Page 26 of Daman

“You fiend,” Kyo said but laughed a little when Castor nibbled at his neck. His orange eyes then moved to me. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Likewise.”

My relationship with Kyo had started on rocky terms. He’d been angry about the marriage arrangement between us because he loved Castor, therefore, he hadn’t liked me even a little bit in the beginning. My decision to end the engagement had been the first time I’d ever gone against a direct order. But I’d had to. I couldn’t marry Kyo when his heart—and soul—had belonged to someone else.

Nikolai, though irritated at first, had respected my choice and called off the wedding.

Everything had worked out well though. After centuries of war, peace finally reigned between the water clan and our ice kingdom. Also, with Kyo being married to one of the Nephilim brothers and me marrying another, our two clans would be even more united.

“Welcome,” Nikolai greeted them. “Armen and Dimitri will show you to your rooms, and then you will join me for drinks in the parlor.”

“Is there food too?” Raiden asked. “Oh. I forgot to add ‘Your Majesty.’ My bad.”

“For fuck’s sake, Raiden.” Alastair scrubbed a hand over his face.

Raiden grinned. “You missed me. Just admit it, Al.”

“I’ll do no such thing.”

Nikolai found the exchange entertaining.

As the Nephilim were shown to their quarters, I looked for Daman. I found Bellamy first. He exited his bedroom, his golden hair disheveled and his lips a little swollen. His wrinkled sweater was inside-out, which told me he’d thrown it on in a hurry.

“Hey,” he said, flashing a smile. “What’s up?”

The door he’d just closed opened again, and a man grabbed Bellamy’s arm.

“I wasn’t done with you yet.” He yanked Bellamy to his chest. Blond hair hung in waves and brushed the tops of his shoulders.

“Ivan,” I greeted him. He was one of my soldiers.

Ivan’s eyes widened before he bowed his head. “Commander Warrin.”

“Both of you, come back to bed,” another voice chimed in before Efrem appeared in the doorway. He licked the shell of Bellamy’s ear before looking at me. Horror crossed his face as he quickly bowed too. “Commander! Forgive my appearance.”

All three of them had bite marks on their necks, and the twins were naked, apart from Ivan, who had a sheet around his shoulders. They reeked of sex and musk. I had no experience with sex, but I knew the scent.

“What you do with your time outside of training is no business of mine,” I said to Efrem before looking at Bellamy. “You, however, need to wash up and head downstairs. Your family arrived and will be meeting the king for drinks soon.”

“Damn.” Bellamy leaned against the doorframe, a smile in his eyes. They changed from hazel to a familiar shade of green. “Look at you sounding all authoritative and shit. It’s kinda hot. No wonder D’s giddy over you. Do me a favor and don’t let him chase you away, okay? He’s a moody bitch, but he has a good heart beneath it all.”

Speaking of hearts, mine beat faster at his words. What did he mean by Daman being giddy over me? He’d barely talked to me in three days.

Not sure how to respond, I gave a curt nod before continuing toward Daman’s room. Reaching the closed door, I stopped and knocked twice.

“What?” he snapped from the other side.

“Can I come in?”

There was a short pause, and when he spoke again, his voice had less bite. “Yeah. It’s unlocked.”

I opened the door and stepped inside. The fire was lit, making the room cozy and warm, and snow fell on the other side of the tall windows. I watched it fall for a moment. The sight never failed to soothe my soul. It gave me strength too. More so, courage.

I wasn’t the best at talking to people.

Daman sat in an oversized chair beside the fire, one leg slung over the arm and the other curved under him. He held a tablet in his lap and used a stylus to draw. Brown hair hung in his face as he angled his head forward, hand moving across the screen.

“Your brothers and their mates are here.”