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Carla

I watch as Amari drops to his knees before me, his strong hands working lotion up and down my legs.

I’m freshly showered, dressed in a thin tank top and sweatpants, my hair still damp against my shoulders.

Part of me wishes we could have stayed naked in bed, but I understand why we’re here—why we need this moment of quiet care.

Today, we nearly lost each other.

Amari nearly gave his life to save Tofi, throwing himself in harm’s way and taking the blow from that giant man-made spider. The wound in his chest—is almost healed now.

Even now, hours later, my hands tremble slightly as I watch him. Not from fear, but from the aftershocks of nearly losing my other half. The mate bond feels stronger than ever, as if it knows how close we came to being severed forever.

Amari suffered an injury that would have killed any human, and though he’s nearly healed, the vampire healing process demands energy. He needs to rest and feed. I’m exhausted too, my stomach betraying me with a loud growl.

“See?” Amari raises an eyebrow, his fingers still massaging the lotion into my skin. “You need rest just as much as I do.”

I huff in frustration. The last thing I want is to give him another reason to worry about me.

He lifts my foot to his lips and kisses my toes. I’m dressed only in panties and the thin nightgown he helped me into earlier. Even while healing, he’s catered to my every need—washing me from head to toe, conditioning my hair, applying lotion to every inch of my skin, and dressing me.

“Lie down,” he says, standing and pointing to the headboard. “I’ll make a quick dinner.”

“Amari—”

“How does salmon with potatoes and broccoli sound?” He cuts me off, his tone making it clear he won’t take no for an answer.

“Delicious,” I admit.

“I’ll be quick about it.” He flashes me a smile before disappearing from the bedroom, moving at that impossible vampire speed.

I’m too tired to argue, so I do as he asks, scooting back against the bed and resting my head on the pillow. My eyes fix on the ceiling as I process everything that happened today—how suddenly it all unfolded, how I never saw it coming.

Since stepping foot on the tourist island, I’ve felt a new confidence in myself.

Amari has been instrumental in that, pushing me to accept nothing less than being the beautiful, marvelous woman that I am.

The way he and his men stood up for Wintermoon, Amari putting himself in danger to save Tofi.

.. my heart quickens just replaying those moments.

But it’s Anora who dominates my thoughts. Her rage, her difficulty calming down. If Amari hadn’t intervened...

I take a sharp breath and roll onto my side, Tabatha’s words in my mind: Those difficult choices. Was this one of them? It nearly destroyed me. What other difficult choices lie ahead? Something tells me this isn’t the end of my battles with Anora.

She’s right about one thing—the humans won’t stop coming for her family. But shouldn’t we be working together against this threat? Maybe then she wouldn’t have another breakdown.

Or maybe Anora is right about being able to siphon the dark magic out of her. But what would that mean? Sometimes it’s dangerous to interfere with Fate’s plans. She made Anora this way for a reason.

What reason? I don’t know.

I roll over when the scent of seasoned salmon fills the room. Amari stands over me with a tray, concern evident in his eyes despite his smile. He climbs into bed beside me, and I notice the gallon of blood on the end table. He must be desperately thirsty after his injuries.

He places the tray in my lap and steals a kiss from my cheek.

“What’s bothering you, baby?” he asks, watching me. “If you really don’t like salmon, I can make you something else.”

I glare at him and grab my fork, stabbing into my food before taking an angry bite. He just laughs, the sound warm and familiar. It feels like we’ve been doing this dance forever, not just the brief time we’ve known each other.

“I’m relieved,” Amari says, his eyes never leaving my face. There’s something different in his gaze since the bonding—more focused, as if he’s taking in every detail.

“Oh?” I chew slowly, eyeing him suspiciously. The salmon melts in my mouth, perfectly cooked. Despite everything, I have to admit he’s an excellent cook. It’s one of those little things about him that I love—how a centuries-old vampire still takes the time to perfect cooking for his mate.

“Relieved that things are still the same between us,” he explains. “I thought the mate bond might change you. But I can still get under your skin, still piss you off, and you still get sassy with me.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh please, Amari.” But inside, I know exactly what he means. I’d worried too—that somehow the magic of the bond would alter who we are to each other, that the raw, real connection we’d built would be replaced by something predetermined and artificial.

He starts laughing again. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really love that about our relationship. That I can be playful with you.”

