Page 13 of Essa

Where are you?Seth's voice is loud in my mind.

He can sense that I'm losing control and knows my anger is ruling me. I don't answer him. I don't want him near her. I won't lose him, not when we're this close to being free from never having to run again.

Adam, you need to calm down. Please just stop whatever you're doing and wait for me.

Essa takes a step back, hitting the kitchen wall just a few feet away from the door. I close the space between us. I tell myself I'm not going to hurt her. I just want to make it clear she's not going to go near my male. She won't look at my mate. She won't even breathe the same air as him.

"Back away, or I will hurt you." Essa's voice is a soft melodic sound, the same one she tried to use on me earlier when Seth was screaming in my mind that she was fucking terrifying. Her pupils are constricted into tight vertical lines that vibrate in the middle of each golden eye.

I wonder if I'm supposed to be scared right now. I bet Seth would tell me to be scared.

"I'm not scared of you, sweetheart."

My lips kick up in probably the first smile I've had that didn't involve Seth on my cock. It grows even more when surprise flickers in Essa's eyes, her tongue snaking out of her mouth to wrap around one of her fangs. The movement catches my attention and I notice the clear liquid dripping from her lips. She's not scared of me either, and something about that has lust and anger warring hard inside me.

"I don't want to hurt you," Essa says, her voice quiet, her fangs digging into her lip as she speaks. "Please back away."

"I need you to understand that Seth is—" I lift my hand to place it on the wall beside her, and she lunges.

Her hand is in my hair, her teeth in my shoulder in an instant. I'm so shocked by the outburst that I don't fight back. By thetime I realize what's going on, something's happening inside my body.

A calming, a relaxation. Anger isn't boiling inside of me. I'm not thinking about Seth being taken from me. I'm not thinking of anything other than her.

"You're safe," Essa says as she touches my shoulder, guiding me deeper into the kitchen.

I stare at her, my head tilting to the side. My lips part as I take in a slow inhale and release it even slower. My limbs feel heavy. The world feels fuzzy. It's like a dream, but I've never had one of those. I only have nightmares.

"Sit," Essa says, and my body comes alive with the desire to do as she says. Warmth washes over me as I sit, and my eyes move up to hers, and I realize I'm waiting for her praise.

"Thank you. That's good," Essa murmurs, almost like she's ashamed.

She shouldn't be. I've never heard anything so wonderful. I want to do more of what she says so she can keep making me feel good.

"You'll stay here. I'll get the first aid kit."

She winces as she looks at my shoulder, and I move my head to look at it, too. It takes so long to move my gaze to the two puncture marks on my skin. I like those. I like them so much that I'm smiling at them. A big, goofy smile. One I don't think I've ever worn in my life.

"What happened?" Seth asks.

Seth.

I raise my eyes to meet his gaze, and my smile grows even more. This is a wonderful dream.

"I told him to back away, or I'd have to hurt him," Essa says, her voice level. I miss the melodic sounds of it. I want the song to come back. I lift my eyes to her, hoping she can feel my intention because I can't speak. Speaking is too much work. Thinkinganything that isn't Seth or Essa is too much work. "I need to care for him. He'll be attached until it wears off."

She walks closer to me, her tail wrapping around my ankle as she stands in front of me, between my legs. My cock tents my sweats, and I can feel myself leaking from the tip. I don't care about that, don't care about the mess, don't care that it makes me look vulnerable. Essa will take care of me. Mmm, I want someone to take care of me.

"You're doing so good." Essa's voice takes on a singsongy tone, and my cock jumps at the sound and the praise she lavishes on me. She ignores my cock, but her attention is still on me, so it's okay.

"My good little human," she murmurs as she cleans the wound in my shoulder. She can see all of my other scars, but she doesn't rush the cleaning like the doctors did. She tends to them like someone who cares. "I'm proud of you for being so calm."

"Will he remember this?" Seth asks, standing behind Essa and placing a hand on her upper arm.

I smile at them together. I like these two. I want them both. Both of them mine forever and ever. We'd be happy, we'd be safe. The best trio.

"He should, but I've never bitten a human," Essa says, the song in her voice disappearing again. She clenches her teeth for a moment. "I've never bitten anyone."

"Don't feel bad about it now," Seth chuckles. I like that sound. I want to tell him I like it when he laughs. I don't think I've ever told him that. I don't know why now. "I have no doubt he did this to himself."

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