by Ava Hardy
“You don’t have to sleep in here,” I said softly, making sure to watch them both.
Chris paused and Blake threw the last piece of wood on the fire that had just started to ignite. The older man looked at me and I knew he wanted to argue the fact that it wasn’t right. It wasn’t polite. I should be given my privacy. It was all the same stuff he said when we first arrived.
“It’s a king-sized bed so there is plenty of room. You’ll be more comfortable.” I really wanted them to join me, but I didn’t want to say as much. Feeling their warmth around me was almost addicting and I could only imagine how well I’d sleep if I had them on either side of me. They looked at each other and then back at me. I decided to go for it and threw out a soft “please.”
A smile spread across my face as I curled up against Chris’s side and felt Blake’s warmth along my back. There was plenty of room on the bed to add a few more people if we needed, but I felt lucky to have these two with me. I pulled Blake’s arm around me, making sure he was nice and close. I wiggled myself back against him and smiled when he let out a soft sigh. When we were comfortable, I pulled Chris closer and wrapped my arms around his as he stayed on his back. His eyes were already closed, but I saw him open them just enough to peek at me, smiling at what he saw.
Their combined scents, their arms, their warmth. My eyelids were getting heavy and I knew sleep was not far away. “Thank you,” I managed to whisper to them before I fell under.
I woke up to the feeling of someone kissing softly on my neck. I let out a soft ‘mmm’ sound and looked at Chris to catch him watching me.
“Good morning,” Blake whispered in my ear, his arms tight around me for a moment. “I’m going to go for a run.” He kissed my shoulder and then slipped out of bed. I turned my head to watch him for a moment, realizing that he had slid out of his t-shirt somewhere in the middle of the night. I looked back at Chris and noticed that he too was shirtless.
“We sleep warm,” he explained softly, picking up on what I was noticing.
“I don’t mind,” I smiled as I curled back up beside him. “Aren’t you going for a run?”
Chris shook his head and stretched out a little, his arms going up over his head. When he brought them back down, he pulled me closer to him and gave me a lazy smile. “I think I’m going to stay right here for a while if you don’t mind.”
I grinned at him, saying I didn’t mind at all. Resting my head on his shoulder, I put my hand flat on his bare chest and enjoyed how it felt to be close to him. His fingertips brushed across my back, causing goosebumps to rise in the small patterns that he drew. My eyes closed for a moment and I savored the smell of him. Add in his unique heat and the way he couldn’t stop touching me and I don’t think I had ever been so relaxed.
“Why don’t you talk very much?” I asked curiously, whispering to him as I drew pictures on his chest with my fingertips. “Are you one of those shy guys? I don’t really believe that. I also don’t believe you don’t have anything to say. I know that you’re always thinking, always planning the next move and working hard to locate the element but you also need to relax. You need to enjoy yourself a little too.”
Chris took a deep breath and sighed a little. I wondered if I had pushed too many of the wrong buttons and my relaxing moment was going to disappear in an instant. His hand moved so his palm was flat against my back, pushing me against him just enough to be noticeable.
“Most of the time, honestly, I don’t have much to say. Both you and Blake seem to have a good rapport and I don’t want to interrupt...”
“That is crap,” I stated instantly, moving my head so my chin was resting against his chest. My hand slid over to hold his side furthest from me, my fingers brushing over his skin lightly. “Yes, we get along really well when I don’t annoy the crap out of him but that doesn’t mean you aren’t included. Don’t think for a minute that neither of us don’t want you included. Blake...” I turned my head and made sure that he had already left before I looked back at Chris. “He was on the verge of freaking out. I had never seen him like that. We seriously thought you were gone, and I was scared what would happen to him if you weren’t around.”
Chris didn’t say anything for a long time, his hand returning to the gentle rubs on my back. He finally swallowed hard and turned his head enough so that our eyes could meet. “You being an angel is coming in handy,” he joked softly.
Feeling frustrated with his answer, I pushed away from him and sat up. Chris moved just as fast and had his arms around me to keep me from crawling off the bed. “Don’t run away,” he whispered against my ear.
“Don’t act like a jerk that nobody cares about,” I replied simply. My hands were holding onto his arm that he had across my chest and I turned my head to look at him for a moment. “If you don’t want to be close to either of us, that’s fine, but you can’t stop either of us from caring about you. You also shouldn’t dismiss someone’s concern for you just because it makes you uncomfortable.”
“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable,” he corrected. “There is a reason why I don’t let people get close.”
I rolled my eyes and shifted to try and get away, but he kept his hold on me tight. My back was pressed firmly on his chest and I could feel his heat surrounding me once more. “That sounds like a lonely life to me,” I retorted.
“It is.”
Not expecting that answer, I turned my head to look at him over my shoulder again. “Why do you?”
“It’s easier to keep people out than to subject myself to the pain of losing those close to me. I did it once before and I don’t think I’m strong enough to do it again.”
