by Lola Gabriel
Levi was lost in a sea of hormones and emotions. He used his body to keep her against the wall, his hands exploring her legs before massaging her inner thighs. Eden’s fingers gripped his short strands of hair, jerking his head back from her neck and causing a jolt of excitement to go through him. It was becoming a conscious effort to resist the primal urge to throw her on the bed, rip her clothes off, and ravish her. Then her hot breath was in his ear, causing him to grip her legs tighter.
“Levi,” Eden gasped. “I—I can’t, I’m… I’m sorry.”
He stared at her, the weight of her words having to drift down through the thick fog of testosterone before he could digest what she had said. Levi had gotten so swept away in the throw of passion that he was disoriented by the change of direction.
“It’s okay,” he breathed, resting his forehead against her collarbone while he collected himself.
“It’s just… I am engaged,” Eden reminded him. “And yes, I don’t exactly want to be with him, but it still doesn’t feel right.”
“That’s honorable of you,” Levi said with a nod. He lowered her to the floor, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He could still feel her plush lips on his. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. “I don’t mean that sarcastically, either. It shows how loyal you are, no matter the level of the relationship. That’s admirable.”
Eden leaned into him, her arms wrapped snuggly around his ribs. He embraced her as well. “I don’t know what to do, Levi. Darian is… an all right guy. There’s nothing I can find on him to get out of this marriage. It’s hopeless.”
“It isn’t entirely hopeless,” Levi insisted. “What will help is for you to stop doubting what we have. You’re resistant to it, and I know it’s because you’re trying to protect yourself. But you’re compromising your own emotions if you do that. Your directive becomes clear: that what we have is worth the danger as well as the stress.”
Eden buried her face against his chest. Then her body began to tremble, and Levi’s shirt grew damp. His heart broke in half at the sight of her crying. Scooping her up, Levi moved Eden over to her bed. Setting her down on the edge, he sat next to her and kept one arm locked around her as the other hand rested on her knee in a comforting manner. He had thought that she would need a few minutes to compose herself, and then they could talk about what had upset her so bad. It had to have been something he’d said, but he wasn’t sure what had constituted such tears. No matter the reason, Levi felt horrible for making her cry.
Eden’s arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer to her. As patiently as possible, Levi remained silent. She would talk when she was ready, and he didn’t want to pressure her and cause her to grow even more upset. Soon, it became clear that Eden had no intention of talking about it. She moved to lie on her side, and it pained Levi not to be touching her when she was in such distress. Taking a chance, he lied down behind her and draped an arm over her before spooning her from behind. In response, Eden rolled over to where her face was planted into the crease of his neck.
There they remained, his hands caressing her sweetly and comfortingly as she cried. He stayed awake until her tears stopped. He could tell Eden was still awake, though, and he continued to rub her soothingly. It was at that point that they both began to slip out of consciousness, their breathing synchronizing. They fell into a deep slumber, cuddling one another close. Levi even dreamed of Eden.
11
That had been the best sleep Eden had gotten in weeks, or perhaps ever. It could have been logically explained away by her exhaustion catching up to her, but it felt as though it was because Levi had been there. She was warm, comfortable, and safe. Those were all feelings that had eluded her in the previous weeks. The rise and fall of Levi’s chest gave Eden as much peace as the gentle waves of the lake. It deepened her sleep further.
Without meaning to, the couple slept straight through the morning and into the early hours of the afternoon. Eden only stirred at the distinct metal click of her bedroom door being unlocked. Her eyes snapped open, and she lifted her cheek from Levi’s chest to make eye contact with Ivy.
The two of them remained in a deadlock, Eden praying she was dreaming. Her eyes flickered to the clock to find, much to her horror, that it was already half past two in the afternoon. Then, the bedroom door slammed shut, and Levi woke with a start.
Eden was on her feet in a flash, clutching her head. “Oh, this is so bad. This is so, so bad… This can’t be real.”
“What… what happened?” Levi asked, sitting up in the bed and rubbing his face to bring himself out of slumber.
Eden didn’t respond, rushing for the door and flinging it open. Looking up and down the hall, she hissed under her breath. Ivy was already out of sight, meaning she was probably already on her way to tell Carlyle what she had seen. Shutting the door back, Eden clutched her head and sank to the floor.
“We’re both dead. We’re dead.” Levi stumbled toward her, concern glistening in his amber eyes. “It’s 2:30 p.m., and I guess my cousins were sent to find me. Ivy unlocked my door and saw us.”
Levi, too, hissed under his breath. “We could try and track her down.”
“We couldn’t do anything. If you even set foot outside of this room, you’d be captured and killed. Besides, she was gone by the time I got to the door. I have no doubt she went right to my father. Everyone in this damn Kingdom does nothing but try and better their status. What does status matter when you’re a complete jerk?” Eden snarled.
“I agree.” He frowned, wishing it wasn’t so. “Then… then we need to get going. It’ll be a matter of minutes before they swarm the room.”
