Burning

by Carrillo, K. D.

  She moved in closer to Finn and lightly touched his arm. "Don't you think you should explore your options before you tie yourself down?" Bridgett asked, batting her eyelashes. I didn't think women actually still did that.

  "Is your kind always this forward?" I asked Finn.

  "You've got me. I'm really not very familiar with my kind, remember? Outside of my parents, I've never spent any time around another elf," he answered.

  "If that is true why would you want to bind yourself to a witch before you know if there is a better match out there for you?" Bridgett argued.

  Shit. What if she was right? What if there was a better match out there for him and I was keeping him from her?

  "There isn't a better match for me," Finn said with confidence. He never looked away from my eyes.

  "Are you sure?" I whispered.

  "Not a single doubt," he vowed.

  "You aren't as stupid as you were when I left," Grey commented.

  Finn's eyes widened. "You seem almost too okay with this. Losing Chloë is hard. I've been there. I don't believe for a second that you're fine with her being with me."

  "It's one of the hardest things I've lived through, but she is meant to be with you. I love her enough that I want her to be happy," Grey answered.

  "I want that for you too. I never meant to hurt you, but you're right. I love Finn," I interjected into their conversation.

  "How did I get stuck in the middle of the Chloë fan club?" Bridgett complained.

  I ignored her and shifted my attention to Grey. "I know why you came and found us tonight. The answer to the question you came here to ask is hell no. We are out of room."

  Grey nodded in understanding. Then he grabbed her elbow and pulled her away. "See what you did? Now I have to figure out a place for you to stay. I'd wanted to keep all of the refugees together in case I had to leave, but now I'm going to have to make other plans," Grey complained.

  They walked off, and Finn urged me to continue to his car. "I could see the thoughts play across your face. I don't want you to think she's right, but I could see you considered what she said for a minute. I meant what I said. There is only you. I'll prove it, I promise."

  "I won't run, but if you change your mind, tell me fast," I said, looking at the ground.

  "Never. Going. To. Happen. I understand that words aren't going to cut it this time though. Stay with me tonight," he suggested.

  My mouth fell open. "Finn, I thought we agreed we aren't there yet. I'm not ready for that."

  "Not sex. Let me hold you tonight. We both need the connection," he clarified.

  "Yeah, we do," I agreed. "I can't say I was glad to meet Bridgett. I'm not looking forward to seeing her again," I blurted out.

  "Me either. She treated me like she had some sort of right to me because of what I am," he said.

  "You're mine," I stated.

  "And I always will be," he vowed and kissed me quickly.

  "As long as you recognize it." I pulled his shirt and kissed him deeply.

  Finn pulled back and cupped my face. "I know I've given you every reason not to trust me. But believe me when I say I'm not going to let you go. You are mine, and I am yours. I won't let you down again."

  "I'm going to hold you to that," I told him.

  Finn flashed his sinfully sexy smirk. "Let's go home. I'll let you hold me now."

  Chapter 4

  Hot and Heavy

  Dean

  I rolled Anita closer to my side. We were pushing the limits tonight, but she’d agreed to marry me. I wasn't going to let her back out. Who was I kidding? There was only ever one outcome I was going to accept—Anita as my mate.

  Anita's head rested on my chest, and she idly traced the ridges and valleys of my muscles with her fingers. Her warm breath heated my skin and sent chills racing down the rest of my body. A purr ripped through my chest, and she responded by digging her fingers into my skin.

  The switch to my control flipped off, and I rolled her onto her back. I pressed her into the mattress with my body on top of hers. She felt so small underneath me, and my primal urge to bond to her grew almost unbearable. I pinned her arms above her head with one of my hands and kissed her deeply.

  "Mine," I growled in her ear.

  She started to squirm underneath me, shredding the tiny bit of control I was desperately hanging on to. I pushed her deeper into the bed to try and halt her movements, but she gasped. I realized I was grinding the evidence of my desire into her. It wasn't like we had never gone this far before, but I usually pulled back at this point.

