The Hunger

by Melissa Haag

  I made a face but took his advice and placed my hand in his. His sense of devotion and pure joy exploded around us. Ignoring that, I walked down the hall at his side.

  “You made the girls’ year by letting them stay,” he said with a nod toward the closed game room door.

  “Eugene’s too, probably, since he’s in with Kelsey and Zoe.”

  Fenris grinned at me.

  Megan’s voice drifted down the hall.

  “No, we’ll wait. I want Eliana here, too.”

  “We both know he’s doing more than waking her. You’re playing a game with people’s lives, Megan,” Raiden said.

  Her derisive laugh wasn’t unexpected.

  “All Adira does is play with lives. You never bitched about it before.”

  We walked into the room, hand in hand, and Raiden crossed his arms to glare at Fenris.

  “If you derail this conversation with trivial issues concerning Fenris and Eliana’s sex life, I will teleport them both to the other side of the globe where your little tracking spell won’t do you any good.” Megan looked at me and grinned wider. “Glad you took your time. Turns out, demanding confessions isn’t reserved for only the wicked. Good job brainwashing Adira so she can never touch Fenris again.” Her gaze shifted to Fenris. “You should have never agreed to the tracking spell. If your dad had tried sending you away, I would have just found you and brought you right back.”

  Raiden’s face looked positively purple.

  “The Kraken,” he bit out, “so we can go home already.”

  “It took far longer than either of us would have liked,” Megan said with a nod to Adira. “But we managed to get what we needed from the Kraken. The gods had an earthly home on Cyprus. Turns out Mount Olympus truly was where they chilled. There are invisible palaces all over the place there. If any of the Greek gods were awake and causing trouble, that’s where they’d be.”

  “While Megan monitored the mermaids, I returned home,” Adira said. “The nine realms remain quiet. No disturbances there or rumors of any god’s return.”

  “Saturday, I’ll check out all the earthly leads,” Megan said.

  “And I will do a more thorough search within the nine realms,” Adira added.

  “Why not tomorrow?” Mrs. Quill asked.

  “We need to do some more digging for information before we go guns blazing into places we know nothing about,” Megan admitted, and I could feel how much that rankled. “According to the Kraken, the remaining gods should continue to sleep unless something disturbs them. Which we don’t want to do. Adira and I are both going to spend the day researching. Given the enormity of what we’re looking for, it’s going to take time and help. I could use Fenris if you can spare him.”

  Raiden’s gaze flicked between Megan and me. I could sense the man’s frustration and Fenris’s growing humor. Adira remained an eerily quiet void of emotion, watching us all.

  “Adira, what do you think is most important? Controlling the youth or looking for answers,” I asked.

  For a brief moment, her fear surged before she managed to smother it.

  “Both determine our future.”

  “A suitably vague answer,” I said, my vision sharpening.

  “Fine. Fenris can join you, Megan,” Raiden said. “But he needs to return to pack territory by midnight. There are people he needs to meet.”

  “Perfect.” She glanced at the pair of us. “I’ll see you both at my place at seven. Don’t be late. We have a lot to do.”

  In a burst of heat and flames, she evaporated with Oanen.

  “Is this what we’ve become?” Raiden demanded. “Lackeys to a teen fury who barely has her wings? She’s going to lead us down a path of destruction. We need to—”

  “Hold your tongue, Raiden,” Adira said sharply.

  “Yeah, Dad. The kids are listening,” Fenris said with a smirk. “Wouldn’t want us tattling to Megan about how you really feel.”

  “Do you honestly believe that Megan will do a worse job than you all have been doing?” I asked Raiden. “Humans die and go missing on your watch, and now gods are waking. Things need to change.”

  “Maybe all the changes that have been happening are the cause of the problems here. We didn’t have issues before Megan,” he said.

  “Trammer was killing people well before she arrived because of this Council’s misguided attempts to lead. You should be thanking Megan for stepping up to try to fix the problems the leaders in Uttira have caused, either through direct inaction or gross abuse of power.” I knew very well my eyes had gone fully black. Raiden’s next words showed how little he feared it. How little he feared me.

