Page 19 of Whispers of Fate

He was dripping sexual temptation, and the dangerous hint of predator that hovered thickly between us had my tongue gliding over my lips. His body rippled with sinewy ropes of muscle, all pulsing with the power he held. He’d moved from lethal assassin to death-by-hormones since he’d been here last.

“What the hell were you doing flying over my bed?” I demanded, scowling at him. “You destroyed my fucking door, and then you decided to do what, exactly? Hover above me? What the fuck right back at ya!” I growled, incapable of extracting my stare from the solid wall of enticing male standing in front of me.

“Holy fucking Tinker Bell,” I moaned, gliding my focus to the appendage his slacks failed horribly to contain. It jerked, and I sucked my lip between my teeth, nibbling the tissue hard enough to hurt.

My stare snapped back up, discovering him inches away from me. He leaked lust, promising scandalizing ecstasy. His mouth twisted into a knowing grin, and his brands hummed with a wickedly dark whisper of enticing rapture, drawing me into their spell.

“I require some holy water and sage. Also, might need to call for a fucking priest to rinse my mind of the thoughts I almost just had.” Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I scrubbed my palm over my face and shook my head. “You need to turn that shit off this minute! I’m a married woman, Zahruk! I shouldn’t be entertaining these thoughts, you fuck-head!”

“My magic isn’t on, Synthia. I dulled it as far as it’ll go to evade being discovered hovering over your nude, helpless body. Don’t think that would’ve looked good, all factors considered. You might wish to dress,” he stated, drifting an eager gaze down my naked form. “Not that I don’t enjoy discovering what has ensnared my brother, but he probably wouldn’t enjoy knowing you’re naked and alone with me. And I didn’t break the door, the fire did. The ice on the glass didn’t appreciate the fire I started before I heard the babe’s pulse and halted to listen to him. You woke up, and I overreacted and hid.” His burning gaze dared me to remain naked and find out what would happen. I shimmied with magic, glamouring on a kimono that hid the gentle, ice-blue nightgown beneath it.

“You thought hiding on the ceiling was appropriate? You almost gave me a fucking heart attack!” I responded, twisting my gaze toward the echo of feet pounding the main room. A second later, Ryder strode into the bedroom, faltering when he spotted the issue.

“I told you I fucking panicked,” he grunted, folding his arms over his chest. His eyes dropped, and he swallowed loudly. “He’s grown a lot since I was here last. The pregnancy is progressing well?”

“Why were you panicking?” Ryder asked carefully, settling beside me before he casually took in the alterations to his brother. His earthy scent encompassed me, sending a trickle of need pulsing in my abdomen.

“I returned here, but ended up landing in your bed. This time, it was only your wife on the fucking thing. She was stark ass naked, so I made like a fucking thief and got the hell out of it, meaning to quit the apartment. That was my intention, but I noticed the chamber was chilled and built a fire. Then I heard the beating of the babe’s heart. It drew me to her, and the tempo was akin to the one I used to track Dristan by when we were children.” His hand slid to his neck, and he shook his head. “After that, memories trapped me in place. The ice stuck to the glass caused the door to shatter, which snapped me out of it and also woke her.

“I fucking panicked because she was naked, and I’m not myself. Before I’d collected my thoughts, my wings were fucking stuck to the ceiling, and I was hovering above your naked wife, asshole. Satisfied? I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me and ending up in your fucking bed, but it’s disturbingly wrong.”

“I second that.” Ryder grunted. “You hidaboveher?” he continued, hiding the laughter by coughing into his hand. Ryder’s eyes sparkled with amusement, which caused his lips to twitch. “And got stuck?”

I groaned, sliding an annoyed stare toward Ryder.

“Yeah, and then my wings extended, and I fell, and she kicked my fucking ass,” Zahruk announced, chuckling along with his brother. “Not my brightest moment.”

“You said the babe’s heartbeat is akin to Dristan’s?” Ryder asked, and the mood sobered. My palm landed on the swell of my abdomen, and both men’s gazes slid to it with pain in their faces.

“It’s the same tempo down to the skip that gave him away when he was a little boy. Honestly, I didn’t think rebirth was a possibility until the moment I heard the skip and realized it was coming from Synthia’s womb. I assumed our sons securing rebirth if they died in battle was a myth they fed us. Each time it skips, I’m more convinced it’s exactly as Dristan’s was.” Zahruk cleared his throat, smiling tightly. “I need to go find sustenance and see if it reduces the intensity leaking from my pores. You refilled the feeding rooms?” His tongue slid over his lips, and power rushed through the chamber.

“I did, and they’re filled with willing feeders. You should know that Alden isn’t well,” Ryder offered, gently running his fingers through his inky hair. “His change isn’t normal, and when he feeds, he kills the one he is feeding from. There is merely a husk of skin left by the time he’s done.”

Zahruk’s stare narrowed on Ryder before sliding to meet mine. “That isn’t happening to me, brother. The only thing I’ve murdered lately is pussy, and I tend to stick around long enough to ensure it’s resuscitated before I move on to the nextwillingvictim. My appetite has intensified, but I do not leave the women dead. I just ensure they’re well pleasured and pleading for more.”

I snorted. “I don’t think the women would agree there.”

Zahruk’s gaze glimmered with laughter and something darker “Your eyes,” I whispered, moving closer to inspect the specks floating amongst the sapphire backdrop. “They’re like Asher’s, Zahruk. Lucian mentioned that the prison could be searching for creatures strong enough to change into the seelie princes and princesses it was missing. Your changes, they’re not because you were named King of the Horde. You don’t house the beast, which means it isn’t from Faery. It’s true, isn’t it? You’re becoming one of the princes, aren’t you?” I blinked, shaking out of the spell his gaze held me trapped within.

“I think so, yes. Inside my head, I can hear them beckoning me to them. They’re calling the changed creatures to the seelie prison and promising them unlimited power and women,” Zahruk admitted, drifting his attention to his brother. “I have not responded, of course. My place is here, with you.” He turned and Ryder and I both tensed when we got the first good look at the wings covered in shimmering obsidian that reflected the light of the chamber.

“You’re my brother. We’ll face everything coming together, Zahruk,” Ryder announced as Zahruk turned back toward us.

“Your wife announced I wasn’t welcome here.” Zahruk’s sapphire gaze glittered, and a sinister smile lifted his lips as Ryder’s attention swung toward me.

“I thought you were an intruder when I said that. For crying out loud, I thought there was a strange being hovering over my head, inside my bedroom. You’re always welcome here. You know that,” I stated firmly, daring him to rebuke my words.

He smiled, but it was all teeth before he turned to face Ryder. “You should at least ensure she’s covered when you leave her after slaking your hunger on her body, brother. The weather is growing more menacing, and not relenting. At least build a fire for your breeding mate to keep her warm as she slumbers. I know you depended on me to tend to the fire after you’d exited her chamber before, but I won’t always be here.” Ryder’s attention slipped back to Zahruk, who’d slipped into speaking in a layered voice. My stomach clenched, and apprehension settled within me.

“I’ll remember to do so before I exit the chamber.”

“See that you do.” Zahruk sauntered out of the apartment with an inhuman gait.

The door sealed behind him, and neither of us moved from where we stood.

“Did you see how he moved?” Ryder questioned.

“I did, and I’m not sure he even realizes it.” Ryder started from the room, but I called him back. “Where are you off to?” I asked, worried that he’d left the bed without waking me. Normally he lounged beside me, waiting for me to wake.

---