Demanding entrance when I opened my mouth for him, his tongue desperately sought mine as he groaned. Our flesh collided, and I became lost in the sensual dance happening inside my mouth. Hunter shifted between my legs and our bodies took on a rhythm that seemed so natural, so innate, it was as if they were meant to move together in exactly this way.
Waves of pleasure turned into complete bliss with the humming of my body, building in pitch until it seemed to explode throughout every inch of my body. Bursts of orgasmic pleasure thrummed within me, leaving me breathless, while Hunter continued to thrust against me, increasing the speed and intensity, demanding his own release. I knew he had finally found it when he cried out my name.
We lay there for a while, Hunter’s spent body covering mine, his face pressed into the side of my neck. Neither of us could speak, but words weren’t really needed as our bodies had said everything in our hearts.
The world seemed right again. It was no longer dark inside my soul. Hunter had chased all my inner demons away once again, and I was reluctant to move or say anything to change that. Knowing we had to go downstairs and face everyone wasn’t easy. This was simply a temporary respite from reality.
As if he sensed my foreboding, Hunter kissed the side of my neck and whispered in my ear, “We have forever. And this is how forever will be. Always.”
I smiled. With that in my heart, I could get through anything.
CHAPTER TWELVE
As reluctant as I was to leave the warmth of Hunter’s arms, we couldn’t shun dinner plans. It would be our last night at the Sanctuary, hopefully for forever, and I was sure there would be tons of questions everyone desired answered. Plus, I wanted to make sure I had a chance to speak with Nora before leaving. I needed her to know Hunter and I were good, and everything was back to normal. Whatever had happened at the construction site was due to some kind of internal misguidance on my part. I’d been set straight once and for all. Hopefully, she’d understand and things could go back to the way they were with us.
We dressed without further delays, knowing we were already late and everyone was probably already well into the meal. Hunter made me promise we’d have a graphic encore performance when we returned from dinner. As his hungry eyes watched me pull on a brand new pair of pants, his detailed description of what he expected almost made me re-think the direction those pants were going.
While we made our way to the dining hall, I realized how ravenous I was. I hadn’t eaten all day and with all the physical activity throughout the day, I was running on empty. No surprise, everyone was already seated at the table and partaking in the feast set before them. Several more faces were present than normally joined us for dinner, and the atmosphere almost seemed celebratory, aside from a few forlorn faces, notably my mom and dad. Voices in the crowd were upbeat, with mini-conversations going on all around the table and smiles given freely.
Hunter’s arm seemed planted around my waist, and he led me over the threshold, toward two empty chairs at the head of the table. Nora was the first to notice us. She studied our demeanor, her eyes going back and forth between the two of us as if trying to read where Hunter and I stood on the previous issues. I tried to give her a reassuring look, but her eyes wouldn’t meet mine.
By the time we were halfway to the front of the table, the conversations had turned to a slight drone, followed by complete silence. Everyone’s gaze was on us.
My mom popped up out of her chair and spoke as if out of breath, “Oh, Cassie. I was starting to think you weren’t even going to come.”
I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I wouldn’t do that, Mom.”
“We certainly hoped not, especially since you’re leaving tomorrow.”
It was a direct statement, designed for my elaboration, but I wasn’t ready. I needed to eat something, fill my belly with sustenance before I tackled that elephant, knowing they’d be against our decision to leave. My parents wanted to keep me close, where they could watch over me, know I was safe. It was a tough argument to fight, but my mind was set.
“I promise. We’ll talk after I eat. I’ll explain everything.”
“Hunter did that already,” my Dad said, standing. “That doesn’t mean we’re not going to try and talk you out of it.”
Hunter’s whole body stiffened next to me as if he had something to say, but I reached my hand back and touched his arm. “I know, but let’s wait to talk in private,” I said. “After dinner.”
My dad’s jaw tightened, making an effort to hold back. He focused on Hunter, who stood behind me, and then back down to me and nodded.
“Thank you.”
Hunter and I finally reached our chairs. As he pulled one out for me, I noticed every eye in the place was on us.
“Please, continue eating,” I told them. “This looks wonderful. I’m starved.”
After Hunter had taken his seat beside me, one of the Sanctuary maids came out and asked us for our menu choices. I looked again at all of the food on the table. There was so much—roasted ham, turkey, beef in dark gravy, steaming vegetables, rolls that looked like they’d just come out of the oven. I couldn’t decide, so I told her I’d take a sampler of everything.
Hunter’s eyebrows rose up at me.
I leaned over and whispered, “It’s your fault I’m famished.”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a sexy smirk. “I’ll make sure to bring leftovers back to the room with us.”
I giggled and relaxed back in my chair, catching Nora’s eye as I did. Her expression was curious but guarded, uncertain if my behavior with Hunter was authentic. I smiled at her, silently letting her know everything was as it should be. Hunter and I were good. I was good.
Her face expression lightened up slightly, her eyes seeming to smile back at me, or maybe that was just what I wanted to see. Either way, she nodded my direction before concentrating back on her own plate.