  “Let’s talk about this gross abuse of power. Do you mean making people do things they don’t want to do?”

  I knew he was talking about me and wasn’t seeing how the Council had been doing the same thing. Only, unlike me, they’d been doing so purposely.

  “Let go of your stubborn refusal to see the truth, Raiden,” I said.

  “And what’s the truth?”

  “That we all make mistakes. If we want to survive, we need to own up to them and work together to fix them. This division between us serves no purpose other than endangering the people we care about. I’m not sorry I told you to step aside. Just like I’m not sorry I’ve made it impossible for Adira to touch Fenris. However, I am sorry for unintentionally manipulating Anwen. That won’t happen again. But if you continue to push for separation between me and Fenris after today, I will take issue with that, and I will not hesitate to use my newly discovered gifts. The choice is yours.”

  Raiden considered me for a long moment, and I felt some of his anger fade.

  “You have more backbone than I’ve given you credit for. We’ll see if it’s enough come Saturday.” He glanced at Fenris. “Don’t forget your responsibilities to your people.”

  With that, he walked out of the room.

  “Guess that means I get to spend the night,” Fenris said with a grin.

  My hunger stirred at the thought before I remembered the six people who would be sleeping nearby. Smothering my hunger, I returned Fenris’s smile.

  “Guess so. Do you think Eugene will want to be the little spoon or the big spoon?”

  Fenris threw back his head and laughed, hugging me close to his side.

  “Why don’t you two go get some sleep,” Mrs. Quill said. “You don’t have much time if Megan wants to see you at seven.”

  The intense surge of happiness coming from her let me know we weren’t being sent away for any other reason than what she said.

  “Thank you. And I am sorry.”

  “Think nothing of it, darling. I knew it wasn’t intentional.”

  Fenris picked me up and ran out of the room with me. Before my giggle ended, we were in my room with the door shut. He kissed me hungrily, and it took everything I had to keep myself in check.

  “Just sleep tonight,” I whispered when we broke apart for air.

  “I think I can manage that.”

  There was no disappointment emanating from him. Only love and satisfaction.

  Once we snuggled together in bed, it didn’t bother me that he wore nothing. Instead, I breathed in his scent and ran my tongue over his sternum.

  “Before I woke up, it was baklava and lemon cake. Spice cake replaced baklava after a while. Any chance you can work up to some lava cake? That’s still my favorite.”

  “Do you lick that one?”

  I grinned against his skin.

  “I’ll torment each chocolatey dessert I find.”

  “Challenge accepted. Hurry up and close your eyes. I want to get to the licking and nibbling part.”

  He played with the ends of my hair, and I relaxed in his arms. With his heat soothing me, it didn’t take much time to sink into my cake dreams.

  First, there was spice cake. I nibbled lightly, waiting for something better. It didn’t take long for the illusive Angel Food with strawberries to appear. I devoured that, not licking
the strawberries even though I was so tempted. The cakes changed again, and the large slices of Boston cream pie tempted me mightily. Feeding with gusto, I barely refrained from licking the cream. Death by Chocolate appeared on the branches. I grabbed those and gave them a few licks. Tonguing cake wasn’t as enjoyable as slurping down liquid chocolate, though.

  The trees trembled, and the first lava cake appeared.

  “That’s it,” I purred, and reached for what I wanted.

  I lost myself in a haze, bathing my tongue in hot deliciousness. Even when I felt full, I didn’t stop. The ground beneath my feet quaked. I paid it little attention and kept consuming what Fenris offered. This time, when I felt pressure on the back of my head, I didn’t fight it. I nibbled on the cake, sucked out the delectable center, and went for more.

  When a buzz finally penetrated my dream, it felt like I’d been eating for an eternity and knew it was time to wake up. It wasn’t easy to leave all those cakes and open my eyes, though. Not that there was anything to see other than skin and sweat.

