Eden

Jericho didn't wake me upon his return to our room, I woke up to him sleeping beside me. It means whatever it was he went to see Damien for wasn't important enough to wake me up over.

Though I still plan to ask, I'm curious as to what could have kept him out so late with Damien. I had time to bathe, ready myself for bed, and lay awake for what felt like an hour waiting for his return.

I try to remain patient as I lay awake in the darkness as Jericho sleeps beside me, my mind refusing to let me rest.

I shouldn't let something so simple be the reason for my lack of rest, not when a war awaits in less than a week now.

Six days.

Goddess above am I even ready for this task, will I truly be able to bring Aries down for good? Will we be able to stop her before it's too late?

I've not spoken with Kiana about the fact I plan to be the one to take down Aries, she must fall by my blade. By my hands, she will fall. I've been afraid to tell Jericho of my plans to rip out Aries heart, claiming her magic as my own.

If Aries will not defeat the darkness, I will finish the task. I cannot let this world fall into darkness. Defeating Aries is only part of the mission, I have not forgotten the ever present darkening that grows nearer every passing day.

The darkening that can only be overcome by the strongest of light magic.

Mother's magic.

I am the only witch left. The magic only has one choice once Aries is killed.

Me.

I am the only choice.

Aries words have played out repeatedly in my mind since I've come to this realization.

I will accept the fate Aries spoke of. I will become her vision. I will take her place as the sacrifice to save my world. There is no other way.

I can't bring myself to tell Jericho, surely he would find a way to keep me from doing such a thing, but perhaps it hasn't crossed any one else's minds yet, that even after Aries is defeated, we still must stop the darkening.

Everyone acts as though once she falls all will be right in the world. That's not true though. She's only part of the problem.

I roll over in bed, turning my back towards Jericho as I stress out over what's to come.

I feel exhausted, but my thoughts continue to deny me rest.

Damiens sleep magic would be nice right about now..

My breath stills as I realize the thought that somehow managed to wiggle its way into my mind.

I internally scold myself. I can't be thinking of Damien while I lay next to Jericho in bed.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

These thoughts and feelings towards Damien were supposed to stop when I got Jericho back.

Maybe I can use sleep magic on myself, I'm a witch, after all. I've just never thought about doing it. But I need some rest, in the morning I'm training with Jericho and some of the other Reapers I haven't yet met.

I'm Jericho's mate, I've met Damien, and of course Ozul's dumbass. I've heard Kaito's name, but haven't seen the Reaper due to his pregnant mate.

But I suppose I will be meeting both of them tomorrow, his mate won't be fighting, but I'm excited to meet a fellow Reapers mate.

I don't know the names of the other Reapers. There are eight Reapers in total, seeing as how the last Leader of the Reapers passed many life times ago with his mate after creating and raising a family. That's when the leadership passed to Jericho is what I've been told.

I need to be at my best tomorrow, not only will I be training alongside the Reapers, this will be the first time since Jericho's return that he will get to see how far I've progressed in all aspects of battle.

From hand to hand combat, sword fighting, and most of all my magic abilities, I have been training and perfecting my skills. I can't wait to see Jericho's face when he sees how strong I've become.

I smile to myself, feeling proud of how far I've come in such a short amount of time. I call out to my magic, requesting its aid in resting.

"Somnus." I whisper to myself, and instantly feel the effects as I drift off to sleep.

His lips trace the curve of my back, flicking his tongue out to lick my bare skin that pebbles up beneath his touch. My moans are raspy as they fill the silence, the neediness unmistakable as I turn around to face him, pulling his warm body closer to mine, needing to close the space between us.
Needing there to be no space between us.
His rough hands grip my thighs, spreading them apart as he positions himself between them, slowly sliding his length through my wetness.
Begging to enter.
To please.
"So wet for me, little witch." He chuckles quietly.
"Damien, please." I whimper softly.
"As you wish." His voice rumbles out.
His glowing, golden eyes staring down at me as he fills me entirely.