  "Dean," Anita moaned.

  I buried my face into her neck, trying to calm myself, but the pheromones pouring out of her skin drugged me. I nipped at her collarbone and rubbed my lips across the area to soothe the small sting.

  "Anita, we have to stop. Baby, I need you to stop me. Please," I begged.

  "I don't want to stop," she whispered.

  "I want you. God, I want you so badly, but I want the ceremony first," I begged.

  She stopped squirming, which was wonderful and awful at the same time. I let go of her hands and rolled off of her.

  Anita hesitantly returned to the crook of my arm. "Is this okay?" she asked nervously.

  "It's the sweetest torture," I answered and kissed her forehead.

  Anita cocked her head and looked at me speculatively. "You need the ceremony. Does it have to be a big one?"

  I half-smiled at her. "No. I would like your parents, my parents, and our friends there. I don't care if it is in the backyard. I just want it to be what you dreamed it would be."

  Her lips pursed in thought. I kissed them and sucked her bottom lip into my mouth. I loved her mannerisms. She was so damn cute.

  "We can't go to the courthouse until Monday, and then there is a three-day waiting period. Can we put together a wedding in four days?"

  My mouth fell open. Four days? She wanted to get married in four days?

  "Unless, I mean… Unless you don't want to," she backtracked.

  I growled and pulled her on top of me. I pushed back the curtain of her hair to get a better look at her face. "You are ready to marry me in four days? That's a Thursday. You want to get married on a Thursday?" I asked, unsure I understood what she was suggesting.

  "No. I want to get married tomorrow, but like I said, we can't apply for a marriage license until Monday, and then we have to wait three days," she answered.

  "What about a dress, flowers, and all the details?" I pressed her to clarify.

  Anita's expression showed that she thought I was being dumb. "I'm half witch, but if I can't conjure a dress, Chloë can. I think Finn is more than capable of turning the backyard into a garden paradise. There is one detail I am a bit concerned about though."

  "What is it? I'll do anything to make this happen," I promised.

  "My parents in the same place—that might not be such a good idea. I don't think my mom has ever gotten over my dad, and I don't want to cause her pain," she explained.

  "We'll figure something out. You really want to do this?"

  She pressed her soft body into mine and tugged my earlobe into her mouth. I sucked in a ragged breath.

  "Don't you?" she whispered seductively in my ear.

  "More than my next breath," I confirmed.

  "Good. We'll finish this in four days." She slid off of me and snuggled back into my side.

  Grey

  "Is Finn dating the witch?" Bridgett asked.

  I ground my teeth together. "Her name is Chloë," I said through clenched teeth.

  "Whatever. Are they together or not?" she asked in a whiny voice.

  "It looked like it to me," I muttered.

  "His parents are going to flip when they find out. Finn is a legend among younger elves. There have been rumors about him for years, but very few people have met him. One of my friends met him once, but she wasn't aloud to talk about anything supernatural," Bridgett rambled.

  "His parents are aware of his feel
ings for Chloë Du Lac," I stated flatly.

  "Du Lac? Like the head of the Council?" Bridgett asked in a shaky voice.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Yes," I answered tersely.

  Bridgett huffed and tossed her blond hair over her shoulder. "So the princess feels entitled to do anything she wants?"

  I squeezed my hands on the steering wheel. I forced myself to relax my grip before I crushed the wheel. "Don't. Call. Her. That," I forced out.

  "Ah, you've fallen under her spell as well, huh? Does she even date her own kind?"

  I took an unnecessary breath. "Do you know what the Watchers are?" I asked, changing the subject. She shook her head no. I continued with my explanation. "We are a group created by the Council to monitor instances of magical exposure and eliminate threats to the supernatural world. You went with me because your Council representative told you to. What they didn't tell you was why I came to get you."

  "That isn't true," she interrupted. "I was told there was danger and I needed to go with you."

