Chapter 21: Chapter 21

IRIS

It had now been seven days since we arrived at Devas. He left the day we arrived and hadn’t come back since.

My brother wanted to go back to the mansion after two days, but Avery knew Devas could help me, so we decided to wait. Eventually he’d come home… I hoped so.

We would probably have moved on by now if Devas hadn’t sent us this message.

The young wood elf who joined us in the early morning of the second day seemed completely overwhelmed. Even for him, it seemed to be too much to be alone in this part of the forest.

Although he was one of them… this place was different. Darker. More impenetrable.

As if the forest here were breathless, as if it listened to every step, every rustle of leaves.

He handed Avery a letter with trembling hands.

The words were brief, almost gruff: “Stay in my house. Iris will be safe there. I’ll come back as soon as I’ve finished something.”

No explanation of what he was planning. No idea when he’d be back.

And so now we were waiting at his estate, trapped in this strange House that felt like time was suspended in mid-air.

Aidan tried to distract himself. All week he lifted weights, toiled in the kitchen as if he could boil the restlessness out of his limbs.

He would sit with us for a while in the evening, even laughing now and then, but as soon as the conversation died down, he would withdraw to his room.

The separation from Inna gnawed at him—you could tell. And me? I felt guilty, because I couldn’t understand it. Not really.

Why did her absence bother him so much?

Avery and I spent those days together, inseparably. But it felt so natural being with him.

As if we were never apart and he made me feel like everything was as it was meant to be.

We talked a lot about our lives and the whole situation. He loved listening to me when I spoke.

His face was so relaxed, and yet concentrated. It was as if he was soaking up every word I said, memorizing it like a precious treasure.

Avery laughed about the things we had been taught at school. He explained much of it to me differently, more magically.

Most of the things we knew from history class were quite different in his stories.

His face was concerned when I told him about my loneliness. The lack of friends, or simply having someone to talk to.

I was alone… for a very long time.

But when I told him about Grandma and Grandpa, his eyes softened. Any memory I had of them was wonderful.

It was only after we were alone here, for these days, that I was able to process everything. I was able to grieve for my family that I lost.

Avery told me everything he knew about my parents and grandparents. He also told me about his friends, who were now mine too.

And I think that was the trigger for my emotional breakthrough. I think I was really ready to deal with everything for the first time here on Devas’ estate.

So far it all seemed like a dream, like this wasn’t really happening. I tried to convince myself it was real, maybe just so I wouldn’t be alone anymore.

But when I pricked myself on one of the roses and saw the blood, I realized I was really here.

Avery was looking at my finger, comforting me while I realized that the pain I was feeling would never be felt in a dream.

I wasn’t dreaming… all of this was real. And I think I was only really realizing it now.

Suddenly I was overwhelmed by thoughts; they assaulted me as if someone had ripped open a hidden chest in my heart. Memories.

There was my father, breathing his last breath in Devas’ arms. His gaze searching for him, still on the verge of death, full of silent promises.

“Look after her,” he whispered.

My mother, laughing as we children romped through the garden. Her hair gleaming in the sunlight as she told us stories of Antaris… her home, which was also ours.

“One day, I will show you everything. There is so much I still want to show you,” she sometimes whispered, as if it were a dream that she was not allowed to speak out loud.

And Grandpa… His face as he threw himself in front of me. That second when I realized that his pain wasn’t just the danger—it was the fear of losing me.

Just like my mother. Just like everyone else.

Grandma’s piercing scream reverberated in my head as the princes of darkness murdered her. I remembered, as a little girl, I would wake up in the night in a cold sweat, tormented by nightmares.

She was there instantly, pulling me close, her familiar lavender scent enveloping me.

“Everything is fine, little one. I’m here,” she said reassuringly.

Then on my first day of school, she proudly plaited my hair and slipped a talisman into my pocket.

“For the courage you don’t even need, because you’re already so strong,” she whispered to me.

Why was it only now that I remembered all of this so brutally? Why only here in this strange house?

They gave their all for me. Their life. Their futures.

And only here did I realize that they were really dead. That I’d never hear them again.

That I would never be able to hug Grandma again when tears fell.

Now I felt the pain, instead of fleeing from it. Perhaps because I was here—in Antaris.

