Page 23 of Loving Amari

“Oh, Tabatha warned you. I was watching when she did.”

I spin to glare at Aya, but she just stands there. Unbothered. Amused, even.

Her ghostly form flickers, growing faint. “Being the queen of limbo is a thankless job, which is why Tabatha was so happy to be relieved from it. And one day, you will be too.”

I slam the bathroom door with my magic. My hands shake as they grip the sink. The woman staring back at me in the mirror looks haunted.

Three days. Three days I was gone while Amari stood alone in his technology center. Smiling for children. Answering questions. Pretending everything was fine while his mate was missing and he couldn’t even feel me through the bond.

I grab my toothbrush with shaking hands. The mint taste burns my tongue as I scrub roughly, trying to wash away the taste of failure. Of letting down the one person who’s never let me down.

Towels. Washcloths. The shower. I move through the motions mechanically, my body on autopilot while my mind spirals.

The water hits my skin too hot. I don’t adjust it. Let it burn. Maybe if the water’s hot enough, if I scrub hard enough, I can wash away the guilt clinging to me.

Shampoo. My fingers work through my curls roughly, nails scraping against my scalp. Who the hell is Nathaniel? How does he have Blackwood magic? Why was Tabatha fighting him in limbo? Why is he after Solomon?

The questions won’t stop. But they all pale compared to the one question that matters most.

How do I keep Amari?

I saw it in his eyes. That flicker of resignation. Like he’s already accepting that I’ll always choose limbo over him. That his dreams, his passions, his achievements will always come second to my responsibilities as the Queen of limbo.

But he’s wrong. He’s so fucking wrong.

Conditioner. My hands work it through my hair, gentler this time. Rinse. Body wash. The routine movements give my hands something to do.

“I have to do something about this.”

But how? How do I fight an enemy I don’t understand while also being the mate Amari deserves? The partner who shows up, who’s present, who doesn’t miss the moments that matter?

I look down at my hands through the spray of water. Pink magic flickers around my fingers. The same magic that yanked me away from Amari without warning. Without mercy. Without asking if I wanted to go.

Mother Fate. Aya said Mother Fate commanded the children not to kill her.

Is Mother Fate messing with my magic too? Is this all part of some greater plan I can’t see?

Maybe I need Fate to survive this. To keep Amari.

I snap back to myself and shut off the water. Step out, wrapping myself in a towel. Another towel for my hair, twisted and secured on top of my head.

I need to talk to Angie. If anyone can help me understand Nathaniel and why he has Blackwood magic, it’s her. She has the books, the knowledge, the connection to our bloodline that I don’t have.

I put on a simple purple dress and leave my hair wrapped up. I’ll deal with it later. Right now, I need answers.

And I need to fix things with Amari before this distance between us becomes a chasm too wide to cross.

One struggle at a time. But I can’t let fixing limbo cost me Amari.

I won’t.

8

AMARI

Istand in my office, arms crossed, watching the door. My desk sits in the center, covered in papers and holographic displays I haven’t had the energy to deal with.

The first to arrive are Damon and Selene. He carries a stack of old leather-bound books. She wears full combat gear—knives at her thighs, guns at her waist. Her hand rests on one blade.