Page 43

Carla

I look back at him, picking up my steps.

He matches them step for step, his eyes never leaving mine.

I break off into a run, taking off as fast as I can, but it’s useless.

I’m trying to run from a vampire of all creatures, and I’m not going to get far with his level of speed.

I turn off the trail, hiding behind a large branch, putting a hand over my mouth to quiet my breathing as I try to catch my breath.

Amari is out of his mind right now. I need to think.

He’s saying I’m his fated mate. Does he have any idea what that means for him?

Being attached to me, the spider queen—the world shuns me, they’ll treat him the same way.

And how do I know this is even real? Ackley played with my head for a whole year before I even realized I was being used.

Not again, I can’t do it again. Amari will destroy me.

“Ah, my mate is into primal play,” Amari says. A few yards away, I watch him loosen the knot of his tie, his smirk crawling across his face like he’s already won.

Annoying bastard. Worse than Damon with his ridiculous obsession with suits. Why do vampires insist on looking like they just walked out of a catalog, even in the damn woods?

He pauses mid-step and tilts his head, like he’s listening to something just out of reach. Then he sniffs the air. His eyes open, sharp and focused, and when they land in my direction—straight toward the tree I’m hiding behind—his grin deepens.

“Run, angel,” he says, voice calm but holding that edge of danger. “You’re only making this more entertaining. I’ll catch you eventually. And just so you know... I may not be a bear, but I sure as hell fuck like one.”

Heat rises to my face, but before I can think of a response, he’s gone. Not gone like he disappeared into the woods—gone like he was there one second and then just wasn’t. My heart pounds as I whip my head around, trying to track him, but it’s no use.

Then I feel him. He’s right next to me.

“Fuck you!” I snap, spinning to face him, but his grin only widens as he steps closer, close enough that I can feel the space between us shrinking by the second.

His hand brushes my cheek, light and purposeful, like he knows exactly what he’s doing. The touch is almost tender, but it sparks through me like a jolt of electricity.

What the hell was I thinking, getting involved with this vampire? Sleeping with Amari was like opening Pandora’s box. I’ve unleashed something I can’t take back.

“Are you commanding me, love?” he murmurs, his voice low, teasing. He leans closer, his lips hovering just near mine, as if he’s daring me to push him away.

I shove my hand against his face, hard, and back away before he can catch me. “You’re insane!” I shout over my shoulder as I take off through the trees, my pulse pounding louder than my footsteps.

Behind me, his laugh rings out, low and full of menace. “Keep running, angel. You know I’ll find you.”

Why, oh why, aren’t my children helping me deal with this lunatic? I call out to them in my mind, begging for assistance, but they remain hidden. Have they truly chosen him over me? The thought weighs heavily on me as I push myself to run faster.

I finally reach the clearing to my cabin, running as hard and fast as I can, but when I look back, I see a flash, something moving so fast that it’s almost like a blur. I feel his arm wrap tightly around my waist, and my feet dangle from the ground, my back pressing firmly against him.

“I’ve got you, baby,” he murmurs, then buries his face in my neck.

When he brushes his nose against the mark where he bit me last night in a moment of passion, something about his touch against it makes me go weak.

My arms fall limp at my sides and my head tilts back, completely surrendering myself to him.

“It’s okay, Carla. I understand. I’m not exactly first choice when it comes to the mate department, so I understand your frustration,” he murmurs, then takes his tongue and traces it over my mark. He chuckles against my skin when I shiver.

“This is your claim mark, angel. I’ve already claimed you our first night together. You may not feel the mate bond, but your body understands,” he murmurs.

“Amari,” I breathe out weakly. My body is betraying me, responding to him even as my mind tries to fight it. This is exactly what I feared—the loss of control, the surrender to something I don’t fully understand.

He shifts me, then scoops an arm under my legs, cradling me as he starts to carry me up the porch steps.

He turns the knob to the door of my cabin, stepping inside and kicking the door shut behind us.

He walks me over to the sofa and gently sits me down.

I feel the absence of his touch immediately, my skin cooling where his body had warmed it.

He paces for a moment, unbuttoning his suit jacket, pulling it off, then paces again, unhooking his cuff links.

