“Kaif feels different,” Jonah states, and I shrug.
“We teach her,” Kaif speaks for the first time. He is eager for me to hop out and go find our mate. Ah, this might be the reason why he’s so uppity today.
Jonah moves away toward the toilet and I glare at him. “I swear you take a shit while I am showering, and I will flush your fucking head down that toilet!” I growl at him.
“Chill, we aren’t at that stage yet, bro, baby steps,” he says before peeing.
I growl again, turning away. He does not know the meaning of privacy or a damn closed door. Fucking dickhead.
“Kaif wants to teach her, but I don’t know,” I say, frowning slightly as I wash.
“You’re nervous about letting him out around her?” he replies.
“Yeah, what do you think?” I ask seriously. I could really do with someone else’s opinion. I mean, I have seen Kaif around her, and I know it isn’t as bad as I always thought it would be.
“Just set the ground rules. Marabella is a big girl Kyan, she won’t put herself in danger, and she is capable of following directions,” Jonah says before he sighs. We fall silent for a few moments as I ponder over what he says. “I think it is a good thing. He seems different, calmer,” Jonah adds, and I have to agree with him. He seems calmer, almost at home within me, and it is a delightful change from the usual jittery feeling I usually have.
Shutting the water off, Jonah hands me a towel before stepping out of the bathroom. I quickly dry myself when I hear a knock on the bathroom door. I wrap my towel around my waist, tucking it in at the front.
“It’s unlocked,” I tell her, knowing if it was Jonah, he would have just walked in. She opens the door but doesn’t stick her head in.
“Umm, are you…”
“I am covered, Ella,” I tell her, and I hear her heartbeat quicken at the nickname like it does every time I have slipped up and said it. I enjoy having this effect on her.
She pushes the door open a little more and pops her head in to make sure only then pushing it open.
“Can I borrow some clothes? I have none,” she asks, holding one of my shirts.
“Take what you want,” I tell her. She nods, stepping back out and closing the door. I sigh, staring at the mirror, and Kaif presses forward, making my eyes bleed black.
“You behave. You don’t take full control,” I tell him and my eyes flicker back at me, and he growls but agrees. One chance, that’s all he gets because if he fucks this up, she has to go. I refuse to let my visions become a reality. One chance, that was all I am willing to take.
Opening the door, I smack straight into her as she goes to open the door, her hand outstretched as she reaches for the door handle. She stumbles forward and slams into me. Kaif’s reflexes are faster than mine, as he grabs her, crushing her against me.
Marabella squeaks with shock, and her hands land on my chest. I can feel her heart beating quickly against me. The warmth of her skin and the smell of her skin has me leaning in. Our eyes lock and I’m aware of every inch of her body pressed against mine. She looks as stunning as ever, her dark hair a tousled mess, and her eyes with those lashes look alluring.
She is completely mouth-watering, and I want to take a bite of her. Marabella clears her throat when I realize I am purring. Thanks, Kaif! Looking over her shoulder, Jonah smirks at me, and I bite down the growl and let her go. Damn it.
“We leave in five minutes,” I say, a bit more curt than I intended.
“Where are we going?” she asks, a little unnerved by my sudden change.
“To Luna’s burial ground, where Kaif’s magic is strongest,” I tell her quietly , and I feel the pang of hurt shred through my chest from Kaif at the mention of his first mate, the one that started and ended it all.
Marabella
The manor is vast and surrounded by forest. I briefly feel bad for the mower man who maintains the well-manicured lawns and the gardens. We walk to the tree line up to a path that leads into the trees.
The shade of the trees cast a shadow on the beaten track which is rather narrow, and I pause at the edge of it. The forest looks dark and gloomy; making me hesitate. The energy radiating out of it is like a throbbing pulse and makes goosebumps rise on my arms.
Jonah also stops while Kyan disappears into the trees, yet a shiver runs up my spine, and I find myself frozen. Something is telling me not to go in there, I can’t explain it but it’s there, silently warning me. My heart is thudding loudly and only when Jonah speaks and I pull away the odd energy of the forest.
“Come on, let’s go. It’s going to be okay.” Jonah holds his hand out to me, nodding toward Kyan, who has disappeared entirely.
I take his hand, knowing I am probably being silly, and have spooked myself. Jonah tugs me close to him and drapes his arm across my shoulders before kissing my forehead, but I move, tilting my face up and pecking his lips instead.
He kisses me back and I’m about to deepen the kiss when Kyan speaks. “Keep up, if you get lost; I am not gonna spend all night looking for you both,” Kyan calls back to us.
His voice bounces off the trees, making an odd echo. Jonah chuckles before tugging me down the path. The path goes on forever, and Kyan has slowed his pace a bit, waiting for us to catch up. The crunch of the gravel beneath our feet is eerily loud, cutting us from the world, and it feels like we are in an entirely different place.