by Reders, E. M
I was in heaven. Suddenly I felt whole, complete. But as he pulled away, that feeling disappeared. I knew why that was. The bond was not complete. And until it was, I would never be whole. Ethan was my soulmate, my true other half. But how could I do that, knowing that he would end up dead because of it?
Pressing his forehead against my own, his breath heavy, he asked, “Did you feel that? Feel the complete rightness of it?”
“Yes,” I gasped, just as breathless as he was. “I felt it. But I…”
“No. No buts. Not yet. Just give us a chance, Kaia. Let me be with you. I'm not talking about the bonding,” he stated quickly, seeing me about to argue. “I told you I would never force you to do that. Just give me a chance to show you how great we could be together, that we are worth taking the risk for. Please.”
Could I do that? Could I be with him, without actually being with him and completing the bond? To be honest, I doubted it very much. I was already aching for him, longing for that feeling of completeness, and all he had done was kiss me.
I was definitely going to regret this, but all the same, I found myself agreeing. “Okay,” I whispered against his lips, tempted to steal another kiss. “We’ll give it a go.”
Chapter Twelve
~
Kaia
“Come on, I have something to show you,” Ethan said as we headed back to his room. My head was still in a spin from the kiss we had shared in the cave. “I found it when I was down in the vault.”
“You have a vault?”
“It's not like an actual vault. It’s just a collection of rooms where we keep all the old books and relics, anything we don't really need any more that the Alpha refuses to throw away. And believe me, that’s a hell of a lot of stuff.” He laughed.
“What were you doing down there?”
“Penance,” he smirked. “I got in trouble for being out late the other night. With the ritual happening the following night, my father didn’t want anyone that was going to be out. He wanted to make sure that we were all in a reasonable state and not hungover when the time came. I was caught coming in late and Frankie was found drunk in the corridor.”
“Oh dear.” I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped my lips. “So what was the punishment?”
“Cleaning. And believe me, cleaning that place out if definitely a punishment. All the dust down there alone is enough to kill you.”
“Sorry. It’s my fault, isn't it?” If I had just told him where to take me instead of being stubborn, or hell, if I hadn't run off like that in the first place, he would have been home hours before.
“Don't worry about it. It wasn't just for being late to be honest. I’m next in line to be Alpha and I should be seen as making good decisions. I allowed Frankie to get drunk off his face and Zak to spend the night elsewhere the night before the ritual, even though I knew it was going against the Alpha’s wishes.”
“Where was Zak?” I asked. I was curious, sue me.
“Well, Frankie pulled, but he was too drunk to perform so Zak offered his services,” he explained, failing to hold back his laughter.
They swapped? “Do they normally do that?” I asked, gobsmacked that someone could just switch from one guy to the other. “Swap if one isn't capable of... preforming?” I used his wording, not knowing of a better why of phasing it. I could feel my face flaming with embarrassment. I so was not comfortable with this conversation.
“Depends on the female to be honest. She was human, but she knew what we were. Some humans that know about us tend to throw themselves at us just for the frill of being with a supernatural, someone not human.”
Did many throw themselves at him? And more importantly, had he taken the bait?
What am I thinking? Of course he has, he’s a guy.
Seeing the question in my eye he spun me around to face him, his arms sliding around my waist, pulling me up against his hard body. “I've never traded off with them. I’m not saying I’m a saint. I'm sure you’ve heard rumours about me over the years, but I've never fancied being with someone that was just all over one of my friends. I want someone to want me for me, not just the wolf inside. Though, of course, I want them to accept him too.”
As he talked about his wolf, I felt the animal’s spirit brush up against me, a kind of caress that left me in no doubt that he liked me, accepted me as his would-be mate. That was something I had always been able to do. Even before I had known about the true nature of my powers I had been able to sense the Were. They were connected to the earth, so in part, they were connected to me.
“I like your wolf,” I heard myself say, horrified that I had just said it out loud.
