Page 30 of Imbalance
My temper flared as he insulted them, and I had to wonder why the fuck I was dreaming up an imaginary person who was trying to make me doubt my mates. No part of me agreed with his statement.
"They are my mates," I growled out, tightening my sheet around me.
A throaty laugh came from him as he tipped his head back and let it out, clutching at his stomach like I'd said the funniest thing he'd ever heard. It only fueled my anger, and I stood up, shocked smoke wasn't coming from my ears. I had no idea how this imaginary man was managing to evoke such emotion from me but it was like a visceral reaction to his words.
"Get the fuck out of my dream. I don't know why I dreamed up a sexy lunatic who is talking shit about my mates, but I'm done with this!" I growled, stomping my foot on the ground like a child. I even pointed towards the door as if that would somehow make sure he exited my dream.
His laughing ceased as he stood and came to stand an inch from me, as if trying to intimidate me. I bared my teeth at him, and he had the audacity to chuckle and ask, "You think I'm sexy?"
"Oh, shut up! Leave me alone so I can actually sleep," I demanded as I went back to my bed and laid down, giving him my back and ignoring him, hoping I could rip myself from this dream.
"I'll leave you be for now, Little Temptress, but I'll be seeing you very soon."
The warmth around me faded, and as I turned to see if he was gone, the dream fell away, and I floated into the dark abyss of sleep.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Nico
The hollow feeling in the center of my chest was ever-expanding. It was reaching every nerve ending and making my limbs feel numb as my head hung slightly, staring into the beer Drayven had all but thrust in front of me—something I would have found amusing if it wasn't for the fact that I was damned near positive the bastard just felt bad for me. Not that I blamed him. I was a sight for sore eyes, and that was just externally.
Despite having bathed and changed into new clothes, I felt dirty. I felt like the sins of my parents had finally touched me. No amount of debauchery or any of the other sins they had committed in their kingdom compared to this level of betrayal. They weren't even alive for me to blame them, either. No, instead I had been left to deal with their selfish actions—something that I had no intention of doing.
I didn't give a shit about my kingdom—why would I?
Because it wasn't just about your kingdom.
I knew that, rationally. In fact, I even knew why the situation still mattered to me, and it all boiled down to Ama. My little hybrid mate who was upstairs, finally wrapped in an ounce of the safety and comfort she deserved, while I was down here in the pub’s bar, considering whether to get plastered or just continue to be a bastard about all of this.
Honestly, part of me wanted to go up there and demand she admit what I could feel between us. The other part of me was afraid she would reject me. The gorgeous woman saw through every ounce of my bullshit—straight through the facade to the bare bones—and my biggest fear was that she didn't like what she saw.
So, I continued to try to keep her at a distance. It wasn't a fight I was ready to give in to. Couldn't she just enjoy the possible connection we could have physically? Couldn't she let me blow her mind, one fucking orgasm at a time, instead of creating this atmosphere where I was damned near close to baring my soul to her?
I ran a hand down my face, trying to not think about how furious she’d looked in the moment of betrayal by my parents and Finias'. I tried to not think about how her fear had saturated the air as she’d realized how screwed we’d been. Honestly, the fact that I hadn't been able to protect my mate burned ten times worse than any injury, or even the loss of my parents.
I would miss them, though.
Sure, they’d been idiots, but they were my family. My only family.They didn't have to be your only family.The minute my mind whispered the words into my consciousness, I got pissed. Who would be my new family? Ama and these other princes? A hybrid from a kingdom I hadn't even believed existed until recently? That would never happen...just as Ama would never be mine.
A groan of frustration tore from my throat as thoughts of Ama began to seep into my consciousness, creating a storm of lust mixed with the guilt, anger, and mourning I was already experiencing. This was just too much at once. It was bullshit, and there was only one way to solve it.
I saw Colt offer me a look as I stood, and I flipped him off and trailed across the room, past the bar and up the stairs, hoping they would assume I was going to bed. I honestly didn't think they cared. Drayven kept looking towards the stairs himself, as if he planned on going to Ama, while Adrien and Damien talked quietly, seeming to be deep in serious conversation. My lip pulled up into a sneer thinking about how they still smelled like my mate.That infuriated me.
Why did they get to touch her so openly? Why did they get to experience the fucking transcendent moment of Ama coming? Why couldn't I be around her to touch her and feed off her lust as she did the same to me?
I couldn't give her everything, but I could give her pleasure. I might not have had a lot of real-life experience—as in none—but an Incubus and Succubus coming together was always explosive. I just needed to show her that we could be good for one another. That she didn't need these other assholes.
After all, I'd already lost everything else—couldn't I have this one thing to myself? Couldn't I have my own mate? I frowned at that, hating the idea of referring to her as something to be owned...but in a way, she made me feel like that. I wanted to completely own Ama and claim her in front of everyone else, making them see just how amazing I could make her feel.
As I reached the top of the stairs, I turned right, towards Ama's temporary bedroom, and was instantly hit with a wave of Ama's sexual energy. It wrapped around me seductively. Addictively. Instantly, I was hard as hell, and I had to stop to steady myself so I didn't barge into her room and bury myself between her thighs, where I knew she would be soaking wet. I swallowed and stepped forward, only to be hit by another punch to the gut, realizing that her magic was intertwined with Finias’.
Motherfucker.
I stood there for a moment, deciding whether I wanted to storm in there and try to kill the assassin bastard or leave them to their moment. TowhatandwhoAma clearly wanted in her life, which obviously wasn't me. Anger boiled through me, and I felt the lash of rejection hit me hard, making me step back, my body practically fighting against me in protest. I shook my head and walked back towards and then down the stairs, knowing it was the best thing to do. If I went in there, I had no idea what I would do.
Despite being uncomfortably hard, I made my way across the empty pub, each step feeling like shit and leaving me feeling drained, yet still turned on. I slid back into the booth, the others offering me confused looks as I took a long drink of my beer, draining half of it before letting out an exhale, trying to decide where the fuck I could go in a kingdom of hybrids. I sure as hell didn't want to stay here, and I knew without a doubt that if I had to be by Finias all night after he’d had Ama, I would lose my devildamned mind.
"You good? I thought you were checking out for the night," Adrien asked, the other three men at the table offering me equally confused looks.
