Taken (Enchanted Gods Book 3)

by K. K. Allen

  I’m ready to burst because of my thoughts, the unknown, the desire, and everything that comes with being hopelessly and completely in love. And that’s what I am. There’s no question about my feelings.

  There’s only one thing that can help me release this energy without using my powers to create the largest lightning storm this planet has ever seen. I need to run. I look over at my bedside clock and note how late it is. If anyone knew I was sneaking out well past midnight, they would have my head. But I need to go. I look down at my bracelet, gaining confidence from the reminder that I have nothing to fear while the locket is pressed to my skin.

  After a glass of water and a quick stretch, I leap from my balcony and zip down the shore before cutting through the community beach to the main road. I try to ignore the threatening cloud cover above me. It’s dark and definitely ready to pour. I’d better make this a quick run.

  I run so fast and hard that one might think my feet don’t hit the pavement. I’m flying through the night at a speed that would make a Normal’s head spin, but I can’t stop. I’m at the marina on Summer Island before I even know what I’m doing.

  Maybe deep down I’m hoping to run into Johnny for part two of last night’s encounter, but I make the excuse that this is part of my typical route. When Johnny left town, I visited the marina almost daily with useless hopes of spotting his yacht in the boathouse, even when I knew from Arabella’s early updates that he was hundreds of miles away. This time, I know his yacht is here, gleaming white and glorious as it rocks gently against the platform. I slow down, my heart beating fast. It’s not like we didn’t work together this morning. Our flirtation was so obvious that our coworkers don’t question where we stand.

  I step onto his boat but don’t see a single light on. So I knock on the back door and wait several minutes before finally giving up, wishing I’d brought my phone with me. I think about waiting for him. He has to return home at some point, but my reverie is ruined when a chilling gust of wind blows through the boathouse, causing every hair on my body to stand. It’s enough to make me hop back onto the dock, leave the boathouse, and continue my run.

  With great speed, I flee from the marina and from Summer Island all together, making my way back up Apollo Beach Drive. As I come up to the abandoned homes and the nature trail, I can’t explain the magnetic force of the north side of town, but I slow down as I jog past it, surveying the empty lots.

  A light in one of the windows stops me dead in my tracks, just like the other day when I saw movement. I focus on the light, channeling my energy to that one spot, certain I must be mistaken. It’s got to be a reflection of the moon, because no one has lived in these houses for over two decades. A flutter of the curtains completely shakes my body. Then a sudden movement in the tall grass causes my skin to crawl.

  I’m about to run when a lizard darts out onto the driveway. It’s hardly a monster—or a serpent. I let out a laughing but shaky breath and turn away from the house, only to slam into a hard body in front of me.

  “What are you doing here?”

  For an instant, my heart rate accelerates, then I realize it’s Johnny. Still, when I make sense of the fact that he’s standing right in front of me, I realize there’s fear in his apprehensive tone as his intense eyes glare down at me.

  I’m brought back to one of our first encounters, when he knew nothing about me, when he thought I was part of the clan who murdered his parents, when he glared at me at every opportunity. It only made me more curious about him.

  “What are you doing here?” I cock my head and straighten my stance, examining him from top to bottom. My wall is back up, but it’s thinning from the friction his heart puts on mine.

  “You shouldn’t be out here after dark.” His shoulders seem to relax, and his words have an instant tranquilizing effect on my mood. “Is everything okay?”

  He knows why I run. His concern chips away at my surface as if desperate to pass through the final stony barrier. “I just needed to release some energy, but I went by the boathouse…” I shouldn’t be embarrassed to admit that I was searching for him, but I am. While our connection is intense, this is all still so new.

  His lips angle up into a pleased smile. “You were looking for me?”

  I turn away, hoping he won’t see the frustrated blush twisting like vines up my neck and into my cheeks.

  “How did you know you’d find me here?” he asks.

