Page 24

Carla

I step out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, running a brush through my hair to detangle my wet curls as I walk to the bed.

The black dress is stretched out on the comforter, and I grin looking at it.

I’ve tried it on three times already and it fits a little too snugly, but that’s how women wear their dresses these days.

Amari said it was a “fuck-me” dress. Do I want to get fucked?

Yes! A thousand years as a virgin is getting tiring.

If I’m going to spend an eternity alone with my children, I’d at least like to have some experiences.

That’s only fair. And being on Wintermoon is giving me a piece of that. Finally, I’m living and not hiding.

I turn away from the dress and walk over to my dresser, and start getting ready for bed.

The lotion feels cool against my skin as I smooth it over my arms and legs, taking my time with the ritual.

It’s strange having a routine like this—normal things that regular women do.

I apply some deodorant, then slip into some underwear before grabbing a nightgown and pulling it over my head.

It’s oddly quiet tonight. My children are usually tapping around, sometimes fighting with one another for time with me.

But not tonight. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s been weird the past couple of days.

They’ve been... distant. Not absent, but keeping their distance in a way that’s unusual for them.

After I’m dressed, I run the brush through my hair a few more times, working out the tangles, then apply some leave-in conditioner. The coconut scent lingers, and I smile at the normalcy of it all.

I make my way out of my bedroom and go downstairs to tidy up my cabin. It doesn’t need much—I’m just shifting pillows around on the couch, straightening the throw blanket that Anora gave me when I first moved in. Then I grab my broom and dustpan and start sweeping the hardwood floor.

I smile as I work, proud of the fact that I actually have a home I can keep up with maintenance. A real home with real floors to sweep and real furniture to dust. Not moving from cave to cave, shadow corner to shadow corner, sleeping on dirt floors and eating whatever I could scavenge.

I get lost in my thoughts as I sweep, thinking about my date with Ackley. What’s it going to be like? Will he try to kiss me? Will he ask me out again? The nervousness in my stomach is both terrifying and exhilarating.

And then... my thoughts shift to Amari.

I start sweeping more aggressively, the broom scraping harder against the floor as I think about him.

How he drives me completely mad with his smug attitude, his arrogance, his unbelievable asshole-like behavior.

But then earlier today, he was so sweet and kind to me, always stealing glances my way when he thought I wasn’t looking.

Amari is confusing. How can he go from practically calling me a slut to being so gentle?

That vampire has a serious problem with mood swings.

But he’s so handsome, and when he wants to be, charming.

I think about how he pulled me away from the shoreline at the border, shielding me from the water as if I’d fall in.

The thought that he was being careful with me meant something.

The way he stood up for me with Jax, the way he stood firm and paid for my dress when I was being mistreated in the market, his overprotectiveness when it comes to Ackley.

My head snaps up when I hear something moving on my front porch. Heavy footsteps that definitely don’t belong to any of my children. I’d know if it were one of them—that familiar warmth that spreads through me when they’re near.

And why aren’t they guarding the area from intruders? That’s literally what they do. Is it King Amir? Anora? Angie coming to check on me?

I set the broom down and walk toward the window, peeking through the curtains. My frown deepens when I see who it is.

Amari.

Why the hell is he on my front porch at this hour? And why didn’t my spider children eat his ass for stepping onto my land without invitation? Just because he took care of Kemnebi doesn’t mean he’s welcome here whenever he pleases. I make a mental note to talk to them about this later.

I run upstairs and grab a robe from the hook behind my bedroom door, slipping my feet into my house slippers. Then I jog back down and angrily swing open my front door, ready to give him a piece of my mind.

But I pause the second I step outside.

Rose bouquets in all different colors—red, blue, pink, orange, black—are scattered across my porch, practically covering every available surface. There are several bags and boxes with beautiful red bows wrapped around them. I can barely navigate around the porch; there are so many.

