by Meagan Hill
“I love you, too, Miranda. I want to cherish you every day for the rest of our lives,” Mitch murmured back to her, massaging her neck where some of the tension from the preceding day still lingered. Suddenly, Miranda stood straight up with a gasp, staring into Mitch’s eyes. “What’s the matter, baby?”
“You answered me.”
“Um, yes, I normally do. Why is that odd?”
“No, you don’t understand. I didn’t speak that out loud. My mouth never opened.” Mitch stood there silently, trying to understand what she was saying. “Mitch, look at me.” Mitch raised his eyes to hers. “Watch me closely. Can you hear what I’m saying?” Mitch’s mouth dropped open in shock. Miranda hadn’t spoken aloud. Her mouth hadn’t moved at all.
“How are you doing that?” he whispered, the faint volume the best he could do at the moment.
“Try saying it to me in your mind,” she thought at him again.
“Okay, is this working, or can I only hear you?”
“I can hear you, too, baby. I don’t think I’m getting all your thoughts, just the ones you “speak” to me. You?”
“I’m getting what you’re saying, but no stray or background stuff, like I normally have going on in my head. That’s good. Full access to my brain would be fucking intrusive!”
Miranda laughed and nodded. “No shit! This is cool! I wonder if it’s just between us, or if we’re fully telepathic, or just one of us is telepathic.”
“You’re right, this is kind of cool. I guess it could be either way. But one thing, I want to hear your voice while we make love. I love your noises. That okay with you?” Miranda nodded her agreement. “I guess we’ll have to go downstairs to figure it out.” Mitch paused as they both considered their current circumstances. “Now, do you want to finish what we started here or wait?”
“Hmmm, I can tell you want to finish what we started,” she responded, glancing down at his still-hard cock. Mitch just shrugged. The response was clearly, “Yeah, I’m a guy. Of course I want to come first thing in the morning.” “Finish my hair.”
Mitch did just that, rinsing the last of the shampoo from her hair before slathering it with conditioner. While her hair absorbed the cream, he lathered up a washcloth and proceeded to gently cleanse every square inch of Miranda’s skin. By the time he’d reached her feet, with him on his knees before her as he softly massaged each toe, Miranda’s breathing had become deep and fast, and her mind had cleared of everything but Mitch’s touch on her body. Mitch smiled in satisfaction, filled with manly pride that his touch could do that to her.
Staying on his knees, he angled her body so the stream could rinse her clean before lifting one foot and placing it on the half-seat behind him. The position opened her sex to him, though not as well as if she were spread-eagle on his bed. Still, he could achieve his goal with the current circumstances. “I’m going to devour your pussy now, Miranda. That is what you want, right?”
“God, yes, Mitch. Please do something, and do it now!” Mitch could tell from the tenor of her thoughts she was nearing her orgasm quickly. Mitch ran his fingers down her dripping slit, easily able to discern between the water flowing down her body and the juices that came from inside of her. He continued to tease her for several moments, chuckling to himself as her demands got more animated in his mind. Finally, just when she was about to give in to her frustration and get angry, he slid two fingers into her deeply, before pulling them back and thrusting them in again strongly. Miranda’s back arched sharply, smacking her head against the shower wall, though she didn’t notice at all. Miranda placed her hands on Mitch’s shoulders to keep her balance, her grip tightening strongly as Mitch continued to pump his fingers into her. She was moving steadily toward her climax when he leaned into her and began to suckle her clit with his mouth. The sensation pushed her right to the precipice, where she hovered for just a moment. Mitch’s tongue continued to work over her as his hands maintained their movements. Miranda barely felt when Mitch moved his free hand around her ass, but she felt it when he began to stroke her back hole. The added stimulus pushed her up again, though she held on to her climax just barely, wanting to climb just a bit higher. Her body was trembling madly, and her moans were constant while she maintained a litany of half-thought words and flashes of emotion in his head.
