by Cameo Renae
We went from complete darkness to beautiful, bright blue sky.
He set me down right next to the little lake. As I stepped back, he didn’t release his grip.
“Leaving so soon?” he asked, a playful look in his eyes.
I leaned into him, but didn’t say a word. He held me, the bond twining and curling itself tightly around us. I closed my eyes and sent my thoughts back to Kade, Alaine, and Samuel. I had to remain strong, because the bond was hard to resist.
Ethon exhaled loudly, then stepped back and let me go.
“I don’t know why you try so hard to fight what is supposed to be. It’s a natural thing.”
“It’s not natural. It’s magic.”
“Call it what you will, but the bond was created perfect. To seek and find two immortal hearts who were destined to conjoin for all eternity. It’s as simple as that. You, my dear Emma, are complicating it.”
I shook my head. “No. The bond screwed up on me. It gave me two choices.”
“And you are torn,” he answered.
I sighed, not sure if I should answer. “Yes and no.”
His arms crossed over his chest. “Explain.”
“Yes, I am torn because the bond chose two men who are my perfect match. And no, because one of those men has become mortal, and will die long before I do.”
“I’m glad to see you’re being rational. He shouldn’t be an option anymore. Kade could never protect you the way I can. You’ll be the one babysitting his ass as he grows older and weaker. I mean, it would be weird because eventually he will look old enough to be your grandfather.”
“Don’t,” I snapped. I felt anger rise within me. One – because he was putting Kade down, and two – because he was right. My heart and mind were warring. My life was a continuous freaking nightmare.
“I need to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth,” I said, looking into his eyes.
“Ask away,” he said with a grin.
“Would you be willing to forsake your father for me?”
He hesitated and I could see a look of confusion in his eyes. “You don’t have to answer that,” I said quickly, trying to move on.
His appearance softened. “Emma, you don’t understand. You will always have my heart. I will protect you, and you will be my one true love and mate for all eternity. You will be taken care of in the best possible way. If you would just give in to our bond we could finally be together as intended.” He stepped forward, taking me into his arms, crushing his mouth over mine. His kiss was firm and eager.
Pulling back he gestured to a spot under the tree. “I’d like to just sit and talk for a little while. It’s not often I get to have you all to myself. Come, sit with me.” He sat himself down next to the bank of the small lake and pulled me down into his space, setting me right between his legs. My back was resting on his chest as his arms wrapped tightly around me. I could feel his warm breath tickle the back of my ear.
“I need you to know I will love you like you’ve never been loved before. For the rest of your life you will be satisfied, and I will do whatever is in my power to make you happy.” He kissed my cheek then spoke ever so softly into my ear. “Once we’ve sealed the bond, I would stand up to my father. You will be mine to guard and protect. My bonded. My love.”
His words made my heart thump a little faster. I closed my eyes and imagined a life with Ethon, and then a flash of his father’s face, and his wicked eyes, came into perfect focus. He would always be there to make sure we were part of his agenda… hidden or not.
Ethon said he would stand up to his father, but I saw how he’d submitted and cowered when his father spoke to him. Even if he didn’t want to admit it, his father had the upper hand. He was ruler of the Fallen and the Underworld – he had been for centuries. Did Ethon really think he could stand up to him? Maybe he would once we were fully bonded and I was his for all eternity. Who knew?
I sighed a little too loud.
“Hey,” he said, lifting me up and turning me around. I had a sudden bout of Déjà vu as I was drawn into his burning gaze. A few stray strands of raven hair feathered down in front of his flawless face. His strong arms held me tight. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” I said.
“I know something is wrong. I can feel it.”
“There’s nothing wrong. I’ve just been feeling really tired and achy lately.” That was the truth.
“It’s what happens before your transformation. It sucks the energy out of you, but once you’re transformed, you will feel reborn. Rejuvenated. You won’t have to worry about feeling sick or tired, unless you are wounded. But you will have me to fix you.” His arm tightened around me. “God, you’re so beautiful. I can’t wait until we seal the bond and you are mine forever.”
He held my back and laid me down facing him. He laid over me, propped up on his arms, not touching me. Then, I slowly felt the weight of his body from my feet, to my thighs, to my stomach, and all the way until he was pressed tight against me.
His eyes never left mine, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t pull mine away from his. Our bodies fit perfectly and it sent an intoxicating high rushing from my head to toes. It was a feeling I couldn’t deny and was too hard to pull away from. I was frozen under his spell. His crimson eyes burned bright a few inches from me.
“Ethon,” I breathed.
“Don’t worry. We won’t cross the line, but I want to give you some of my energy.” He closed his eyes, and then I saw the familiar smoke tendril from the edges. When he opened them they were bright. He then placed his hands on either side of my forehead. As soon as the heat touched me, I gasped, and he pressed his mouth to mine.
At that moment, I was whisked away. I closed my eyes and let the overwhelming sensations take over. It was the most unbelievable feeling. Me and him. Face to face. Body to body. All I wanted was to feel his bare skin against mine.
The bond was pulling us together, trying to make us seal the deal.
