by Maia Dylan
Ariana was breathing heavily now as emotions swirled within her, and he could feel an echo of that turmoil down their tenuous link.
“Ryan, I know on every level that my blood is what will stop Aeron this time. I have no doubt in my mind that my blood will play a part in that.”
Ryan’s wolf lurched to the surface at the thought of his mate having to bleed. Neither of them was at all happy that the solution involved her being physically hurt.
“But I want to try to find a way to survive it.”
Ryan’s heart skipped a beat.
“Ariana?” he asked softly. Was she saying what he hoped she was with every fiber of his being?
“I have lived my entire life knowing that I was an instrument for a goddess who was fighting to keep our world safe. I trained to control my power, I studied to learn as much about Aeron as I could to try and further my cause, but I have never been selfish. I have never taken something for me, and now that I have found you, I want to be selfish for however long we have together.”
Ryan’s arousal soared at the look of lust and need in her eyes. He stepped forward and was about to devour her mouth, when she suddenly pulled back, and he growled with displeasure. To have something he wanted—hell, needed—so damn close and then have it pulled away was not a game he was in the mood to be playing right now.
“Wait, you have to promise me one thing, Ryan,” Ariana spoke, and he could feel her breath against his lips, and he knew, in that moment, that no matter what it was she asked him to promise, he was going to agree to it. To get his mouth on hers, he would agree to just about anything. “You cannot claim me.”
Except that.
“What!” He reached up to thread his hand in her silky hair and held her still, his eyes boring into hers. When her eyes darkened at his show of dominance, his wolf preened. Hell yeah, she was totally the mate for them. “If you think I will never claim what is rightfully mine, then you are out of your fucking mind.”
“No! Not never!” Ariana leaned into him, and he was almost instantly calmed. “Just not until after this part of the prophecy is behind us. Promise me.”
Ryan moaned as he felt her undulate against him, rubbing her hips against his. No doubt she was very aware that his cock was harder than granite, and her groan of approval had him hardening further still.
Despite his desire to stand there and feel her rub against him until they both came hard, he wanted something more. He wanted to take his mate. Hard and fast, then slow and hard, then soft and gentle, and every damn way in between.
“I promise,” he growled and had the pleasure of watching her smile wickedly for a short moment before he swooped in and claimed her soft, full lips. He might not be able to complete the claim with his mate until this prophecy was behind them, but he could sure as hell make sure she knew who she belonged to when he laid claim to every delectable inch of her.
Chapter 3
Ariana had never felt so alive. Her entire body was humming and not just from the memory of the kiss Ryan had given her only moments before, but in anticipation of the night ahead. After Ryan had kissed her senseless, he’d muttered something about them needing a bed, and when Ariana mentioned she was all good with the forest floor—or hell, even up against a tree—his eyes blazed with pleasure for about five seconds before he shook his head as if to clear it.
“Ariana, I have wanted you for the past seven months. Even before we had ever met, I wanted nothing more than to claim you, devour you, worship your body for the perfection that I knew it would be, and to revel in you as the mate the Fates have deemed me worthy of. I want to fuck you more than I want to take my next breath. But, I am not going to do it on the forest floor or up against a tree. Now, stop fucking being the temptation that you are, and move your fine ass out of this forest! We are going back to my place, and I am going to explore every inch of you until we are both crazy with lust! And then I am going to fuck you into the goddamn mattress!”
Both of them then turned to walk back to the Pagan Stone and had taken only a couple of steps before Ryan took her hand and pulled her to a stop. “However, having said that, there will come a time when we will be making love outdoors on a very regular basis, so hold that thought for a bit, okay, baby?” he said with a smile that had her pussy weeping a little with need. She had nodded with a giggle, and then the two of them started off through the forest, intent on getting home before they both simply exploded with lust.
Just thinking about his words from earlier had her body humming again, and Ariana thought that perhaps it wasn’t so much that she had never felt so alive, but more that she had never been so damn horny in her life. She cast a look at Ryan where he walked close by her side, her right hand held securely in his, and she couldn’t help but smile. He was beautiful to look at. Not that she would ever utter those words to him. She didn’t think he would appreciate being called beautiful.