My heart races in my chest as I sit up quickly, not taking even a second before I'm darting up out of bed and into the bathroom, immediately filling the bath with cool water.

I get in, submerging my body completely, letting the cool water shock my system and chase away the feelings of lust left behind from my dream.

I splash my face with water, willing my tears of confusion away. I've never had to deal with this before, I've never been so drawn to two people like this.

And definitely not at the same time.

"Eden?" Jericho's voice comes from the other side of the door, startling me out of my thoughts.

I clear my throat before answering, hoping he doesn't hear my voice falter.

"I'm just taking a bath."

Do I tell him? I know he's aware of the dream I had while he was away. I didn't deny it, either. I dreamt of being taken by both Jericho and Damien.

But this feels different, this time I dreamt of only Damien. My mate nowhere to be found within the dream.

"Do you care if I come in?"

I smile to myself, happy he's willing to leave me alone if I wish. "I don't mind at all."

The door slowly opens as Jericho enters, his dark hair messy and his golden eyes still tired looking from just waking up. He wears no shirt, just some sleep pants that hang loosely on him, dipping low enough my eyes can admire a good bit of his magnificent v line.

My eyes meet his, and I notice then he was watching me admire him as he grins at me. "I won't even apologize, you're magnificent to look at." I tell him blatantly.

"Mind if I join you?"

I bite my lower, not wanting him to question why the water is cold. "I was actually about to get out."

His grin falters slightly, and I'm reminded of Damiens warning. They know when I lie.

Shit.

"I'm sorry.. I just needed a cold bath."

"Is everything okay?"

My lower lip trembles slightly as I go to speak. "I don't know."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now.." I tell him honestly.

He nods but says nothing. I appreciate that he doesn't push for more information. I do plan to tell him, just not when the dream is still so fresh in my mind.

"I'll grab you some clothes." He says as he turns and heads back into our bedroom, returning a few moments later with my training outfit.

Form fitting black pants that also manage to keep me cool, and a black top that stops directly above my belly button.

Jericho silently sets my clothes down before grabbing a towel and bringing it to me, I stand up and step out of the water as he wraps the towel around my body.

I stare up at him as he dries me gently, finishing with my hair. He wordlessly grabs a jar of lotion and begins rubbing my whole body down, though he doesn't speak I know this is his way of comforting me when he doesn't know exactly what's wrong.

He grabs a hair tie and braids my hair to the side like I usually do when I need it kept under control. "I didn't know you could do hair, Jericho."

"I've been alive for a long time, at one point I had long hair."

I look at him while holding back laughter. "I can't see you with long hair. And braided? You?" I giggle out. "I just can't imagine it."

"You can't tell me you've never done anything mildly embarrassing, Eden."

I bite my lip and think back to when I decided to chop all my hair off because I got tired of the up keep.

I cried.

"I suppose you're right."

"Not gonna tell me about it?"

"I cut all my hair off." I admit.

"All of it?"

"All of it." I confirm.

He softly touches my braid, admiring it. "I love your hair."

"Is that your little way of telling me not to cut it?"

"You can do whatever you want with your hair, but I do like it this way."

"Lucky for you I prefer my hair this way as well."

He smiles down at me, his eyes darting down to my lips right before he crashes his own lips against mine. Kissing me softly, while still managing to leave me breathless.

"I love you, my Eden." He whispers against my lips.

"And I love you, my Jericho."

He carries me out into our bedroom, setting me down on the bed, kissing my forehead before he turns and walks towards the dresser, picking out his own clothing for our day of training.

While he finishes dressing I grab my boots and put them on before lacing them up.

Jericho finishes shortly after I do, leaving the room together we make our way down the hallways that lead to the side of the palace the training grounds are on.

"Are you prepared to meet the other Reapers today?" He asks me.

"I'm perfectly prepared.. Why wouldn't I be?"

