Chapter 13

NATHANIEL




I was strapped to a bed, whimpering as the man drew closer with a syringe in his hand.




*"I promise this won't hurt,"* he cooed with a smile.




*"No,"* I cried, yanking at the bindings that held my hands and legs in place.




*What the fuck was happening?*




It took me a while to realize the thoughts weren't mine, but Ayra's. I opened my eyes, expecting her to squirm in bed, but she slept soundly, leaving me wondering if the thoughts were even hers.




"Go back to sleep," she groaned when I sat up on the bed.




"You can go back to sleep. I have to get to work," I replied sliding off the bed.




When I looked at her again, she was curled into her side, deep in her sleep.




There was a shift inside of me. That was the only way to describe how I felt inside. It was as if I was attuned to her thoughts without even having to try.




Normally, I could get into her head or anyone else's for that matter, but it would take effort. My demon was calmer than usual. I couldn't blame the bastard, though.




If only the lights were turned on last night, she'd have seen the change in my eyes as I clawed to keep control. That was one of the reasons I was scared to touch her; I didn't know when he would come out.




I went through my morning routine, skipping out on going to the gym. I found my bed empty when I got out of the bathroom.




I shook my head at how predictable she was. I'd felt her panic while I was in the shower. She was in her room, no doubt *berating* herself for the night's events.




I was dressed for the day when my door was pushed open, and Ayra's head popped in.




"Hey. So, I sorta promised Bethel I'd be at her house this morning to help with babysitting her kids. She suspects she's having her third baby today, so she's going to the hospital with her husband. I'm running out of time, so I was wondering… "




"You need a ride." It seemed like I was wrong about the reason for her panic.




"Yes. Sorry for the inconvenience."




"It's fine. I'm heading out anyway."




"It won't be asking for too much if Nikki and Reese can come along, right?" She asked cautiously like she was afraid I'd say no. "We're supposed to watch them together."




"They can come along."




"Thanks. I'll leave you to… this," she said before closing the door.




***




AYRA




"Remember, don't stay out until sundown."




"I know. I have the dagger with me, too, just in case," I said, whipping out said dagger from my boot.




He nodded his approval. "Good. I'll be home late. Don't wait up."




I snorted. "What are we? Some old married couple? It was just sex. Nothing more."




His gaze met mine, his green eyes burning with intensity. "Really? Just sex? I think we're past that stage now."




"How so? We barely spoke over the past weeks," I pointed out.




"I was avoiding you on purpose," he admitted.




"Yay. Lucky me," I drawled, unable to stop myself from rolling my eyes. "It doesn't have to change because we had sex. We're adults, and we both move on."




"Move on? I hope this isn't about having sex with someone else."




"Why is this even a discussion? I have to get going. Also, don't think I forgot about yesterday."




"Of course. The mark issue. Good luck on that," he said with a smug smile. I was so tempted to slap the smile off his face, but I just nodded, climbing out of the car.




"Took you long enough," Nikki said when I walked into the living room. "We noticed the way you two were staring at each other all through the car ride."




"How about we talk about that later?" I suggested. "Where are the kids?"




"Upstairs. They're showing Reese their cool new toys. She is good with babies."




"Why hasn't she had one yet? Aren't mates supposed to be all over each other?"




"They were holding out. Until now, they lived their entire life in uncertainty. Living in The Borough has helped, I think. It shouldn't be long before she's pushing out babies."




"Penelope!" We heard Reese shriek from upstairs.




"Yeah, I think we should go upstairs and see what's going on."




***




"Thanks for babysitting the kids. They'll be so thrilled to hear that they have another little brother to add to the group," Desmon, Bethel's mate, said.




"It's fine. Penelope and Drake were amazing. They're taking their naps upstairs all thanks to Reese," I said.




"Whatever you did, we might have to employ you. It's hard to get them down to sleep."




Reese beamed at him. "Any time. You can drop them off at the house. We should get going now."




"Hold on. I need to use the bathroom real quick," I said before dashing off down the hallway to get into the bathroom.




"Holy fuck," I cursed, backing away from the sink. There in the mirror was the Nighthowler Nathaniel referred to as his cousin. Her face was masked like the other time, but I could see her glowing eyes. "How can you do that?"




"Wouldn't you like to know? I'm here to pass off a warning to Nathaniel. One little mistake, and he'll lose everything he owns including you."




"He doesn't own me."




She cackled. "No? You might not know this, but that mark on your neck was never meant to be. And yes. A lot more trouble is waiting just ahead of you two. I hope we never have to fight on opposite sides of a battle. It'll be a shame because I can see you've finally managed to do it."




I rubbed my palm up and down the exposed skin of my arm as a chill racked through my body. "Do what?"




"Tame Nathaniel. He's putty in your hands now. He'll fall just like his ancestors before him. You women are a curse to them."




I was beginning to think this woman had a few screws loose. What the fuck was she talking about?




"He'll do anything you ask, and the demons will use it against him." The book she'd stolen during our visit to the building fell at my feet. "Here is the book. I don't recommend you open it until you're worthy enough. Right now, you're just a pathetic excuse for a she-wolf. Until you can find your roots, you remain powerless. Do not open the book."




"I am not powerless," I said through gritted teeth, balling my fists by my side.




"No?"




Ice began creeping up the walls of the bathroom, the cold getting unbearable. The mirror frosted as ice crept up to it. My limbs felt too heavy to move even as I struggled within myself.




The cold rattled my bones, and soon my teeth were chattering nonstop.




"The old Ayra would've defeated me so easily, but here you are shaking like the pathetic creature they turned you into. You're not worthy to stand by the side of a Black. Nathaniel will realize that soon enough, and like the others, he'll let you go, tamed or not. Maybe that will prompt you to dig deeper instead of chasing his cock all around."




It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her to fuck off, but my lips couldn't form the words. They were numb from the cold.




"Pathetic," she spat one last time before sending me flying backward.




My back hit the door before I collapsed to the floor with a thump.




"I hate you," I spat, pain pricking through my entire body.




She smirked at me. "I hate me, too," she said before fading away.




The pain was too much to bear. I closed my eyes, hoping the girls would notice my long absence and come look for me.




My wish was granted when I heard footsteps running towards the bathroom.




"Ayra!" Nathaniel bellowed before I heard the mirror shatter into a million pieces. "Fucking Dalia."




"We need to get her somewhere warm," Ishmael said in the background.




"Stay with me, Ayra. We'll get you somewhere warm. We'll be fine."




"The book," I choked out, pain filling my chest as the words left my mouth.




"What book?"




"She left it. The book. I need- "




"Go to sleep," Nathaniel ordered in a compelling voice.




"I need the-"




I broke off on a yawn as sleep enveloped me, and everything went black.