“What’s it like in New Zealand? I’ve seen some stuff on TV and of course in The Lord of the Rings movies, but what’s it like to live there?” Ryan asked in the quiet that for some reason was extremely comfortable, and for Ariana, who usually had to fill any silence, that was pretty amazing in itself.
“It’s beautiful. The South Island is filled with forests and mountains and lakes so clear the water reflects the surrounding mountains perfectly. I’m not sure why, but the colors are so vivid there. I heard a friend of my dad’s telling him once that it was almost like the color had been turned up over New Zealand.” Ariana took a deep breath as she thought about home. Well, her old home. She was quickly starting to feel like home was wherever the man next to her was.
“It sounds beautiful, and I have to admit the way Kingi swings that weapon of his, I would love to learn more about his culture. Your culture, I guess. I want to know everything about you, Ariana Rika.” Ryan smiled at her, and Ariana felt her heart swell within her.
They had caught up with the rest of their friends not far from the Pagan Stone. Ariana felt a wave of sadness roll over her at the thought of Olwen. That last battle had ended with a victory marked in their column, but Ariana was fairly certain that Olwen had been captured at the end of that, and if that was the case, then who knew what that bastard Aeron was doing to her.
“She’ll be okay, baby,” Ryan murmured to her, so attuned to her that he’d caught on to the fact that she was saddened by something. “Olwen’s survived centuries in that crazy bastard’s realm. She’ll survive the next five months, and then she’ll be back here where she belongs.”
Ariana sighed. It would be nice to think that things worked out as perfectly as Ryan described them, but Ariana had the feeling that perhaps it wouldn’t be as easy as that. The group began to move back toward the cars. They had taken only a few steps when Ariana was struck by a wave of dizziness that almost dropped her to her knees. Through the ringing that had started in her ears, she heard Ryan call her name and felt him wrap an arm around her waist.
When she looked around at the group, she saw that the Winters brothers all had ahold of their women. Casey and Fiona both looked as stunned and confused as she felt. Closing her eyes, Ariana opened herself to the wind moving gently around her. It was the start of autumn, but the winds were still warm, the breeze bringing with it a strong hint of magic and a familiarity that had her eyes snapping open.
Beside her, she could hear Ryan scenting the air. When he stiffened and began to growl, Ariana turned to look at him. “There’s someone there, near the Pagan Stone.” Ryan spoke quietly, but she could hear his wolf clear in his voice.
“Whoever it is, they carry the same fucking scent as those floating bastards,” Liam snarled from the other side of the clearing. Ariana frowned.
“That might simply be because of where we are. Whoever it is, they have a familiar resonance.” She started to walk up the path to the Pagan Stone but was brought up short by Ryan’s hand on her arm.
“Wait a minute now.” Ryan’s steel-gray eyes flickered blue white as his wolf prow
led close to the surface. “Firstly, you are on drugs if you think I am about to let you go up that path before me. I get that you don’t want me to claim you yet—well, no, fuck that, I don’t really—but as your mate, it is my job in life to give you what you want. And I am your mate, Ariana. Before we walk up that path together, and face whatever the fuck is lurking at the top of it, you will explain what you mean by ‘familiar resonance.’”
Ariana exhaled rapidly and rolled her eyes at his display of possessive dominance, when in reality she was melting on the inside.
“As the Air Elemental, I can read wind shifts and feel the ripples on the air made by people as they move around. Air resonates with the vibrations of a person. If I know someone’s resonance, then I can tell when it is them moving around.” Ariana pointed up the path. “Whoever that is up there, they have a resonance I recognize.”
Ryan frowned. “ So, you know the person up there? Then who the hell is it?”
“I didn’t say that I knew them.” Ariana knew she wasn’t making sense and could tell that Ryan was getting frustrated. “I said that I recognized their resonance. In particular, the resonance of their magic.”
