Jenna
With Blaze lying on my couch, I'm shakingly drinking coffee while sitting on the floor. Hannah is sitting in my armchair while silently watching me with knowing eyes.
I blush. I'm leaning against the side of Blaze's legs, unwilling to move away in case he would need me. Right now, his breaths are heavy as his body is recovering from the earlier battle.
I clear my throat when Hannah smirks at me. "Eh, so, what happened at Starbucks?"
Hannah's face darkens. "I ordered my usual vanilla latte, and as I was drinking it, this vampire gang throttled in like nothing and attacked a girl without no one batting their eye,"
I stare at her. "What?!"
Hannah crosses her arms with a horror-filled expression, brushing her hands against her arms as if calming herself. The memory is obviously haunting her. I almost feel bad for asking.
"Yeah," Hannah swallows thickly. "There are vampires everywhere. I don't know where they came from, but it feels
HannahSeeing a dragon for the first time is nothing short of terrifying. The beast is larger than a bus, with glowing eyes and a mouth capable of swallowing me whole.I shudder uncontrollably and look at Jenna, gasping in shock when I spot her running up to the landing creature.The dragon is terrifying, easily dwarfing her. I would never approach such a creature. But Jenna spread her arms to hug the creature's muzzle.Has she lost her damn mind?She should run away from danger, not treat it like a dog!"You're here!" Jenna cuddles the oversized lizard, and it huffs in satisfaction at the received affection.Confusion loops my mind seeing the odd couple. It baffles me how the dragon doesn't seem interested in eating her. Instead, it seems to listen to her."Lie down," Jenna laughs when the creature does as it was told. "Good boy!"Jenna then turns around, motioning for me to come closer. Her hand is resting on the creat
HannahThe atmosphere changes the moment I step into the woods. That earlier light gets replaced with darkness, beauty with horror.Right now, I'm walking through a nightmare, passing ghostly-looking trees. This isn't a place for a human, yet nothing can stop me from following that inner whisper of my heart.Determined, I lift the branch of a tree to enter a clearing. Blue flowers with an unnatural glow to them capture my eyes. They fill the entire clearing, spreading far and wide."Wow," I whisper, taken by the scene.The flowery beauty before me calms my speeding pulse. At first, I never expected to find anything pretty in the dark, but it seems there is beauty in even the darkest places.Affected to the brink of tears, I sit down in front of a flower. My fingertip touches the petals."My people call these flowers 'Lover's curse' if I remember correctly,"Startled by the sudden voice and thick accent, I twist my neck to searc
JennaI can't stand Ariel! It doesn't matter that we are mates; the guy is unbelievable!"Did you sleep with your other mate... What was his name again... Blaze?"Ignoring my second mate, I keep walking straight ahead without giving him the time of day.I've never seen Ariel this angry before, but I'm not frightened. His bark is louder than his bite."Don't ignore me!" Ariel growls."No!" I throttle forward, over rocks and flowers, while Ariel follows me like a dog. "I didn't sleep with him! And if I did, why do you care?! Didn't you tell me to get to know my other mate?"Ariel catches up with me. "Sleeping with him is hardly what I meant!"Frustration takes over, and I sigh dramatically. Ariel looks good; his anger only adds to his charm. Yet I angle away from him, cursing his rolled-up sleeves and exposed muscles."I don't know what you want," I tell him. "Have you ever heard that song by Katy Perry called Hot N Cold?
ArielStepping into the magical realm cleared my head. It seems Catherine got no power over me here. Finally, I can think freely without her compulsion stopping me from feeling things and saying what I want.And now, all I can think about is Jenna.Days ago, I thought it was selfish for me to want her, to steal her away from her destiny-chosen mate. But now I'm incapable of fighting against that burning sensation in my palms, that need to touch her.I want Jenna more than I've ever wanted anything. Guilt no longer pierces my soul when I think about the possibility of her rejecting this Blaze person to complete the mating ritual with me.'you want her both as your mate and rider? How interesting' Alastor murmurs. 'And also, greedy.''I don't care,' I growl at my inner dragon. 'I've always put other people's need before my own; I think it's time that I fight for what I want, what I need,''But in the end, it's Jenna who picks her mate,
Jenna Fighting the mate-bond is like walking through a burning house with no protection. Ariel is carrying me on his shoulders, refusing to put me down while my face is redder than a tomato. My bosom is melting, my heart turning into mush as his cologne enters my nostril, making them flare. I'm trying my hardest to breathe, act normal, but my nose is in his neck, and his dark hair is tickling my lips. Every curve, every straining muscle on his body: I can feel everything as he walks. It's nothing short of dizzying being this close to someone who just made me experience the most beautiful orgasm in my life. Before Ariel, I didn't think men could make me orgasm; I was wrong. "It shouldn't be very far to the castle," Ariel speaks softly. I hug him tighter as he walks over a log, and he chuckles, squeezing my smaller hand in his over his collarbone. Everything is magical, or it would be if I weren't so damn proud. I think I would b
ArielWith pouting lips, I keep following Jenna as she climbs the stairs leading to the castle doors. The feisty little thing felt too embarrassed to let me carry her, which is silly; her shoes are wet, and therefore, I owe the right to spoil her."How many fucking steps are there?!" Jenna growls and twists around to glare at one chuckling guard standing on the side of the staircase. "And and what are you laughing at?!"I chuckle and drag her up a couple of stairs to keep her from jumping at the guy. Jenna tries to fight me by pulling away from me, causing me to roll my eyes. With a swift movement, I place my hands underneath her armpits and lift her into my arms."ARIEL! PUT ME DOWN!" Jenna wriggles around like a worm, growling when she can't escape from me.Pretending I didn't hear her, I jog up the stairs with focused eyes. Missing a single step is out of the question. Keeping Jenna safe is the top priority and the only thing that matters.
ArielI'm barely listening to the conversation around the table. Jenna and Hannah want Cassius to help them defeat the vampires, while Cassius is his usual mischievous self."They will take over our entire city if you don't do something!" Hannah exclaims as she tries to reason with her mate. "Blaze could already be dead! He is Jenna's mate!"Jenna's smile falters once she hears that name. My mood immediately darkens. I don't care about this second mate of hers; to me, he is a simple rival in love, but since Jenna cares about him, I also care.Clearing my throat, I gain everyone's attention. "In this realm, time passes by slower. It might still be the same day in the human world," I turn to face Jenna then. It's painful, seeing her eyebrows crease with worry for another man. The mate-bond gnaws at my heart. "And... Blaze should be fine. If his life is in danger, then Jenna will feel it through the mate-bond,""Are you sure?" Jenna asks in a sad voic
JennaI'm a bundle of nerves, on the verge of puking from the steep realization that I'm about to share a bed with Ariel again. He seems calm while I can barely sit still; it gets even harder to breathe when I glance down at him lounging next to me.Our body languages are so different; Ariel is lying there with his head resting behind his folded hands while I'm sitting next to him, slowly inhaling, hopelessly attempting to calm down.The last time Ariel stayed the night, we didn't cuddle, and to my utter discouragement, he was gone by sunrise.It made me worry that maybe Ariel doesn't like me at all. I thought that maybe I scared him away by showing myself naked, with my baby fat and love handles, the things which don't exist on his trimmed body. Because after all, why would a man like him pick me when he could have anyone he wanted?"So apart from working at my hotel, what are your hobbies?"I laugh in surprise; it's a delightful sound. "Wh