The impending doom didn’t seem to click for Eden, and Levi forced her to her feet. Snatching his bag from the floor, he rushed to her closet and tossed in several articles of clothing before hurrying back to her and taking her hand. Still, Eden could not act on her own freewill, in complete shock that her secret had been uncovered so easily.
“We’re going to jump and shift,” Levi instructed.
It was only then that Eden realized they were already on the railing. “I’m not the fastest at shifting,” she said with a shake of her head.
“Trust me, with the ground rushing up at you, adrenaline will help. If you can’t, it’s fine. I’ll catch you.” Levi only gave a nod before he stepped off, pulling her with him.
Eden screamed as air gushed up past her. Closing her eyes tightly, she put her entire focus on transitioning. Her secondary skeleton locked into place, and her scales sprouted across her body like wildfire. For some reason, it always took the most effort for her to eject her wings from her back. Her eyes caught sight of the ground, just moments away from crashing as she still worked her wings out of their slits. Then, she was jerked upwards by the shoulder. Levi had saved her from falling, assisting her until her wings finally unfurled, and they darted straight up into the sky. It was so dangerous to fly during the day like that, but it was the only chance they had to get away.
Once they were near the tops of the woods, without having to communicate, they both dipped into the spaces between the trees. They needed to stay out of sight of airplanes, as well as the dragons that were sure to pursue them. Flying at that level would buy them some time as long as they managed to dodge all the branches. Eden tilted her body side to side to navigate between the trees while tucking her wings in and expanding them to keep in flight while avoiding clipping the trunks of the trees.
It was tiresome, but Eden was wired from adrenaline. She couldn’t remember a time when she had to run from anyone or anywhere. They had been to war with the witches in the past, but Eden had never been allowed to participate in the fight. If moving to America to start fresh—away from the witches and the memories those lands held—counted as retreating, then she had only done so once in her life. That hadn’t been exactly a nerve-wracking event for her.
This, however… This was. Her life, her future, depended on her being accurate. One misstep, and Eden could crash
to the forest floor, risking getting captured. She had no idea if they were after her. She couldn’t hear anything beyond the sharp whistling noise coming from the trees’ leaves as she whizzed by them.
She wasn’t sure if time was flying by or dragging on, unsure of how long she and Levi had been flying before her entire body was fatigued. When Eden felt her body beginning to dip and droop, she knew that she had to stop soon. Surely they had flown far enough that they could rest for a bit, right? Before Eden could think of a way to signal to Levi that she wanted to land, he was slowing his speed, and then he perched on a pine tree.
Eden followed suit, managing to land on a branch right next to Levi. Her head bowed, and her eyes scanned about, trying to see what it was that Levi was watching so intently. There was a moderately-sized cabin nestled in a small clearing. What were they doing there? Why was he so interested in it?
Without warning, Levi swooped down and maneuvered his body through the trees, approaching the cabin. By the time Eden appeared next to him, Levi was in his human form and dressing himself. Eden followed his example and morphed, too. As she covered herself modestly with her hands, Levi extended the bookbag to her. She was a blushing mess as she attempted to wrestle an outfit from the bag while keeping herself covered. Levi was paying her no mind, however, turning to the cabin and unlocking it. It was only then that Eden noticed his truck peeking out from behind the cabin.
This was Levi’s home.
“What are we doing here?” she asked. Stepping inside the cabin, she was astonished. It was spacious and homey. The rich wood that made up the walls was well taken care of, and it brought warmth to the room. It wasn’t cluttered, but Levi did have shelves full of books and artifacts.
“Getting supplies.”
“For what?”
“You said it yourself, Eden,” Levi answered. “He’s going to come after you. We have to get out of their reach, and we’re currently racing against time as it is.”
Eden crossed her arms over her chest, and her brows came together. “I thought you agreed last night that running away wasn’t an option.”
“I agreed that it wasn’t the best option. It’s not what we’re going to do, either. This is a temporary solution, because we can’t just sit here. If we do, they will get to us and do like you said: imprison you, beat you into submission. The only way that’s happening is over my cold, dead body.”
Eden was touched by Levi’s sentiment and knew he was right. She didn’t say anything and stood awkwardly, watching him. Levi moved about the room mechanically, not making a single mistake in his footing. He had memorized the layout of his belongings, and he clearly didn’t have to second-guess even for a moment. It felt that if she tried to help, she would only be in the way.
The duffle bag on the dining table was soon filled with blankets, clothes, flashlights, rations, basic survival supplies, and a small metal box, which Eden assumed contained all of his important documents. She didn’t have to ask why he was grabbing all that. There was a good chance he would never be able to return there. Her eyes took in the room once again, staring at everything he was going to leave for the wolves. How long had it taken him to collect everything in that cabin? How much time and planning had gone into his life there? Her heart broke but also swelled. He is leaving everything behind for me.
As soon as Levi’s hands wrapped around hers, they were out of the cabin. He explained the dragons would probably assume they were still flying to get as far away as possible, and it was safer to travel by car, anyway. Dirt kicked up behind them as the car hurried down the overgrown path. Speeding through the wild terrain, it took them over twenty minutes to get to the main road.
