Annalise once again found herself locked in Lord Damien's arms and once again, her heart was racing as if it was competing in some sort of racing competition.
"Damien?"
It was Lord Kenric who spoke or more like questioned his brother as he eyed the Lord who was standing right behind Annalise with both his arms wrapped around her small frame. Somehow, she fit perfectly into his embrace, as if she was meant to be.
"What?"
She heard Lord Damien responding to his brother and once again his warm breath fanned her skin, making shivers run all over her body. But knowing that she won't be able to get out of his hold even if she tried, she just stood there in silence while watching the unexpectedly heated exchange between the Lords.
"You promised something, brother. How can you go back on your words just after a few hours?" Kenric questioned as he took a step closer to Annalise and Damien but stopped when he noticed the flicker of crimson in his second brother's eyes.
Kenric shared a look with Valerius who had been silently watching everything. 'What is he trying to do?' he asked the latter through the mind link that they shared.
Valerius was silent for a few seconds before he responded through the mind link, 'He's trying to read her powers.'
Damien had the special ability to read the powers of others. Even if they were hidden, he could still find them and their lineage.
Annalise silently watched the exchange of glances between the three Dark Lords and the way Lord Kenric took a step back and stopped talking further, made her question what was going on.
However, she didn't get to ponder much on the topic because her mind was diverted when Lord Damien spoke again, his breath again caressing her earlobe, and for a moment, she wondered if he was doing that on purpose.
"Valerius, a little help will be appreciated."
And once again she had no idea what Lord Damien was talking about. His words seemed simple but still lacked the answers that she needed. But one look at Lord Valerius and she could tell that unlike her, the First Dark Lord had already understood the meaning behind Lord Damien's words.
For a moment, it appeared as if Valerius was going to refuse whatever help Lord Damien needed from him. But then he let out a small sigh and stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Annalise.
Flames seemed to lick across Annalise's body as she couldn't stop herself from staring into the deep icy blue eyes of Lord Valerius. That magnetic pull held her in place, but not like she had the strength to get out of Lord Damien's strong hold. And that's when she felt the warmth of the hand that Lord Damien placed on her hip, his chest pressed against her back.
Annalise had no idea why she did it but she found herself leaning against the solid chest behind her, but at the very same time, her eyes were still glued to Lord Valerius' who was now standing right in front of her.
"Take a deep breath, Annalise." Lord Valerius spoke in a calm voice as he looked down into her ocean-blue eyes.
Breath? Annalise stared at him in confusion for a moment before she finally realized that she had been holding her breath. Suddenly feeling suffocated, she took in a deep breath to fill her lungs with the much-needed air.
"That's right. Keep breathing. Don't overthink." He continued, his gaze softening a little bit even though he already carried a warm and welcoming gaze all the time. One of his hands came to rest on her other hip while his other hand moved to cup her face as he closed the remaining little space between them.
How was she supposed to breathe in such a situation where she was literally sandwiched between two of her husbands. Their bodies pressed against hers while their hands placed against her hips, were making her heart go wild. The current situation was too much for her to take in.
"You are tensing up again. Do you want me to step away?"
His question made her immediately look up at his face and without even thinking she found herself shaking her head in disapproval of the idea.
Realizing what she had just done, Annalise bit down on her lower lip as her eyes dropped to stare at Lord Valerius' tunic. It was only when she heard two deep groaning voices coming from Valerius and Kenric, did she raise her head to find out what was happening.
She just found both of them staring at her and it did nothing but made her more confused and self-conscious. And then she heard a soft chuckle from behind her as Lord Damien nuzzled his face dangerously close to her neck.
"Stop torturing them, Princess. If you continued to tempt them like this, I think my brothers will end up going against their own words, though I'll love to see that happening."
Taking in a sharp breath, she settled her eyes on Kenric who was still standing in his original position a few steps away from them. She wanted to ignore the other two Lords who were causing eruptions of spark all over her body but it was proving to be a hard task, especially when the look in Kenric's eyes only made her heart race faster.
"Let go of me..." She finally found her voice but it came out in a barely audible whisper, but it seemed like both Valerius and Damien heard her clearly as the former's hold loosened on her though he didn't step away.
As for Damien, he totally ignored her request. "Are you sure, Princess? Aren't you feeling comfortable in my arms?"
Annalise opened her mouth but she wasn't sure how to answer his questions. She couldn't deny that his arms wrapped around her felt right and comforting but she would never confess that out loud.
Thankfully, Lord Valerius spoke before she could and saved her from embarrassing herself.
"Since you already got what you were looking for, it's time to follow your words from the previous night."