’s stare on my retreating back, but I didn’t care.
Lukke led me out of the castle and down to a nearby market. As we sat at an outdoor table, he ordered us both some food. “Thank you.” I said, meaning every word of it. I was grateful that I didn’t have to sit in there and watch Mikal with that woman, female, whatever they were called here.
“You’re welcome.”
The market was crowded and my head started to hurt. Is that a human? What is he doing with her? Why is she here? Why is he with her? The last seem to be the most common. I instinctively rubbed my forehead. “Are you okay?” Lukke asked with concern.
“Yeah, I just wish everyone would be quiet.” I answered without thinking. It was very easy to be around him and I liked his company a lot.
“What do you mean? It’s not very loud here.” He said as he leaned closer to me, his words were almost whispered.
I looked around the market and then leaned closer to Lukke. “See that woman over there?” I nodded in her direction. When he nodded his head I said, “She doesn’t understand why you’re with a human. The man to her left is attracted to the woman who is watching us. The owner who took our order wants to deny us service but he’s afraid of you.”
“How do you know this
?” he whispered still leaning close.
“They scream it at me. Well not scream, but they think it very loud. It gives me a headache.” I said with a grimace. He looked at me with wonder in his eyes.
A man came around the corner with rage on his face and a sword in his hand. He approached our table and shouted, “You dare bring a human to our peaceful world?” Lukke jumped up and drew his own sword. The crowd gathered around as the two fought.
Lukke grabbed my arm, “Ambriel, are you alright?” I saw concern on his face.
I felt panicked as I looked around. “We need to leave.” I said before I jumped up and started walking.
He fell in beside me as we hurried away. I turned back just in time to see the angry man with the sword. “Where is she?” he yelled. I stepped in front of Lukke to hide myself from view as we kept walking away.
He must have noticed and heard the angry man. When we were out of sight, he grabbed my arm and asked, “You saw that! You saw him coming before it happened!”
I let out an exasperated breath as I said, “Yeah, and you two fought with everyone watching. We couldn’t have eaten anyway.” We walked a little bit further when I said, “I need to go back, I don’t belong here.”
Chapter Fifteen
Mikal
Watching Lukke walk away with Ambriel made me angry. All I could feel from her was betrayal and I had no idea why. I planned to talk with her after midday meal.
Walking into the dining hall, Tassha rushed up and said, “I saved you a seat beside me.”
I walked over and sat down with her just as I would normally do. She was talking softly so I had to lean down to hear what she said, “Would you like some company tonight?”
Everything within me revolted at the idea of spending the night with her. “Not tonight.” I watched her face fall and then a huge smile took its place as she grabbed my arm just to touch me. I was about to dislodge myself when I felt overwhelming anger.
My eyes shot to glowing blue ones as Ambriel sat opposite of Lukke at meal. I didn’t know what she was doing here and then I felt sickened by the thought that I hadn’t even offered her food or showed her the dining hall since we arrived. I was about to go to her when Tassha said something to me and gained my attention.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I asked as I realized she still had her hands on me.
“What is a human doing here?” She sneered.
I turned back around in time to see Ambriel take Lukke’s arm and leave the dining hall. Uncontrollable jealously rolled through my body and if Lukke were standing before me, he would pay for touching my mate! I scooted my chair back and Tassha squeezed my arm and asked, “Mikal, what’s wrong?”
I took a few calming breaths although it didn’t help much. “Excuse me Tassha, but I must go.”
I headed out of the dining hall but Lukke and Ambriel were nowhere in sight. I went to her room and when she didn’t answer, I went to his. If I found them together in his rooms, I would kill him.
His rooms were also empty. I found Avis and asked, “Where’s Lukke?”
He raised his bowed head and stated, “He left the castle.” I nodded before quickly leaving.
Back in my rooms, I paced as I waited on his return. I knew he’d come to me. I drank a tumbler of ale as I waited. It wasn’t long until there was a knock. I turned toward the door and with a straight spine and my arms crossed, I said, “Enter.”
Lukke walked in and stood at attention. I left him standing there while I studied his expression. Even though nothing showed on his face, I could feel hostility coming off him in waves, which was unexpected. “Lukke,” I said.
“Commander. Permission to speak freely.” That surprised me. He never formally asked.
“Granted.”
“What the hell is wrong with you Mikal?” I’d never heard him so angry with me before.
“Care to elaborate?” I asked in a cool tone.
Lukke started pacing as he collected his thoughts. When he stopped, he turned to me and said, “She’s your mate and you let another female rub on you? Do you have any idea how lucky you are and you’re throwing it away?”
“She’s human!” I shouted.
“Half-human and a powerful one at that! Did you know she can hear the thoughts of everyone here? She also saw a male coming for us at the market while we waited for food. We left before he got there, saving me from having to fight one of our own. She’s hasn’t eaten since arriving at the castle because you dumped her here and left her alone. I can see how she will determine the outcome of the war, one that we’ve been neglecting as of late. You need to get your shit together because if she decides to leave, I don’t think there’s anything you can do about it.”