  My eyes grow wide. “I didn’t. I always run down this road, and I saw a light in that window.” I point to the home behind him. “Rose tells me these houses have been abandoned for years.”

  He looks at the nearest house and nods. “You could say that. Twenty-one years, to be exact.”

  I tilt my head. “How do you know?”

  Johnny searches my eyes with his as if having an internal debate. He’s so strong and confident, it displaces me, causing my knees to weaken and my heart to stutter.

  “Come with me,” he finally says, holding out his hand. “I’ll explain.”

  He leads me up the driveway, and panic shoots up my chest and out my throat in the form of my voice. All I can think about is what Rose told me about the House of Equinox. “Whoa, I’m not going in there.”

  “Why? It’s just an old house.” He tugs on my hand, his begging eyes softening me.

  For some reason, I follow, but when we get to the front door and Johnny starts to turn the handle, another jolt of panic shoots through me.

  “You can’t just walk in there like you own the place.”

  He doesn’t say a word as he places a hand on my back, allowing me to cross the threshold first. Then he flicks on the switch near the door, letting light flood the front room.

  Unbelievable. This home looks anything but abandoned. The inside is the complete opposite of its dreadful exterior. And then it all clicks. “Johnny,” I say, breathlessly, as it all starts clicking together, “is this where you lived with your parents?”

  He nods then gazes around the room. “Welcome to my home. Well, it’s a little hard to call it that now. But this is where I was born, and where my parents and I spent our time when we weren’t out at sea.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you still have a home here?” I’m looking around the space in awe, trying to picture little Johnny running through the foyer, his infectious laughter bouncing off the walls.

  “Kat, I need to tell you something.” His voice cracks, and I feel like whatever he’s about to say might break my heart.

  No. My first thought is that he’s made the decision to leave again. Perhaps being back in his old home only reminded him of the reason they all took off to live at sea to begin with. I take a deep breath, waiting for him to confirm my darkest thoughts. But before he says another word, a pile of boxes in the corner of the room steals my attention.

  Dread fills my chest, and with a swift turn, I see several piles scattered down the hallway and at the foot of the great room cabinets. My quick scan of the rest of the foyer only solidifies that my biggest fear is coming to life. There are moving boxes everywhere, and they’re all addressed to somewhere other than Apollo Beach.

  A cry slips past my lips, and my hands move up over my mouth. This is it. The end. He needs to tell me something, but I’ve already guessed it.

  I take a step away from Johnny as I consider which way to turn and run. He’s blocking the front door, so I move the other way, past the foyer, through the living room, in and out of the kitchen, until I find a door that releases me to the back patio. My legs tire once I reach the beach, and I’m exhausted and out of breath. Then I fall to my knees, imprinting the sand with the weight of my devastation, and cry.

  Johnny is leaving. Again. Even when he promised he would stay.

  “Kat!” His voice is growing closer.

  My shoes and pants are caked with rough, soggy sand. The rain pelts me as if trying to drown what’s left of my wreckage.

  Everything is so fuzzy. I’m not sure which falls faster, the rain or my
tears. He’s leaving again, before we’ve even had a chance. Why did he have to come back?

  “Kat, what are you doing?” He falls to his knees in front of me, grabbing my shoulders, my head, then my face. “Look at me!” he commands with a desperation that forces me to obey.

  His eyes glow in the moonlight. He’s frightened—or confused. I’m not sure anymore. A minute ago, I thought our feelings and wants were one. Now, I stare back at him, unable to speak, unable to untangle the confusion and pain.

  His fingers lightly brush my cheeks, the wrinkle between his brows deepening. “Why are you leaving?”

  “Why am I leaving?” The rain is loud, but not loud enough to drown out my words. “I saw the moving boxes. You’re leaving Apollo Beach again. That’s what you wanted to tell me, wasn’t it?”

  “No.” He sinks lower into the sand, bringing his face closer to mine. “I’m packing up their things. I’ll keep some stuff, but I can’t be surrounded by it if I want to make a life for myself here.”

