I woke to the scent of cedarwood, blood, and luxury...like someone spilled violence across a royal fucking spa.
Too warm. Too soft. Too… touched.
And I was naked.
Instant fight mode. My eyes snapped open, glowing with goddess fury as I screamed, "WHAT THE FUCK?!"
The ancient vampire barely had time to blink before I launched his smug ass across the room. He crashed into a bookshelf like a ragdoll, ancient tomes flying everywhere like pissed off birds.
"You don't touch me while I'm unconscious!" I shouted, arms crossed over my chest like I wasn't fully exposed and glowing with residual divinity. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"
He stood, casually brushing dust off his way too fancy silk shirt, grinning like the undead bastard he was. "Technically, I saved your life, gave you my blood, don't make it weird, and put your shattered body back together. You're welcome."
I narrowed my eyes, still very much on the warpath. "That doesn't mean you get a fucking pass to play magical Florence Nightingale. Next time, ask before touching my glowing goddess boobs."
He smirked. "Noted, Your Glorious Crankiness."
I wanted to stay mad. I did. But one glance down at my fully healed body, no bruises, no broken bones, no pain, and I had to admit, I'd been damn close to death. The scent of blood still lingered. Mine.
I exhaled. "Where the hell am I?"
"Mirror realm. My sanctuary. Hidden, protected. You're safe, goddess."
Safe. The word hit me like a sucker punch to the ribs. I sagged against the bedpost, breath catching in my throat. Not from pain. From everything else. The crash. The bonds. The scream I felt when I was ripped from them.
"I was with my mates," I whispered. "Two of them. We had just bonded. I felt… everything. My dragon raged. My wolf and panther tore through monsters for me. And then I was just...gone."
He quieted, the smirk dropping. "Sounds like you've had a hell of a week."
"Try a hell of a lifetime."
So I told him. Everything. The prophecy, the pentacle, the relics. The goddess in my head. The entity that wants to destroy everything. By the end, he was pacing like a caged beast, muttering curses in languages that haven't been spoken aloud in centuries.
"So basically," he muttered, running a hand through his hair, "you're our last shot at not dying painfully and eternally. Neat. No pressure."
I snorted. "Welcome to my nightmare."
He looked at me then...really looked. And nodded. "I'm in."
I blinked. "Just like that?"
He crossed his arms. "I don't half ass saving the world. And I definitely don't abandon women who can hurl me across a room while naked and half dead."
Fair point.
There was a moment...sarcasm, respect, just a hint of 'maybe we won't kill each other.'
Then the fucking door exploded.
"WHAT. IS. THIS?!"
A tall vampire goddess from hell stormed in like she was auditioning for "Vampire Housewives: Mirror Realm Edition." Jet black hair. Perfect skin. Aura of rage. Her eyes locked on me, still mostly naked, and then to Liam, all smug and shirtless like this was his damn soap opera.
"Selene," he groaned. "Not now."
She wasn't having it. "You vanish. Bond with a mortal mutt. Let the court spin into chaos while you play fucking house in here?! Have you completely lost your mind?!"
I stepped forward, eyes glowing. "Who the hell are you?"
She sneered like I was dirt on her Louboutin. "I'm his Second. His former lover. The one who kept his kingdom intact while he brooded in shadows and drowned in bloodwine."
"Cool. And now I'm here. So fuck off."
She hissed, fangs dropping. "I will not be replaced."
Liam stepped between us, voice cold and final. "You already were. She is your Queen."
Selene screamed, throwing dark magic.
I caught it mid air, crushed it in my fist, and tossed the dust at her boots like I was sprinkling fucking seasoning. "Try again, sweetheart."
Liam rubbed his temples. "This is going to be a long fucking day."