Chapter 63 63. Stronger Bond
Tabitha’s POV
“You’re mine, Tabitha. Every breath, every inch of you belongs to me.” Evren’s voice booms inside my head.
I flinch. Did I just hear him speak through my mind? I stare at his face, his eyes are the same piercing pair of icy blue but his mouth remains in a tight line. He didn’t open it, yet I’m pretty sure I just heard him speak.
“Mine to keep.” It’s Reed’s voice next that rolls through me like thunder. My hands clutch at my temples. My head is pounding.
“You belong with us.” Luca’s voice resonates through my skull.
What the hell?
I blink hard, certain I’m losing it.
“You are ours.” Jace’s voice cuts sharp and hungry inside me. My stomach twists. None of them are speaking aloud, but I can hear their voices bouncing inside my skull as if someone shoved a speaker in there and cranked it to full volume.
Then all four voices crash together in unison. “Ours.”
The word echoes through me, louder than my own thoughts. My pulse skitters in panic and wonder, because something impossible just happened, and I can’t tell if I’m dreaming or if I’ve crossed a line I’ll never come back from.
“W-What’s happening?” I croak as I clutch my head with both my hands now.
“Ours…” their voices pound into my head and I close my eyes as the overwhelming feeling surges into me.
“STOP!” I gasp.
The voices hammer inside me until the world tilts. My body buckles, the sound of my heartbeat crashing in my ears. The last thing I feel is strong arms catching me, holding me tight against a wall of heat. Then nothing.
When I open my eyes again, the sunlight is already pushing through my curtains. I’m lying in my bed at the Aldair estate.
What the…
The last thing I can pull up is the picnic blanket in front of the waterfalls. The way my mouth had been full… Shit.
I recall Jace breathing hot in between my thighs as he sucked on my clit and drove me crazy. How Luca and Reed battered my throats with their huge cocks. I remember how Evren straddles my chest and jacks off with my tits while Reed watches. All the hazy moments come back in shards that sting worse than exposure. My cheeks blow up with heat until I can taste it.
Did I dream it? Did I imagine the whole damn thing?
I press my fingers to my jaw because my cheek feels raw, like I ground my teeth or something. My throat scratches when I swallow. More lewd images slam into me—me on my knees, desperate, needy, their taste heavy on my tongue.
Shit. It’s real. Too real. Oh my God. I did that. I actually did that!
I look down and stare at the fabric over my legs. I’m wearing pajamas. How did I even get into them? I do not remember changing. Did… did they change me while I was passed out?
I blush. What the hell? Why am I even worried about them changing my clothes when they have practically seen—and tasted—everything that I have to offer last night! Damn it.
Shutting my eyes close, I massage my temples and ground my teeth.
“I must have gone mad,” I hiss at myself while shaking my head. “Why did I act like a total slut last night?”
I practically begged them to let me do that. Oh my god, what was I even thinking? I bite down on my lip, scolding myself for acting like some wanton woman, though part of me knows my guilt is flimsier than I want it to be.
“Don’t be ashamed.” A gruff voice echoes in my head. And I’m pretty sure it belongs to Reed.
Wait, Reed? I snap upright so fast the sheets whip around my knees. Why am I hearing his voice?
I look around and check if I left a speaker open… or maybe a phone. But there are no speakers on sight and my phone is dead. I must have imagined Reed’s voice, then.
“You were very hot last night.”
Nope. I definitely didn’t imagine that. I can hear him—inside my head! What the hell is happening? I press my palms to my temples until spots bloom and force order into my breathing.
Am I… Am I losing my mind?
But then another batch of memories from last night floods me, how they have staked possessive claims over me while their voice reverberated inside my skull.
Ours—I remember them saying. It wasn’t a weird dream, after all.
“You’re not losing your mind, sweetheart.” Another voice rings in my head and this time, it belongs to Luca. “This is a normal result of the bond.”
What the… The bond? The mate bond?
“Get yourself sorted. Come downstairs when you feel human. We will explain,” Luca whispers inside my head before his voice fades out, like a speaker being plugged out.
I suddenly have the urge to laugh hysterically. They just talked to me using some strange telepathic channel. This is unreal! I press my hands to my face. I’m talking to my stepbrothers in my head. Shit. Maybe I’ve finally snapped. Maybe the dungeons broke me. And yet I can hear them as clear as if they’re standing right next to me.
The only thing that snaps me out of my trance is the sound of my stomach grumbling in rebellion. Right, I can think about all this whole thing once I get myself breakfast.
I stumble into the shower, let the hot water run over me until my head clears a little. Then I pull myself together and go through the motions of my morning ritual. It is still noon when I make my way downstairs. The estate is alive with faint sounds in the distance, but the kitchen itself is empty. My stomach growls and I hover awkwardly near the cupboards, embarrassed at the thought of asking the cook for something. It feels easier and natural to fend for myself. I quickly whip myself a sandwich with some salami and cheese. I am about to take my first bite when Jace’s voice slices clean into my skull…