Page 59 of Insurrection
Which was why I went completely still when an arm tightened around my waist. I should have freaked the fuck out, but while I was tense, I didn't feel the violent need to get away from the body behind me. Which meant that, subconsciously, my body and magic knew who I was in bed with. I turned, letting out a slow breath of relief at finding Finias wrapped around me. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling a surge of thankfulness. I hadn't realized just how safe he made me feel until the moment I’d felt true terror.
Running my hand over my face, I sat up, bringing my knees to my chest and looking around the room, trying to remember where I was exactly. The first thing I noticed was how comfortable and quaint it was compared to the massive suite I'd been put in. I couldn't see much because the window curtains were drawn, and the fire was burning out, but I could see how different it obviously was.
I think I preferred this. Mind you, the other room was now tainted by the dead body of the assassin I was trying to not think about...but even if that hadn't been the case, I think I would have loved this. It smelled like Damien, and that was an absolutely wonderful smell, making me smile just a bit as I looked around for the man in question.
Instead of finding human Damien, I found a massive Hellhound curled up at the end of the bed, his easy breathing not deep enough to make me believe he was truly sleeping. The same went for Finias, who I was nearly positive was aware I was awake.
I was learning that the man noticed everything.
I wanted to be upset with Finias. I really did. I wanted to be upset with all of them about what had transpired, but my gut was telling me it wasn't completely their fault. Not that they hadn't been having a pissing match or been serious about what they were saying, but King Marcelo's smile had been far too pleased and sick to make me believe the fight hadn't been exactly what he wanted.
Sliding from the bed, I let out a small squeak of surprise when I nearly stepped on top of Colt. What the hell? Had they all come here? Colt's breathing was far deeper than the others’, and I stepped over him carefully, tip-toeing to the bathroom, where I closed the door and let out a slow exhale.
Turning on the light, I relieved myself and washed my face, my skin feeling raw from crying and my eyes stinging. As I examined myself in the mirror, I winced at the dark bruising on my golden skin.Fuck.That was going to leave a mark, and not just physically.
I'd been bullied most of my life, but nearly being killed was shocking to my system, and I suddenly felt like the bullying I'd experienced was absolutely nothing compared to what had happened tonight. Tonight, someone had tried to kill me because of how I'd been born and the power that they wanted. I knew, without a doubt in my mind, that was what this was about.
Straightening my shoulders and trying to shake it off, I turned from the sink and grabbed the door handle to ease the bathroom door back open quietly. I turned off the light behind me and nearly slammed right into a hard chest.Fuck.
Hands wrapped around my waist and picked me up, carrying me towards the fireplace. I considered struggling but found I was too tired to do so, especially since I knew who was holding me, which lessened the threat for sure. I did have a bit more caution and fear in my normal reactions, though, which made me wonder just how this attack was going to affect me going forward.
I'd always been fearless, but tonight, I'd felt fear—and lots of it.Someone had tried to kill me. My magic fizzled against the more dominant Reaper power surrounding me as Drayven crushed me to his chest, burying his nose in my hair. I didn't hug him back, feeling emotional, raw, and tired from using magic I wasn't used to. So instead, I just let him hold me, absorbing his natural scent and wondering what the hell was going on in his head.
"Ama." His voice was low and rough as he pulled back and gently grasped my jaw. "Baby, I am so fucking sorry. I should have never let you leave that ballroom. I completely failed you."
What?
I blinked in surprise as the man once again buried his head in my neck and nuzzled against me as if he truly thought I'd been dead. His reaction was so out of the ordinary, so reactionary, I didn't really know what to do besides smooth my fingers through his nearly silver hair. He was whispering soft, adoring sentiments against my neck, and it had me feeling surges of emotion I was not ready to face under any circumstances, let alone these.
"Dray," I finally whispered, my ribs hurting from how he was holding me, "You have to put me down."
I was set down almost immediately, and the man knelt in front of me, wrapping his arms around my waist in a gentler hold and placing his head against my stomach. My fingers ran through his hair again, and I started to wonder if maybe the man had lost it a bit. I seriously had no idea what the hell to do in this situation. I looked around the room, my eyes finding Nico, slouched over in a chair, breathing evenly, and looking absolutely exhausted.
“Where’s Adrien?”
"He left a bit ago," Drayven admitted, his voice muffled against my stomach. His words snapped me out of it, and I sank down so that I was sitting on the floor next to him. Well, I tried to, but Drayven pulled me onto his lap, wrapping me up in his arms again.
This was bad. Not only for my hormones but also because, for Drayven to act like this, he had to be either under influence or truly scared of what had happened to me.
"Dray, I need you to relax a bit," I soothed quietly, feeling overwhelmed as my eyes prickled. He pulled back, and the raw pain in his expression was something I felt deep down in my soul.
"I can't relax." His growl vibrated against my skin. "I almost lost you, Ama."
"I'm fine," I promised, pressing my forehead against his. "I'm fine."
I wasn't fine, and he knew it.
Except, the terror that I'd been feeling before was slowly giving way to something so much more dangerous. Something I wasn't positive I knew how to deal with.
Rage and fury.
At a level I’d never experienced before. Someone had honestly thought they could kill me. That I would be that easy to remove from this situation. My lip peeled back in a snarl, and I tensed, but Drayven only tightened his arms around me.
"I'm going to kill whoever is responsible for this," I mumbled softly. Not just for myself, either. No. Anyone who played this dirty did not deserve the position of power they were vying for.
"No," Drayven tilted my chin up, "We are leaving. After the vote, we are getting the fuck out of here. I don't care if I have to throw you over my shoulder and walk back. It is too dangerous. There are too many risks—"
Surging forward, I shut him up with a brush of my lips. He went completely still and, fearing rejection, I moved back and off his lap. I watched with a bit of sick fascination as he closed his eyes, seemingly trying to control something, before lifting his hand to his lips and looking up at me. The heat in his eyes was like a damn tornado of fire, and I looked away towards the bed, not allowing myself to get lost in it.