“You sure did isolate yourself,” Eden commented.
“I told you, I lived peacefully. That was probably the most peace I could have while still staying close enough to take care of my mom.”
A tension settled in the air. They both knew that the first place their chasers would go in search for Levi would be his mother’s. Eden felt horrible for the ill woman. She made a silent promise to herself that, as soon as the dust settled, no matter what the result was, she was taking a trip to his mother’s house to treat her. Her thumb rubbed roughly into the back of Levi’s hand, knowing that he was holding in his fear over it. She was there for him, though.
It was strange. After the day she had spent with Darian, Eden had been more confused than ever. She had seriously considered abandoning everything she had with Levi because Darian was easier. He had proven himself not to be as horrible as she had anticipated, and it would have overjoyed her father for her to be content and go with his plans without any protesting. Yet from the moment she had seen her cousin standing in her doorway, she had thought of nothing but how she and Levi were going to get out of their situation together. It was like her body had spent the last two weeks suspended right in the middle of fight-or-flight instincts when it was around Levi. When a push finally came, she was fighting. Levi was her mate, and she was going to do anything in her power to keep him by her side.
They rode away from the city. Not even Eden could keep up with the erratic route that Levi mapped. At the speed he was going, it was disorienting. She didn’t complain, however. Eden had no knowledge about escaping an enemy at all, so she was going to trust Levi and his instincts. They drove for over an hour before Levi pulled into the parking lot of an overlook. Shutting the engine off, he rubbed his face.
“This is as good a place as any to stop without going too far,” Levi sighed.
“What are we going to do here?”
“Figure out what it is we want to do.”
Eden nibbled on her bottom lip and studied him. Levi remained composed, as always, but for the first time, she could see the stress weighing on him. His eyes were heavy, and his posture was too stiff. He was rigged and on edge. She took the chance to come clean with how she was feeling. “No matter what we do, I know that I want to try everything in my power to make sure it is you I end up with, Levi.”
She had expected him to smile or perk up, but his expression remained dull. Levi shook his head and looked out his window. It took him several moments to turn back to her. “I’m glad you feel that way, but I guess it would have meant more if you had felt like this last night. I don’t want you to default to me because we were caught.”
She could have gotten angry or defensive, but she wasn’t. She just hurt because she had hurt him.
“I know I was… well, I was probably insufferable at times,” Eden began to say. “It was a big decision for me, and it took time because of everything at play. Yes, Ivy seeing us offset the decision, but that doesn’t change how I feel. I don’t feel forced to choose you. I could have stayed there and apologized and caved in with my dad. I could fly back now. I don’t want to. Getting caught only made me realize that I want to be with someone that I want to fight for. I want to fight for you, and I’m sorry that it’s only now that I’m seeing it.”
Levi’s eyes stayed on hers, reaching to squeeze her hand. “Thank you, Eden. That means a lot to me. Nothing has pained me more in my life than thinking of losing my mate to another man before I ever got to really know her.”
They embraced each other, scooting toward one another on the bench seat. She could tell by his simple language and clipped tone that he was uncomfortable by being so emotional. He had been passionate with her, but he had never been hurt by her.
Eden gave him a soft smile and leaned her head towards his, kissing him passionately. He happily returned the kiss, letting his hands move to her face, pulling her in as close as he could. A fire awoke in them as emotions poured into their kiss. Eden was hungry for his touch; aching for it, even. They had never gone further than kissing before, but the timing had never felt more right. Eden was so ready for the step. For the first time in a while, she gained back the control of making choices for herself. And this was the best decision she knew she would ever make. She was choosing the side of her heart, her own personal desires, and emoti
ons rather than wracking her brain with what other people thought.
Levi hastily guided Eden to lay down but needed no words to do so, straddling her lap in under a second. The connection between them felt stronger than ever. Something neither of them had felt before and never knew they had the chance to feel. Eden bit down on his lip as Levi thrust his hips into hers. The nerves running through them were intense, but they had never wanted anything more. Eden wanted to show and let Levi know that she truly wanted him, and only him. No matter what her father said or tried to force her into. Where she was with Levi was not only where she wanted to be, but also where she needed to be.
Eden quickly put all those thoughts aside as Levi started to move his hands down her pale body, causing all her fine hairs to stand up straight. She moved her hands down his sides, tugging at the bottom of his shirt and slowly removing it. Their lips collided once again as he started unbuttoning the front of her blouse. He then helped her slide it off, along with her bra, throwing it out of the window of his truck. Eden slid her hand down his lightly tanned body, reaching down and tugging down his pants. Levi’s lips covered her chest in kisses as he shimmied her skirt down her legs, followed by her panties. Eden started to say something, but immediately lost all train of thought as he started to kiss down her stomach. She could barely contain herself.
Having sex with someone was not totally foreign to her, but making love with someone you were meant to spend eternity with was overwhelming and a sensation all on its own. Her eyes opened to look down at Levi. He kissed down to her hip, trying to find just what drove her wild. This was new territory for both of them, and they both wanted nothing more than to please each other like they never had before. And they did.