Maybe because they finally allowed me to, from beyond.

~Can you hear me? I’m safe. And I miss you. So very much.~

A tear rolled down my cheek. And several more followed, like a dam burst of emotions that overtook me.

I started to cry uncontrollably.

“Does it hurt that much?” Avery asked me worriedly, still looking at my finger, which was bleeding slightly from the thorn bite.

“Very…” I replied with a shaky voice.

His eyes found mine, and I could see my reflection in them. The pain in them, when he looked at me like that.

As if he suspected I wasn’t talking about the little sting. As if he could feel my pain.

Avery was very patient with me and showed me his feelings every day. He also knew it would take time for us to fill our mate bond to the full.

Everything was still foreign to me and I had to get used to it.

I felt Avery’s love; every day it grew stronger, and it filled me with strength and hope. Every gesture he made was loving, and he showed me nothing but pure emotion and affection.

Our touches and kisses were very gentle but also innocent.

I was in love with him, I knew that… but I lacked the connection with my magical powers to be on the same level as him.

And he was understanding, patiently and respectfully waiting for me to regain all my power and feel the true love of mates.

We slept in the same bed. I knew he needed that closeness to me.

But he never touched me in any way that made me uncomfortable.

And that just showed me even more how much he loved and respected me. I could feel his muscular body next to me, his steady breathing...and the deep breaths I took when I hugged him while he slept.

My fingertips left a slight goosebump on his skin. And he would immediately turn to me, pulling me close.

He would bury his face in the crook of my neck, as if he needed to inhale my scent deeply. I wondered if I could ever feel the same thing he did.

I wanted it so badly. Avery lay behind me, his breath warm and uneven against the nape of my neck.

His fingers trailed slowly, almost hesitantly, over my waist, as if he feared scaring me away. But I could feel the tension in him, every muscle in his body betraying how much he was holding back.

His lips touched my shoulder, only fleetingly, a hint of contact that sent shivers down my spine. So close. Yet not close enough.

I saw it in his eyes when he looked at me...this dark, glowing desire that made me shudder to the core. He wanted me. Every inch of my body. Every sigh.

He was less careful in his sleep. Often he would pull me to him in the dark, his strong arms encircling me, pressing my back against his bare chest.

Avery’s hand found my breast as if of its own accord. His fingers enveloped me with a possessiveness that made me gasp. Even in sleep, his body seemed to know me.

The way he rolled my sensitive nipples between his thumb and forefinger, the way my breath caught when he felt them harden between his fingers. I instinctively arched into his touch, wanting more, wishing for him to wake up and finally...

The hot, hard pressing of his erection against my back only confirmed it. A stifled moan escaped him, and suddenly he was gone.

The bed bounced. Cooler air flowed between us. I remained motionless, feigning sleep while my heart hammered wildly against my ribs.

And then I heard it. The creaking of the bathroom door.

The splashing start of the water, and then...that sound. A rhythmic, wet pounding—faster, greedier—until it sounded like flesh slapping against flesh.

His throaty moans, stifled and yet so damn loud. I bit my lip, my thighs squeezing together as I imagined his hand running over his cock, the veins pulsing under his skin as he gave himself relief in savage strokes.

Why couldn’t I give him this relief? Why did he want to wait for me to get my powers completely?

The question was burning inside me. I longed to touch him, to watch him come undone for me.

Would he stare at me, with those beautiful eyes, while I learned how to take him? Or would he push me up against the wall and show me how much he wanted me...inexperienced or not?

But then the fear set in. What if I disappointed him?

I knew nothing except this consuming desire, but did I know the right touches? The right words?

The water stopped. I closed my eyes as his footsteps returned, his arousing scent still hanging in the air.

The bedspread moved, and then...his arm around me. Tight. Gripping me.

Like nothing had happened. How much pain he must suffer every night.

How big was his desire for me, and yet he did nothing that would upset me.

On the morning of the eighth day, there was a loud knock on the door of our room and we woke up immediately.

“Get up, lovebirds, we have a lot to do!” called Devas from the other side of the door.

“He’s back,” I called out to Avery.

Where had Devas been all this time, and what was he planning to do with me now?