I frowned as he spoke, wondering what happened to him. “Some of the best memories are created when you love people. I’ve never been in my love myself, but I’ve heard that it’s an amazing feeling. I love my family, but that’s a different type of love. Surely you love your family.”
“My family was taken from me,” Chris said softly, his face nearly buried against the crook of my neck. His breath was hot on my skin and I couldn’t help but tip my head to the side. “I was twenty-five, still searching for my collector. My parents were sure that I was going to find her any day and I would go out searching. At night, I would study and try to pick up reports of possible collectors. I wanted to find her so bad. At the same time, my life was starting to pass me by and I had nothing to show for it. I enrolled in college and somehow managed to balance that along with my duties at my father’s business. He ran an architect firm. I was good at drawing up plans from notes that some of the other workers took so I would sketch when I could to make some money. Things kind of leveled off and I was in a bit of a rut. Then I met a girl. She seemed perfect, and I was convinced that she was my collector. She treated me like I was the king of her world and I fell in love so fast. My pack stared to notice a few things about her and tried to warn me, but I was in too deep. Nothing was going to change my mind. Then one day, I got out of class early. My pack was having a really important meeting at this community center. It was just a large barn on the back of Old Schmidt’s property. When we get together, there was close to forty or fifty of us. We had some great parties at the barn.”
Chris smiled as he thought back to those moments. I stayed quiet as I leaned into him, listening carefully.
“I showed up, saw all the cars there. I knew I was late, but they would forgive me. I walked in the side door and...” Chris’s breath hitched in his throat and my hand ran over his arm, silently telling him that everything was alright. “She had been a vamp. It had been a setup. Her clan had come in and wiped everyone out except for me. There was blood everywhere and she sat there in the middle where my family lay dead. It looked like she was sitting on a throne, a smile on her face. She was pleased with what she had done and that she had tricked a young, inexperienced shifter. I should have seen the signs. I should have listened to my pack mates. There are a million different things I should have done differently to make sure that they a
ll lived.”
I turned in his arms and wrapped my arms around him as his emotions tried to take over. The guilt he felt was so heavy, I could feel it on my shoulders. One of my hands went to the back of his head and pulled him close so I could comfort him.
“I loved her so much and was convinced that she was my collector,” he said sadly against my shoulder. I rubbed his back and rested my head against his. “She was a fucking vamp the whole time, tricking me like they all do. I swore that I would never get close to anyone ever again, and it’s been ten years...” He took a deep breath and lifted his head just enough so that we were face to face, an inch separating us. “I saw you and I knew this was how it was supposed to be when you meet your collector, but I saw that vamp the other day and I wanted...I was scared by the thoughts that went through my head.”
“We’re not going to let anyone or anything hurt you,” I promised in a whisper, looking into his eyes. We were sharing the same breath, his beard tickling my face softly. “I promise. Blake and I are...we’re your family now and we’re not letting you go without a fight.” I gave him a soft smile and gently cupped his bearded cheek. “I mean it.”
Chris nodded his head but wasn’t able to speak. He pressed his cheek into my hand and I ran my thumb gently over his lips. As it passed, he kissed it softly, and then leaned in to kiss my lips. My hand slid around so both arms were around him and I kissed him back. Every emotion that consumed him, I felt in his kiss. His fear, his sadness, his desire to be loved again. I kissed him back and got comfortable in his lap. I didn’t want to move, and I didn’t want this kiss to stop.
His hands ran up my back and then slowly ran back down as I tightened my legs around his waist. I could feel his body responding to our kiss, his heat rising and his cock hardening. The feel of it sent chills down my spine and I couldn’t stop the soft moan that escaped my lips when our kiss broke a few seconds later. I looked back into his eyes and put my hand on the back of his head to bring him in for another kiss. I needed to feel his lips again and I had to prove to him that he was needed.
He moved us so I was on my back with him resting against me, our kiss never breaking. I could feel his body pressed against me and I arched my back to get more. My hands ran over his back and I heard him let out a soft groan. Chris pulled his lips away and buried his face against my neck, kissing my skin as his hand ran over my bare thigh.
I felt like my body was on fire; Chris was lighting up every switch I had. I wanted to feel his lips and his hands all over my body. Anything he wanted, I was willing to give him. The nervous butterflies in my stomach were trying to tell me to slow down, to put on the brakes. My unofficial oath to myself, that I was going to save myself for the man I was going to marry, was about to be tossed out the window. I was going to turn thirty soon, and I did not want to be a virgin when that happened.
Chris’s lips landed on a sensitive spot right near my ear and I tipped my head to the side with another moan. I didn’t try it to hide it this time. He was making me feel good, and I wanted him to know it. His hand tightened on my thigh and I waited with bated breath to see what his next move was going to be. I felt him shift and opened my eyes, not expecting him to be pulling away.
“You’re still a virgin, right?”
