Page 1 of Loving Amari

1

AMARI

Eight Months After Craving Carla

The launch party of the Academy’s brand new technology center floods my mind as my body slowly awakens from its slumber. Three days.

Just three days until I introduce technology to the children of Wintermoon. My fingers twitch first, then sensation spreads through my limbs like warm honey. The elder shifters hate the idea, but their disapproval tastes like ash compared to my excitement.

My mind races through the preparations even as my body fights to catch up. The virtual reality stations are already installed, the coding terminals arranged in perfect rows. I’ve personally tested every piece of equipment, ensuring the young shifters will have the best technology available. They need to master both: the digital tools of the outside world and the instincts that run through their bloodline.

My eyes finally open. Carla sleeps beside me, her dark curls scattered across her face, hiding those green eyes that still makemy heart race. Her breathing steadies something in me, even as worry gnaws at my gut. I fight the urge to touch her shoulder.

She’s been gone for days again. In limbo, time moves differently, and while she can’t feel our mate bond there, I feel every second of her absence like a blade between my ribs. What started as hours has stretched into days, and each time she returns, I wonder if the next trip will be the one that keeps her forever. I lie awake in the dark, counting the hours.

I study her face, memorizing every detail as if it might be the last time. Each freckle on her nose. The slight parting of her lips in sleep. The curve of her neck. She’s everything, and losing her to that otherworld would destroy me.

I reach out, unable to resist stroking her cheek, brushing those wild curls away from her face. She moans softly, rolling onto her back. The sheet slips down. I pull my hand away, not wanting to wake her yet. She needs her rest after being in limbo for so long.

“So beautiful,” I whisper. “My sleeping beauty.”

Pink magic suddenly swirls around her body, delicate as spider silk but pulsing with power. The tendrils of light dance across her skin, weaving patterns I’ve never seen before. My eyes narrow. What the hell? This isn’t her usual magic—this is something new, something wild. I reach out to wake her, but the moment my fingers touch the magic, pain shoots through my hand like lightning.

“Ouch!” I snatch my fingers back, shaking them. The sting lingers, tingling up my arm.

Carla’s body lifts from the bed, floating in mid-air. Her arms hang limp, her hair falling back like a dark waterfall. The pink magic grows brighter, wrapping around her like a cocoon. My stomach drops as she rises higher, nearly touching the ceiling.

“Carla, baby, wake up!” My voice cracks as I sit up, reaching for her again. The magic pulses brighter, creating a barrier I can’t penetrate. “Please, Carla!”

Nothing. She floats there, wrapped in power that’s never taken control like this before. My heart pounds against my ribs. Panic claws at my throat. Is this because of her trips to limbo? Is she stuck between worlds?

Movement in the vent catches my eye. Moria and Kemnebi squeeze through, their many legs freezing the moment they spot their mother suspended in pink light. Kemnebi’s bristles stand on end, and Moria’s smaller form trembles with concern.

"What is happening to my mate?" The words come out sharper than I mean them to, but fear has its claws in me now.

Kemnebi flashes images—confusion, worry, the same helplessness I feel. They don’t know either. Their mommy has never done this before.

“Carla!” I’m shouting now, not caring who hears. “Baby, please!”

The magic pulses in response to my voice, growing brighter with each plea. I stand on the bed, trying to reach her, but she’s too high. Pink light spills across the walls.

Her eyes flutter open, and she lifts her hands, staring at them in wonder. Pink sparks dance between her fingers like tiny fireflies. Then she looks around, realizes she’s floating, and her mouth drops open.

“What the hell?”

The magic vanishes instantly. She plummets toward the bed with a yelp, but I’m already moving. I flash across the mattress, catching her in my arms as she crashes into my lap. The breath whooshes out of her lungs, and she clings to me, her nails digging into my shoulders.

“What the hell just happened?” She’s panting, her hands clutching my shoulders, her body trembling against mine.

I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. Relief makes me giddy. She’s here, she’s safe, she’s in my arms. “Good morning, baby. I think your magic is growing. You’re getting more powerful.”

Moria and Kemnebi jump onto the bed, bombarding her with worried images.

Carla sighs, running a hand through her tangled curls. “I’m fine, children. Calm down.” She turns those green eyes on me, and I see uncertainty flickering in their depths. “I had the strangest dream.”

I press a kiss to her lips. Her lips are soft and warm, grounding me in the moment. “Tell me about it in the shower.”

She yawns and stretches like a cat, her body arching in a way that makes my mouth water. The movement causes the sheet to slip further, and I have to force myself to focus on her face. “You are always so naughty.”