“Thank you,” she said softly, “Thank you for your kindness.”
Marcie returned the hug with just as much strength, and she nodded at Aja. “You both look like you need a bit of kindness,” she said, glancing at Stefan, and Aja couldn't help but agree.
As Darian, Stefan, Benedict and Aja made their way to the lake, Aja saw Stefan sneaking glances at her. She could tell that his memory was coming back, and that the more time he spent with her, the more he was remembering about their short time together. She took a deep breath and put it out of her mind. They were going to defeat the monster. Then they could find out what was left between them.
Benedict took them to a rocky area on the lake, one where large rocks created a kind of natural dock.
“I have seen it here more than once,” he said. “I think the rocks protect it, allowing it to rest at least a little. Does everyone know their part?”
“Sure,” said Darian with amusement. “I love being bait.”
“Well, get to it then,” Stefan said, sounding a little too pleased about the idea of seeing Darian in the water. Darian growled half-heartedly at that but he transformed into his wolf form and leaped into the water.
Once he was in the water, he popped a plastic bag of blood that they had taken from a chicken that Benedict had recently killed. His splashing and the blood in the water was bound to attract attention, and his size would ensure that only a large predator would come for him.
Stefan, in his own wolf form, crouched on a rock, so still that he could have been another rock himself, while Benedict in his golden eagle form soared above, keeping an eye on the group from overhead.
For her part, Aja crouched by the side of a stone, watching everything with anxious anticipation. She was not a fighter, not like Darian, Stefan and Benedict, and her part in this would be what it had been a thousand years ago. She was meant to wait to unleash the spell that would wrap the monster in a magical wind, this time casting it so that the thing would be sent away to sleep forever, rather than simply for a thousand years.
She had to do it right this time. There were no more chances.
Aja watched, her heart in her throat as Darian's feigned struggles suddenly became more real. With a startled howl, he was dragged under the water only to nearly leap clear of it the next moment. There was the lizard thing she remembered, dark, full of teeth and flashing claws, rising out of the water like a demon to chase him.
It came so terribly close to closing those terrible jaws over Darian's tail, but then Stefan was there, unleashing a terrible howl like a demon released from hell. The monster was far larger than he was, but he struck it square in the throat, making it shriek as he tore at it with his body.
Then Benedict was there, diving straight toward the animal's face with his wickedly sharp talons and using the force of his own wind powers to strike the monster where he could.
Aja took a deep breath, staring at the animal, not daring to blink, and she started the spell that would send it away. The twisting, sliding words came off of her tongue easily; she had committed them to memory and they would always be a part of her, but then she saw Stefan. She saw his form, she thought of his thousand-year sleep, and she faltered.
One mistake meant that she had to start over, and she did, but she again had to stop. The fear and pain were too much, and she saw with horror that she couldn't finish, not when Stefan was there...
As if he could sense her vulnerability, her hesitation, Stefan was at her feet in a single bound, looking up at her. She could see the man in those green wolf eyes, she could see his plea and his demand, and yes, his love and recognition as well.
She nodded to show him that she understood, and as he lunged back to the battle, she began to chant again.
This time, with the memory of his green eyes to drive her forward, she recited the spell with certainty and felt the energy gather up inside her as the winds whipped up.
This time, the spell left her hands with confidence and with all its potency. She saw the channel between her and the monster, she saw it was clear, and the spell struck the animal squarely in the chest. It roared with dismay, but she saw those enormous eyes close one last time as the enchanting wind took it off for an eternal sleep.
As the beast was whipped away forever, the wind fell like a storm, leaving the clearing perfectly quiet. Aja dropped to her knees, all of the energy taken out of her. She felt emptied, triumphant, and then she heard Stefan's howl.
It was a long, deep and sorrowful howl, and for a moment, she thought that he had been hurt. Then he was running for her, crossing the space between them with astonishing speed. Darian and Benedict, exhausted, never could have stopped him in time if he meant her harm, but she knew in her heart that he never could.