  I was sure my disgust with her was written on my face. "Yet you never asked what the danger was."

  "It isn't my place to ask questions," she responded out of habit.

  "See, that is what will always separate you from Chloë," I said flatly.

  "You're a vampire, which places you at the bottom of the hierarchy. You obviously have the same beliefs I do. Why else would you succumb to such archaic beliefs that forever push you to the bottom? Don't judge me for respecting the order of our society when you bow to the authority of a teenaged witch," Bridgett snapped.

  "I don't give a shit about the hierarchy. Chloë would have demanded answers. You accepted what you were told. Would you like any details on why I brought you here?" I asked.

  She shrugged.

  "I'll take that as a yes," I quipped. "There is a group of fanatics that hail from the Inquisition. Their mission is to seek out magic and destroy it," I explained.

  "So what? We are stronger than mere humans. What can they do to us?" she cut in.

  "Mature supernaturals are invincible once they have all of their powers. But there are others that are at risk to this group, and the Watchers seek to protect them," I said, irritated. "The aware, humans who participate in our world, are vulnerable because of their mortality. Vampires never achieve invincibility. We aren't exactly vulnerable, but we aren't invincible either. Young supernaturals are vulnerable because they don't know how to use their powers, and they can be killed until they are fully mature. When there is a threat, we search out and protect these groups," I explained.

  "I didn't do anything to expose magic to humans," she said.

  "No, Angeline Du Lac did that. She was punished, and most of the magical trace was hidden, but not completely," I answered.

  Bridgett scoffed. "So one Du Lac breaks the rule, and the others rush to cover it up?"

  "Are you always such a judgmental bitch?" I spit out.

  I drove down the lane to my house. Silence filled the car after my outburst. I pressed the automatic garage opener and pulled into the empty slot. I thrust the car into park and started to get out of the car.

  "What are you doing?" she asked nervously.

  "We're here," I responded in a clipped tone.

  "Yeah, but where is here?" she demanded.

  I slammed my door and pushed the trunk release on the key fob. "My house."

  "I can't stay here with you!" she screeched.

  "Where in the hell do you plan to stay then?" I countered.

  "Can't I stay with the one of the other members of the coven?" she asked, panicked.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. Her irritating presence was giving me tick. "The rest of the Central Coven lives together in a house down the road."

  "Good. Take me there," she said re-buckling her seat belt.

  "I don't think you understand me. The entire coven lives together," I said, waiting for the epiphany to hit. She continued to look at me like she was confused. "That includes Chloë," I pointed out.

  "Finn and Chloë live together?" she asked, shocked.

  I hissed. I hadn't let myself think about it too hard. I didn't have a right to because I'd lost her. No, that wasn't true. I’d left her. I didn't have a right to be upset.

  "Yeah, they do. There are a few others with them though," I answered in a gravelly voice.

  "Can't I just stay in a hotel?" she whined.

  "No." This girl was going to drive me insane. The Council would be lucky if I didn’t drain her dry before the end of the night.

  "I think I'd rather stay with the coven," she continued to argue.

  "I'm part of the coven. Besides, after your behavior, I don't think the others are going to welcome you to stay with them," I explained.

  "I'm stuck with you?" she complained.

  "Somehow I think I got the worse end of this bargain," I muttered under my breath. I grabbed her bags and headed into my house. "I'm going to put your things in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I'll let you get settled in. I've got a phone call to make," I said, walking up the stairs.

  I bypassed the first bedroom, the one I’d set aside for Chloë. She wasn't mine, but I wasn't ready to let go yet either. I couldn’t remember what had made me think that leaving her had been my only choice. I hadn’t fought for her, but he had. After Finn had pulled his head out of his ass, he’d made it clear that he wanted her, and he hadn't stopped until she believed him.

  I dropped the brat's bags in the room at the end of the hall and left without a word. I searched my contacts and hit send when I found her number. I hadn't called her in almost ten months. I’d started to several times, but I’d never allowed myself to look back. Now I was choking on regret.