I look up, noticing Amari standing at the end of the porch steps, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his perfectly tailored pants, grinning at me with that infuriating smug expression.

“Amari, what the hell is all this?” I question, but he just keeps grinning at me.

“I was an asshole to you earlier today,” he says, then pulls one of his hands out of his pockets and gestures toward all the gifts. “I don’t expect any of this to make up for my behavior, but I want to try.”

I blink at him, then let my eyes drift over the porch again, staring in awe. No one has ever done anything like this for me. No one. Not even close.

“Amari...” His name comes out like a whisper. I don’t understand this vampire. He makes me hate his very existence one minute, then he does this...

He grins again at my amazement, then points at a particular box sitting on my porch swing. “I was hoping you’d open that one before I leave.”

I walk over to it, carefully stepping around the roses, and gently move some of the bouquets to the floor so I can reach the box. I look over at him, not sure whether to smile, cry, or both.

He adjusts his tie and clears his throat, almost as if he’s nervous. Actually nervous. Amari Al-Baqar, the arrogant vampire, nervous because of me.

I look away from him and back at the box, pulling at the red ribbon.

It falls away easily, and I reach inside, pulling the lid open.

I’m surprised to see a pair of brand-new shoes—what looks like very expensive high heels in sleek black leather.

I pull one of them out, running my fingers over the smooth material, surprised to see that it’s my exact size.

He takes a finger to his nose, rubbing it in that elegant way he does. “I remember you said you needed shoes for your date.”

I just stare at him, my mouth hanging open. I’m so overwhelmed by this beautiful gesture that I don’t have any words for him. The shoes are gorgeous—real leather, with delicate straps and a heel that’s high but not impossible to walk in.

“I’ll leave you alone. If you want me to clean this up...” he starts, but I interrupt him.

“No... No, I don’t want you to clean this up, Amari. I’ve got it,” I tell him quickly. I place the shoe back in the box, then step over the roses to get to the stairs, clutching my robe tighter around me.

“Thank you, Amari. This...” I look around at all the roses and gifts scattered across my porch. “This is beautiful.”

He smiles at me, and it’s different from his usual smug grin. This one is softer, more genuine. “Could I have something from you before I leave?”

At this point, I’d pull my panties down for him if he asked. What he’s just done, this gesture of... I don’t even know what to call it. Apology? Courtship? I’m so close to just folding into this arrogant asshole completely.

“Yeah, sure,” I tell him, hoping I’m not going to regret my words.

“Could you smile for me? Not a forced smile. A genuine smile. Something I don’t get to see on you often. Just you, happy. That’s worth more than gold to me.”

“Amari...” I start, but he holds his hand up, then smiles at me.

“Just a smile, Carla. I want to see you happy.”

I step down from the porch until I’m just inches from him, staring right up into those eyes. And then I give him what he’s asking for. I smile—really smile—my heart fluttering as my stomach does little flips, genuine happiness gracing my face for the first time in longer than I can remember.

I swallow hard when his hand comes to my cheek, his cool fingers gently stroking my skin. The touch sends electricity shooting through my entire body.

“You are maddening, Amari. But the gentle side of you is difficult to ignore.” I take my hand and place it against him, feeling the expensive fabric of his shirt and the solid muscle beneath. “When you find her, when your heart’s beating, I hope she knows she’s going to be a very lucky woman.”

Amari grins and gently places his hand over mine, then leans in so close that I think he might kiss me.

His lips are just inches from mine; his breath cool against my face.

I don’t pull back or push him away—I just stay put, frozen in this moment.

I can feel my children watching us from the shadows of the forest. Watching and waiting.

It’s almost like they approve of what’s happening.

“Carla, I don’t give a shit if my heart never beats,” he says, his voice low and rough. “Being in this moment with you...”

I exhale a shaky breath, feeling entranced. The smell of him—expensive cologne mixed with something uniquely Amari—the beauty of his eyes, the way his thumb brushes over my cheek. Is he going to kiss me? I’d let him if he tried. God, I want him to.

