She’s the kind of leader I must aspire to be, for everyone’s sake.
Taking a moment to reflect on how I’ve acted so far since meeting Serenity, I know she’s right. I’m repeating the same vicious cycle of naivety and stubbornness in this life. Course correction is desperately needed. I don’t want more blood on my hands.
I will train and become the leader my realm needs. I will not fail anyone this time. Not again.
Goosebumps break out across my skin as I feel the resolve settle into my soul. Leaning forward and placing my hand on her knee, I look deep into her eyes and speak to the broken pieces of her soul. “I know an apology can’t even come close after everything you have lost because of me. And I know I can’t bring them back. But I can promise you that I will give my life before allowing us to lose anyone else.”
Her anger dissipates as my words strike a chord in her heart, replaced by determination. She nods her head as if coming to a decision. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.” She places her hand on top of mine and at the touch of our skin, she gasps. “Lana! I can feel your power trickling through you!”
Is that what that warmth spreading through my chest is? I had mistaken it for overwhelming feelings and the heat the leather produced against my skin.
Going into the meditative state she had guided me to yesterday, I open my mind’s eye and find a teal thread of energy dispersing from my soul, slowly seeping into my being. As I keep my eyes shut to focus, a wide smile breaks out across my face and Serenity gives my hand a squeeze of encouragement.
“It’s a small fraction of your power but it is definitely a starting point.” She flips my hand over and lifts it slightly. “Can you try to picture your energy forming in the palm of your hand?”
Scrunching my brow, I try to imagine the clear picture in my head, a swirling orb similar to the ones I had seen in my men’s hands yesterday, except with my color being teal.
A light tickle in my palm causes me to open my eyes and I squeal in delight at the evidence of my success in my hand.
It’s go time, bitches.
Chapter Eighteen
Lana
The rest of our day is spent with me practicing connecting to my power as quickly as I can without focusing too hard. Serenity wants to make calling on my powers as instinctual as possible.
I’m dripping in sweat with the concentration it’s taken and running on fumes by the end. Coffee, please, anyone. I’ll give whoever a blow job.
Serenity claps once. “That’s great progress for today. You can call it to you now without needing to close your eyes. We definitely don’t want you going into a battle with your eyes closed, now, do we?”
Cheeky little shit.
I can’t even muster a smile or retort back—that’s how depleted I am.
Other than the progression in terms of powers, the tension between Serenity and I has dissipated through the course of the day. She’s been in full trainer mode, pushing me past my limits when I thought I couldn’t call the energy to me anymore. Like she trusts me more. Although she’s referred to me as Anal a few times, it feels more like an endearment than an insult.
Never thought I’d see the day.
She towers over me and motions at me at my prone body with her hand. “Alright, you just continue to lay on the floor like a dead fish and I’ll go gather our men, your highness.”
I groan and flip her the bird before dropping my arm and enjoying the cool feeling of the wood floor against my exposed skin.
I deserve an orgasm for how hard I worked today. Then I almost burst into tears because I think I’m too tired for an orgasm.
The door opens again as someone enters, but I refuse to raise my head or open my eyes. I’m hoping one of my lovely mates will take pity on me and carry me.
Play dead.
“You look like roadkill, Lana,” Ash drawls, making me open my eyes to narrow slits.
Well shit, I guess I play dead too well.
“Well you look like…” I trail off, taking in his appearance to try to find an insult but instead feel the heat in my belly ignite at my inspection. His dark, wavy hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, his sharp jawline on full display, as sweat trails down his neck, turning me on in an odd way. “...a snack, okay? You look fucking scrumptious,” I end lamely.
A deep rumble comes from his chest as he scoops me into his arms and carries me out to the rest of the group. The twins are holding their leather tops in their hands and talking, clearly enjoying being shirtless like they did back home.
Back home … I suppose we don’t have that anymore. I wave that gloomy as shit thought away, instead choosing to rejoice in the possibility that I may not be too tired for an orgasm.
Zedd and Hale are chatting with Serenity’s mates and I look around to find her. Luke notices. “What are you looking for, babe?”
Babe? Cue the vagina waterworks. It’s starting to feel like I’m a waterpark open for business, twenty-four hours.
“Serenity. Where’d she go?”
On cue, she appears next to us with a scary grin on her face and an evil glint to her eyes. This doesn’t bode well for me.
Narrowing my eyes, I ask, “What did you do?”
Feigning innocence, she says, “Only something that you’ll thank me for later, Anal. Hey, Derrick, can you portal them home really quick? I need to go meet up with Lilli for dinner and I’m running late already. She’s going to kill me.”
Her lumberjack mate—as I have knighted him—ambles over to us without so much as a word and hold his arms out. Ash sets me down and we all lay a hand on his arms.
Why won’t they just let us walk to and from the house? Do they not trust us with the location of the training grounds?
We appear in our living room and Derrick immediately vanishes as soon as we step away from him. Upon arrival, I see a large glass pitcher, full of what looks like the Witch's Brew we were drinking last night, surrounded by white tealight candles. A trail of light pink rose petals lead up the stairs.
Wow. I absolutely did not expect this from you, Serenity.
It’s not often that I’m rendered speechless but alas, here we are. Feeling like I’m living out some type of fantasy, my feet stay glued to the ground as I take in the beautiful scene.
“Well damn,” Leo quipped from behind me.
“A scene fit for a queen,” Leo added.
Hale announces he’s going to shower as Zedd heads into the kitchen to start on dinner.
A swat to my left ass cheek makes me yelp out loud as I spin to find the perpetrator but as I spin to my left, another swat lands on my right cheek this time. The light sting of the swat makes an unexpected desire blossom within me.
Who the fuck?
Both of the twins stand there with their hands clasped in front of them, Cheshire cat grins stretching their plump lips. I stare at them between narrowed eyes as Leo whistles a low tune, glancing around, while Luke twiddles his thumbs together and stares at them like they’re the most fascinating thing he’s ever encountered.
I cross my arms over my chest and sass them. “I’m going to assume you were the ones to swat my ass, unless I suddenly have a ghost stalker who can materialize his hands?”
Leo stops whistling as he smirks devilishly at me, bringing his dimples out for my viewing pleasure. “What if we did?”