To say I was shocked by his question was to put it mildly. It felt like cold water had been poured all over me. The heat and desire fading fast. I felt my mouth drop open and I fumbled to try and find the appropriate words. Snapping my mouth shut, I glared a little at him.
“What does that matter?” I felt defensive. My inexperience had nothing to do with what I wanted, and I had no idea why he would stop.
He leaned towards me and placed a soft kiss on my lips. “Good,” Chris said softly as he got comfortable on the bed and pulled me close so we could snuggle.
“Good? What happened? Why did you stop?” My questions fired out of me like a machine gun. I demanded answers as I moved to sit up, glaring down at him.
“Because...” Chris smiled, rubbing my back. “If you’re not when we collect all the elements, it won’t work.” He chuckled when I shot him a look that screamed he had to be kidding me. “I’m serious. You can ask Gaia next time you talk to her. It’s one of the rules, and I’m sorry, babe, we have no say in the matter.”
“So...so what happens if I decide I don’t want to be a virgin?” I asked, feeling like Mother Nature had a serious issue with cock blocking.
“Nobody has ever tried, or at least not that I’ve heard of. I think they have backup collectors but that’s just a rumor. It’s not really something that people want to risk,” Chris explained, pulling on my arm so that I would lie back down beside him and snuggle.
I pouted a little but eventually put my arm back around him and got comfortable. “This really sucks.”
Chris grinned and kissed my forehead. “You’re cute when you pout. And don’t worry; you’re not alone. It sucks for all those involved,” he reassured me before nodding his head a little. I looked down his body. Our laughter filled the bedroom as the tent in his shorts stood tall and proud.
Chapter 13
The day after we returned to the village, we decided to take a day to just relax. Nearly losing each other put things into perspective and brought us closer together. We were forming a family and there was more than one smile to go around. It was nice to see them both happy. They played together, and Blake even convinced Chris to head out with him for a morning run. I didn’t think he knew what happened to the older man’s family, but it was good to see that Chris wasn’t alone. We were the start of his new pack, his family that he wouldn’t ever have to lose.
“What do you say we go out and try to some training?” Chris asked as he walked out into the living area of our temporary home, his hair still wet from his shower.
“Training for what?” I asked before scooping up another bite of cereal on my spoon. I looked at him and then shoved the bite into my mouth. “If you want me to be doing sprints or lifting weights like Hercules over there, you have another thing coming.” I pointed at Blake, working out in the living room, with a nod of my head and then turned my attention back to my breakfast.
Chris turned his head to look over at Blake and then laughed, shaking his head. “No. I was thinking about trying to see if we can help you figure out how to harness your powers. If...when we go against a Dark Defender, you’re going to need to be on top of your game. It can’t be any of this “I hope it works” stuff.”
I took the last bite of my cereal and glanced up at Chris. He did have a point. It wouldn’t be good to go into battle without knowing how the rifle worked. Still thinking about it, I stood up and took my bowl to the sink. I began to wash it when I felt Chris press his body against my back. I smiled and leaned back into him. Turning my head just enough, I met his lips in a soft kiss before I turned my focus back to what I was doing.
Once the bowl was in the drying rack, I turned around to face him and wrapped my arms around his waist. “I think you need to convince me with a few more kisses.”
“Deal,” Chris said simply as he pulled me tight against him. His lips were against mine before I could say another word. I melted against him, matching the passion I felt him pouring into it. I moved one hand up so I could slide my fingers through his hair and rest on the back of his head, not letting him pull away.
A whistle sounded from across the room and I pulled away with a laugh. “Don’t be jealous,” I teased, sticking my tongue out at Blake.
He jumped up from where he was doing crunches and sprinted towards us. I laughed and tried to hide behind Chris as Blake wrapped his long arms around the both of us. Even with me squirming away from him, he managed to place several kisses all over my face. He went to kiss me again, but I turned my head and surprised him by meeting his lips. I kissed him deeply for a moment before I pulled back. “You need to go shower so we can go train. Chris’s orders.” I grinned.
Blake glanced at Chris with a lifted eyebrow. “You hear
d her,” he chuckled.
It didn’t take long before we were heading towards the only open field in the village. It was used for community picnics, soccer games in the spring and where kids could just run around. There wasn’t much to it: a few benches on the side, no painted markings, no manicured cut grass. Instead it was brown and muddy in parts, holes in others. I hoped they would take better care of it when the weather turned, but with limited funds, I kind of doubted it.
We made it to about the center of the field and I noticed that we had some followers. A few of the townspeople had stopped near the edge, sitting on the benches or leaning against a tree. Swallowing hard, I looked back at Chris. I really didn’t want to be on display, a spectacle for others to criticize.
“It’ll be okay,” Chris said softly as he rubbed both of my arms. “They are just curious.”
“But they make me nervous,” I stated, trying to keep my voice down. I’m sure they could hear us as clear as day. Damn shifters and their perfect hearing.