“You are so beautiful, Carla. And what amazes me about that is you wear your beauty like it’s nothing. Like you don’t even know the effect you have.” His voice drops even lower. “I don’t know what it is about you, but you’ve captured me since the moment I first laid eyes on you.”

“You were staring at my ass,” I say, then immediately bite my lip nervously because I know I just ruined the moment.

He chuckles, the sound rumbling through him, and takes his thumb to move it under my bottom lip, gently pulling it free from my teeth. “Don’t bite your lip, beautiful.”

Oh god, will he just kiss me already? The tension between us is so thick I can barely breathe. Instead, he lets out a grunt, like it’s physically painful for him, and pulls himself away from me, standing upright and putting distance between us.

I’m so flushed right now I think my knees might buckle. My entire body is humming with something I’ve never felt before—want, need, desire. All of it swirling together into a confusing mess of emotions.

He looks around the clearing for a moment, then into the forest, staring at the many eyes that seem to have started glowing in the moonlight. My children are watching us, and they’re not even trying to hide it.

“Your children are very sweet, Carla. Very sweet,” he announces, smiling at me. “Tofi, I believe her name is. She says that you are a very good mommy to them. And I believe her. I believe all of them.”

“Wait? You’ve talked to Tofi?” I ask, my brow furrowing at him. When did this happen? How did this happen?

He nods, then clears his throat and adjusts his tie—that nervous habit of his.

“I have, actually. I think...” He pauses for a moment, almost as if he’s embarrassed.

Embarrassed of what? “I think it would be best if I spoke with your children directly about what happened the night of the attack. When you lost two of your children. It would help me better strategize and come up with a better security plan so that we can get you back to patrolling the borders.”

I smile at him again, and the way his eyes shift, the way his lips part slightly, it’s almost as if he’s mesmerized by it. The way he’s looking at me makes me blush all over again.

“Okay,” I say simply. “Want to do it now? I mean, look at all those NOSY ASS eyes lurking in the trees.” I say the last part loudly, narrowing my eyes at the forest that suddenly goes completely dark as my children retreat deeper into the shadows.

Amari bursts into laughter at my outburst, putting the side of his hand to his mouth in that smooth, handsome way he likes to do. The sound of his genuine laughter makes my stomach flip again.

“No, Carla, not tonight. It’s cold and you’re not dressed for?—”

I start moving forward, clutching my robe and heading past him toward the forest. He’s made me smile twice tonight, and for some strange reason, I don’t want him to leave me just yet.

I’m not ready for this moment to end, for him to disappear with his vampire speed and leave me alone with just the memory of his touch on my cheek.

“Are you coming, or not?” I mutter, keeping ahead of him. I don’t turn back because I can feel his eyes on me, burning into my back as I move forward, stalking into the trees.

Amari stays a few steps behind me but follows until I stop in a small clearing, looking up at the trees. To anyone else, it would look like an empty forest, but it’s far, far from it.

“Children, come out. Amari needs to speak to you about something,” I say, smiling when Amari suddenly appears beside me, his hands in his pockets, looking up at the night sky where the moon shines brightly through the branches.

And they do come out. One by one, they begin emerging from behind trees and descending from branches, their sizes so baffling it’s hard to imagine how some of them managed to disappear behind such thin coverage.

Tofi appears first, her burgundy body, followed closely by Niko with his intricate patterns.

More and more follow until we’re encircled by at least twenty of my children, their sizes ranging from dinner plate to small pony.

To my amazement, Amari just smiles. He doesn’t stiffen, he doesn’t shy away, he doesn’t take a step back like every other person who’s ever seen them. His expression is one of genuine fascination and something that looks almost like... respect.

I’ve never met anyone like him before. Someone who looks at my children—these creatures that most people find terrifying —and sees beauty instead of monsters. Someone who sees them as extensions of me rather than something separate and frightening.