He smirks at my question. "My fellow Reapers can be a bit.. much. Kaito is calm, especially after he found his mate. But then there's Talon and Ciaran, and those two are unpredictable."

"Including the Reaper who already passed with his mate, that's only seven.. What of the last two Reapers?"

Jericho's expression turns dark in an instant. "We don't speak of them, not after what they chose. Not after what they became."

I nod my head, making a mental note to ask more questions later, but I choose not to say anything more as we approach the doors leading to the training grounds.

I hold Jericho's hand a little tighter as we walk through the doors, trying to appear bigger and braver than I am.

My eyes meet Damiens first from across the room, though I look away quickly, not wanting any unnecessary emotions to come to the surface right now.

That's when I see the rest of them. It's odd how they're all built so similarly.

Huge, towering men, every inch of their body covered in muscle, their very essence reeking of raw dark power.

The golden eyes.

But that's where the similarities end.

Me and Jericho approach the Reapers, all of them turning their attention towards us as we do so, making me feel nervous.

"My brothers," Jericho embraces them each in turn, before bringing me closer to him. "This is my mate, Eden."

"Eden, this is Kaito," Jericho gestures to the man with light skin and bouncing dark curls upon his head.

The man extends his hand, shaking my small one warmly. "It's nice to meet you, Eden. My mate is excited to get to know you." He says in a thick accent, sounding as though he must have spent much time with the elves of the forest.

"I look forward to meeting her as well, is she not here this morning?"

He smiles softly. "No, but she will be accompanying me to lunch, you will get to meet then."

"I look forward to it." I smile back at him.

The large man with chocolate colored skin and beautiful long locks doesn't wait for Jericho to introduce him as he sweeps me up into a hug I'd imagine an older brother would give to a little sister.

"It is a pleasure to meet you!" His deep voice rings out.

"And this is Talon." Jericho laughs, probably taking in my expression of discomfort.

Talon sets me down, giving my head a small pat as he does so.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." I smile up at him.

"And this is Ciaran." Jericho gestures to the blonde haired man with bronze colored skin.

He smiles deviously at me, making me feel uncomfortable in an instant. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Eden." He says as he grabs my hand and kisses it swiftly.

I snatch my hand back quicker than I intended to, but I already don't like the way Ciaran is eyeing me like a meal.

"You'll not be touching her, Ciaran."

"A shame really." Ciaran smirks.

"Shut the fuck up before I break your jaw, Ciaran."

Everyone's head turns toward Damien as he speaks, threatening Ciaran on my behalf.

I can't help the way my heart flutters at his need to stand up for me.

"I'm just having some fun, Damien. Don't get so worked up about it."

If looks could kill Ciaran would be dead by now as Damien stares him down.

"Now, now, training doesn't begin till I say so." Haleth declares as he enters the training grounds.

Haleth is our battle planner, and head of training in general. He's an elder elf, with wisdom and fighting skills beyond anything I've come across before. Though he's lived many lives, he doesn't look a day over twenty five.

We each bow our heads slightly out of respect, acknowledging his status.

"Good morning, Haleth!" I smile at him as he approaches us.

"Good morning, Eden." He pauses to look everyone over. "Let's begin training, we have a lot to do."

We all line up, waiting for instruction.

"Eden, Damien, since you're familiar with sparing each other you two will go first. The rest of the Reapers haven't had a chance to train with Eden like Damien has."

I look towards Damien, only to find him refusing to turn in my direction. We haven't spoken since Jericho's return.

I release Jericho's hand and make my way to the center of the training grounds, Damien following quietly behind me. We take our stances from across each other, waiting for Haleth's command.

"This will be a magic practice. No weapons may be used." Haleth says.

Damien and I nod, acknowledging his words.

We lock eyes, my breath stilling as his gaze searches mine, bringing forth feelings I wish to remain hidden.

Haleth's voice brings me back to reality.

"Begin."

2,563 words.
Exciting things are about to happen!