by Quinn Loftis
“I can’t stay here, Rory,” Aston said gently. “I have a life in the human realm. Family, responsibilities. They will be worried about me.”
This wasn’t a surprise to her. Once Kimba had told her she had a mate and that when they found him, they would bring him to the dragon realm, Rory knew she’d have to find a way to make him stay. She was tired of living in pain. She was tired of being alone. And she was not going to return to the human realm to be a pawn for her mother’s coven.
“You don’t want to be with me?” she asked. “You’d rather live in pain?”
“No,” he answered quickly. “I want to be together. Soul mates need each other. I’ve watched my brothers find their soul bonded, and it's amazing to see the love they have for each other.
“We don’t have to stay here to be together. You’re human, Rory. You belong in the human realm. And yes, you belong with me.”
Rory liked his answer. All except the part about them returning to the human realm. Kimba had told her that unless they bonded completely, then he would be able to leave her. Since he seemed determined not to stay in the dragon realm, she knew what she had to do in order to tie her to him so he couldn’t leave her.
Rory stood and began to undress. Aston’s eyes widened, and he jumped to his feet.
“What are you doing, Rory?” he asked, taking a step back. He almost seemed afraid, which was ridiculous considering up until this point he’d been fine.
“I’m undressing,” she said, though it was unnecessary considering it was quite obvious what she was doing.
“Why?” He held up a hand now as if that could somehow prevent her from removing any more clothing.
“Because we’re going to complete the bond. Kimba explained we would need to mate for us to completely bind our souls together.”
“We don’t have to rush,” Aston said, his eyes looking anywhere but at her. “We’ve got plenty of time to get to know one another before we take that step.”
Rory was completely naked by this point, and she walked around the fire. “Aston,” she said, her voice sharp.
“Yes, Rory?” He looked up at the ceiling of the cave, and he sounded completely exasperated with her.
“Look at me,” she gentled her voice as she added, “please.”
She didn’t know if it was the “please” or the desperation in her voice, but he finally lowered his eyes. Though they didn’t drop below her face.
“The pain you felt…”
He nodded, acknowledging her words.
“I’ve felt it for years.”
Aston’s eyes widened at her confession.
“There’s been a hole, an emptiness so raw inside of me, that sometimes I can barely breathe. And during all of that time, my heart has filled with a darkness that consumes me. I don’t know if there is anything good left inside of me.”
“That’s not true,” Aston interrupted. “I can feel your darkness, but I also feel goodness.”
Rory didn’t believe for a second that it was her goodness he was feeling. Aston was simply feeling the part of his soul that was joined with her own black one. She shook her head at him. “No. Whatever you’re feeling is you. The part of you that is now in me.”
She stepped closer to him, drawn to his goodness, his light, and the concern she saw in his eyes. “For the first time in a very long time, I can breathe. The pain has eased, but the longing is still there. I know we don’t know each other, but I want to. I want to know you. I’ve had you all of an hour, but I know just from that short amount of time, I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t,” he said quickly. “We don’t have to sleep together so you can keep me, Rory. You already have me.”
Rory shook her head. “You can leave me. Until the bond is complete, you can leave me, and then the darkness will have me. There will be nothing left of the girl I once was.”
Aston's hand reached up and cupped her face. His touch was warm and gentle. The only kind of touch she could remember in her life was Kimba’s. She couldn’t recall the last time someone had embraced her or even looked at her with adoration, like Aston did now.
“Please,” she said again.
He clenched his jaw, and a pained sound emanated from his chest. Rory could see he was about to shake his head no. So she rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. He was still, not joining in, though he didn’t push her away.
The tears that had been building began to fall from her eyes. Rory pressed her body closer to his, seeking out his warmth, needing him to accept her, to hold her, to make her whole. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Aston wrapped his arms around her. She moaned and sank into him.
His tongue brushed against her lips, and she parted them as he deepened the kiss.
He pulled back until their lips barely touched, his hands rubbing up and down her back. “Please don’t hate me for this.”
She frowned. “Why would I hate you?”
“I feel like I’m taking advantage of the situation, and I never want you to think that I would do such a thing.”
“Kimba said we’re meant for each other. Destined to be together. You feel that, right?”
“You know I do,” he said as he pressed his forehead to hers.
“Then there is nothing wrong here. We are bound tighter than any normal couple.” She took his hand and led him further into the cave, to the thick blankets that made up her bed on the floor.
Aston didn’t stop her as she pulled his shirt over his head. He took over undressing himself, all the while kissing and touching her.
As they laid down on the stack of blankets and his body covered her own, Aston looked deep into her eyes. “You’ll never be alone again.”