Finally, she could take no more. She shouted aloud and in his head, “Fuck me!” Her hands grasped his shoulders tightly, trying to pull him up, confirming her intent in her words. Without another thought, Mitch stood up, pulling her into his arms and slamming his rock-hard cock into her body in one swift movement. The change was enough to push Miranda far into her orgasm, her body convulsing in Mitch’s arms while she screamed out her pleasure. Mitch pivoted where he stood and slammed Miranda’s body into the back shower wall. Placing both hands underneath each ass cheek, he lifted her to the perfect height and began pistoning frantically in and out of her. His hard-fought battle with his own desire was quickly lost as her body milked his aching cock. He continued to pound into her as his climax whipped through him. His back arched as his head angled sharply backward, his mouth open in a primal roar. Long after his breath ran out, Mitch continued his thrusting, still completely wrapped in his orgasm. He could dimly feel as Miranda’s body shuddered a few more times before finally relaxing, hanging limply in his hands, sandwiched between him and the shower wall. Finally, when Mitch was sure he was going to pass out from the rapture coursing through him, his crest waned and settled downward. Mitch’s legs could no longer support their weight, resulting in the two lovers collapsing slowly into a tangled heap in the bottom of the shower stall.
They stayed there for a few dazed minutes until they were finally able to regather their senses. Miranda opened her eyes first, surveying the sated man sprawled with her. His body shuddered occasionally as aftershocks rocketed through him, though he lay completely limp otherwise. Like Mitch had felt earlier, Miranda was thrilled she had made him lose control like that. It made her feel powerful.
“You’re always going to be able to do that to me, baby. You’ll always be the only woman who has power over me. The same as I’ll be the only man who has power over you. And I promise to never use that power against you,” Mitch said, responding to her thoughts.
“I didn’t realize I was projecting. Or are you picking more up?”
“I’m not sure. It was kind of faint, like the only reason I could hear it at all was because my own mind was so blank. Were you feeling that strongly? Maybe strong emotion leaks through.”
“That sounds about right. Still, we need to talk to Malcolm and Nina. Come on, hot stuff, let’s get moving. We have stuff to get done today.”
“Okay, okay.” Mitch glanced up at the water still cascading down upon them. “It’s a damn good thing they put one of those infinity water heaters in or we’d be freezing by now.” Miranda chuckled as he stood up carefully from his spot on the floor before reaching down and helping Miranda to her feet. He turned her back into the water, helping to rinse her overly-conditioned hair before handing her out the door and turning back to finish his own cleaning.
As she dried off, Miranda pictured him helping her out of the shower and indicated “Why?” with her emotions. She was curious if they could only communicate in words. Apparently, Mitch received exactly what she was trying to say because he answered, “I’ll always do stuff like that, baby. It’s just part of who I am. I’m always the one to offer help to little old ladies and stuff like that. Plus, with you, just the thought of you being hurt rips my chest open, so if I can do anything to prevent that from happening, I will do that. Does that bother you?”
“No, I’m just not used to it. Just don’t get to the point where you want to keep me at home wrapped up in Bubble Wrap or something. We both know that shit happens and so do accidents. If something happens, we’ll deal with it. We’re a team now, Mitch. I know I’m not exactly an equal member, not yet anyway, but I’ll do what I can.”
Miranda didn’t need to r
ead his mind to feel the frown on his face as he stepped out of the shower behind her. “What the hell are you talking about, not being an equal partner? You might not be as developed or as powerful as I am, but that’s just in magic, Miranda. We are very much equal when it comes to loving each other and being new to the whole relationship thing. You may be young in years, but you have endured and survived more than most people could in five hundred years. As much as it sucks, your time with Cabela has taught you some valuable lessons. You know pain, so you’ll be more compassionate than most people who have never hurt. You are patient with others. You seem so accepting of other’s faults and yet so impatient with your own. We can’t change the past, even if we have eradicated the physical effects of it. It’s up to you on how you want to use what’s happened. You are smart, loving, strong, courageous, compassionate, and beautiful. Don’t allow your past to ruin your present and future.” Mitch’s little rant wound to a finish as he finished drying himself off. Looking up, he was surprised to see tears in Miranda’s eyes. He immediately dropped his towel and pulled her into his arms. “What did I say? I’m sorry, baby, I didn’t mean to…”
“No, you didn’t say anything wrong, Mitch. You said everything right. Thank you, Mitch, for having such faith in me. I know, with you by my side, I can be exactly who I want.”