“Shit!” Casey suddenly yelped, and Ariana nodded, knowing that her sister had connected the dots. “You think it’s the Water Elemental, don’t you! That’s why Fiona and I got all dizzy and shit! We can feel the connection we’re going to have with this woman.”
“Cool,” Fiona said with a grin. “Then let’s go meet our partner in war and welcome her to Team Elemental!”
* * * *
Ryan walked ahead of his mate, despite her grumbles of overprotective, pain-in-the-ass wolves. He was absolutely fine with that description. When it came to her safety, then there was no bigger overprotective, pain-in-the-ass wolf than him.
If Ariana was right, and based on her, Casey, and Fiona’s reaction as soon as they got near the Pagan Stone, she was, then the Water Elemental was up ahead. Ryan hoped like hell it was her. It would mean that all the components were together. All of the Elementals tasked with saving the world were in the right place at the right time, and it was simply a matter of working their way through the last parts of the prophecy.
“Can you feel that?” Ariana whispered excitedly from behind him. Before he had time to try to figure out what she was talking about and respond, Casey piped up.
“Yeah, I can, Fi?” Casey’s voice was just as excited.
“If you mean can I feel the air thickening around us, and the energy levels spiking to the point where I’m starting to feel like a freaking lightning rod, then yep! Right there with you!” Fiona’s reply had him grinning. His future sister-in-law, and the woman already mated to his brothers Cole and Travis, always had a way with words.
“Baby,” Travis said as he moved to her right as Cole moved in from her left, “if you think that there might be something off about all this, then you tell us.”
“We can’t feel anything in the air, Fi.” Cole continued to survey the forest around them.
“I think I know what she’s doing.” Ariana closed her eyes and lifted her arm out in front of her. Then she began to weave intricate patterns in the air. Ryan tensed. He had seen Casey do something similar the first time they rumbled with Aeron, right before the side of the fucking mountain changed shape.
The wind began to pick up, moving stronger as it blew across the top of the ridge where the Pagan Stone now sat. True, it used to be carved into the side of the mountain, but Aeron had wanted to level the playing field. Literally. The fucker had reshaped the area around it so that it was a flat, barren space. Ryan had been a little shocked that no one in Freedom Springs had called the station to tell him that somehow the top of this ridge had been flattened out. He was also glad as fuck because he had no clue how he was going to answer that one!
Ariana opened her eyes, and Ryan caught his breath at the beauty of her green eyes glowing as her power flowed through her. “It’s her. Come on.” She went to step around him, but Ryan was faster and moved ahead, ignoring her disgruntled harrumph. As he rounded the last corner, he looked upon the scene of that last battle for the first time since that day.
Ryan’s eyes immediately flew to the spot where he had held his dying mate in his arms as she slipped from this earth. That had been the single most painful moment of his life. He’d had so many regrets, so many dreams and needs that went unanswered. Ryan pressed the palm of his hand to his chest as an ache took hold. Jesus, over a month later and he was still rocked by what could have been.
He came back to the present when Ariana slipped her hand into his and squeezed. “I’m right here, Ry,” she whispered and pressed against his side.
He turned to look at her, knowing that the pain of what he had seen that day lingered in his eyes.
“But I’ll understand if you think it would be too painful to be with me knowing what my destiny is in this prophecy. We can just walk away for now and see what happens. I—”
Ryan swiftly lifted her up against him, wrapping her tight in his arms. He swallowed her gasp of shock when he slammed his mouth down on hers. Ryan poured everything he was feeling in that moment into that kiss. Frustrated at the situation they found themselves in, a mating bond that strengthened by the second but a potential fucking death sentence floating over their heads. Desperation at the thought of this woman, this beautiful woman not being a part of his future. Need. God, his need for her, his desire to be with her, his fucking whole world now revolved around her, and he didn’t think she understood that.
Finally letting her come up for air, he pulled back, biting gently on her bottom lip, loving her moan of need at the move. His goddess loved a little bite to their loving, and that was something he was absolutely going to love giving her.