Tears continued to fall from Rory’s eyes as he made love to her. But not the tears of sadness or anger or fear that she’d cried so many times. These were tears of joy. These were tears that seemed to wash away a little of the darkness living inside of her. She knew it wouldn’t be easy to let go of who she had become. She didn’t know if it was even possible. But because of Aston, for the first time, she felt a glimmer of hope.
“Are you sure you’re ready?” Liam asked Gabby as she stood at the foot of his bed. A few days had passed since the funeral of warriors, and she’d done a lot of soul searching. She and Liam had spent hours talking and holding on to one another as they considered what was to come.
They’d even talked about completing the soul bond between them, but up until that morning, she’d been hesitant.
“Yes,” she answered. Her voice was sure and steady.
“Why now?”
Her mouth dropped. She hadn’t expected him to ask her any questions. Liam hadn’t hidden his desire for her, though he hadn’t pushed her either.
“Because I love you.” It hadn’t been something she’d just suddenly realized. It was something that had grown, day by day, since that night in her room when she’d held a dagger to his throat. One moment at a time he’d shown her over and over that she mattered to him. Liam had proven with his actions, not just his words, that he wanted her, that she was important to him, and that he loved her. “And I believe you love me.”
His eyes softened as he walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and his skin was soft, though his muscles were firm. She felt safe when he held her like this, like nothing could touch her or hurt her.
“I absolutely do,” he said with a smile that lit up his bright blue eyes.
She started to pull back and lift her shirt, but he stopped her.
“Let me?”
A small smile lifted her lips. Liam liked taking care of her. It seemed to bring him satisfaction. “Okay,” she said as she lifted her arms for him as he pulled her shirt up.
She was surprised she wasn’t embarrassed with him. He made her feel so beautiful, and she could sense the bond growing stronger with every kiss and every touch.
“My beautiful, amazin
g mate,” he whispered against her lips as he laid her on the bed.
Her skin heated up as the fire grew inside of her, but then Liam cooled her with a push of his own power through their bond.
As their bodies connected, Gabby could see the blue strands of his magic wrap around the red strings of her own, connecting their hearts.
“Now you’re stuck with me,” Liam told her with a flirty grin. He brushed the hair from her face and ran a finger across her lips. “I love you, Gabby Nash.”
She liked the sound of that. “Do I get a ring?”
“I was thinking I could tattoo ‘belongs to Liam’ on your forehead.” He sounded completely serious, but she saw the mischief dancing in his eyes.
“Only if I get to tattoo ‘I’m a freak’ on yours.”
“I’ll compromise,” he said. “You can tattoo ‘I’m Gabby’s freak’ on my forehead.”
She laughed. “I have a feeling you might actually do it.”
His face grew serious as his hand cupped her cheek. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you to make sure you always know that you’re my everything.”
Gabby believed him, and though they had no idea what tomorrow would bring, she knew Liam would be by her side. He’d pulled her out of a deep despair, cleansed her darkened soul, and given her the greatest gift she’d ever known—his determination to not let her stay the same. He pushed her to step out of the familiar comfort of her loneliness and into the light of love.
The End
Thank you so very much for taking time to read Cleansed By Water. I truly appreciate it. There will be a book 4 in this series and is set to release in 2021. Meanwhile you can check out Quinn’s other books and new releases!
If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review at the link below. Thank you again!
Acknowledgments
The thank you’s that I place here never seem adequate. So much goes into a book and the support system it takes to produce one is truly necessary. I am in awe of my husband who puts up with me and does so very much to keep the machine running and the beast fed.
I am so thankful for Jessica and her ability to keep up with my racing mind and still keep her sense of humor.
I am thankful to my ARC readers for giving their time and input and encouragement.
I am humbled that so many readers continue to give my books a chance. Thank you so very much.
And I am driven to my knees at God’s grace and love for me. Without Him, none of this matters.
About the Author
Quinn Loftis is a multi-award-winning author of over thirty novels, including the USA Today Bestseller, Fate and Fury. When she isn’t creating exciting worlds filled with romantic werewolves, she works as a pediatric nurse and crafts like there’s no tomorrow. She is blessed to be married to her best friend for over twenty years and they have three sons, a crazy French bulldog, and a cat that wants to take over the world.
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Quinn’s Bookshelf
The Grey Wolves Series
The Gypsy Healer Series
The Elfin Series
The Dream Maker Series
The Clan Hakon Series
Nature Hunters Academy
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You can also find Quinn writing contemporary romances as her alter ego, Alyson Drake, at https://www.quinnloftisbooks.com/alysondrake.
