When she could bear it no more, Ari felt her stomach muscles contract, her orgasm making her body tremble. Releasing her stomach, Ragon reached up and kissed her on the mouth. The stubble lining his jaw was wet and tasted of her juices. Without breaking from their kiss, Ragon reached down and pulled his pants away, quickly sliding himself inside her. Ari gaped at how hard he was, but his pulsing motions soon drove her into further waves of pleasure and soon the two were moving rhythmically.
In an instant he had lifted her off the bed, pushing her against the wardrobe and wrapping her legs around his waist. At the same time Ari locked eyes with him. God he was gorgeous. His dark hair was held in place by his beanie, which she quickly pulled from his head and threw onto the floor, causing his hair to hit his face in time with his movements. She reached up and intertwined her fingers in a few of these stray locks, pulling tightly. Ragon allowed this for only a moment. Before long he had grabbed the hand which was locked to his hair and pulled it towards his mouth, kissing her palm.
“If you want you can bite me,” she whispered.
She wasn’t sure why she had said it. She had learnt early on not to bait Ragon while they were in the throes of passion, as it almost always resulted in an abrupt ending. But the words had just slipped out. Ragon smiled and unsheathed his fangs, just as Ari’s previously lustful face, fell into a look of surprise. Was he actually going to do it? To bite her? Part of her wanted him to. It was after all, only blood to her, but an essential life support to him, that was providing he didn’t take too much. But she trusted him, even if he didn’t always trust himself. Then there was the other part of her, the part that hoped he didn’t bite her. Not because it would hurt, but because deep down, knowing that he didn’t want to hurt her, was almost the same as him telling her he loved her.
“I’d say your heart rate just doubled,” he said, laughing wickedly to himself.
“Better get in quick then, before I have a heart attack.”
She watched carefully as he brought his lips down to her wrist, but there was no pain, only gentle kisses, and when he looked up to gauge her expression, his fangs had disappeared.
“Ari, you are such a tease,” he said, pulling her off him and spinning her around so that she hugged the end of the bed.
A second later he was behind her, pressed against her back. She felt his cold hands grip her hips then gasped when he slid inside her again. After a moment he moved his hands to her back, pushing her so that she was bent fully over the bed, her head resting on the mattress. Soon the rhythmic pounding was too much, and Ari felt herself close to orgasm. Standing on her tippy toes, she turned back to look at Ragon, just as he let out a long groan. She joined him a second later, her second orgasm so much more powerful than her first.
“I think we are getting pretty good at that,” she said, when Ragon had joined her on the bed, kissing the sweat from her brow.
“Practice makes perfect.”
Chapter 5- Just a Stroll
A week later and September had arrived at the Isle of Man, bringing with it chilly breeze from the sea. When Ari woke, a small vase had been placed next to her bed, filled with small purple bell shaped flowers. Below the flowers was a note, which she reached for and read:
‘Sorry my love, had to go and work on the thesis with Mistress Bridget today. I will come and see you later. As promised, I have bought you a new pair of jeans. Sorry your favourite pair were ruined during our practice session but I hope these will fit just as well. As I was walking to drop them off, I couldn’t help but notice these wild flowers growing and think of you. Ragon. x’
Ari smiled, stretching out in bed so as to admire the bouquet of flowers, just as there was a soft knock on her door.
“Whose there?” she asked.
“Riley.”
Ari jumped to her feet and opened the door, saying, “How you feeling?” as she appraised the girl silently.
“Better actually. Clyde and I went to the pharmacy after we found out and got a few things to help with the morning sickness. Haven’t vomited once this morning, touch wood.”
“Well you look better,” said Ari.
This was perfectly true. Though it had only been a week since the coven and Ari had found out that she was pregnant, there was clearly a change in Riley. Now that she looked more closely at Riley, Ari realised that the girl was in fact glowing. Her cheeks were rosier, no longer pale, and her eyes were large and full, no longer shadowed and sunken. In fact, Ari thought, Riley looked more alive than ever, and if she looked hard, very hard, she could almost see a very small bump in her belly.
“I think pregnancy suits you,” Ari added.
“About that, want to go for a walk? I think I need to stretch my legs. Clyde has been keeping me under lock and key. I need some fresh air. All I can smell from my dorm room is boy’s cologne. It’s driving me crazy. I didn’t realise that being pregnant would make me so horny.”
Ari glanced nervously at her phone then back at Riley. It was only 7.30 in the morning and she didn’t have class for another few hours, but Clyde’s voice and the warning he had given them all last week had suddenly rung in her ears. Still, why shouldn’t Riley go for a walk? There was nothing sinister in that.
After agreeing, Ari shrugged on her new pair of skinny jeans, and pulled a jumper on, topping the whole outfit off with a pair of flat ankle boots.
“No need to turn around,” Ari joked, when she was mid-way through getting changed. “I have seen you pee on a stick; we are bonded for life.”
