Page 91 of Daman

“I don’t like him.” Gray yawned and cuddled more into the couch cushion. “His red eyes are freaky.”

“Yes. They’re quite unsettling. Crimson pools filled with malice. Lies.” A small shiver passed through me at the memory. “They say eyes are the windows to the soul, and what I saw staring back at me in those woods was pure evil. Like a serpent coiling up and waiting for the moment to strike.”

“A serpent?” Daman pressed two fingers to his temple. “Goddammit, what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I remember?”

“Remember what?” Castor asked, entering the living room with Kyo at his side. They sat together in the armchair near the fireplace, Castor tugging Kyo down on his lap. The water dragon had a bite mark on his neck and a euphoric gleam to his orange eyes. The musky scent of sex wafted from them.

“I’m not sure.” Daman sat on the window seat and wrapped the throw blanket around his shoulders. Though it was a bit small for both of us, I sat beside him and pulled him to my chest. “I keep getting glimpses of something, like fragments of a memory trying to piece together. Fuck. Maybe I’m going crazy.” He shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“Didn’t want to risk anyone overhearing.” Gray yawned again. “It be dangerous times, me boy.”

“Oh no. He’s using a pirate accent.” Bellamy came around the corner, hair damp and dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants. “The cuteness is too much.”

Gray flashed a sleepy grin.

“Did Nikolai know you were coming?” I asked.

“Nope.”

“How did you get into the kingdom without anyone seeing you, then? The guards are on high alert.”

“Oh, they saw us,” Gray answered. “A few remembered us from the wedding but got suspicious since they didn’t know we were coming. But Bell did his thing, and they let us pass through.”

“His thing?”

Smirking, Bellamy sat on the love seat. “Let’s just say my ass will be sore for a while.”

Daman looked at me. “Remember when I told you we each had special skills?”

Understanding dawned on me. “He’s the seducer. So that’s how it works.”

“Sex is a powerful weapon, my man.” Bellamy closed his eyes. “Fuck, I’m tired.”

“Are all of you staying here?” Daman asked, a slight snarl to his lips. I could tell it was an act though. Despite it being under tense circumstances, he was happy to see his brothers. He’d missed them.

“Only if that’s okay with you,” Kyo said, looking at Daman, then at me.

“Of course it’s okay with them,” Castor said.

“Maybe you should let me answer that, Greed.” Daman narrowed his eyes at his redheaded brother. “You’re a pain in my ass.”

“And you’re still a ray of fucking sunshine, I see,” Castor retorted. “I hoped you finding your mate would mellow out your grouchy ass.”

“You told them?” Daman asked Bellamy. “I’m going to strangle you.”

“Hey, I didn’t mean to.” Bellamy held up his hands. “They read my mind. Stop giving me that look. Everyone was gonna find out eventually.”

Daman and I had heavily implied we were mates, yet we had only brushed the surface of that discussion. He had fought against the connection since the very beginning, only recently surrendering to that idea of it. I’d been patient, but I craved more. Our wedding rings symbolized our union, but my possession of him went deeper than that.

More than anything, I wanted him to claim me. To mark me. I wanted his scent all over me and for everyone to know I belonged to him… and that he belonged to me.

“Whatever.” Daman—still nestled against me on the window seat—pressed even closer. I kissed the back of his hair, and he softly sighed.

His actions, once again, said more than his words.

“So it’s true?” Castor asked. “You guys are really fated mates? Kinda cool how perfectly that worked out.”

“Fate always finds a way,” Kyo said, cracking a smile at his husband. “Just like when I saved your ass from that fighting pit.”