Wanted to kill all of them.
Didn’t understand them.
“You hate me,” I told Kols, his arms wrapped around me as he pulled me back into his chest, his lips falling to my neck. None of it was real. I knew that. But I didn’t know how to stop any of them from playing in my head.
“I don’t hate you, princess,” he whispered.
“You blamed me for our mating bond.”
“Because he’s an idiot who doesn’t know how to take ownership for his own actions,” a dark voice said, directly into my ear and overriding Kols’s voice in my head.
“What?”
“Wake up, little rose,” Shade demanded, his teeth skimming my throat. “We’re done playing this game. For now.”
My eyes opened, Kols’s chuckle a residual sound in my mind.
Violet curtains were parted to reveal a starry night and silk sheets twined with my legs. Shade rested behind me, his arm tucked around my waist, his bare chest to my back, his lips at my ear again. “Welcome back, little rose.”
I swallowed, my heart skipping a beat. “Where am I?”
“My room.” He pressed a kiss to my neck once more, then guided me to my back to hover over me. “You need more sleep. How about we skip our classes today and stay here?”
“How did I...?” I trailed off, the events of last night slamming into my mind on a vicious assault of reality.
Zeph’s three-headed snake killing Clove.
Sex with Kols.
Him sending me away.
Running into the forest.
My powers bursting.
Shade shadowing me here.
Every memory tumbled through me, causing me to flinch as dread pooled dark and thick inside my belly. “What happens now?”
“We sleep,” Shade replied. “Assuming you’re taking me up on my offer to skip class, that is.”
“No.” I shook my head in an effort to clear it. “What happens to the four of us? To me?”
“Ah, I believe the plan is to pretend like nothing happened at all.” He lifted a shoulder. “I suppose we’ll see how well that works, won’t we?”
“I...” What? “Will that even work? Won’t the Council know? What about our bonds?” I could sense all three males inside me, shredding apart my heart with their various hooks. Their magic rioted around my soul as well, as if each one vied for dominance over my powers, seeking to absorb me entirely.
Grounding me, I realized. They’re absorbing my energy to keep me grounded and stable.
I poked at them in my mind, rearing back when the lines hissed in response. Shade visibly flinched, his lips curling down. “What did you just do?”
“Touched your... bond?” It was a guess. I didn’t really know what to call it, but they felt like anchored chains surrounding my spirit, tying me down.
“You can see them?”
I nodded slowly, looking inside myself once more. “Yeah. I think.”
“Can you describe them?”