Page 95 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“It’s…” Erin frowns. “It’s like she opened a door, and now that it’s open, others can enter it too. It’s not supposed to happen. But the prophecy says she is connected to several persons, just like she tried to find Favian, someone might have tried to find her.”
“What now?” I ask, my worry just growing. If someone is haunting her in her sleep, she won’t be safe anywhere!
“You need to wake her up,” Erin urges. “Gently.”
I nod, signaling her to stay back while I carefully approach Azadeh. She doesn’t seem to notice me. I act on my instincts alone, a feeling rooted deep inside me, telling me what to do. I gently reach out to her and take her hand. “Azadeh,” I whisper.
Her hand feels cold. She was out here for far too long, and while she is wearing a coat, it’s not enough. At night the temperatures drop, and she is just wearing her nightgown.
I let my thumb rub over her hand. “Aza.”
She turns around, frowning a bit as if she is searching for something. “Endellion? Where are you?”
I close my eyes, reaching out to the connection I felt between us, and gently allow my mind to move closer to hers. “I’m here,” I whisper.
She shivers before a jolt goes through her body, making her jump. I can see her eyes clearing up.
“Thank Goddess,” I breathe.
Azadeh looks around frantically. “What… where… I was in a cottage with a little boy, waiting for his parents and-”
“Someone was reaching out to you in your sleep,” I say. I’m not sure if it’s smart to share this scary news with her, but knowing her, she’d prefer to be informed.
Her eyes widen as she understands what just happened. “Ende…” she whispers, and to my horror, tears fill her eyes.
I pull her into my arms. “It’s alright,” I mutter. “I know now that something is hunting you, and I won’t allow anyone to hurt you.”
She clings to me like her life depends on it. “You found me…”
“Of course,” I say. “I will find you anywhere.”
She draws back a fraction to look at me, her eyes seem to bore into mine, before she reaches out to touch my cheek. “You are real.”
“As real as I can get,” I say, touching her hand and squeezing it. I let go of it and carefully clasp the back of her head. My heart beats so fast, I’m scared it might jump out of my chest. Not even my wolf is saying anything, just watching breathlessly. Azadeh takes my face between her hands and pulls me downwards. It’s all the invitation I need to bend down and capture her lips.
Sweet, sweet lilies. Her taste is so intense, I can feel a shiver going through my body. I pull her closer as she opens her lips for me, allowing my tongue to push past them and find hers. I don’t have much experience, so I hope what I do is pleasing to her. Judging by the way she leans closer and gets bolder, it seems she doesn’t mind my clumsiness. Her tongue entangles mine in a little battle of dominance until she draws back to gasp for air.
Her cheeks are flushed when she looks at me, and I can see the hint of uncertainty in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she sighs. “I know… you might be waiting for your mate and I don’t mean to… It’s just.” She rests her hand on her chest. “You are everything to me.”
Caspian pushes forward, taking over my body for a moment. “And you are ours!” he exclaims. “We chose you!”
Her eyes widen and a beautiful smile curls her lips. I scoop her up in my arms to make sure she can’t change her mind and run away. She has her arms around my neck and her head against my chest. I make it back to Erin that way. The warriors who accompanied us have turned the other way, probably to give us some privacy.
I chuckle.
Erin already waits for us and wraps a blanket around Azadeh’s shoulders. “We need to get her back and warm her up.”
I feel a surge of possessiveness going through me as one of the warriors approaches us and looks at her. He blushes and turns his head away, baring his neck to me. “I apologize, Alpha Prince.”
Damn it! I will these baser instincts down. I don’t know how to handle this possessiveness. It’s new for me. Others have years to learn to handle the mate bond, while I wasn’t prepared to ever feel anything for anyone.
But, these are good men who are just doing their job. I need to keep my feelings in check and continue to treat them with the respect they deserve. “It’s alright,” I say, noticing the relief in the man’s eyes. “Let’s head back. Thank you for helping me in my search.”
“It was our honor,” the young warrior exclaims and bows briefly before leading the way back to the pack.
“Is this the connection you meant?” I ask Erin.
“I’m not sure,” Erin smiles. “Maybe. Whatever it was that led you to Azadeh, it was worth it, wasn’t it?”
