Page 69

Since arriving at Melissima’s and forgetting my silk hair bonnet at my apartment in Chase City, I kept my hair in a bun on top of my head when I could. The water in Hell was hard, and not doing my tight curls any favors, but good hair days were also the least of my concerns right now.

I carefully opened the bedroom door, hoping that Drak was asleep and healing. His eyes were closed as he reclined on his back on the bed, his chest rising and falling in deep, even breaths. I wanted to check on his abdominal injury, tosee how it was healing, but I didn’t want to risk waking him. Like all his other ailments, he would heal. I just hated to see him in pain.

Walking around the other side of the bed, I was mindful not to jostle the mattress too much when I climbed on. There was no need for covers. Hell was too hot for even a thin sheet over my body. So I just fluffed up my pillow a little, faced away from him, curled up into a ball, pressed my hand to Maxar’s mark on my ribs to cool off a bit, and closed my eyes.

“Omaera?” came his deep, groggy voice.

“Did I wake you?” I asked, turning a little in the dark room.

He grimaced and groaned as he rolled over onto his side toward me. “It’s all right.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” he said. It was too dark in the room to see his eyes. “But I’m healing. I should be better by morning.”

“Do you need to feed?” I asked, my own stomach rumbling at the thought of eating. I should have asked our hosts for some food. I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, and fighting off the bisibra and letting Drak feed earlier had me more than just tired. I was weak too.

“No,” he said softly. Something else hung in the air. Another question he wanted to ask. I could feel it like a tangible entity hanging between us.

Rolling over to face him completely, I reached out and cupped his jaw. “They’re going to help us. They were part of my father’s court for a while. Shoy will drive us back to Kenvin’s tomorrow. And they seem to think that Zandren and Maxar will find us because we’re mate-bonded and we’re mate-bonded so they can follow my scent.”

His response was no more than a fatigued grunt. “You should sleep.”

“So should you.”

His head bobbed, and he stayed where he was, his eyes closed.

I preferred sleeping on my left side, so after a moment of just staring at his shadowed face, I rolled over and away from him again.

I was nearly asleep when a big, strong arm suddenly wrapped around my midsection and fingers laced with mine. He buried his face against my neckand just held me. It was exactly what I needed in that moment, and Drak was providing it. I snuggled in deeper to the crook of his body and tightened my hold on his fingers, then I sighed and gave into the exhaustion.

I was safe—for now–wrapped in Drak’s arms.

I only hoped my mates out in the desert were safe too. We’d already been through so much together, and yet, at the same time, it wasn’t nearly enough. They had my heart, and even though I still wasn’t ready to commit to Drak in the same way because he was keeping something from me, the vampire was growing on me too.

I couldn’t do this without all of them. I couldn’t take on Lerris and Howar without my mates. Just before I fell asleep, I sent out a mental message to Zandren and Maxar, letting them know I was okay and where to find me. I told them to hang on and stay safe.

I waited a moment, hoping to get something from them in return, but it never came.

“Sleep,” Drak murmured behind me. “They’re too stubborn to get themselves killed.”

I chuckled and jostled in his arms. “You’re right.”

“I usually am.”

That made me laugh even more. “You must be healing. Your dry, irritating sense of humor is returning.”

“All the better to annoy you with, my dear.”

His sigh and deeper settle into the mattress prompted one from me, and together we fell silent and slept. Who’d have thought we’d ever get to this point? Me and the vampire wrapped up in each other’s arms, in bed, in Hell?

I’d have to check outside in the morning if it was snowing, because the only way I ever thought Drak and I would get to this point was if Hell froze over.

Weirder things could happen. After all, it was Hell.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Omaera