“I love that about us too,” I say softly, then mutter through my chewed food, “Even if it drives me nuts sometimes.”

I put my fork down and reach out, gently pressing my palm to his cheek. Amari closes his eyes and leans into my touch, sighing deeply.

“I remember how mad you would make me,” I smile, stroking his face. “How it drove me crazy. But at the same time, I yearned for you so badly.”

Amari opens his eyes and shifts his face, pressing his lips into my palm. “Finish your food so you can rest. It may not seem like it, but I’m also anxious about the mate bond.”

I blush and move my hand back, picking up my fork and digging into my food again.

Amari sits up and reaches over to the end table, grabbing the gallon of blood. He pulls the top off and tilts it back, chugging it down.

I stare, slightly surprised as I watch him gulp it down entirely without coming up for air—though I suppose as a vampire, he doesn’t need to breathe. He finishes nearly half of it before stopping, and I notice him wince. The taste of old blood clearly bothers him.

I start to offer my wrist to him, but he flinches away.

“No, Carla. I am not feeding from you, not right now,” he says firmly.

“Why not?”

“Because you used a lot of magic today, and I’m not about to be selfish and take more energy from you just to replenish myself. Let me have some respect for you, please.”

I giggle and let my arm fall as he goes back to drinking. He finishes the gallon and clears his throat.

“Horrible,” he moans, “but it’s getting better.”

I finish my food and gulp down my juice. Amari takes the tray along with the empty jug and in a flash, he’s gone and back within seconds. I smile as he slowly walks back into the bedroom and climbs into bed, pulling me into his arms.

“Do you ever get urges to go back to Midnight Moon?” I ask. “Or to your company? Do you miss your old life before me?”

Amari narrows his eyes. “Why are you asking me that? You feel the mate bond, so you should understand.”

“Yes, I do, but it still kind of bothers me that you’re giving so much of your life to be here with me. I remember how much you hated Wintermoon and called it a cage, that you wanted to take me out of here.”

Amari sighs and pulls me closer against him. “You’re right about all those things, and I still feel that way sometimes. But I understand now why you need to be here. I understand why this is a home for you despite how you’re treated.”

“And you still feel the same about Wintermoon being a zoo?” I ask cautiously.

He chuckles. “A little. I plan to meet with King Amir and Queen Anora to discuss setting better boundaries with the humans. If they’re going to come here, they need to respect us. This isn’t a matter of money—Wintermoon doesn’t need to worry about that. Our land is rich in resources.”

I smile at him claiming Wintermoon as his home.

“But the way they behave on the tourist island,” he continues, “it’s no wonder the spider was able to infiltrate our land.” He pauses. “What do you plan to do with it? I noticed you didn’t kill it.”

“I couldn’t,” I admit. “Verde and Petra were still in there—I could feel them. It’s still sentient, just... different now. But maybe there’s a way I can turn it into one of my children.”

“Is there a way I can come to limbo with you? To make sure you’re protected?”

“No,” I shake my head. “I don’t want you to go in there.

I’ve got it in a special place. If I can’t control it, I’ll destroy it.

” I swallow hard. “But it will hurt me because it will feel like another one of my children has been taken from me. But I don’t know that for sure.

I’ve just got my powers back, and I’m learning more about myself with each passing second. ”

Amari gently rubs my back.

“What’s next?” I ask. “We’ve stopped whatever Alexis was planning... but now what?”

“The fight isn’t over,” Amari says. “While you’re dealing with limbo and coming into your role as Queen of the realms, I’ll be busy making sure Brookstone and Blackburn Enterprises gets taken down. I’m going to help Bobby in any way that I can.”

“Does this mean you’ll have to leave Wintermoon sometimes?”

Amari gives me a wicked grin. “Need I remind you that we’re in the digital era? I can be in many places at once due to technology.”

I giggle and playfully slap his chest.

“No way am I leaving you,” he says more seriously. “At most, it would be to the tourist island or royal island, but even that isn’t feasible for me right now. I want you with me always.”

I blush at that.

“It will be hard for me when you have to travel to limbo,” he admits.

“I’m still figuring things out,” I say, “but I’m not just going to pull you in there without knowing it will be safe for you.”

“I have some of your magic, so it’s probably safe.”

“How about you let me have some respect for you too?” I shoot back, and he chuckles.

“Sleep is coming over me,” he murmurs, his eyelids growing heavy.