Instead, a step before he reached her, he was in his human form again, and he swept her in his arms as if he never wanted her to go. His mouth crashed down on hers with the force of a thousand years of dreams, and she clung to him, her eyes wet with tears.
“Oh, Stefan, thank you, thank you,” she murmured between kisses, and he only held her even tighter.
Neither of them noticed when Benedict and Darian discreetly departed, leaving them alone on the deserted beach. Instead, they only clung to each other tighter as night darkened the sky, kissing as if they could make up for ten lifetimes of being without each other.
“I missed you, darling, I missed you so much,” Stefan groaned, and she only nodded. Their loved had survived a thousand years apart, and now Aja thought that she would die if they had to stop kissing for a single second.
She pulled him over to the lee of the rocks, where there was a little more protection from the winds. The sand there was smooth and dry, and after Stefan stripped off his long coat to make them a bed, he lowered her down to it with a reverence that bordered on worship.
“You have always been a part of me,” he said softly. “I felt it a thousand years ago, and I feel it now.”
“Forgive me for not saying it to you sooner,” Aja said, looking up at him with love in her eyes. “I love you, I've looked for you for years before I knew you existed. Please, just love me now.”
“I do, I will...”
When his body came down over hers, she clung to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Even in their clothes, she could feel how hard he was and how much he wanted her. With a muffled curse, she kicked off her sandals and slid her jeans off, leaving herself bare below the waist. Taking his hand in hers, she pushed it between her legs, and he went to work with a soft groan.
His fingers had lost none of their skill, and in a matter of moments, they were gliding slickly along her folds, circling her clit with loving strokes that made her arch against him with a wild cry.
“Now, do it now, I can't wait,” she moaned, and after only a moment's hesitation, he worked his trousers loose and she could feel his bare flesh pressing against her. He entered with a single powerful thrust, and for a moment, they both simply shivered, holding on to each other tightly.
“This is forever, isn't it?” Stefan whispered, and with tears running from the corners of her eyes, she nodded.
“Forever, I want forever with you,” she murmured.
He began to move, and she dug her heels into the sand underneath, pushing up to meet every thrust. It felt more than perfect, it felt right to have him surging into her and filling her up. Their movements were slow and steady at first, but it had been so long for both of them that they quickly became desperate.
“More, I want all of you,” she growled in his ear, and soon he was thrusting into her with all his strength. The force of him took her breath away, and that force was all she needed to start feeling that familiar tension coil through her body, driving her higher and higher. She dug her nails into his back hard enough to make him flinch, and she shouted when she climaxed, her cry echoing across the lake. It was short and brutal and in its own way, perfect.
She fell back against his coat, letting him move over her until
he found his own release. It was another kind of pleasure to feel his climax overtake him as his thrusts grew ever more powerful. Then he froze over her, panting hard before he spilled into her body.
“Perfect, so perfect for me, darling,” she murmured, stroking his hair.
He pulled away to lie down by her side, and for a long moment, they simply cuddled close.
“What should we do now?” Stefan asked finally, breaking the silence.
“Whatever we want,” Aja murmured.
***
The modern world did not hold much interest for them. It was too crowded, too loud and far too bright. Instead, after a month in Benedict's home, Stefan and Aja moved north and then north again. They lost themselves in the wilderness, wandering where they pleased and spending time with the shape-changing communities where they found them.
“Do you want to settle down?” Stefan asked. “I would wander the world with you if you said the word, but I also want you to be secure.”
Standing on the rise and watching the sun sink beneath the trees, Aja thought about the question, resting her hand over her still flat belly. She wasn't sure, not yet, but in another month, she would be.
“Soon,” she said, turning to take her mate in her arms. “Perhaps we can start going south again, toward Colossal City or Harrispont.”
Stefan came to stand by her side, and as they watched the sunset, they held hands tightly. They had waited a thousand years for their life together, and they would never be apart again.
THE END
Tales of the Golden Judge: 3-Book Bundle - Books 13-15 Page 7
