Chapter 24 FEEL HIS BREATH
AMBER’S POV
I wake up feeling better than I have in five days. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust and my mind to register where I am.
I rub my eyes gently and turn to my side, my spirit nearly leaves my body when I see Derek awake in a sitting position, glaring at me intensely.
“Don’t ever threaten to kill me again. The day you try it, I will not be blamed for the repercussions,” he says darkly, peering right in my eyes, and I feel chills down my spine.
I don’t get a chance to reply when he stands up from the bed, “Leave,” he says starchily, before walking into the bathroom.
One look at him and I can tell he didn’t get a wink of sleep throughout the night. It’s almost amusing that such a simple sentence could rattle him enough to keep him up all night.
I don’t waste another second before standing up and heading out of the room, to the comfort of mine, and with a deep inhale once I’m inside my room, I catch a whiff of the scent of roses that Damien had used to coat his letters for the past five days.
Staring at them on the bed drives all dreadful thoughts of Derek out of my mind, as it has each day, which is an absolute relief because even my wolf has quietened down in regards to wanting to be around Derek always. I guess she has finally gotten the hint that we are not needed here and would most likely never be accepted.
I push these thoughts out as I go to the letters. I pick all five letters up and inhale their scent, feeling it envelope me, adding a livelier feel to my prison.
I open the first one, re-reading it, and I feel giddy as an instant smile comes to my face. He knows the perfect words to make my stomach flutter with both laughter and satisfaction.
His words had me spellbound from day one, and looking forward to a letter each day, so he sent one each day and used different words that always brought a smile to my face.
‘Hi princess, since you’re in prison, I decided to write you. How do you do today? Hope they’ve fed their inmate, and I hope that those pretty grey eyes of yours are sparkling with a smile right now,’ the first letter reads, and warmth spreads through me. Three simple sentences brought me so much joy that even if he couldn’t make it that day, which I’m sure was Derek’s making, he ensured that I knew he had me on his mind, and it made me feel ecstatic.
I walk into the bathroom and step under the shower, knowing that soon Hera will come up with a breakfast tray.
There’s a fixed smile on my face as I lather myself with soap and let the water flow over my body. I wonder what other amusing letter I’m going to get from him today.
It’s crazy how he has made my imprisonment feel like a leisure vacation. With simple, nice gestures, he has managed to make my room feel warmer, more homely, and somewhere I can tolerate being trapped in.
My wolf is even sated when I think of him, purring and growling with longing to see him, and it completely confuses me, because yesterday she was all but ready to leap out of my body and into Derek's arms the moment he opened the door.
She whined in disapproval when I paid no attention to him and growled when I commented on stabbing him in his sleep, but I paid no mind to her with maximum effort.
It confuses me that I can react that strongly to him and still react this way to Damien. It makes absolutely no sense that I feel goosebumps when Damien is around me, as I feel tingles when Derek simply stares at me.
And here I am, heart thumping and anticipating the next letter Damien will send, while looking forward to seeing Derek's hateful deep eyes later at night.
I step out of the bathroom and move to the closet to pick out my outfit of the day when I hear a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I yell, still looking through my line of clothes, “Hera, what do you think my prison outfit should be today? I’m thinking orange, it seems fitting, or maybe a simple short and shirt,” I say to her.
“I’d choose the latter, Princess,” I hear Damien say, and I turn instantly to find him staring at me with his award-winning smile on his face, and my heart flutters with joy.
“Damien,” I exclaim happily, rushing to hug him in a flash, wrapping my arms around him and forgetting I’m still in a towel.
“I guess you missed me, too,” he says, chuckling as he holds me tightly, dropping his chin on my head, and I hear him inhale. I feel a rush of awareness run through me while I stay still and simply enjoy the warmth of his body and the thrill he brings to me.
“I missed you,” I whisper, and he nods, tightening his arms around me, and I snuggle closer, not wanting to let him go.
A knock on the door has us pulling away, and Damien looks amused as I immediately dash into the bathroom, which I do for self-preservation.
“I guess I’ll get the door,” he says with humor, and I roll my eyes. He should appreciate that I’m trying to save his life, too. Imagine what Derek would do if he saw us hug.
Probably nothing. He wouldn’t care.
This thought brings immediate sadness to me, but I ignore it.
“Good morning, Beta Damien,” she says to Damien, and I’m sure he nods, “Good morning, Princess Amber, are you almost done bathing? Should I bring your outfit?”
“Yes, Hera, bring me jean shorts and a vest and place the food on my bed,” I call out as casually as I can, knowing that Damien is very amused.
Hera brings the clothes, and I get dressed before I step out to see Damien already helping himself with the food. He looks up at me, and I see a twinkle in his eyes as he takes in my appearance, which has my body humming in awareness.
“You can leave Hera,” I say, dismissing the omega who still stands with her head bowed.
“Yes, Princess,” she says and turns to leave.
Once she shuts the door behind her, I sit on the bed with Damien and begin eating with him in silence.
“Stand up, Princess, let’s go,” he says suddenly, once we are done eating, stretching a hand out, and I stare at him strangely.
“Did you forget that I’m confined to my room?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow.
“Did you forget that I said I’d take you to the garden when next we meet?” he asks, mimicking my tone, and I glare at him, which makes him smirk.
“What would Derek say?” I ask, though I take his hand and he pulls me up.
“It’s more about what he’d do, he broke my nose once, let’s see what he’ll do this time,” he says, and I tense up.
“What? When did that happen?” I ask him worriedly.
“Never mind, Princess, you’ve got something on the side of your lip,” he says, choosing not to answer my question, and lifts a finger to the side of my lip and wipes gently, before tucking my hair behind my ear.
“You look really pretty today, Princess,” he says, and I feel charmed. His face is inches away from mine, and I can feel his breath fan my lips, and every nerve in my body screams to join my lips with his.
"Thank you," I say in a whisper, staring deep into his eyes and feeling my heart flutter in anticipation.
Is he going to kiss me? Do I want to be kissed? Is this right? Shouldn't I push him away? Isn't this disrespectful to my mate? Can I even do this with someone else other than my mate?
These conflicting questions cloud my mind in a second and his fixed stare on me doesn't help with my decision making.
"If only he could see what I see in you," he says, sounding dazed and my heart beats faster.
"What do you see in me?" I ask him, still not moving, knowing that even if I wanted to, I couldn't step away from him.
"Perfection," he says and I bite my lips feel my body grow hot for him, "You're perfect Princess, and he's a fool for not seeing this," he says.
"Apparently it's my job to drive this knowledge into him," he says as he pushes his fingers through my hair, holding the back of my hair, "it's my duty to set him straight, for your sake. You need your mate and no one else," he says and I can see the internal battle in his bright eyes which draws me in slowly.
I smile at him, and I realize that I’m in deep shit. I've ingrained his expressive blue eyes in my mind while I’m pregnant for another, his alpha.
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SHE’S ENCHANTING