  “I’m awake,” I said, muffled by Fenris’s chest. “You can let go.”

  “You would think letting go of you would be a simple thing,” he said, his voice barely more than a growl. “It’s not. You’re going to need to help me.”

  Something hard and insistent pressed against my pelvis. While I knew he didn’t mean help finding release, that’s exactly where my mind went. My hunger rose, which seemed completely ludicrous considering how much I’d eaten while asleep.

  Rather than fight my natural response, I gave into the urge to brush my lips against his skin and offered him something he deeply desired.

  “If you let go of me, I’ll strip on my way to the bathroom for a shower you’re going to let me enjoy by myself without interruption. Deal?”

  He flung himself to his back and stared up at the ceiling while he shook.

  “Just don’t move fast,” he rasped.

  The frayed thread of his control strained to the breaking point. Yet, I didn’t hesitate to stand beside the bed and ease my lightweight sleep pants down my legs. When I reached my ankles, he groaned, and I knew he was watching. Straightening, I stepped out of my pants, creating more distance, and reached for the bottom of my sleep shirt. Slowly moving toward the bathroom, I eased the material up over my head and tossed it aside.

  Bare except for my underwear, I glanced over my shoulder at Fenris. He no longer lay flat on his back. He’d twisted, holding himself up on his arm in a way that made it look like he was two seconds from pouncing. His gaze remained locked on me, and his hands gripped the mattress like he wanted to tear it apart.

  “Should I stop?”

  He shook his head slowly.

  What control he had was because of me. For me. If not for the limits I’d set when I’d started this game, he would already have me on the floor. My heart tripped painfully at how much I both craved that image and feared it might still happen.

  “Will you stay?” I asked.

  Some of the tension left his expression as he crooked a grin at me.

  “Yep. I’ll be a good boy. Does that mean you’ll pet me next?”

  Rather than answering, I hooked my thumbs into the waist of my underwear and started to ease them down. His humor fled and lust exploded. I caught my lower lip between my teeth a moment before I faced forward, bent at the waist, and lowered my last bit of cover.

  That dark thing inside of me stirred, reveling in Fenris’s reaction. So did I. The shame and fear that had haunted me for so long were gone. And I knew in my heart it was because I was with him. My fated forever. My mate.

  Without looking back, I slowly made my way to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. With my hand on the wood, I focused on all the ways I desired him and pushed that intense need outward to him. On the other side of the door, I heard him gasp my name and grinned.

  When I turned, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. Like had happened in the past, two versions of myself overlaid each other. The hidden one was no longer sickly. She had color in her cheeks and a glimmer in her gaze that conveyed power and strength.

  My grin grew at the evidence that Fenris was everything I needed and more. Now, I only had to figure out how to convince the rest of his pack.

  By the time I finished my shower and reemerged wrapped in a towel, Fenris had stripped my bed and dressed. He paused his pacing when the door opened and hungrily watched me.

  “You didn’t need to change the sheets,” I said.

  “Trust me. I did. I’m pretty sure I died and went to heaven after you shut that door. What did you do?”

  “Fed what you feel for me with what I feel for you.”

  “I loved it. Maybe don’t do that during our first mating, though. It’s going to be fast enough the way it is.”

  I grinned at him, loving his playful openness because that admission helped me fear our mating a little less.

  “If you want to shower, the bathroom is all yours. I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.”

  He declined the shower but left me alone to dress.

  Everyone was awake and in the dining room when we made our way downstairs. The humans were sitting together with the werewolves, and they were all listening to Eugene tell the story about Aubrey flipping the desk, which Jenna interrupted when she saw us.

  “Thanks for the clothes, Fenris.”

  “You’ve supplied me with clothes too many times in the past for me not to return the favor.”

  “How are you even here?” Willow asked, her gaze flicking to our joined hands.

