Page 34 of Destined to the Lycan (The Shadow Realms #3)

Remus

F or the tenth time tonight, I woke up with a start.

A single glance outside sufficed for me to know I’d only dozed off for a few minutes.

Amara was still wrapped around me. But the worry that twisted my insides all the previous times I awakened finally subsided.

My Flame remained a bit warm to the touch, but she was no longer burning or shivering even as she was heavily sweating while moaning in pain.

It started about an hour after we made love.

No word could describe the terror that engulfed me at that moment.

I truly believed my mate was going to die by my fault and my foul seed.

To this day, the memory of how a couple of drops of my blood nearly killed Ulric and subjected him to years of debilitating sickness haunted me.

It would likely continue to do so until the day I died.

While Amara had also been increasingly feverish, restless, and experiencing clear discomfort during our previous nights together, tonight had been different. She clearly displayed the symptoms of someone who had been poisoned.

To my horror, when her condition first awakened me, my knot had still been too swollen for me to pull out of my woman without causing both of us significant damage.

The worst part was that, under normal circumstances, Lycans could will their knot to deflate should they be in danger.

But no matter what I tried, my knot refused to release my mate.

I kept thinking that if I could pull out and wash out what remained of my seed, it might lessen the risk of her dying from it.

It had been a stupid thought, but in my desperation to save her, I would have done anything.

It didn’t help that this was my first time knotting with a woman.

The few females I had been with in the past shared my bed more out of thrill-seeking than any actual affection for me.

They had been honest about their intentions, and I had accepted those encounters for what they were.

But in all those cases, on top of wearing an enchanted condom to avoid any risk of leaking, I had also pulled out before I could climax so that I wouldn’t accidentally knot with them.

The memory of that first experience with my Twin Flame set my blood ablaze.

How I had longed for this, dreamt for that special and unique moment when two souls also became truly one physically.

It exceeded everything I ever hoped for.

So when I woke up to find her drenched in sweat, her body alarmingly hot as she moaned and writhed in pain nearly destroyed me.

I cursed myself for not listening to my misgivings and cursed Lyall for tricking me into harming my woman.

But then, as my knot refused to set me free, it slowly started sinking in that our inner wolf would always protect its mate.

If it didn’t release me, it meant that my wolf believed I was doing right by my mate.

I studied Amara a bit more closely. And then it struck me that the stench of death that had been growing on her had actually dimmed.

With each passing minute, that foul scent steadily decreased.

It wasn’t a radical drop, but it was significant enough to be noticeable.

I finally realized that her current discomfort was because my venom was attacking the poison slowly killing her.

As much as I hated seeing Amara in pain, this unpleasant process benefited her.

I just thanked the gods that she remained unconscious through it all.

And throughout the night, each time I woke up, the smell of her sickness had weakened further, as did her temperature.

Now, as I watched her peacefully resting in my arms, I’d begrudgingly addressed a silent thank you to Lyall.

The mere thought of the handsome doppelganger prodded my jealousy and insecurities.

Amara was mine. The cockiness with which he tried to claim my mate angered me more than I could express.

And yet, I couldn’t blame him for being infatuated with her.

Her natural aroma alone was intoxicating.

But her personality was beyond addictive.

I gently caressed the bare skin of her shoulder.

Another wave of reluctant gratitude swelled within me for Lyall.

My mate’s skin already looked healthier and less grayish than it had over the past couple of days.

However, I wanted to kick myself for not asking him how much of my toxin I should give her.

Was there such a thing as too much or not enough?

Would there be any outward signs that would tell me she needed another dose?

The second time I awakened, my knot had deflated, allowing me to pull out.

Finding out that her body absorbed every last drop of my seed freaked me out.

Was that bad? As far as I knew, women didn’t absorb all of a male’s semen.

They had to wash off most of it. Since I’d never spilled inside a female before, I had no idea what normal looked like.

Plus, it wasn’t the type of question I would have asked Misty as that had never been a remote possibility before Amara.

My head swirling with far too many distressing thoughts, I forced myself to yield to oblivion and fell into a fretful sleep.

By the time morning came at last, I’d finally gotten some restful sleep.

Amara’s fingers carefully tracing my eyebrows and then the edges of my beard pulled me out of my slumber.

A wondrous heat spread through my chest upon finding my mate smiling at me.

Her skin looked almost luminous, and her eyes were clear of the gloomy veil that had started to dim their spark.

“Good morning, my Flame,” I said, my voice a little thick from lingering sleep. “How are you feeling?”

“Amazingly well,” she said with a radiant smile, the sincerity in her voice wiping out the remaining worries that still lurked at the back of my mind. “Had I known getting frisky with my man could be so rejuvenating, I would have jumped you much sooner.”

I chuckled and rubbed my nose against hers. “I’m glad to hear it. Feel free to use me whenever you need a little boost,” I said teasingly before claiming her mouth.

Passion immediately flared between us, and we both answered its call.

We shouldn’t have as my knot immediately sprang into action the moment I climaxed.

I also worried that a second dose of my seed so early might have adverse effects on her.

At the same time, the scent of death was still strong on her despite having dimmed.

My venom had much to feast on. Considering its weaker concentration, I wanted to believe that more of it—not less—would prove beneficial to my mate.

Still, I couldn’t be mad about bringing my female to completion twice before finding my own release.

This would be the last time we spent in any kind of real comfort until we reached our destination.

The rest of the journey ahead would be even more arduous than what we had faced thus far.

I only hoped that Amara would be able to handle it.

To my pleasant surprise, it took barely half an hour for my knot to deflate this time. Once again, my Flame absorbed everything I had given her. Her shock at not having any mess to clean confirmed that this was not a normal occurrence. I didn’t know what to make of it.

In that instant, I would have given anything to be able to further question Lyall about it.

He held far more answers than he shared.

However, I suspected that, should we meet again, he would be quite stingy with what information he divulged.

The phenomenal extent of the powers he displayed led me to believe that he wasn’t just some powerful demon or otherworldly creature.

While I didn’t believe him to be a god, I would bet he was a demigod.

In which case, he would be subjected to a series of strict rules called the Covenant, which forbade them to intervene in the life of mortals in a way that might thwart the plans that Fate had in store for them.

By answering too many of my questions, he could influence the choices I made in a completely different way than the ones I would have made given full free agency. But now was not the time to dwell on the doppelganger—or whatever else he might truly be.

We quickly washed and indulged in the hearty breakfast the innkeeper served us.

Being familiar with me, he didn’t question the extra amount of money I gave him before our departure.

He would burn the blankets I slept on to avoid any risk that my sweat during our passionate rumble could have an adverse effect on future patrons, even with them being fully washed.

As per my request the previous evening, he prepared a bag filled with dry breads, cured meats, nuts, and other food that could last for a few days. He threw in a couple of water skins and a bottle of cider to wash down our meals with.

When we exited the inn, Amara frowned upon seeing which horses I was burdening with our meager possessions.

“These are not our horses,” she said, confused.

“Good observation,” I said with a smile. “We will use the innkeeper’s horses all the way to the edge of Storm Hill. They are specially trained to return home on their own. From there, we will climb the mountain until we reach the plateau. There is no easy path for a horse to travel on.”

Amara stiffened. “Climb?” she echoed warily.

I nodded. “But do not worry, my Flame. It is not rock climbing, just a non-stop ascension following an uneven path much too narrow for a horse or most standard mounts.”

“Oookay,” she said carefully. “That’s a little reassuring but not fully.”

I chuckled and affectionately tapped the tip of her nose with my index finger. “Do not fret. It will not be too hard on you. Once we reach Storm Hill, we’ll use the harness so you can ride me.”