"From what I've heard, they were raised by the same foster parents. Now, which one?"
"Darian."
She heard them swearing softly.
"Is he treating you right?" Caiden finally asked.
She felt her eyes fill with tears. She wanted to cry and tell him it wasn't fair, that all her life she had wanted her mate and now he was denying her. She wanted her big brother to fix it, like he always did, but she knew he couldn't fix this. She smiled through her tears.
"He's been so unpredictable. He looks exactly like I dreamt him." Technically her words weren't a lie, but her heart still felt heavy.
"Okay, baby girl, we'll stay out of it. We don't really want to be around when you're freshly mated; that would be weird. But if you need us for anything--and I do mean anything--you call, day or night."
"I promise." She tried to keep her voice upbeat and cheery.
"Also, don't hesitate to go to Aiden. He's a good guy. He'll help you any way we would," Caiden said.
"If the need arises, I will. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading to bed. Remember, I'm three hours ahead of you now."
"We'll visit soon," Kyran called out.
"Miss you guys already." This time she couldn't keep the tears from falling down her cheeks.
"We miss you, too, baby girl. Now get some sleep and give that mate of yours hell," he said gruffly. She knew he was fighting his own emotions.
"Night, night, CaiKryTri," she said, using the abbreviated nickname she had for the three of them.
"Night, night, doodlebutt," Tristan said, making her smile.
She ended the call, curled up on her side, and hugged the phone to her chest. After a few minutes of sniffling, she realized the room had gotten cold so she decided to turn out the light and get under the covers. Before she knew it, she was asleep.
CHAPTER FOUR
In her dreams, Darian was no longer her prince. She stared at his back as he walked away from her. She chased him down a long, narrow corridor. Menacing, bony arms reached out from the walls to grab her. She had to get to him before he went through the door at the end of the hallway. Once he went through that door, she knew she would never see him again, but no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't catch up. She felt a new wave of panic overtake her when he reached the door and turned the handle. When the door swung open, there was nothing but an unending, black abyss. He spread his arms wide and jumped, plunging into darkness where there was no light to save either of them. She ran to the open doorway and looked down; he was quickly falling away from her. When she jumped after him, he welcomed her with open arms, an evil grin on his lips.
Amelia woke with a start; Darian's sinister smile was burned into her mind. She prayed that what she saw wasn't a warning for something horrible to come. The image of the long hallway hit a little too close to home when it came to her mate's current mental state. She turned over and stared at the ceiling for a moment before reaching for her phone. It was after noon! She had slept the morning away, and despite the extra hours of sleep, her head felt like it was packed with cotton. Groaning, she got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Compared to Darian's atrium, her room felt empty and dead. It had the warmth of a hotel room, despite the quality of the furniture and linens. She wondered what it felt like to go to sleep listening to the magic of the wind blowing through the trees and the birds singing you to sleep each night. She shook her head. What she needed was a nice, hot shower. She turned the water on to the hottest setting then backed it off a fraction. In no time, the room was filling with steam. She pulled off her nightshirt and stepped into the shower. Her travel size shampoo only served as a reminder that, for all intents and purposes, she was in limbo. Without being claimed, could she really call this place home?
She finished washing and stepped out. She dried off as fast as she could and wrapped her hair up in a towel. She would wait until it was almost dry before working a sculpting cream through her hair. Even during the coldest winters, she never blow-dried her curls; if she did, the natural curls she inherited from her mother would end up in a pouffy mess. More than once, when she was growing up she had longed for straight hair like her brothers.
Standing at the bathroom counter, she opened her everyday makeup bag. She went through her familiar routine of applying her favorite foundations and eyeshadows. Each action brought order to the chaos she was feeling. When she was done, she was happy with the soft, feminine look she had created. She unwrapped her hair from the towel and worked her favorite hair cream through her long curls. She bent over and shook out her hair at the roots to give it volume. Standing, she blew a kiss to herself in the mirror. She hung up the towel and stepped into the room. Coming from a heated, steamy bathroom, her bedroom felt cold. Goosebumps covered her from head to toe as she raced naked over to her suitcase and pulled out a haphazard outfit. Black knee high socks, skinny jeans, black tank top, and a zippered black hoodie sweater completed her outfit. Smiling, she picked out her favorite ruby red bra and panty set. Surprisingly, her underthings were as colorful as the rainbow. Only her outer clothes seemed to stay black and white.
Once dressed, she tucked her phone into her back pocket, grabbed her coat from the chair, and went downstairs. She walked through the foyer and down the hallway to the empty dining room. Without everyone around the table, the room seemed much bigger than the night before. She heard sounds from the kitchen and followed the voices. She found Rheia and Ryuu at the kitchen table sipping on tea.