Page 48 of Awakened and Betrayed
“She needs skin to skin contact from us to manage the pain. You don’t need to be there for that. So get the fuck out!”
Before anymore argument can ensue, Aydin and Evrin start herding Enoch and the others out of the room.
“Show me what you’ve got around here for food. She’s going to need a shit ton of calories if her Awakening is pulling in enough magic to cause pain like that,” Aydin instructs.
He ushers them out against their small noises of protest, and the door clicks shut behind them.
“Squeaks.” Ryker’s voice pulls my attention to him, and I lethargically refocus on his sky-blue eyes. “We’re going to strip down, and then do the same for you. That way we can get as much contact with you as we can. Each of us is going to try to keep a hand on you, so the pain is not as bad, but this is probably going to hurt until we can all get positioned around you.”
I nod slowly in understanding, and Ryker flashes his hand away and strips off his shirt as quickly as he can. A new wave of agony hits me at the loss of his touch, and everything around me is thankfully swallowed by blackness.
25
Iwake up with a dull ache in every inch of my body, but it’s a welcome feeling compared to the agony I was experiencing before. I’m warm and almost naked, pressed against bodies that are equally warm and almost naked. I inhale deeply and immediately I know Knox is pressed to my front. He has this incredible smell that is all him, and I’m obsessed with it.
A scruffy chin nuzzles into my neck from behind, and a satisfied hum spills out of me.
“How are you feeling?”
Ryker’s voice trails up from below me as his hand strokes gently up my calf. It’s then that I realize that each of my Chosen are wrapped around me like I’m wearing my very own outfit of hot men. I’m laying on my side on top of Sabin. Knox is snuggled into my front, Bastien is at my back, and Valen and Ryker are each holding my legs like they’re body pillows.
“I’m okay,” I croak out, surprised that my voice can do even that much.
“I healed your throat,” Ryker explains, reading my confusion. “Once we were all channeling the massive amount of magic flowing through you, my magic didn’t hurt you like it had before. I think when I tried earlier it was just adding to the overload of magic you were already dealing with.”
I give him a weak smile, and I have to look away from the concern and sympathy in Ryker’s eyes.
“How long was I out?”
“Almost an hour.”
Sabin’s chest rumbles beneath me, and his hand threads gently through my hair. “Most Awakenings don’t last more than a couple hours, so you should be in the final stretch. Although, it could be different for Sentinels. You’re an early bloomer by caster standards, so honestly, we have no idea what’s normal or not.”
I nuzzle his muscular chest and absently play with the line of hair that trails from his belly button into his boxer briefs.
“I’m pretty sure Enoch knows what I am. I was in the process of finding out when this whole Awakening shit happened.”
“What do you mean?” Bastien queries, his breath warming my back between my shoulder blades.
“Elder Cleary threatened me tonight. Pick Enoch and his coven, or my Sentinel status might not stay under wraps. I’m not sure if the other elders know, I’d be surprised if they didn’t. I also figured if Cleary senior was in the loop, he probably brought Cleary junior in, too.”
Grunts and huffs of frustration sound off all around me and the atmosphere grows taut with rising tension.
“I’m going to fuck up that whole family if something happens to you because they’re power hungry,” Valen declares.
“Fuck waiting for them to make a move; I say we start laying a foundation ofdon’t fuck with usnow!”
I run my hand over the muscular forearm Bastien has wrapped around my waist.
“Let’s wait and see what Cleary’s next move is. I’m pretty sure I just fucked what they thought was a sure thing.”
I look up into Knox’s storm cloud gray eyes and see confusion.
“Elder Cleary thought, as my assigned guardian, that he’d have control over me for the next couple of years. They have no intention of taking your Bond Claim seriously.” I rub my palm against the stubble on his cheek. “If I had to wait until my Awakening at twenty-five-ish, there wouldn’t have been much I could do to keep the elders from moving me around like the pawn they see me as, but now I’m officially considered independent according to their rules. They can’t force me to stay here.”
Knox’s eyes light up as the pieces fall into place for him, and a beautiful smile stretches across his face. He chuckles and leans down, claiming my lips in a sweet kiss.
“Hey! No making out with our half-naked mate while we’re all cuddling and she’s still going through her Awakening!” Bastien complains.