“I’ll always be right here beside you, Miranda. You can count on that.”
“I will.” Miranda gave him a sweet kiss before turning back to the sink to finish getting ready. They worked together and around each other well, reminding themselves of the rather awkward moment the day before. “Was that seriously just yesterday?”
“Yeah, I know how you feel. We’ve actually only known each other just over two days. But, you know, I knew immediately you would be someone important to me. And I’m really glad we fell in love before our mating occurred.”
“Me too. I’m also glad, though, we’re not having to force you to decide between me and your rightful place in the coven. I would have never stopped feeling guilty.”
“I know. I’m glad, too, though I would still make the same choice. It would have been painful, though, to watch you age while I stayed the same. We would have had lots of wonderful years, but just the thought of losing you wrenches my gut.”
Miranda stopped brushing her hair for a moment, thinking about that part. “You’re right, that would have really sucked. I hadn’t even thought about that. I would have left you all alone.” The thought brought tears to Miranda’s eyes again, which were gently wiped away by Mitch.
“Quit thinking about the what-ifs, baby. We don’t have to worry about anything like that ever again. Now, are you almost done?” he inquired as he pulled on his pants and grabbed his shirt.
“No, my hair is totally fried now. Will you grab me something out of my bag? There’s not much left clean in there, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find something.”
“Okay…” Mitch trailed off as he walked to inspect her small suitcase. He found she had bagged her dirty clothes and really did only have two more clean outfits. He frowned for a moment before saying, “Miranda? Is this seriously all the clothes you have?”
Miranda walked out of the bathroom as she finished tucking her hair into a messy bun. “Yes, that’s all of it. And most of those are hand-me-downs.”
“When we’re done with all this, we’re going shopping. Actually, I know my mother would probably love to come, too.”
Miranda shrugged her shoulders as she pulled on the pair of jeans he’d pulled out for her. They were pretty snug on her now more-voluptuous body. She found her bra was just as uncomfortably tight. “Okay, but you’re not spending a bunch of money on me, Mitch.”
“Get over it, Miranda. What’s mine is yours, starting yesterday. As soon as we get back, I’ll be working on getting you access to all of our accounts.” Mitch pulled Miranda into his arms again, sure she wasn’t done arguing.
Miranda sighed, sensing there was no way she was going to win this battle, not that she had a leg to stand on in the first place. “I just feel like I’m coming into this relationship with nothing to offer. I…”
“Miranda! Baby, I love you, and I don’t care if you’re rich or poor, fat or thin, ugly or beautiful! All of that is just the wrapping. It’s your heart and soul and spirit that have captured me. You’ve given me so much just by being alive and with me! You mean everything to me, and if I have to give everything up to convince you of that, I will, though we’ll have way more time together if you’d just accept what I’ve built up over the last one hundred fifty years.”
Miranda leaned her head against Mitch’s chest for a moment before saying, “Okay, Mitch. I won’t make a big deal about it anymore. Should I even ask what our financial status is?”
“Of course you should, and I love that you called it “ours”. And we’re wealthy. We’ll never have to worry about finances as long as we manage it carefully.”
“I’d like you to teach me how to do that.”
“I’d be happy to do so. Now, let’s go talk to Malcolm and Nina.”
Chapter 8
Malcolm and Nina were in the kitchen nursing a cup of coffee and talking about the things they needed to get done that day. When Mitch and Miranda walked in and saw the breakfast waiting for them, they eagerly piled food on their plates and grabbed a cup of coffee before sitting down with Malcolm and Nina.