  “So you’re staying?”

  His face softens. “That’s what I was trying to tell you. I had no plans to step foot inside this house until last week. There are too many reminders. Your trip to North Carolina was what nudged me to come back. For the longest time, I knew I would sell this place. I thought it would bring closure to my dark past.” His eyes soften. “Suddenly, I’m not so sure that’s what I want.”

  I swallow, understanding his words, but desperately needing to hear them spoken. “And what is it that you want, Johnny?”

  “I don’t want to destroy old memories. That would mean Erebus won. I want to make new ones. With you.”

  Emotion clogs my throat. “You do?”

  He grips my gaze with his. “Yes, Kat. It’s hard to focus on the bad the way I used to. The anger, the endless hunt for revenge. None of that ever made me happy. But you… ” He cups my chin and tilts my face upward. “You’re all I need in this lifetime.”

  Tears prick the backs of my eyes. We share so much. We both know what devastation feels like, and it’s not something we talk about easily, but that’s okay. Maybe that’s why our connection is so strong. When we’re together, we no longer have to build walls, run, and escape. He’s all I need in this lifetime too.

  In the seconds that pass, I fall even more deeply in love with Johnny Pierce—because of the challenges he’s thrown me, for the life he’s navigated alone, and for the man he is.

  “There’s a reason you showed up in my driveway tonight, Kat. It was the clarity I needed. I may have responsibilities, but I won’t let Erebus come between us again.”

  “You promise?” I whisper. “Because that night on the dock—” I swallow. “That feeling… It was worse than heartbreak. It was like you reached into my soul and crushed it. If you leave again—”

  His hand covers mine then squeezes. He drags my hand up to where his heart beats heavily in his chest. “I’m not going anywhere.” He touches his forehead to mine and almost whispers his next words. “Not without you.” Our energy practically crackles through the air, then he presses my hand firmly to his chest. “Do you feel this?”

  My swallow overshadows my nod.

  “This is all yours. You have my heart. I will never leave you again. You have my word.”

  He pulls my face to his and kisses me with every ounce of passion I feel. He fills my mouth with his promise, stroking my tongue with his need. He needs me. His hands move from my cheeks to my hair then down to my waist. Then he grips me with both hands and pulls me into his arms.

  A minute later, he’s lying back onto the sand, except we land on something pillowy instead. I tear my mouth from his and look around us to see that he’s placed a black comforter and pillows onto the sand—all with his magic.

  I laugh at what he’s done, and his wicked smile meets mine. He grips my top and starts to pull it over my head. My eyes catch on the house next door. The windows are darkened, but there’s a flutter of the curtains that sends me into a panic.

  “Johnny,” I hiss, still laughing. “We’re in public.”

  His lips brush against mine. “I want you right here, where earth and sea join, just like you and me. Besides. It’s dark, it’s a private beach, all the houses here are abandoned…” He kisses me again, telling me there’s no arguing with him. “And we’re alone.”

  My heart thumps loudly. There’s no arguing with the man, so I cast a shield of energy around us, blocking us from the outside world. While we can see out, no one can see in.

  I’m not even sure Johnny noticed what I did. He’s too busy, stripping me of my clothes, then doing the same with his. Our naked bodies become tangled while our kisses grow hungrier with each passing second.

  “I want you,” he whispers into my neck, his erection pressed hard against my naked belly. “I’ve wanted you and dreamed about you for so long, I almost can’t believe this is real.”

  I turn to catch his eyes so that he can see me when I respond. “It’s real, Johnny. I’m all yours,” I whisper back. “Make love to me.”

  He shudders and covers my mouth with a kiss so passionate, I wouldn’t be surprised if fireworks were shooting off above our heads. His hand grips my thigh and nudges it to the side. I spread my legs, making room for him to climb closer.

