Page 65 of Imbalance
"You can't," I whispered as I turned around in his arms to peer up at him.
He tucked his cock back into his pants as his eyes flared with green, "What do you mean I can't? You better fucking believe I will come for you, Ama. No matter what, you always come first, and I am not leaving you in the hands of whoever the fuck—"
"No." My voice was serious as I gently covered his mouth with my fingers and I spoke quietly. "I need you, Drayven. I need you to keep them going towards the capital. We have limited time, and every second wasted is one where the people of Pura are most likely being hurt. I need you to be the leader that Mortem always knew you could be. You were groomed for this, and I know you can help lead this army to victory. I will not let you sacrifice the lives of everyone in Pura for me."
Drayven's eyes flared again, and he looked away for a moment, his breathing rough as he pulled me closer to him and tucked me under his chin. "I can't let you go, Ama. Do not ask me to do that. Why do they deserve such kindness from you? They treated you like trash your whole life."
"You aren't letting me go. You're just handling the most important task first," I promised softly. "You can come for me once you all have taken the capital back. I need you to make sure our families and the people we love make it out of this alive. Because, although there are many who did treat me poorly, there are people like my dad, Zurie, and some of the other monarchs, who showed me that maybe the people are capable of changing and accepting hybrids."
Drayven's voice was choked, and a single tear—which nearly fucking broke me—rolled down his cheek as he asked, "What if you wake up and find out you're in danger? You’re my fucking mate, Ama. The love of my devildamned life. I can’t—"
“You can,” I kissed him softly, “and you will. You have to. Promise me, Drayven.”
“I promise,” his eyes darkened, “but if you are in danger—”
"I can handle it," I whispered hoarsely, fighting my own tears and not completely certain whether my words were true or not. I would have to handle it. There was no other option.
When Dray pulled back, I noticed that his eyes were shiny with emotion, as if he was about to cry, and that practically pulverized my heart, making me want to take it all back. Not so he could save me, but so I could find him and stop him from feeling such pain. I moved forward and kissed him softly, murmuring against his lips, "I love you, Dray."
"I love you too, Princess. Forever and always," he swore.
An agonizing pain rocked through my head, and I struggled to hold in the scream that threatened to rip from me. I couldn't show him I was in pain. He would ignore everything I had just asked of him and come for me.
Thankfully, the darkness crept in, and suddenly, I felt nothing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Luce
The door of my bedroom closed with a soft click, enveloping the entire room in silence save for the crackling of the fireplace, the household staff leaving me to my relative peace. Although, peace was the last thing that I was feeling. No, instead I was feeling a myriad of emotions that I hadn't thought were even possible for me to experience anymore, all because of...my Little Temptress.
Amare wanted me to prove that I was real by appearing to her,so I had.
My gaze ran over her stunning face, her features relaxed and eyes closed, something that I both hated and loved. I loved the fact that she was sleeping because it allowed me to look over her without disturbance, basking in how perfect my mate looked in a room that had been filled only with loneliness for centuries. I hated it because I couldn't see her gorgeous eyes and the way they lit up with a thousand emotions at once, a flame of passion almost always evident. I moved a piece of hair off her face before moving from the large, dark bed to the bar near the fireplace.
I had to admit, it felt damned good to be awake, instead of in a state of slumber. Sure, sleeping for so long came with its benefits, but those did not include Ama or the hundred-year-old whiskey I was pouring. I much preferred my current state.
After ensuring the bedroom was locked, knowing my Little Temptress would try to run the moment she woke, I walked into the ensuite bathroom, examining every inch of modernized detail. They had done exactly what I'd asked while I’d been away and had kept the estate up, ensuring it was prepared for my return. I eyed the new shower and turned on the water, wanting to feel fully awake when I had to explain to Ama why she could never leave here.
I had a feeling she wouldn't be agreeable to the notion, but I’d ensure that she came around. No matter how long that took.
I knocked back the whiskey I had poured before leaving it on the countertop. Stepping into the shower, I briefly remembered the last time I'd been in this room, when there had just been a tub, and how disenchanted I'd been by my life. After seeing thousands of people fall in love and find peace and contentment in their lives, I'd become inspired by it. I'd found it beautiful, the concept of finding my own soul mate and love of a lifetime...which, in my case, was never-ending.
I’d soaked in the tub and pictured a grand life with a wild and carefree love. I had assumed that, if others could find that love in Hell, then surely so could the devil himself.
I'd been wrong. Instead, after centuries of searching for the soul destined to be the other half of mine, I had become a broken, bitter shell of the devil I used to be. Jaded and cynical of the concept, and lonely to the extreme because it seemed the fates had not only destined me to be unloved but also to spend all of my immortality in that state.Why was I being denied love? I had asked the question millions of times. Honestly, at some point, it had grown rather tragic. I'd driven myself mad—but could anyone blame me?
Who the fuck would want to live for eternity if you had no one to share it with?
When wars broke out between the purebred elites and the hybrids after the eons of harmony I'd watched over, I had found myself reveling in it rather than attempting to fix it. I'd sat back and allowed massacres to occur because the bloodlust present symbolized an ounce of the rage I had been harboring. If I was doomed to feel as I did, then so should my subjects. If I couldn't be happy, satisfied, joyous...then I would do what I could to stoke the flames higher and incite as much bloodshed as possible.
I'd been a very different man back then.
Eternity lends you perspective, and I’d realized all too quickly that the part of me I’d thought would be satisfied had only been agitated further. I had not only felt rage at the harsh realization that I was doomed to be alone, but also guilt that I was failing horribly at the one job I was in charge of and my actual purpose—leading this realm. By the time I’d come out of my state and realized my transgressions, I had nearly fallen to my knees at the deplorable state I found my realm in.
All because of me. I could blame no other for the fact that my once glorious realm was in burning shambles.
The hybrid community, which had once flourished and developed their own culture, had become the minority. Thousands had been slaughtered, and the rest had been treated horribly. Their blood was on my hands. I had failed my realm, and that reality had struck me at my core, causing me to feel a sense of dread and doubt within myself that I'd never experienced before. For the first time in my life, I questioned whether my immortality was the best for the realm or not.