My heart lifted. It seemed everything was settling back into place. Our plan to leave was dissolving the heavy, dark fog that had been hanging over all of us. Soon, I’d be able to breathe easy again.
Loud voices from the hallway echoed into the dining room, startling me and apparently everyone else at the table. We all turned in the direction of the doorway, but it was empty.
“I said, we’ll talk about this later, Braydon. Now go and get some rest. Tomorrow will be a big day.” No one could mistake Hadraniel’s authoritative voice, and as I’d made the connection, he appeared in the doorway.
He checked around the table, once realizing he’d caught everyone’s attention.
“I hadn’t meant to make such a grand entrance.” His eyes focused on me as he stepped farther into the room. “I only meant to wish you a safe journey after your departure.” Hadraniel stopped at the opposite end of the table. His composure was tense. No one would be shocked to know this was the last place he wanted to be.
“I will admit,” he continued, “when Hunter told me you were leaving, I was adamantly against it. But to his credit, his arguments were difficult to refute. So, I relented. While I still feel it’s the wrong decision, as your safety is one of my top priorities, I give you my blessing. And should you need me… us… you only need to let us know, and we will do everything in our power to help.”
I wanted to laugh at his comment about my safety being one of his top priorities, but the fact that he put his pride aside and came down to wish us well amazed me enough to squelch an outburst.
“Thank you, Hadraniel,” I said. “Your support means a lot to us.”
I heard Hunter guffaw under his breath, and I kicked him under the table.
Hadraniel smiled, and while it could have very well been a smile due to my gratitude, I had a feeling he knew exactly the exchange Hunter and I just had.
“Well, I’ll say goodbye to you all now then. I have some matters requiring my attention in the morning when you leave.”
“It’s been a pleasure,” Hunter said in a voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Goodbye, Hadraniel,” I said in a much sweeter, more genuine tone. “And thank you so much for your hospitality the past few months.”
He nodded, rapped his knuckles on the table, turned and left the dining hall.
Everyone continued to stare in the direction of the doorway, even after it was obvious he wasn’t returning. Not a common sight to see the leader of the angelic army humbled. It made me think of him in a slightly different light. Not so different that I wanted to stay, however. It wasn’t as if they’d made us feel at home or anything there, but they had kept us safe.
I peeked at Hunter through half-lowered lashes. He rolled his eyes and shrugged, not impressed given the circumstances. Everyone had gotten over the moment and resumed eating and talking amongst themselves, so I did the same. Hadraniel’s appearance made me think of the one angel who did go out of his way to make me feel at home, and I worried about not saying goodbye to him. Even knowing it wouldn’t be possible to see Braydon, not with the little time we had left, hurt. Hunter wouldn’t leave my side for a minute before we left the Sanctuary. No way could I risk my relationship with Hunter again by asking to go see the man he fought with over me. Maybe I could get a message to Braydon somehow, thanking him for being so kind.
As I ate, Hunter visited with Eric, who was seated next to him. They were talking about security measures to put in place once we were out on our own. In summary, Hunter would be my shadow until we found Caleb, which I pretty much knew would happen. It was a reality I’d have to live with, but at least I’d be free. And it wasn’t as if having Hunter around was horrendous punishment. Who wouldn’t want the strongest, deadliest, sexiest man at your back?
I made small talk with everyone for a while, asking whether they were as excited as I was and if they were all packed. We discussed where and when we were meeting in the morning. Hunter had been very thorough with his directions to everyone on every aspect of this last minute move. I thought we’d have to discuss things in depth at dinner, but it seemed I was the only one who hadn’t been filled in on the particulars. For once, I didn’t mind being left out because I knew Hunter was taking care of me.
Eventually, we all finished eating and my mom and dad were ready to talk with me. We agreed to speak in private, but before we left the dining hall, I wanted to make sure Nora would stick around so we could chat before the night was over. She was cold, suspicious even, when I told her I wanted to discuss a few things, and that stung, but she eventually agreed to stay until after the meeting with my parents.
The conversation with them was more difficult than I’d imagined. At first, they argued for me to stay, and when they saw my mind was made up, they tried convincing me they should come along. Of course, I wouldn’t hear of that either. They were much safer in the Sanctuary, and I’d be much too worried about them to be helpful in the search for Caleb if they came with us. It took longer than I thought, but they finally conceded to my wishes, with promises to keep in constant touch.
By the time I made it back to the dining hall, most of the people had already gone back to their rooms. Hunter was in a discussion with a few of the demons at the end of the table, including Eric. Nora was nowhere in sight.
“Eric, where’s Nora?” I asked.
“She said she had some business with Hadraniel, and then she was headed to bed. Nora told me to tell you she’d meet up with you in the morning.”
That hurt. She hadn’t waited. I’d taken a while with my mom and dad, but it hadn’t been that long. Besides, I’d made it quite clear how important it was for me to talk to her. She hadn’t cared.
I was hurt big time, but that wasn’t the cause of the panic that unexpectedly paralyzed me. If she told Eric what happened at the construction site before we set out tomorrow morning, I knew they’d never allow me the freedom I was craving.