Riley laughed and the two girls left Omega halls.
“So,” said Ari, “thought of any baby names yet? Clyde would probably want something old school, especially seeing as he was born about a billion years ago. I bet he has suggested Cybil or Graham.”
“We haven’t exactly picked out names yet. We’re more concerned with what the baby will be.”
“You want a girl right?” said Ari, “And let me guess, Clyde wants a boy.”
“No, I mean what it will be. As in, will it be a vampire or a waere.”
“Oh,” said Ari; she hadn’t thought about that at all. “Surely it doesn’t matter as long as it’s healthy.”
“Yea, but what if it’s human. My dad was a waere but my mum was just a human. There’s a chance it could be normal.”
“Well,” said Ari, choosing her words carefully, “that would be good, right?”
“Not necessarily. I mean, our lifestyle isn’t exactly conducive for humans.”
“Well, she will have one seriously pissed off aunt if anyone threatens her,” said Ari. “Besides, if the baby is growing at a faster rate than normal, it isn’t likely that it will be an ordinary baby.” It wasn’t until they were at the cliff that led down to the three prong trek that Ari even realised where their walk had taken them. “No way,” she said, pointing down to the forest below. “Clyde would skin me alive.”
“Oh, come on,” said Riley, pulling Ari with her as she descended the cliff along the small stone path. “Clyde will never find out. I’m going crazy locked in my room. I don’t know if you know this, but apparently being pregnant makes your libido go insane. I googled it last night.”
“I’m not too sure what that has to do with going into the Three Prong Trek?”
“Clyde won’t touch me! I tried to get him to make love with me last night, but he said he didn’t want to endanger the baby. Do you think he’s just saying that because he thinks I look fat?” she added, looking down at her stomach.
“I think pregnancy is making you a little crazy. You aren’t fat. You are barely showing! Clyde’s probably just worried because he loves you so much and is so excited about being a father. He is centuries old, and he’s never had a kid before. This means the world to him. You heard what he said last week.”
“Oh,” said Riley, looking a little too knowingly at Ari. “I’m sorry. Here I am complaining about being pregnant, and, and I know how hard it must be for you and Ragon.”
“It’s n
ot that. I am so happy for you. I just… saw the way Ragon reacted last week when he found out. I think he would like to be a father one day. Not that I am even slightly ready or thinking about it.”
“Well, he’s going to be an uncle in a few months,” said Riley, pulling Ari a few more paces down the path. “That’s if I don’t go insane in the meantime. Please can we just go for a walk? Just down to the bottom; it’s not like we will go into the forest, but I miss it. I just want to smell the trees.”
“There are plenty of trees up here for you to smell,” Ari pointed out.
“Oh, you know what I mean.”
Reluctantly Ari followed behind. It took them a while to reach the bottom, where the stone path met the forest. When they did, Riley inched towards the half concealed sign which indicated the three possible paths of the Three Prong Trek, looking jealously out at the gnarled trees. Ari really couldn’t understand the attraction, but she guessed growing up being able to shift into animal form had something to do with it.
“You really miss not being able to transform, don’t you?” said Ari.
“Yea. Clyde had been so adamant after the battle with the blood hunter that I had to lay low; I didn’t realise that I couldn’t do it, just that I hadn’t. Now that I know I can’t shift… it just feels as if a part of me is missing. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Ari eyed the near black trees of the Three Prong Trek nervously, shivering when a brisk wind pressed against her face. Even from where they stood at the edge of the forest, Ari couldn’t imagine living as a nomad. Clearly Riley was used to it though. Just being this close to the forest had altered Riley’s demeanour. There was a wild and untamed look about Riley; her eyes were dark and her hair flung violently around her face, as if the weather was seeking to drag her into the depths of the forest. It was clear that there was a part of the waere gene which urged them closer to nature, almost as if the animals they transformed into were just as much a part of them, as the humans they were the rest of the time.
“Ok,” said Ari, after they had stood at the entrance of the forest for a few minutes. “That’s enough tree smelling for one day.”
Riley nodded and smiled, and the pair had just turned around, when a ferocious cry ripped through the forest. Instantly both girls spun back to face the dark forest.
“What the hell was that?” asked Riley, her eyes scanning the thick foliage.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think we should hang around to find out. Come on, let’s go.”
Riley nodded in agreement but before either could move, a large black cat stalked towards them. Instinctively Ari backed towards the cliff path but Riley continued to stare at it, her eyes large and round.
“Riley, come on,” said Ari. “What the hell are you doing?”
But before Riley could reply there was tearing noise, the sound of flesh peeling from bones, followed by the short pops of a hundred tiny snaps. Ari watched, her mouth open, as the cat before them transformed into a human... a naked human.
“Natalie,” said Riley, taking in a deep breath as she hurried to remove her jacket.
“No,” said Ari, moving past Riley and removing her own coat, “let me. Clyde would kill me if you really did get a cold after all this.”