Just as I felt our souls reaching out, trying to connect, he pulled away. His eyes were closed tight, but when he opened them, they had dimmed back to normal.
I was breathless, my mind and body in a state of complete calm.
“You look so much better now. Hopefully what I gave you will help you through the next few days. Of course, we might have to do it again. But I don’t mind,” he smirked.
I’d never felt this close to him and my body took over. Wrapping my legs around him, I rolled him to his back, so I was lying on top of him. I then pressed my lips to his, making him groan.
“Thank you,” I said. “I do feel much better.”
“His smile returned and he wrapped his arms around my back, pulling me snug into his chest. “My energy is yours. All you have to do is let me take care of you.”
I assessed myself and I did feel a lot better. The overwhelming exhaustion had lifted and I felt enlivened. His touch was magic, just as Kade’s potion was.
His finger lifted to my chin and held it, while his eyes held a question.
“What?” I asked.
“Do you love me, Emma?” Ethon questioned, searching for an answer.
I quickly responded. “Why would you ask me such a question? Love is such a broad word, and overrated. Love is something that shouldn’t be spoken of too often, unless you truly, deeply mean it. It should never be thrown around, but should be something felt. You know… action is better than words.”
“So… do you?” His brow furrowed.
I stared at him and giggled. He was so damn persistent. I didn’t want to answer him because right now I knew the bond was forcing me to love him. So instead, I leaned over and kissed him, hard and quick, leaving us breathless.
“I guess you put your words to action,” he chuckled, folding his arms behind his head. Why the hell did he have to look so freaking handsome?
“Like I said… action is much better than words.” I winked at him.
He quickly sat up and grabbed me.
“Soon, you will be mine. All mine, and for all eternity. And I will spend the rest of my life proving my love.”
I nodded and watched his lips rise. His hands slowly slipped down my back and stopped on either side of my hips, then I felt him rock into me. I gasped. My insides burned and twisted with a rush of electricity. Then he pressed his mouth to mine again and I felt myself let out a moan.
His lips left mine and then he laughed.
“Our future will be amazing,” he said, then lifted me off of him.
“What are you doing?” I asked, breathless.
“I made you a promise I intend to keep. We weren’t going to seal any bonds tonight, remember? In order to keep that promise I have to disconnect from you now, before things get too heated. It’s hard to control myself when I’m around you. It’s taking every ounce of self-control, and it’s killing me.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ve never had a boyfriend, so this is all new to me.”
“Holy shit, that’s right. You’re a virgin.”
“Yep, and I’m proud of it.”
“Being a virgin is overrated.”
“So says the son of Satan,” I smirked, and he let out a bellowed laugh.
“And you shall soon be his daughter-in-law.”
“Don’t remind me,” I huffed.
“Well, you shall find out when we seal the bond, what real pleasure is. You will never want for anything else.”
“Oh, really?” I narrowed my eyes at him, and he winked.
Dammit. That was sexy.
“Alright, princess, I think it’s time for us to go. If we wait any longer, I might have to keep you here and there will be nothing to hold me back from sealing our bond.”
“Yes,” I said dusting myself off a little rougher than I normally would, trying to snap myself out of this cloud of lust. “Alaine will be up soon, and I still have to sneak into the house.”
“Well then, let’s get you back.”
He stood and extended his large, beautiful black wings out to his sides.
I still wasn’t used to those magical hidden wings. It took my breath away every single time, no matter who it was, but especially being from the one I was bonded too.
He held his arms open to me, so I stepped into him.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
He then shot up into the sky, my stomach twisted and turned as he rolled and maneuvered through the portal, and again we went from light to pure darkness. As soon as we exited something crashed into us. I screamed as we plummeted to the ground, but Ethon wrapped his wings around us as we hit.
“Shit,” he cursed.
“What happened?” I screamed, still shaken and a little disoriented.
Grabbing my hand, he led me behind a large tree. “If you can become invisible, now is a good time.”
I closed my eyes, concentrating, and felt a warm tingle through my body. As soon as I opened them, the world around me was a haze and my body was gone. I placed my hand on Ethon’s shoulder.
“What is it?” I asked.
He sniffed the air and then paused. “What the hell?”
“What?” I pressed.
“It smells like Hellhounds.”
“Hellhounds? Why would there be Hellhounds here?”
“They were probably raised by Lucian,” he said. “I will need to disconnect from you.”
“No, wait,” I said, holding on tightly. “I don’t want you to go. What if we did the same thing we did to the Fallen?”
“I knew I could kill the Fallen, but there are more than one of those creatures out there, and I will not risk your life.” He held me in his arms and with a flap of his wings we flew upward. He placed me on a branch of a large spruce tree, where I instantly clung for my life. As he turned I held on.
“Ethon.” He turned back to me. “Please be safe.”
“I will,” he answered and kissed me. He then let go and dropped back down to the ground, blending into the darkness.
Deep, evil, guttural growls and six sets of blazing eyes glowed in the darkness below, bringing back horrifying memories of the Underworld. My heart thrust itself against the walls of my chest, beating so hard I thought I was going to faint. But it wasn’t only the creatures I was terrified about. It was knowing that if these creatures were here, the ones who sent them weren’t too far away.