Eric and Hunter couldn’t realize my desperation to talk with Nora, so I sat with them, pretending to be interested in the strategies they discussed. I was barely listening, my thoughts obsessed over what I might say or do if Nora leaked my secret, but nothing came to mind. No logical, or even illogical, explanation could be made for what I’d done. I was a guardian and was supposed to save lives, not take them. If anyone knew, I’d never get to leave the Sanctuary.
On the inside, I was panicking, but I tried to appear calm and attentive to Hunter and the guys at the table. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking, however, so I hid them under the table.
“You have something you want to say, Cassandra?”
Leave it to Hunter. He never missed a thing.
I’d been staring at my trembling hands, willing them to stop. Everyone was watching me.
“No, why do you ask?”
Hunter reached over and put a hand on my knee, applying enough pressure to force my leg to stop bouncing, which I hadn’t even realized it was doing. He was looking back at me expectantly when my gaze met his again.
“I guess I’m just a little anxious about leaving tomorrow.” Like whether or not I’ll be able to.
“Is everything settled with your mom and dad?”
“Yes, as best it can be anyway. They’re not happy about us leaving, but they understand.”
“Good,” he said and squeezed my knee. “Why don’t you go on up to bed? It’s late and we want to be out very early. I won’t be here much longer.”
I nodded and pushed up from the chair. “Wake me if I’m sleeping when you come in?”
“Definitely,” he answered with a sly smirk. It was a simple answer packed with an underlying… sexual meaning.
My cheeks warmed, knowing everyone at the table had the sense to draw the same conclusions, but embarrassment couldn’t stop the tiny shivers of anticipation from washing over my body.
Attempting to keep some composure in front of the others, I leaned down toward Hunter for a chaste kiss goodbye, but he held my face to his.
“See you soon,” he whispered against my lips, flaming the heat all over again.
I smiled at him as I returned to a full standing position and gave him a wink. Then I left Hunter and the guys to finish their boy talk, willing the simple breeze from my movements to cool me down.
Hunter’s cryptic promises buzzed through my head while I made my way back to our rooms. I’d gotten pretty far when a tiny hint of the anxiety over not being able to speak to Nora crept into my thoughts and stopped me in my tracks.
I stood there, in the middle of the hallway, arguing with myself over what to do about it. The message she’d sent was pretty clear. She had no further concerns about what I needed. My actions at the construction site had taken away the right to her compassion.
As ashamed as I was about what I’d done, or almost had, I couldn’t help being pissed off at her for not considering our friendship strong enough to bother listening to what I had to say about it. She’d lied to me for years before I’d known the truth about her, and still I’d forgiven her. The least she could do was extend me the same courtesy of a chance to explain.
With that anger, I spun on my heel and made my way back through the hallway to the rooms on the opposite side of the floor. Unlike our rooms, Eric and Nora shared a hallway with the other demons of the group. Rooms flanked each side, not all of them filled with occupants because there weren’t that many demons in the group. Eric and Nora’s quarters were at the very end.
Without wasting any time, I knocked on the door. I wanted to get in and out before Eric returned, and before Hunter realized I hadn’t gone straight to our room. While waiting, my senses kicked into overdrive, listening for a rustle in the room to tell me she was coming. When no one answered after a few moments, I knocked again, a little harder, but not much. I didn’t want to alert anyone else in the area to my anxious situation.
More moments ticked by and with each one, I knew she wasn’t coming.
Was she really not there? Or was she flat out ignoring me? If she hadn’t gone to the room as Eric said, then where was she? Wha
t was she doing?
All these questions jumbled around in my head without any hint of an answer. I had no choice. Feeling defeated, I turned and walked back to my room.
When I rounded the corner to our wing of the Sanctuary, I came up short at the sight of Braydon leaning against the door of our room.
Was he crazy? If Hunter saw him…
I sped down the hall toward him.
“Braydon, what are you doing here?” I said, trying my best to keep the volume down, lest anyone was in the area.
“We need to talk.”
“Here? Now? About what?”
“Us. You can’t just leave, Cassie.”
“What do you mean, us? Braydon there is no us.”
“There is an us and you know it just as well as I do. Does he know you kissed me?”
Oh. My. God. Was this really happening?
“Braydon, I can’t talk about this right now.”
“Then when, Cassie? You’re leaving tomorrow.” His words were an accusation, and his narrowed eyes bearing down on me told me he wasn’t going anywhere until this was resolved.
“Okay, okay,” I said. “We’ll talk, but not here. If Hunter comes back—”
“Where then?”
Where? Where? I scrambled to think of somewhere we could go where Hunter wouldn’t find us. No doubt he’d come looking for me if I wasn’t in our room when he got back.
“The gardens.”
“Fine.”
Still leaning against the door, he stared back at me.
Why wasn’t he moving?
“After you,” he said with a wave of his hand.
Oh, for God’s sake. I turned and hurried toward the gardens, praying all the way we wouldn’t run into anyone. Luckily, Braydon was right on my heels.
We made it to the gardens without someone spotting us, and I made sure we were off the main paths when I finally came to a stop. Spinning around, I almost face-planted into Braydon’s chest.
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