Page 21 of Imbalance
Wait. Had he gotten off from grinding against me?
A part of me was shocked at the thought. I had expected to lose my virginity in this pool, and apparently my mates knew that because Adrien whispered, “You deserve a much better experience than being in a group bathing hall when you lose your virginity, beauty.”
Damien cupped my face with his hands and brought our foreheads to lean against each other, his eyes continuing to glow brightly. “One day, I will make good on my word and fill you to the brim. But not here. Not like this.”
My heart squeezed at the thought of them caring so much about my first time. I was lucky to have them, and the depth of how much that meant to me rocked through me like an earthquake.
I didn’t think it was possible for me to continue to deny my heart or my soul of what they already knew. These men were mine.
CHAPTER NINE
Colt
Ididn’t realize I’d taken a step towards following Ama into the salt chamber until Finias appeared in front of me, blocking my path. I swear I was about a second away from writing my own death sentence and punching him in the fucking face. I honestly thought it would be worth it at that point. My jaw clenched as I shook my head and turned back towards the rest of the group, my eyes narrowing on Jace.
The last thing I wanted to deal with was some other male claiming he was Ama's mate. Let alone someone we knew nothing about. Ama might have thought it had to do with him being a hybrid, but that was the least of my concerns. No, I cared way more about how he'd been able to get us into the city so easily and what made him so damned important.
Importance came with power, and I feared that power could be enough to take Ama away from us.
Although, “take” would probably not be the right word because, with how the hell the rest of us were acting, I wouldn't have blamed Ama for not wanting anything to do with us. Not only did I seem incapable of making up my mind about whether I wanted her attention in the first place, but I also couldn't seem to stop myself from being a bastard and essentially slut-shaming her.
I knew I'd lashed out unfairly, and the worst part was that I didn't even fully feel that way. Sure, it was frustrating as hell that there were so many males around her, but it didn't change who Ama was, and being upset about her wanting to be with multiple people was only a reflection of my own fucking insecurities. Namely, the one where my own mate essentially hated being around me, which was a problem that was completely of my own making.
I had absolutely no idea how to fix this. I was supposed to be a leader, but instead, I was acting like a complete idiot. A failure in all respects.
"What are you playing at?" Drayven demanded of Jace, who offered him an easy smile and put out his hands in a seemingly innocent gesture.
"No idea what you're talking about. Just making sure my mate is well taken care of while we figure out arrangements for the night," he assured Drayven, but I could see there was more to it than that. He was a sneaky son of a bitch, and I didn’t trust him one bit.
"I don't fucking believe you," I snapped in frustration. We needed to know more about this man, and quickly.
"You don't have to," he answered with cool indifference as he shrugged. A small smile tweaked his lips up, as if he found this all to be quite amusing.
"And you're okay with your mate going into a salt chamber with two men you don't know?" Nico's smile was dark as he asked that pointed question, clearly hoping to get a rise out of him to see what truly lay under his cool facade. I watched Jace's eyes flare with anger before he tried to mask it.
Yeah, join the fucking club, buddy.
"Ama is capable of making her own choices," he responded stiffly before turning. I exchanged a look with Nico as Finias followed after, seemingly not content with letting the stranger go far without him. Drayven hesitated while looking toward the salt chamber.
"Damien and Adrien will keep her safe," I admitted grudgingly. "It doesn't look like he's going far."
About a half-block down, there seemed to be a large marketplace that was lit up with moonlight and hellfire torches. Despite the late hour, people entered and exited the surrounding establishments, approaching booths that were selling an array of food and drinks. Everyone seemed content and happy. I frowned, trying to recall the last time I'd seen a group of celebratory individuals like this. Even in the capital, everyone in the Kingdom of Pura tended to be serious and distant from each other. There was never this easy-going vibe in any of the different territories, as far as I knew.
All celebrations had a protocol. Everyone had a place. This was chaos, but not in a negative way. It was actually rather beautiful, and I found myself jealous of the peace people had found here. The way they all seemed to know each other and enjoyed the festivities together with ease. There was no tension or different species trying to prove their superiority with every action or conversation—not like we had back home.
To put it simply...these people looked free.
"Why don't you three," Jace motioned to Finias, Nico, and Drayven, "go to that stand over there—trust me, do not go to the others, or we will be here all night—and purchase some clothing. Between the three of you, I assume you can figure out what you all and Ama need. Here is some coin."
I waited as he handed them a bag of money, and I once again looked at Nico, who was frowning at the action. Unless everyone here had ample money, I found it extremely odd that he carried that much on hand. It only solidified my suspicions that the bastard was hiding something about who he was.
Something important.
"You're coming with me," he ordered, not waiting for my acknowledgement. "We are going to try to get a room or two at The Hellhound." My gaze moved to a crowded pub as I followed after Jace, confident in the knowledge that I could hold my own against the guy, if necessary. I didn't think he would attack me, but considering the number of dirty looks we were receiving, I had a feeling he would have all the help he needed if he did decide to do exactly that.
"Why don't you go talk to James in there," Jace nodded into the pub, which was full to the brim. His gaze moved over my shoulder, "I have someone I need to talk to about food being delivered."
Why couldn’t we eat where everyone else was? Although, I didn’t disagree with him because the idea of all these other men—and even women—looking at Ama made me see red. I had never had a possessive bone in my body, and the one woman I did feel that towards was mated to other men. It was so fucked.
