Their heads swiveled to look at me, and I smiled shyly.
Without another word, they nodded in agreement. Dakath strode to my room, picking me up as Kolvar offered me an affectionate smile and headed to stand in front of my door.
I let out a squeak as Dakath tossed me lightly onto the bed before falling on top of me. His small smile, one I didn’t think many people saw, lit up the room as he whispered, “I’ll be your shield, Ky. No one will ever hurt you.”
A giggle escaped me as I poked him in the ribs. “You’ll hurt me by crushing me.”
With a quick brush of his lips to my forehead, he rushed to his feet, stripping his jacket off and placing his weapon on the nightstand, leaving him in his button-up shirt and dress pants. It looked rather uncomfortable, but I appreciated that he wanted to respect boundaries.
Speeding around the room, he blew out the candles. Darkness descended, the only light streaming in from the moon through the windows. I was shocked at how well I could still see in the dark, noting his movement as Dakath slipped under the sheets and turned on his side to face me.
The most tender look of affection crossed his face as he reached out to brush my hair behind my ear. “Goodnight, Ky. Sweet dreams.”
Now that I was in this comfortable bed, feeling the safety of Dakath’s protection, drowsiness settled in quickly. I only hoped having him here would chase away the nightmares that frequently plagued my sleep.
“Goodnight, Dakath,” I whispered, closing my eyes and doing my best to let all of my unanswered questions about who I was go. There’d be time for that tomorrow.
I was asleep within minutes, dreaming of exploring this beautiful new land I was to call home with my three vampyres at my side.
A shift in the bed dragged me back to reality for long enough to realize my cheek was pressed to Dakath’s chest. The weight behind me shifted once again, accompanied by the cedar scent that alerted me Kolvar had joined us.
I should’ve pushed off of Dakath and gone back to my own pillow.
I should’ve felt nervous about sharing a bed with these two vampyres.
Instead, I snuggled in and sighed in contentment as Kolvar’s hand traced soothing circles on my back, luring me back to sleep.
My last thought was how this bed was large enough for four of us, not just three.
ChapterSixteen
Elijah
Istood outside Kyella’s suite, my ears picking up the sound of subtle movement on the other side of the heavy door. Was it too early to wake her up? I needed to take her to the library, but I also wanted to make sure she had breakfast before her long day of research.
I nearly scoffed at myself—that wasn’t the only reason I wanted to have breakfast with her. No, I wanted to spend time with her, something that I could only justify when it intersected my duty as her guide here in the castle.
A role I’d obviously assigned myself, but I was hoping she wouldn’t realize that.
I would admit, though, that the idea of her being hungry—especially now that I knew she was craving blood and actively consuming it for the first time in her life—made me feel on edge. Not that it was entirely surprising—there were plenty of things about Kyella that challenged my normal level of controlled calm.
A soft hum from the other side of the door had me pausing the fist I’d raised to knock, not wanting to interrupt the soft, soothing melody leaving her lips. Instead, I leaned closer so I could hear more actively what she was doing as she finished getting ready for the day. I tried to not imagine what that entailed and what she was dressed in—ornotdressed in—and failed miserably.
The thing that really caught my attention, though, was her steady pulse. One that had grown stronger and stronger since I’d first seen her, drained and weak at Malakai’s feet. The sound comforted me, signaling that she was healthier and recovering from the atrocious treatment she’d endured. It also showed how hyper-focused I was on the woman and her every action.
There wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it either, no matter how hard I tried.
I’d been captivated by her at first glance, but after only a few minutes on the boat with her, as we left port in the Thaician Empire, I realized that it would be impossible to ever fully get her out of my head. No woman had ever caught my eye, but Kyella caught that and so much more. With each passing day, I found myself more and more fascinated by her. There was so much strength that radiated off the woman. She was like a glowing light, and I couldn’t help but gravitate towards her.
I also couldn’t help but respect her. She had been through so damn much, suffered to such a large extent, yet her ability to feel empathy and compassion was unparalleled. It was clear in the way she stood up for Tristan and his family, pleading for mercy for them from our ruler. Not only that, but she had a way of expressing her emotions that I couldn’t imagine doing myself—at least not openly.
The woman was a gorgeous conundrum to me. A mystery. My enigma.
Although, my inability to communicate was exactly how I’d landed myself in this position, where my two comrades, essentially my brothers, were on one side of the door—most likely sleeping in her bed at this early hour—and I was out here, hesitating to knock like a nervous schoolboy. It was ridiculous.
Running my hands through my hair, I stifled a frustrated groan.
I may not have been nervous in the traditional sense, but the woman had an easy ability to call me on my bullshit. Even if she didn’t say it out loud—her eyes said it if her mouth didn’t. It was both extremely attractive and concerning. I had walls up for a reason, and I couldn’t afford to let her in. It’d be asking for even more trouble than this situation already had. If our ruler was correct and war would come to our lands, I needed to be able to do my best to protect our empire—to protect her.