  "Hello," Chloë answered hesitantly.

  "I'm sorry about earlier. I brought Bridgett over to my house. I don't want you to think that I'm trying to cause problems for you, and well, anyway…" I fumbled out.

  She chuckled uncomfortably. "That was awkward, huh?"

  "You two are together?" Why had I asked her that?

  She sighed. "I really shouldn't answer those kind of questions from you, but I will this time since we are coven mates. Yeah, Finn and I are dating."

  "That's good. I mean, if that is what you want," I said, pathetically searching for clues.

  Chloë huffed after several long seconds of silence. "Why are you doing this? You. Left. Me. It's been almost ten months, and not once have you tried to contact me. You can't do this to me. I was upset when you left, but you gave me enough time to get over it."

  "I'm sorry, Chloë. I'm not trying to cause you any problems. I was called away and I wasn't allowed to return until now. I told you destiny wouldn't allow us to be together. Things are as they were meant to be," I tried to explain.

  "No. You don't get to say 'I told you so' to explain yourself. You hurt me, Grey. I don't want you to think that Finn and I jumped back into our relationship because you left. I cut the string to that yo-yo. I waited for you for a few months, but I realized you weren't going to call me. I let it go. I let you go. I focused on school and my friends. What Finn and I have now was built slowly. I won't let you walk back in and shake things up. He isn't the same. We aren't the same. He and I are stronger now."

  "Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?" I antagonized.

  "Screw you, Grey. What the hell kind of idea was it to show up out of the blue with an elfin female? Are you trying to make me miserable?" she accused.

  "I didn't want to bring her here. I'll admit I like the fact that her presence will piss off your mother, considering her plans for you and Finn, but I never wanted to hurt you."

  "What plans could my mother possibly have for Finn and me?" she asked confused.

  "Dammit. I shouldn't have said that. Forget that part. It really isn't my place to explain things to you," I said, but I knew she would ignore me.

  "You know something. Spill it. You owe me," Chloë demanded.

  "I can't, but have you
ever considered the political benefits of marrying Finn?" I hinted.

  "What political benefits... Oh, hell. The most powerful families on the Council are Dean's, Finn's, Anita's, and mine. If the four of us were to pair off..." she thought out loud.

  I finished her thought. "Then the power structure would be cemented and stabilized. It is a very traditional way of ensuring power from one generation to the next."

  "Are you saying that my feelings for Finn were manufactured by our families?" she asked, worried.

  "No. What you feel is real. I'm saying there might have been other reasons I was ordered to push the four of you together than for your safety. Your families wanted the four of you to meet in hopes that romantic relationships would grow naturally. It certainly made it easier for them. I'm sure they would have tried to force a union if you had not come to the conclusion on your own," I explained.

  "You knew all of this from the beginning. Is that why you insisted you and I could never work out?" she pressed.

  "Yes. I knew what your mother's goals were. I knew she would never let us be together, but I pursued you anyway," I answered, defeated.

  "Why? Why pursue me when you felt it was hopeless?" she asked, sadness seeping through the phone.

  "Because you are impossible not to love," I answered softly.

  "I would have worked through things with you if you had tried. But you ran away, Grey. It isn't fair to come back when my life has gotten back on track."

  "I know, Chloë. I am sorry. I really do just want you to be happy. I'll behave myself, I promise. I've royally screwed up this call. I wanted to talk to you about having a coven meeting. We need to discuss what is happening and what to do with the refugees."

  "That would be good. Anita is probably going to kill one of the twins. And if you bring that elf bitch here, I'm going to send her into another dimension."

  I chuckled. "If I keep her here, I'm going to drain her dry and bury her in my backyard."

  "I don't have a problem with that," she said with a giggle.

  "Friends?" I asked hesitantly.

  "Hmm. Do you think we can?" she asked, and I relaxed slightly.