  I look up at the beast hovering over my ready and waiting body, my eyes widening at his size. Everything about Johnny Pierce is a sight to behold, but the way he holds himself above me, his muscles flexing while he sheathes himself with his magic with a look of deep concentration on his face, makes me hot in ways I never knew existed.

  He places a palm near my head then slowly moves toward my entrance. I suck in a breath when I feel it, his hard to my soft. Then he starts to ease himself inside me, tip first, shaft next, and I feel the pressure immediately—a squeeze that makes my heart hammer and my lungs scream for air.

  He isn’t even fully inside me when his lashes flip up, and his eyes meet mine. “Is it too much? Should I stop?”

  I grip his arm, my fingers digging into his skin. “Don’t you dare.”

  He lets out a shaky breath, and I take a steady one of my own. “You have to tell me if I’m hurting you.”

  I slide my free hand up to his cheek. “You’re not going to hurt me, Johnny. Please, keep going.”

  He releases a whoosh of air and looks back down before pushing himself into me again, deep and deeper. The stretch becomes more intense with each passing second. The way he’s filling me, already satisfying that unbearable ache he created the moment our eyes first met, it all feels like a dream I hope never to wake up from.

  Only the base of him is left exposed when he looks at me one more time, his lids drooping in ecstasy before he closes the gap with one last thrust. In that moment of our connection, my entire being explodes with light. From every pore of my exposed skin, energy beams out and starts to encircle Johnny. His does the same to me. Blue and green morph together, cocooning us in our self-made energy and pulling us together until we can’t possibly get any closer.

  “What the hell?” Johnny notices it too, but he doesn’t stop to question it further. The lust in his gaze speaks for itself. We’ve come this far. There’s no way we’re stopping now. He leans down, kissing me long and deep, like he wants me to remember this sweet moment before we go any further. I’ll remember every second of this night forever.

  He rocks against me slowly, every inch of him stroking every sensitive inch of me as he finds and sets his pacing. With his mouth buried in my neck, his groans tickle my skin, and his powerful thickness creates a friction that burns deep into my soul.

  I’ve imagined many times what it would be like to be wrapped up like this with Johnny. No dream or vision could ever come close to the intensity that radiates through me now. The way our energy rises from our bodies, collides together, and sparks the air is like a metaphor, except we’re real. We’re recycling together from heat and passion, our energy morphing and strengthening until we’re being lifted into
the air with nothing but our light holding us there.

  Now, I understand. While I hoped, dreamed, and imagined Johnny to be my Fated to the point of speaking it aloud to Charlotte, there’s no longer a shred of doubt.

  We’re nothing but a bright ball of limbs moving inside the safe screen of privacy I created, gaining momentum as the seconds pass. His fingers skip over my body as his mouth finds mine again, then we’re in a race to the finish line, our breaths growing louder as our need for a release grows to an all-new intensity. His thrusts become more demanding, almost sinful, as complete and utter euphoria takes over his expression.

  I’m the first one to the brink, unable to take another second of his friction before I explode around his length. Convulsions follow, racking my body like aftershocks, each one just as intense as the last. When he’s ready to follow, his final thrust is full of power and lust as he buries himself so deeply, I almost miss what’s happening all around us.

  Our combined energy brings us back to earth, setting me gently on the bedding while his mouth molds to mine. With him resting inside me, the light particles around us rise and swirl from the cocoon it created and moves between us. I don’t know what’s happening, or even what to think, as all the energy we had just been recycling fills my entrance in a steady stream around his length.

  I gasp at the tingling sensation as our combined energy hits me as deep as where he presses, then swirls, regenerating my climax. This time, my core isn’t the only thing bursting with pleasure. The energy filling me fires off my every nerve. By the look on Johnny’s face, he feels it too.

  We grip each other tightly as our bodies rock together once more. This time, an overwhelming explosion of rapture unites us, unquestionably solidifying our Fated connection.