The sight of him moving around my cabin with such confidence, like he belongs here, sends conflicting emotions through me.

Part of me wants to order him out, to reclaim my space.

Another part watches his movements with fascination, drawn to the predatory grace in every step.

Then he pauses in front of me, and a light smile crosses his face. He kneels in front of me, and I straighten myself up on the sofa, staring at him. I don’t know what to expect anymore. Every time I think I understand Amari, he does something that contradicts my expectations.

I gasp when he gently places his hand on my bare thigh, his cool fingers against my skin making me jump slightly. He smiles at me, but it’s not his usual arrogant smirk. There’s something softer in it, something almost vulnerable.

“Carla,” he says, his tone soft and even, almost as if he’s being careful with me, “did last night not mean anything to you?”

I blink a few times, trying to process what the hell is happening. This isn’t the forceful vampire who just chased me through the forest. This is someone else entirely.

“Yes, Amari. Last night meant everything to me. I meant what I said to you last night.” My voice comes out smaller than I intended, but it’s the truth. Last night was everything—the tenderness, the passion, the feeling of being wanted, truly wanted, for the first time.

Amari smiles at my answer and reaches out, using his hand to pull mine from my lap and take it in his. His touch is cool, gentle, so sweet. I study our hands together—his large and strong, mine smaller but no less capable.

“It really wasn’t a pity fuck? Last night?” I say, looking at him nervously, voicing the fear that’s been haunting me since I woke up alone. He glares at me for a moment, then squeezes my hand.

“A pity fuck? Carla, that is enough.” He snaps at me, golden eyes flashing. He groans, looking away from me for a brief moment, then back to me again.

“I meant everything I said to you last night, Carla,” he says in a stern voice, “every. Fucking. Word. There was no pity on you last night. I made love to you because I wanted you. Because I needed you.”

He looks away from me for a long moment, then sighs heavily, looking back with a patient smile that transforms his face. I’m struck again by how beautiful he is, even when he’s frustrated with me.

“You know, I think this might be a hard lesson for me from Fate,” he says, his voice thoughtful.

“What do you mean?” I ask, curious despite myself.

“I have not been the most honorable when it comes to women,” he admits, and I think of the parade of images Tofi showed us. “Of course Mother Fate would not make it easy for me when the time came. The mate bond is sacred, a bond that will last forever between two souls.”

He takes my hand and pulls it to his lips, gently kissing the back of it. The gesture is so courtly, so at odds with the predator I saw in the forest, that it makes my breath catch.

“So it only seems fitting that I’d have to earn the love and trust of my fated mate and not be allowed to rely solely on the mate bond to do the work for me,” he says against my skin.

I bite my lip, searching his face for any sign of deception. “Does your heart really beat for me?” I ask, the question that’s been burning in me since I felt it against my back.

Amari nods slightly, keeping his eyes on mine. In this moment, he seems incapable of lying, every emotion written plainly on his face.

Tears start to fall before I can stop them. “I don’t understand,” I say, my voice breaking. “I don’t understand any of this.”

“I do,” he says, reaching up to wipe a tear from my cheek. “I know exactly what is happening. You can’t feel the mate bond because your children are a bit overprotective of you. And, Fate’s teaching me a hard lesson.”

I look down at our joined hands, everything suddenly too much.

“I’m so tired, Amari. I want to go back into the shadows.

Ackley used me for a year, and I was too desperate to feel something to notice.

I’ve put my children in danger, I’ve put Wintermoon in danger.

The best place for me to be is the shadows. ”

Amari gently squeezes my hand, the pressure grounding me.

“No, the best place for you to be is with me.” His voice is firm, leaving no room for argument.

“You’re not alone anymore, Carla. And while you can’t feel the mate bond right now between us, I’m asking you for a chance. A chance I know I don’t deserve.”

I smile and lean into him, taking my free hand to gently stroke his cheek, feeling his soft beard beneath my fingertips. He closes his eyes and leans into my touch, like he truly wants to be in my company. It’s more than what I could ask for.

“You’re wrong,” I tell him softly. “You deserve so much. But with me being the Mother of Spiders, I’m afraid who I am might hinder you.”