“Sweet girl,” Ryan murmured as he laid his forehead to hers, “whether you leave me today, tomorrow, at the end of this prophecy, or in seventy fucking years, it wouldn’t matter. I would be destroyed no matter what.” Ryan gave her a little squeeze as her eyes saddened and filled with tears. “But what I hope to do is make the most of whatever time we do have and convince you that we—you and I together—are stronger than any prophecy, any fucking demon with a hard-on for our realm, or anything else that comes our way. We are stronger together.”
As the tears slipped to fall gently down her soft cheek, Ryan buried his head in her neck and breathed her in. If he could get her to believe that, then the battle was half won.
“Oh. My. God,” Casey said from behind them, her voice shaky.
When Ryan finally let Ariana stand on her own two feet and turned back to the group, he saw them all staring at him and Ariana. Casey and Fiona were both smiling, but crying at the same time.
“That was beautiful. Mum will be upset she missed that.”
Maggie Rika was Ariana and Casey’s mother and a huge romantic at heart. “Yeah, well, I’m sure you will be able to give her a blow-by-blow,” Ryan said dryly as he gripped Ariana’s hand and drew her closer to him. Movement to his left had him turning his head.
Making her way cautiously over to the group was a beautiful blonde woman dressed in jeans, hiking boots, and a black jacket. She walked hesitantly, as if she wasn’t quite sure she should approach, her blue eyes flickering around the group, taking stock of each of them.
When her gaze fell on Liam, she froze, and her jaw dropped. Ryan grinned. Yeah, the bastard certainly made an impression. He was barrel chested, stood just over six foot eight, and weighed in at almost 280 pounds. But from the way the blonde couldn’t tear her blue eyes from the man, Ryan thought there might be more to it than that.
“Hi!” Casey bounded over to the woman, startling her out of staring at his deputy. “I’m Casey Rika! Let me guess, you’ve felt unbelievably drawn to Freedom Springs, have had some wickedly realistic dreams about a goddess asking you for help, and can do some wicked shit with water?”
Ryan grinned when the blonde’s eyes widened and she nodded jerkily.
“Awes
omesauce! Welcome to the team that’s so far kicking Aeron’s ass and is all set to hit this shit out of the park! Damn glad you could finally make it!”
Ryan couldn’t help but laugh as the woman squeaked as Casey pulled her in for a hug, and she was quickly swallowed by the other three Elementals. This woman was the last piece of the puzzle. Ryan had a feeling it meant that shit was about to get real.
* * * *
“So, Neve, what the hell were you doing up at the Pagan Stone by yourself?” Micah asked as he settled his mate on his lap and drank his coffee.
Liam froze at the question. He had been wondering the same damn thing. The group had returned to the house Casey had purchased for her parents, and were sitting around getting to know the woman they had discovered at the Pagan Stone.
“Well, it might sound a little strange.” Neve spoke softly as she placed her teacup on the table in front of her. Her soft southern accent did strange things to him, but for the most part, he ignored the feelings it stirred within him.
“Yeah, because we are all about the normal here in Freedom Springs,” Casey said dryly, and Neve laughed softly. Liam gritted his teeth and fought down the spike of arousal at the sound.
“Okay, so I guess all y’all are the right audience for all things strange, huh?” Neve smiled as she spoke. “Casey was right. I was drawn to Freedom Springs and have been making my way here for the past few weeks. I arrived into town this morning and had just checked into the bed-and-breakfast on the other side of town. Despite the fact that I was exhausted, I needed to see the forest. I started walking and must have walked for hours. All feeling of being tired just simply disappeared as I neared that area where we met. The Pagan Stone?” She glanced at Ariana, who nodded. “I felt this pull to the top, and when I got there, the pain almost dropped me to my knees. But, it wasn’t my pain. It came from the land itself.”
“That makes sense.” Ariana nodded from her place at Ryan’s side on the couch. “The land was torn apart by evil. Casey, Fiona, and I can all feel how the land still suffers from the evil that demon wrought upon it.”
