Page 56 of The Stolen Throne

Isuck in a breath and immediately regret it when I sit up coughing. Shit, my throat is dry. Ugh, did I die? Is this death? Opening my eyes, all I see is darkness. Complete darkness. “Hello?” My voice sounds scratchy as if it hasn’t been used in a while.

When a hand suddenly appears out of the dark, I jump with a scream. Pressing a hand to my chest, I try to calm myself when I see it’s Ash. “Shit! Ash, you scared me. You’re not supposed to be spooky, spooky! That’s Rev’s job.”

As if summoning the shadow himself, he steps out of the darkness, making me squeak. “You men are going to kill me with fright.” Okay, maybe… too soon.

“NO!” Kasim roars from what I assume is the corner of the room.

I cover my ears from the echo of his roar. “Sorry! Sorry! Can someone at least turn the light on, so I’m not frightened every time one of you pops up out of the dark?”

The lights blare overhead, and I squeeze my eyes closed against the brightness. “Regrets were made,” I whine as try to squint through the light in search of the guys. Six figures are cocooned in black swirls of darkness. Well that explains why I couldn’t see them in the room when the lights were off.

I look down to find that I’m covered in dried blood. There is way more blood covering me than my injury should have allowed. “Uhm… so… blood.” Well, that was eloquent.

“Would you like a shower, Snow Bunny?” Asher’s voice sounds deeper than normal, and I look up to find his eyes consumed in darkness while wisps of black shadows dance across his body.

Oddly the blood doesn’t bother me, it’s the fact that my men are surrounded by darkness. “Um… no. I’m good. I would like an explanation for the extra blood, though.”

Six hands materialize in front of me, each with a cut running down the center of their palm. “We paid death’s price,” Ash says from beside me.

My brows furrow until I remember the words from a spell I had read about. I vaguely remember hearing them before I… well, died. I… died. My eyes water as I take in each of my men. My broken villains. Ash’s dark shadows disappear as he takes a seat on the bed beside me.

He grasps my hand, and his eyes flicker to their beautiful blue. “Don’t… don’t cry, Snow Bunny.”

I choke on my words as I say, “I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head, scooting closer and lifting a hand to my cheek. His eyes glisten as he whispers, “Don’t cry… please.”

I suck in a breath, trying to keep my tears from falling, but I fail when I see the others move closer. I can’t hold back the sob that breaks through, and the darkness surrounding the others disappears as they converge on the bed.

Kasim takes my other hand into his and brings it up to rest on his cheek. He nuzzles his face into my palm as his eyes close. “Don’t cry. Please don’t cry, Princess.”

Rev and Alair take up spots behind Kas to rub up and down one of my legs while Bene and Mir mirror them on the other side.

My vision blurs, the tears refusing to stop. “I’m sorry… so… so sorry. I never meant to leave you all.”

Ash’s thumb brushes my cheek. “Shh. Shh. Don’t—” His voice breaks, and he clears his throat and continues, “Snow bunny, breathe. Breathe for me.”

I tug on Ash and Kas to pull them into a hug. Their heads rest on my shoulders as I chant, “I love you. I love you. I love you.” I have to say it because the cuts on their palms prove how far they are willing to go for me. How much they love me. I wouldn’t be here if they didn’t.

Ash and Kas each wrap an arm around me and hold me while I sob. Minutes pass as I try to calm myself. Eventually, they both pull back from the hug, and Kas cups my face in his palms. His thumbs caress my wet cheeks as he frowns.

“No more of that. No more tears, Princess. Ugly crying doesn’t suit you.”

A laugh bubbles out of me as he continues to wipe away my tears. There’s a tilt to his lips when his dark hazel eyes meet mine. I smile through the tears and say, “You’re so nice to point that out. Thank you.”

His eyes flick over my face before they soften. “There she is,” he whispers. There’s a shine to them as they meet mine. “Missed you…”

I surge forward, pressing my lips to his as I slip my fingers into his long hair. It takes a moment for his lips start to moving against mine. The kiss is slow and soft. Something I didn’t expect from him.

His hand slides into my hair, using it to hold me close when I try to pull away. My lips brush against his, and I say, “Hate you, Grumpy Man.”

“Hate you more, Princess,” he replies.

Humming, I pull away with a smile. “As much as I would love to fight you on that…” I peer down at myself before looking at the others. “I may need to take a shower. This blood is beginning to itch.”

“Having her clean may help with Dax as well,” Bene mutters behind Ash.

Mir smacks him. “Not now, idiot.”

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