Amari opens his eyes and gives me a wicked grin that makes my stomach flip. “I’ve spent centuries with Kemnebi, and that never hindered me. What makes you think that our children will hold me back?”

A soft smile tugs at my lips at his words. I really do like it when he says, “our children.” But that’s not something I’m ready to admit to him just yet.

Amari finally stands and sits next to me on the sofa. I yelp when he picks me up and places me right in his lap, his strong arms securing me against him. The way he looks at me is overwhelming—like I’m something precious, something to be cherished.

“What now?” I ask, not sure where we go from here.

Amari smiles, the expression transforming his face.

“The first thing I want to do is get you the validation you need. You have every right to hold on to the belief that you’re not fated because you can’t feel the mate bond.

But there’s someone who can confirm it and put this to rest once and for all. ”

I groan, immediately understanding who he means. Amari grins wickedly, flashing his fangs at me. We both know he’s talking about King Amir.

“Amari, please,” I start, but he surprises me when he presses his lips to mine in a tender kiss.

His lips are softer than they look, gentle against mine as if he’s afraid I might break.

His hand moves from my waist to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over my skin.

The kiss deepens as he tilts his head, seeking better access.

He doesn’t demand entrance—he asks for it, a light sweep of his tongue against the seam of my lips.

I part my lips for him, and he tangles his tongue with mine. He tastes sweet, with hints of mint and something darker, richer—just him. His pine scent mixes with his cologne, filling my senses completely. I breathe him in, wondering how someone who doesn’t need to breathe can smell so intoxicating.

I have to break away for air, my lungs burning. He doesn’t stop, just moves his lips to my cheek, kissing me tenderly, then to my jaw, my temple, the corner of my eye. Each touch of his lips feels like worship, like he’s memorizing me through touch.

He pulls back when my stomach growls loudly, the sound embarrassingly clear in the quiet room. I look down and place my hands on my belly. “Oh,” I say, suddenly realizing how hungry I am.

Amari strokes my cheek, and the way he stares at me nearly takes my breath away. There’s such intensity in his gaze, like he’s seeing parts of me no one else has ever noticed.

“When is the last time you ate?” he asks, concern evident in his voice.

“Last night at the diner,” I answer honestly, remembering the meal that had gone so terribly wrong.

Amari bares his fangs at me and hisses, the sound startling after the tenderness of our kiss. He lifts me off his lap and stands, heading into the kitchen. I watch as he goes through the fridge and cabinets, pulling out ingredients one by one.

I stand from the sofa and join him in the kitchen, smiling when he pulls out some pans and ground beef. The domesticity of the moment strikes me as absurd—this ancient, powerful vampire preparing to cook for me.

“You cook?” I question, raising an eyebrow.

He laughs, the sound rich and genuine, and starts to unbutton his shirt.

I stare at him, watching as he moves from button to button, his fingers deft and sure.

He slowly pulls the shirt off, revealing a white tank top underneath that does nothing to hide his muscular frame. He grins when he notices me gawking.

I catch myself when he chuckles, and I nervously clear my throat, holding my hand out for the shirt.

I take it, turn around, and place it on the small lounge chair where his suit jacket rests, then come back.

My eyes drift to his arms, the faint scars visible beneath his white tank top that fits him nicely.

“Yes, Carla. I’m fully aware of how to prepare a meal,” he grumbles, but there’s no real irritation in his voice.

I snap my mouth shut, grinning at him. He washes his hands, chops an onion, then lights the pilot and prepares the ground beef, shaping two patties and seasoning them with spices I didn’t even know I had.

As he works, I get lost in thought. Just a few days ago, I was sitting at my desk in the station, patting Moria who was clutched at my chest, praying to Fate for love. When I saw Moria’s prayer was answered, I’d nearly lost hope. Then Ackley broke my heart when all I wanted was to feel wanted.

Now this magnificent, beautiful, charming, arrogant asshole of a vampire is in my kitchen, frying me a cheeseburger.

It’s difficult to wrap my head around. I’m excited, but I’m also terrified. Because Amari holds my heart, and he has the power to destroy me.

And I’m ready for the destruction. I’m going into the shadows anyway. After Ackley, that’s the best place for me to be, even if I truly am fated to this beautiful vampire.