Page 58 of The Stolen Throne
He’s holding me so tightly; I fear he may suffocate me. It’s in this moment that I know his obsidian heart has shattered into thousands of pieces. When I was lying dead on battlefield, there was no hope for his dying heart.
I wrap my arms around him, holding him as tightly as my weak muscles allow. His body continues to shake as he mutters, “My raven. My raven.”
My own tears spill over as I reply, “Your raven is safe. I’m safe, and I’m here with you.”
He pulls back to look into my eyes. When they meet, I see his are no longer black but a brilliant sky blue. His eyes flick between mine as words rush out of him. “I love you, Little Raven. If you need to hear those words, I will say them as many times as you want. I will say them as much as you need. Just don’t leave me again.”
I lean forward to softly brush my lips against his. Pulling back, I reply, “I don’t need words; I already know.” I don’t want an ‘I love you’ from Dax anyway. I want to hear the same words he said when he first confessed his feelings for me. That I am his obsession. That’s all I ever want to be.
He presses his lips to mine urgently. Stroking his lips against mine before pulling back. “I need them,” he says breathlessly. “I need them, Little Raven.”
“I love you, Dax.”
31
Icome awake with a groan. Why am I so hot? Ugh, my body feels like shit. My eyes open slowly and then widen when I meet my reflection. With a frown, I tilt my head to look at the ceiling. Is that… is that a mirror on the ceiling? I never noticed that before, but I’ve also never been inside Dax’s chambers before. Did he remove the covering since his father is dead? I notice then that I am being snuggled fiercely by three males.
Dax is cuddled as close to me as possible on my right side, his face smushed into my neck as he breathes softly. Rev is on my left side, mirroring Dax exactly. Kas found a way to lie between my legs with his arms wrapped around my waist and his head resting on my lower abdomen.
The others are sporadically sprawled across the bed. Each sleeping peacefully as I stare up at the ceiling. Why would Dax put a mirror on the ceiling? Was this the king’s old chambers? Well, that thought sours my mood. I do not want to be lying on a bed the king used to lay on. I hope Dax bought a new bed when he moved in here. Kas adjusts his hold on me, snuggling deeper into my abdomen. Unfortunately, he snuggles right into my bladder, which sends a blaring alarm through my brain.
Shit! I need to pee! I contort my body, trying to wiggle out from between Rev and Dax. Except, it does not go as planned. Instead of freeing myself from them, they both move even closer. Which makes my need to pee so much worse.
“Guys,” I say softly, hoping it will only wake the guys closest to me. Rev lets out a snort as he snuggles.
Biting my lip and trying to force EVERY muscle in my body to keep my bladder from erupting, I say a bit louder, “Guys.”
Mir mumbles something, but he doesn’t move. I’m about to burst! “Guys!” I finally yell.
Every. Single. One of them jumps off the bed, arms outstretched and ready to fight off an attacker. I don’t even care as I jump up from the bed and yell, “OH, THANK THE GODDESS!” I run as fast as I can to the bathroom, hoping my bladder holds.
I hear Kas yell behind me, but there is no stopping me. “Eira!”
“I need to pee!” I screech, barely managing to sit down in time before the floodgates open. I’m hunched over, which may be an odd position, but the relief I feel from emptying my bladder is amazing.
There’s a knock on the doorframe, but I don’t move. “Little Raven?”
I’d forgotten to close the door in my haste. I wave a dismissive hand in the air. “I’m okay. My bladder would have ruptured if I had waited any longer, though. Kasim was using it as a pillow.”
“Are you sure?”
I hum as I finish washing my hands. “It would have been pretty embarrassing if I had wet the bed,” I call with a laugh.
“Forgive us for entrapping you, Little Raven.”
His voice gives me pause as I meet my reflection in the mirror. My eyes widen when I find all seven of my men standing awkwardly by the door. Turning the sink off, I arch a brow in question. “I didn’t mind the cuddling, Dax.”
He gives me a nod but doesn’t meet my eyes. I look down to find that I’m covered. I’m not naked, although that would normally make him stare, not look away. So why won’t he meet my eyes? My gaze travels over each of my men, and I find that none of them will make eye contact. My panic begins to build, thinking I’ve done something wrong. I don’t even realize it until Asher is gripping my face, saying softly, “Calm yourself, Snow Bunny. Your eyes turned black, and you are creating swirls of darkness.”
My eyes widen as I see the reflection of my eyes within his. They are completely engulfed in black, and I notice the swirls caressing his bare skin. “Ash,” I start as I try to gulp down air in my panicked state.
He gently caresses my cheeks, and I raise my hands to grip his wrists. He presses his forehead against mine and says, “Breathe. Breathe with me, Snow Bunny.”
I work to match his breathing as he takes slow, deep breaths. When my panic starts to fade, and I’m breathing normally again, I see the black smoke disappear. He pulls away with a smile as he looks down at me. “There she is. I didn’t realize how odd it would be to see you without your mahogany eyes.”
“Yes, well, I had that seven times over,” I reply with a huffed laugh.
Bene comes to stand beside me and rubs a hand up and down my back. “What caused you to panic like that, My Dragoness?”