I didn’t know any of this because I hadn’t talked to her. “Where is she now?”
“She’s back in her room.”
“Did she at least eat?”
“No, she hasn’t. After what happened in the dining hall and then at the market, she got very quiet after saying she didn’t belong here and she needed to go back. You need to do something.”
“I’ll take care of it.” He nodded and then left me alone as I tried to figure out how to fix this.
I called for Arron and when he arrived, I instructed him to bring two plates of food to my rooms. I saw his slight grin before he turned to leave. I had never invited anyone to dine with me here.
As I stood in front of Ambriel’s door, I hesitated then I knocked. She answered with red, puffy eyes and I could feel her sadness. “What do you want?” she asked with a lifeless voice.
“May I come in?” She waved me inside and when she shut the door, I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tight. She hesitated before returning the gesture. “Are you alright?” I asked.
“No. I don’t belong here and I want to go home.” I never knew how much those words would wound me. I’d neglected her so long that she would leave me. I picked her up and carried her to the couch.
“You belong here more than you know. I’m sorry that I haven’t taken better care of you.” I brushed her hair away from her face. “Let’s go back to my rooms where we can talk and eat.” It took her a moment before she finally agreed.
As we stood, I took her hand in mine and led her to my rooms. Many warriors stared at our joined hands but none dared to say anything to me.
Arron was just setting out our plates when he noticed us…noticed her. “Ambriel, this is Arron. Arron, this is Ambriel. She is allowed in here whenever she pleases.” I almost laughed at the shocked look on his face. “Ambriel, Arron is my personal servant. If you need anything, you let him know.”
She smiled at Arron before saying, “It’s very nice to meet you.” He just nodded to her and left.
“Let’s eat, shall we?” I said as I led her over to the table.
“I’m starving,” she said and I winced a little.
“I’m sorry that I haven’t showed you around or told you where to get your meals.”
I noticed immediately that her mood changed. “That’s okay. I didn’t like the dining hall anyway.”
I stopped and looked at her. She avoided my gaze so I took her hand in mine, “I’m sorry about what you saw. I know you saw me with another female; I was telling her that I wasn’t interested.”
She looked at me and softly said, “What’s a mate?”
“Where did you hear that?” I asked slowly.
“Arron was wondering if I was your mate. I don’t know why, I’m human and it’s forbidden. That’s why my mother was killed, right?”
“It’s…complicated.” We ate in silence and when we finished, I led her to the couch. “Feel better?”
“Yeah. The food was great. Thanks.”
I stared into her beautiful blue eyes and then looked at her plump pink lips. I couldn’t help myself and I lowered my mouth to hers. When our lips met, I could feel my soul reaching for hers wanting to be complete. I didn’t hold back. Our tongues met in a mating dance as my arms went aro
und her and I deepened the kiss. My hands tangled in her hair as I kissed down her neck before heading toward her ear. I could feel an electrical current run from her body into mine and then back into hers again. She gasped as she broke the kiss to stare into my eyes.
Amber
I couldn’t catch my breath. My heart pounded in my chest. His kiss was electrifying and in a good way. My whole body felt charged and I felt out of control, unable to do anything but feel. I never thought I’d be able to have this with anyone. I couldn’t deny the pull I felt toward him.
He carried me to his bed and gently laid me on it. I watched as he slowly undressed, never taking his eyes from mine even as I took in his tan, muscled body. He was perfection at its finest. When he pushed down his underpants, I couldn’t help but gasp. Never had I seen a man without clothes before and I couldn’t help but stare.
He lay down on the bed beside me and I tentatively ran my hand up and down his arm, feeling the warmth of his bare skin. He lay on his back and said, “Have you never seen a man naked before?”
My eyes shot back to his as I answered honestly, “No.”
He smiled, “Go ahead and explore all you want.” He put his hands behind his head as he lay stretched out.
My hands traced and caressed every inch of his body, amazed at how hard and smooth he felt everywhere. When I touched his manhood, it felt hard and soft at the same time. I heard the moan slip from his lips.
“My turn,” he smiled as he rolled me onto my back and started kissing me again. He kissed every inch of my body as he slowly undressed me. I was overwhelmed by all the sensations running through my body until I felt a sharp pain even though he made sure I was ready for him. My eyes widened as I realized he had entered me. “Shh, it’s okay. I’ll give you time to adjust.”
When I relaxed and said, “It’s better now,” he started slowly rocking his hips back and forth. Pleasure unlike anything I’d ever known incased me until I almost blacked out. I could feel our bodies become one as his eyes glowed, his power joining mine. I’d never heard of anything like this and when I felt him empty inside me I felt different, somehow changed, but extremely happy.
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