“He likes you too,” he said with a smile, leaning in to press his lips against mine in a tender kiss. All too soon he pulled away.
I was addicted to his kisses. I could spend the rest of my life kissing him and still it wouldn’t be enough. But my life was drawing closer and closer to its terrifying end, and every kiss we shared would only drag him closer to joining me in that death.
Shaking off the dark thoughts, stepping out of his arms, I asked, “So what did you want to show me?”
Sensing my sudden change in mood we carried on walking back to his room. “A book… about you. Not sure why it was down there to be honest, but I thought you might want to see it.”
Pulling to a stop, shock radiating through my body, I asked, “What?”
“Well, your powers to be exact. Isaac, the pack historian, said there were a lot of things to do with the Earth power here. I think he knows something, but that old bastard never tells you what you want to know until, and I quote, you are ready to hear it. Over the years, I think he’s said that a million times to me.”
When we made it back to his room, I saw the huge, leather bound, dust covered book sitting in the centre of the bed. Running my hand over the cover, I could feel power radiating from it. My power? “This book is filled with power, earth magic. It must have been made my one of us,” I whispered more to myself.
“What do you mean?” he asked, his wolf hearing picking up my near silent words.
“One of the Earth Elementals before me must have made this. I can sense it.”
Looking more closely at the spine, I searched to see if there was a name for the author but found none. Crawling up onto the bed I made myself comfortable, Ethan taking a seat beside me as I pulled the heavy book onto my lap. My heart was pounding in my chest, my breathing coming hot and heavy as I turned to the first page with shaking hands and began to read. It was filled with the history of all those that had come before me. Their names, ages, even small drawings of them. They were simple sketches, but every one of them had the eyes painted in with the same dark green shade as my own.
So the eyes really are a mark of my power.
As we made our way through the first section of the book, passed all those that had come before, I was shocked to see my own face drawn upon a page. The green eyes were more real and alive looking than ever, but my hair had also been painted in. With all the other pictures, the only other one that had more than just the eyes painted had been the first one, the original Earth witch that had died at the hands of the demon. All the other pictures had been incomplete, never finished, but why? And why was my picture more completed than others?
Reading the text below my picture, my heart beating wildly in my throat, I was left with even more questions. Like how the hell did the author of this book know all this?
Kaia Wells
Born 22nd April 1995
An only child born into the Shires Coven, her father left the family upon her birth, not able to cope with the knowledge of his daughter’s fate. Left in the care of her mother until the age of fourteen, she was then given into the care of the Crone, Grace Hale, for training. Meeting her protector at the young age of eleven, though not aware of his true identity, her powers began to grow; maturing quicker than those that came before her. At the age of twenty-one, she performed the Protector Ritual before a co
llection of males from all corners of the supernatural world, only for her childhood friend to be selected, revealing the reason for her matured powers. Though not yet bound together as Wiccan and Protector, she is already the most powerful Earth Elemental since the original, Avani.
“Who wrote this?” Ethan asked. “It’s been in the vault for decades, maybe even centuries with how much dust was on the thing when I found it.”
“I don’t think anyone did,” I whispered, running my hand over the text. There was magic in these pages, old magic. “I think the book writes itself. I don’t know how, but I think one of these witches in the book made this. If I was to guess, I would say it was Avani. She is the only one I think could have been powerful enough to pull this off. I know I couldn’t do this, and according to this book I'm the strongest since her.”
~
After dinner with the pack – or, at least, a part of it; they had so many members that they had to split each meal into three different sittings – we headed back up to Ethan’s room. I wasn’t sure how I felt about sharing a room with him. I was both excited and nervous by it. What would happen? Would he expect anything from me? I knew that Ethan would never push me to do anything I didn’t want to do. He knew how I felt and that I wouldn't sleep with him, that I wouldn't complete the bond. Though, every moment I spent near him I felt the pull of the bond growing stronger. Felt myself drawn to him more and more.