The tree shook, almost releasing my grip and knocking me down from my perch.
I held my breath.
A few branches down, a Fallen had landed. He was huge and muscular. I watched him sniff the air, and then raise his head as if he were looking at me. I froze. Every cell in my body was weighted, then I felt a tingle in my right arm as it released from the tree and grasped the handle of my dagger. I didn’t want to unsheathe it because I feared it was glowing and would give away my location.
He knew I was here though. He could smell me, and he was only about ten feet below. He crawled around the branches like he weighed nothing, using his wings to balance. Then he stopped directly below me, and his head snapped back. His evil black eyes locked onto me, but I knew he couldn’t see me. Could he?
He sniffed again, and before I could unsheathe the dagger, he reached up and grabbed my leg. I screamed and tried to kick away, but when he realized he had me, he tightened his grip. I couldn’t let go of the branch because if I did, I would go crashing to the ground, or into his unwelcoming arms. So I held on, struggling to stay on the branch.
“Ethon!” I screamed.
“You’re mine, bitch,” the Fallen threatened. There was nothing I could do, and I could hear Ethon in a fight for his life against the Hellhounds.
The Fallen placed both hands on my leg and flapped upward. I had to let go or his strength would have ripped my arms from their sockets. I was in the air, upside down, hanging by one leg. I screamed and tried to kick free. Unexpectedly, he released me. I hit a tree and spun, being tossed around like a rag doll, trying to grasp at anything that could break my fall. Branches scratched my hands and my face, but I couldn’t get a grip on anyone of them.
I hit the ground and everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, I felt pain and could hear growls in the distance. I was on the ground lying in between a bunch of trees, out in the open. I wondered how long I was out. Hoping I hadn’t broken anything, I slowly moved. I didn’t feel like anything was broken, but my back and neck were aching. Sitting up, I quickly pressed myself back against the biggest spruce tree. I could hear the Hellhounds and Ethon, but I couldn’t see them.
Then I caught a scent in the breeze and it made my body stiffen.
About twenty yards away, the same Fallen who’d grabbed me, dropped down out of the sky. He sniffed the air, looking for me. I needed to get out of here. The thought being captured threatened to freeze my limbs. But I wouldn’t allow it. I would fight.
I quietly made my way around the tree, out from his view. My pulse raced as I reached for my dagger and unsheathed it. Thank God I still had it with me.
I figured that if I ran toward the Hellhounds maybe I could lose him. I’d rather be in the middle of the Hellhounds than dragged away to who knows where and have who knows what done to me. At least if I was near Ethon, he would know if I was taken and he could try and rescue me if I was captured.
It was a huge risk, but the only one that made sense at this very moment, so I sucked in a deep breath and took off in his direction. I ran as fast as I could toward the sounds of growling. When I was about fifty yards away, I stopped and turned back. The Fallen wasn’t there, but I knew he must have been close by.
There was a crack to the side of me, and when I turned there were two burning red eyes and sharp teeth standing about ten feet away, fixed directly on me.
Glancing down, I noticed I was still invisible. There was no place for me to run. I would have to fight the Hellhound, and readied myself, holding my dagger out in front of me.
Before I could blink, it crouched and pounced. I thrust my blade forwar
d, and covered my face with the other arm, preparing for pain. Instead, I heard a horrifying scream. The Hellhound had leapt over me, attacking the Fallen who had captured me earlier.
The Hellhound sunk its sharp into the Fallen’s shoulder, then thrashing its head, it severed his arm. With another whipping movement, the detached limb flew over and hit me in the leg.
I internally screamed and jumped back. Eww!
Agonizing cries filled the air as the Hellhound mauled its prey. Another Fallen dropped from the sky with a sword held above his head. As soon as he landed, he thrust his weapon down and severed the Hellhound’s head. He then reached down and picked up his Fallen friend, who was on the brink of death.
“Do it,” the injured man yelled. He was fatally marred and covered in blood; shredded flesh hung from his severed arm.
His partner helped him to his knees, and then he leaned forward bowing his head. In an instant the other Fallen lifted his sword and beheaded him. His lifeless body toppled over to the ground. The Fallen began to speak a few angelic words, and within seconds his friend’s body began to burn. I knew he would be coming for me next.
The only reason they knew I was here was because they could catch my scent. I glanced down at the severed arm at my feet and had a flashback. When I was near a riverbank and being chased by Darkling, I covered myself with mud and they couldn’t smell me. But I didn’t have mud this time. The only thing I had now was that disgusting severed arm.
I bent down and picked it up, fighting the overwhelming urge to puke. I could feel the burning bile creeping up my chest, but I held it down. The limb disappeared as soon as I touched it, and not being able to see it helped. I was out of options. If I didn’t do this, he would find and capture me.
I held my breath, and clasped my eyes shut tight. Then I began to rub the bloody stump all over my exposed skin. Head, face, neck, and hands. I gagged and clasped my lips shut as thick blood trickled down them. The strong smell of iron was almost too much to bear. I dry heaved a few times, then began to breathe from my mouth.