Ari pulled off the long coat that she wore and handed it to Natalie. Natalie didn’t speak, simply took the coat and quickly shrugged it on, covering her exposed body. The girls red hair flailed around the charcoal coat, while two shapely legs stood out from the bottom.
“Natalie,” Riley said again, “what the hell are you doing here? Don’t you know that this campus is swarming with vampires? I mean, I’m glad you revealed yourself to us but, but it’s dangerous. You shouldn’t shift in the open. Surely you know that?”
Ari was surprised at the maternal air of Riley’s voice. Only last week, Ari and Clyde were telling Riley not to shift and now Riley was cautioning Natalie for the same thing. It was as if discovering that she was pregnant had made her more protective, at least of others.
Natalie shrugged at first, then said, “I heard that there was a pack here. When I saw you, I thought, maybe you might know where.”
Riley laughed once, a cold bitter laugh, and said, “Well, I’m glad you believed me, but you still should transition in the open. Besides, the pack that was here, it’s gone. Paul was the leader; I was part of his pack, but he took the group back to the mainland. Too many vamps to stay.”
“Wait a minute,” said Ari, “Why did you run off the other day if you believe that Riley is a waere?”
“Just a knee jerk reaction, I guess,” said Natalie, her eyes still fixed on Riley. “When I saw that you couldn’t shift, I wasn’t sure you were telling the truth about being a waere.”
“What changed your mind?” Ari asked nervously; she was well aware that just by talking to Natalie, Riley was breaking one of Clyde’s rules.
“I don’t know,” Natalie admitted, looking down at her feet. “It’s just... I’ve been kind of lonely by myself. I figured seeing as you saved me after I was hit by that car, I mean, you aren’t vampires and who else would know about waeres, except for another waere.”
“Oh,” said Riley. “Well, there are plenty of other enemies out there that might realise you are a waere. Like wraiths.”
“Yea, but a wraith would hardly warn me not to shift,” Riley countered. “So, how come you can’t shift into your animal form, anyway?”
Riley shook her head and said, “I don’t know. I thought perhaps that it might have been because I was sick, but that’s defiantly no it.”
“What do you mean?” asked Natalie.
“I-” Riley started to say, but Ari quickly walked past her, purposefully standing in between the two girls.
“-Riley don’t,” Ari said quickly. “You can’t-”
“-can’t trust Natalie?” Riley supplied. “But that’s just it; she’s a waere too.”
“That doesn’t mean that you should-” Ari started.
“-Ari, you aren’t a waere. You don’t understand. Always on the run, hiding from vamps and wraiths, having to keep your true identity a secret,” Riley explained, taking a meaningful look at Natalie. “I was at the clinic in town because I hadn’t been well. We thought maybe the illness had affected my powers, but that’s definitely not it. I’m pregnant.”
“Riley don’t; Clyde wouldn’t-” Ari started to warn.
“-Clyde?” asked Natalie, cutting Ari off.
“The baby’s father,” explained Riley.
“And this Clyde, he’s not a waere, is he?” said Natalie.
Ari took in a deep breath and raised her hands, ready to freeze time. She was terrified Riley would admit that Clyde was a vampire. Ari may not be able to freeze Riley right now, but her powers would work on Natalie, as long as she was in her human form. But Riley simply shook her head; at least Riley hadn’t completely lost her senses.
“Well, that’s why you can’t shift,” explained Natalie. “Unless both parents are waeres, you won’t be able to. The baby has to have the full waere gene compliment for you to transition while you are carrying it to term.”
“But, but does that mean that the baby won’t be a waere?” Ari asked, before she could stop herself.
“No,” Riley and Natalie said together. “My mother wasn’t a waere,” Riley reminded Ari.
Just then there was a loud snapping noise from the forest, the sound of twigs and dried leaves under foot, and all three girls spun to peer into the dark depths beyond.
“Were you followed?” asked Ari, inching towards the woods nervously, as she scanned for any signs of movement. “Riley we have to get out of here. Clyde would kill me if he knew we were here.”
Natalie’s eyes narrowed as she surveyed the forest, then her pupils became vertical and she let out a short scream and fell to the floor. Ari watched as the coat she had given the girl tore from her body, just as Natalie began to convulse and writhe. Again there was a snapping and ripping sound, then Natalie
turned back into a black panther.
“Come on,” said Ari, grabbing Riley’s wrist as she pulled her back towards the path that would take them up to Delta halls.
Riley nodded, until another noise came from the forest, this one a scream. Then, before either could react, something moved towards them, blacking out parts of the dark green woods as it advanced. Both girls stood completely still, only allowing their eyes to search for the cause of the disturbance. Ari didn’t realise that she was holding her breathe until she felt light headed. At the exact moment she took in a large breath, something moved impossibly fast from the forest, and before Ari had a chance to respond or even see her attacker, she had been thrown to the muddy floor.
Bound (The Grandor Descendant Series Book 3) Page 9