The thing was, I had never actually had a boyfriend before, so I didn't have any real experience with guys. I had kissed guys before, so I had some experience in that area, but even that experience was limited. Everything that generally came after the kissing… well, that’s what I had zero experience with.
I was so in over my head.
“Are you okay?” he asked as we reached his floor, heading down the hall towards his door.
“Yeah, course,” I lied. In truth, I was far from it. My palms were getting sweatier by the second.
“Come on, Kaia, don't lie to me. We have the bond, remember? Even as small as it is, I can still tell when you’re lying.”
I was really going to have to get used to that. That was the thing about protectors, there was no lying to them, no secrets kept. Everything was shared. Not that it was ever easy to lie to the Were; their senses were just too good.
“Damn,” I said, stamping my foot in a mock tantrum, causing him to smile. Opening the door, he allowed me to enter first, then closed and locked it behind him. As the lock clicked my stomach clenched nervously.
“Come on, tell me.”
Biting my bottom lip nervously, I contemplated not telling him, but I knew if I wasn’t honest he would just keep asking. Maybe not there and then, but eventually he would ask again, and again. With the bond growing all the time, even without it being complete, it wouldn’t be long before he didn’t even need to ask, he would just know what was wrong. “It's just that… well… I've never exactly shared a room with a guy before.” Or done a whole lot of other stuff, I thought to myself.
“I know.”
“You know?”
“You’re not that type of girl. You never were.”
“What type?” I asked, feeling a little irritated. Did he think I was frigid or something? Or was it that he thought no one would ever want to be with me like that? That I wasn’t attractive enough?
“No, Kaia. I didn't mean it like that,” he quickly said, obviously feeling my emotions though the bond. “I just meant that you’re not the type of girl that throws it away, that gives it to just anyone.” Cupping my face between his palms, looking deep into my eyes, he smiled. “And I'm glad.”
“Really? You’re not bothered that I... that I have no experience?” I was embarrassed to admit that I had none.
“I love knowing that no one has claimed your body, that when… or if,” he added quickly, “you give me that honour, I will be the first and only male to have had that privilege.” His words and the slow sexy drawl of his voice caused desire and want to rush through me.
A mischievous smile pulled at the corners of his mouth and his eyes filled with heat as he inhaled deeply, smelling my arousal. “My question is, how much experience do you have?” Capturing my lips, he thrust his tongue deep, tasting, claiming. Now this was a kiss.
Nibbling his way down my neck, shivers of pleasure racked my body, my pussy growing ever wetter. I had never responded to anyone like this, never wanted someone so much that my panties were practically dripping wet.
“Has anyone ever done this?” he moaned, licking a wet, hot trail up to my ear. “Or this?” Biting down on my tender lobe, causing a small gasp of shocking pleasure to escape my lips.
Slipping his large hands up under my top, I melted against him, the skin to skin contact too much. All the tension I had been feeling since before the ritual drained away, leaving me like putty in his hands. It felt so good to be touched, wanted. I longed to get closer, to merge our bodies together. Forever.
I could feel his wolf pushing against me, its need to claim me, to take me for its own. But I couldn’t do that. No matter how much in that moment of time I wanted to get as close to him as I possibly could, I couldn’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved Ethan. I always had. No matter how much I had tried to forget him over the years, he had never been far from my mind. But I was cursed, doomed to die. Could I really doom him to the same fate?
Grasping my buttocks in hand, he squeezed, pulling me tightly against him. I could feel the hard length of his cock straining against me. “You feel that?” he asked, his words almost a growl. “That’s what you do to me, Kaia. What you have always done to me.”
Kissing along my collarbone, he gently pushed the strap of my top down and trailed his lips over my shoulder and back along the tops of my breasts, swiping his tongue briefly into the dip between as he watched my face, reading my reactions. Whatever he saw, he liked.
“Ethan,” I gasped, a shiver of desire running through my body all the way down to my core.
“It’s okay, Kaia. I’ll take care of you.”