“Thank you for making breakfast, Nina. It’s delicious,” Miranda complimented as she settled in to consume her rather large breakfast.
Nina and Malcolm chuckled, causing Miranda to raise an eyebrow in question. “Actually, I can’t cook at all,” shared Nina. “Malcolm does all the cooking for us. In fact, he insisted on building me a separate spell-casting kitchen out back so I wouldn’t burn down the house if I lost control of a spell.”
A faint blush covered Miranda’s cheeks. “Sorry, bad assumption.”
“Don’t worry about it, my dear. We don’t ascribe to the typical family structure anymore, not after two hundred fifty plus years. So, how are you feeling this morning?”
“Great, actually. I never realized how much pain I was always in until I didn’t feel it anymore.” Silence reigned for a moment while Nina and Malcolm tried to absorb what Miranda had shared while Mitch tried to control the murderous rage that had erupted within him. Miranda immediately fished around for a change in topic to try to take Mitch’s mind off of her past injuries. “Have you made any headway with the arrangements?”
“Yes, everything is ready. We will fly out tonight at eleven, which will put us in El Paso around four in the morning. That should get us in without being noticed by anyone from the compound. James and John will be joining us, along with three to four of their coven members and their best healers. That will put us around twenty people ready to fight with five good strong healers. Anthony was able to get us all into a hotel on the outskirts of the city. Miranda, when we’re finished here, we need to go over the compound’s location and try to draw up a schematic of the compound itself so we can do some strategic planning. Also, you’re going to need to call in so they don’t suspect something is up before we’re ready.” Miranda nodded in understanding of what was needed of her. She knew it was up to her to give them as much information as possible to decrease the chances of her new family being injured.
Nina spoke up then, motioning to several shopping bags on the floor near Miranda’s seat. “Those are yours, Miranda. It’s just a few outfits to get you through until we can really go shopping.”
“You bought me clothes? How’d you know…Never mind, stupid question. Thank you so much! In all honesty, my bra is killing me.” They all burst out laughing, though a faint pink tinged Miranda’s cheek. “Sorry, TMI.”
“That’s okay, dear,” Nina assured her, patting her wrist. “When you’ve known and lived with someone as long as we have, there’s not much in the way of secrets or modesty that can be kept. Now, what questions did you have for us? I know some of it, but the visi
on was fragmented. I don’t think I got all of it.”
Miranda glanced at Mitch, telling him to start with her eyes. “Well,” Mitch began, “We need you to perform the non-fertility rite as soon as possible. We talked it over, and we’re not ready to have children just yet. We want time with just each other first.”
“Ah,” Nina hummed as she shook her head. “Always trying to close the stable door after the horse has already escaped.”
The panic on Mitch and Miranda’s faces was comical, and Malcolm and Nina controlled their laughter as long as they could before they simply couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Is she serious, Mitch? Am I already pregnant?” Miranda screamed at him in her mind, loudly enough he physically flinched.
“Miranda, calm down, baby. If you are, we’ll deal with it, remember? I’m more concerned about having you go in with us on Saturday. If you are pregnant, you’re not joining us. Dad’ll just have to figure something else out. And before you ask, I have no idea why they’re laughing like loons.”
Nina and Malcolm’s hilarity died off as they observed Mitch and Miranda’s silent communication. “No, Miranda, you’re not pregnant. I did the rite yesterday immediately after you mated, because if I hadn’t, you would have conceived last night. Over the years, I’ve begun doing it as soon as possible after seeing too many newly mated couples face parenthood before they’ve even gotten comfortable with being mated.” Nina chuckled silently at Mitch and Miranda’s relieved expressions.
“I take it the telepathy has already initiated?” Malcolm queried.
“Yeah, a warning would have been nice there. We both thought we were losing our minds. Is it only between mates or with everyone?” Mitch asked.