  “Long story,” he said with an easy grin. “If you want to save yourselves some trouble today, send Aubrey a text asking if it’s true that my dad is letting me hang out at Megan’s all day. Hopefully, that will keep her on pack territory.”

  Willow beat Jenna in sending the text.

  “Maybe that means we could go to school today,” Zoe said, looking at her sister.

  Kelsey was already shaking her head. “It’d be better if we waited a few more days and see how this pack meetup goes down.”

  Jenna and Willow sympathetically agreed with her, to Zoey’s disappointment, which was short-lived when Mrs. Quill arrived with another stack of pancakes.

  Rather than join them and wait for Aubrey’s response to Willow’s message, Fenris and I said our goodbyes and left. I handed him the car keys since I preferred being the passenger.

  “Do you think Aubrey will leave them alone?” I asked.

  “For now. She’ll be waiting tonight, though, which is why I should really head home at the regular time. I don’t want them to face her alone.”

  “And I don’t want you to have to face her at all. I don’t understand what your father sees in her. She’s unstable, destructive, and tearing the next generation of the pack apart.”

  “Fear sometimes blinds us to what’s obvious to everyone else.”

  “And he fears losing you to the same insanity that’s claiming her.”

  “Exactly.”

  I shook my head and looked out the window.

  “I’m glad my mom was more reasonable about us.”

  Thinking of Mom made me realize I’d never checked in the day before. I grabbed my phone but hesitated to call her. It was early, and she’d probably been at the club late. I sent her a quick text, instead.

  Me: Megan’s back from the Kraken. Lots to tell you. Up for dinner tonight?

  Mom: Absolutely. Let me know what time to tell your father. Will Fenris be joining us?

  Me: I don’t think so. Raiden is still being a backside.

  Mom: That’s a shame. Hopefully soon.

  “Your scent just went through a whirlwind of emotions. Want to share?” Fenris asked.

  “Mom invited you to dinner, but I said you couldn’t make it tonight because of your dad. She said hopefully you would be able to soon. That made me realize how much I really want that and how I resent Raiden and this woke god thing for keeping dinner with my parents from happe
ning. Then I recognized how selfish I was being when Ashlyn is still gods know where, enduring gods know what.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Fenris pulled into Megan’s driveway and took my hand.

  “Stop worrying about the things you can’t control. Focus on what you can.”

  I took a deep, calming breath and nodded. “Thank you.”

  He leaned in and licked my nose. “Any time.”

  “Stop making out in your car and get inside!” Megan yelled from her door. “Grandma’s already here, making breakfast.”

  I flushed and hurried out of the car, scowling at my friend.

  “What?” Megan said with an unrepentant grin. “She’s lived for centuries. Hearing that there are teens making out in a car isn’t going to shock her.”

  “Megan, behave yourself,” someone scolded from inside. Unfortunately, it only made Megan laugh.

  The house smelled like bacon and eggs when I reached the porch, and Fenris let out a playful groan.

  “Tell me she knows a werewolf is coming,” he said. “I’m starving.”

  “She does and made me stop for three dozen eggs, five pounds of bacon, and two loaves of bread. If you’re not full after this, you need to be dewormed.”

  He tackle-hugged Megan through the doorway. Shaking my head, I followed them in and caught Oanen’s frown at Fenris.

  “Unruffle those feathers, Oanen. He loves her like a sister,” I said, closing the door behind us.

  Megan squealed and hugged Fenris harder.

  “I always wanted a brother.”

  “And you know that’s never going to happen,” an elderly woman said from her place at the stove. “Hello, dear. You must be Eliana. Megan has told me so much about you.”

  “She’s told me a lot about you, too.” I held out my hand in human welcome. She closed hers around it as Megan pulled away from Fenris.

  “If you give Eliana your last name, that’s how she’s going to address you. She’s stuffy like that.”

  Megan’s grandma smiled at me and patted my hand before releasing it.

  “Then I insist you call me Grandma or Grandma Irene.” Her gaze flicked to Fenris. “Both of you.”