Lifting me up into his arms, he deposited me on the bed, settling down beside me on his side. As he ran his hand up and down my hip, small jolts of pleasure assaulted me every time his fingers trailed over the small strip of skin left bare at my waist where my top had ridden up. Suddenly he stopped, his fingers stilling on that bit of bare flesh on my right side. “What’s this?” he asked, tracing his finger lightly over the flesh.
“What’s what?” Lifting up on my elbows, I looked to see what he was talking about. Glancing down, I saw that one of the leaves of my tattoo was showing. “Oh, that. I had that done last year. It’s a vine of ivy running down the side my body.”
“How far does it go?” Leaning down, he kissed the delicate leaf inked into my skin, the soft caress of his lips making me moan with pleasure.
He ran his tongue over the small leaf, then moved up the vine to the next one. “From my breast, all the way down over my hip,” I managed to force out as I lay back upon the bed, soaking in his every touch. This was just a hint of what it would be like to be with him, to surrender myself to fate… Why did it have to be so tempting?
“I want to kiss each leaf. Lick my way up and down this beautiful vine.” Pushing my top up just that little bit further so he could reach the next one, he asked, “Can I?”
Oh Hell, there was no stopping this, no denying just how much I wanted it, wanted him. I wouldn’t go all the way, I couldn’t. But in that moment, I needed him more than ever. His touch. His kiss.
I needed…release.
Chapter Thirteen
~
Ethan
I wanted her badly, so did my wolf. But that wasn’t going to happen today. She wasn’t ready to take that step yet.
Kaia was special to me; she deserved more than a quick fuck between the sheets. She deserved to be loved, wooed. And that I would do. I would be patient, wait until she was completely ready, completely sure. And my wolf would just have to get
used to the idea.
But there was nothing wrong with taking a little step in the right direction… if she wanted to. And going by the little gasps and moans coming from her as I licked and kissed my way up her tattoo, she wanted that too.
When I’d first spotted the small green leaf inked into her skin, I’d thought I was seeing things. Never in my life would I have expected Kaia to have a tattoo. But there it was, teasingly winding its way up her smooth, creamy flesh, just begging me to follow it. I couldn’t wait to see the whole thing.
Grasping the hem of her top, she surprised me by pulling it up over her head, revealing the top half of her tattoo and the lush round globes of her breasts, barely hidden from my view by black lace.
A growl built up in my chest, my fingers clawing at the sheets beneath me as I took a deep breath, trying to calm not only my wolf – who had next to no patients as it is – but myself also.
“Are you trying to make me lose control? Fuck, Kaia, you are so perfect. So fucking beautiful. You have no idea how much I want you.”
Jerking my t-shirt off, I tossed it to the floor. If she was going to start removing clothes, then so was I. I wanted as much skin to skin contact as I could get.
Tracing my fingers along the lace edge of her bra, I stroked her smooth flesh, before slipping a finger inside one of the cups. Pulling back, I gazed at her, judging her reaction to what I was about to do. Sensing no discomfort, I pulled the cup down, releasing her breast to my questing fingers. Taking her nipple between my thumb and forefinger, I teased it into a tight peak before moving down her body and capturing it with my mouth. Her questing hands instantly found their way into my hair, her grip tight, but she wasn’t aiming to pull me away.
She was so responsive to my touch. I could feel the pleasure, the longing building within her body through the bond. She wanted this, wanted my touch, my possession.
As I slid my hand down her body she immediately opened her legs wide, knowing exactly where I was headed. I made quick work of the fastenings of her jeans, sliding my hand under her lace panties to cup her moist pussy. Both of us moaned in pleasure as I slid my finger inside her wet heat. She was so tight. I needed to remember to be gentle with her, take it slow. “You’re so wet. Your pussy is so hungry for me, it’s trying to pull me in. I can’t wait to be inside you, Kaia, to have your wet, tight pussy milking my cock as you come around me.”
