by Lexi Ostrow
It was an impossible situation. She knew she died. She could remember the feeling and she’d just replayed a strange third person view of it. Yet, either she wasn’t, or the afterlife she didn’t believe in was very much a thing.
Her eyes weren’t blurry in the slightest, and she didn’t feel as sluggish as she had with Demus. In fact, save for a little sore, she felt fine, and she was without a doubt in the room, in the bed, she’d spent the past few months in. With jerky, uncoordinated movements she managed to sit upright, causing a wave of nausea to crash over her.
“Kellie!” Alcott’s voice sounded behind her, but not directly so. “Kellie, don’t move. Please, for the love of everything, don’t move.”
His voice got louder as he got closer and she felt his hands on her body, just as she felt the bed depress as he sat down. She was wrapped in his arm then, warm and protected in a way she never thought she would be. Slowly, Alcott turned her around, her legs automatically draping around his waist so they could sit comfortably together. Her head was spinning, all she could assume was there was indeed life after death and this was her version of it.
Alcott kissed her then, cautiously and chastely, but she had never tasted anything as sweet as his mouth on hers. When he pulled back she smiled at him.
“I didn’t think death would be so . . . rewarding.” Her stomach fluttered a little, remembering what it was like to be kissed by her Guardian.
She felt his rumble of laughter roll through him just before she heard it.
“My dear, wonderful, amazing Word Speaker, you are not dead.”
She shook her head, “Excuse me?”
Alcott grinned and stroked a hand lovingly through her hair. “You’re not dead. You did die, oh goddess, I did lose you. But you were brought back. In an act that is truly worthy of godhood, you were brought back.”
Her hand darted between them, pressing into her side where she knew the dagger had sliced her. There was nothing. No hole, no scar, not even a set of stitches. She looked down and confirmed that there was nothing there — including clothes. She had been wearing clothes when she died, hadn’t she? When she looked up, the pure joy in Alcott’s eyes brought tears to her eyes.
He cupped her chin, kissing the tip of her nose. “Why on earth are you crying?”
She sniffled, a long grossly loud noise that made her laugh. She’d never thought to hear herself cry again, she never thought she’d have an again for anything. “I’m not even certain, Alcott. I’m so overwhelmed and having you look at me like that, it is all so much.”
He smiled at her. “And just how did I look at you?”
“Like I was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.”
He took her hands and squeezed them. “That is because you are.”
She felt a flush climb up her cheeks. “What happened? And don’t tell me nothing.”
He tensed but spoke. “We arrived just after the spell had been cast —”
Guilt poured over her. “Do you know what I did?” She asked timidly.
His expression was grave as he nodded. “Yes. I’ve seen the ceremony done when Ryce changed his name the moment I discovered it.”
Guilt morphed to shame. She wouldn’t apologize for having done it. It had saved her family, and she wasn’t too concerned that they were in danger since she was still alive. She had a good feeling the other man would be a bit too busy to threaten her for a while.
“I had no choice. He threatened my family. They’re good people. They can’t die for this special sort of life I was born to.”
He squeezed her hands again. “I don’t know which makes me more grateful, to know that you didn’t do something that foolish in the name of saving me, or that you did something so utterly selfless for your family.”
“You’re not angry?”
“I am angry you allowed yourself to killed, I will likely never forgive you for that. But changing his name has hopefully helped our side more than his. Besides, I could never be angry with you. You could have agreed to fight in his army and I would have bitched, but I will always protect you.”
His words were firm, unyielding and absolutely everything she’d ever dreamed he’d say to her because it showed her how he felt without a doubt.
“That was a choice.” She blinked back tears as the emotions swept back through her. “I told him no. I would never do that to you. And I would never compromise myself to fight for him.”
Alcott smiled. “Just another reason why I love you.”
“I love you, Alcott. Every perfect fictional and you created thing about you.”
She leaned forward and kissed him, a slightly longer kiss than his had been, but her curiosity at what had happened was far greater than her desire to do anything else. Plus, he was already holding onto her and she was quite content with his hands on hers for the moment.
“I’m glad you aren’t cross. But I need to know what happened.”
He laughed softly. “You’re still rather pushy. As I said, we came just after. I saw you . . . fuck I’ve never been so scared in all my life.” He shook his head before continuing. “I won’t go into details, I can’t relive the moment I lost you.”
Her heart swelled at his words, at knowing he loved her as much as she loved him.
“I forced him to help you. I was a bit of an ass, but I don’t regret it because I have you. He brought you back. He healed you, much in the way he healed me.” Alcott’s lips twisted into a crooked grin. “Okay, nothing like how he healed me since you were dead. But he healed you and that’s all I fucking care about.” He kissed her quickly. “I’m sorry I ever tried to slow down what we were feeling. It was stupid and moronic.”
“I love you,” she said the words again in lieu of another response because it was the perfect reaction for the way he was making her feel. “I am so sorry for how we began. Forever telling you that you weren’t exactly the man I’d developed a book crush on. While you aren’t him, you are so much more.”
“I admit to enjoying hearing you say that. But not as much as I telling you how much I love you. Or that I will get to say it to you, many more times.”
Her body was suddenly throbbing with need, wanting only to feel him inside of her, to fully believe that she wasn’t in some alternate life stat again, that she was alive and he was with her. “I think you need to show me, how alive I am.”
His jaw dropped open a bit, and she laughed. His lips pressed against hers, a gentle kiss. She felt the spark of his touch throughout her entire being. The warm caress of his tongue against the seam of her lips drew a pleasured moan from her. He stroked it over her mouth again before slipping effortlessly into her mouth. Their tongues danced together as her body flared to life, desire flaming hot within her. The space between them disappeared as his hands wrapped around him, crushing her against him. The thick heat of his erection pressed into her stomach.
“I think you have far too many clothes on,” she whispered into his mouth, chuckling.
With a quick nip to her lower lip, he pulled back. “I think you are quite right.” He untangled her body from his and got off the bed.
His hands made quick work at removing his shirt, and she ignored the small stretch of discomfort as she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. Letting it drop to the bed she rose, stepping out of her panties and walking up to him. She could practically feel her body purr in delight as her eyes roamed over the delectable curves of his body, right down to the thick erection jutting up between his legs.
“Couldn’t wait?” he mused when he saw her next to him.
She merely grinned in response before running the tip of her index finger down his body, including over the curve of his cock.
His hand reached out and pinched her nipple between his fingers, rolling it between the pads of his fingers. “I do think this is proving how alive you are,” he whispered as his other hand slipped between her wet folds, causing her legs to spread slightly in invitation.
One hand continued to roll he
r sensitive nipple while other expertly teased her, making her wetter than she’d been moments prior. She pressed a kiss to his neck before letting her tongue trail slowly down his neck and his chest, dislodging his hands from her body.
“I must agree,” she said huskily as her hand found his throbbing cock. “I can think of something else that will for help even more. Something that I’ve been meaning to do for the last few weeks.” She winked saucily at him.
She stroked the tips of her fingers up and down his long length and then rolled the sensitive skin beneath the head of his shaft. Watching as the muscles in his neck tightened with his move, she stepped closer still. Her lips dropped kisses every inch or so down his chest, lingering slightly on his abs and finally on the tip of his shaft. His body bucked at the contact and she didn’t wait, couldn’t wait.
Her tongue slid along his tip, suckling the tiny drop of pleasure that had formed, before she closed her mouth around him. Wrapping her right hand around him, she stroked him as her mouth made love to the small section of his impressive length. Her tongue swirled and stroked, mimicking a kiss over and over until he groaned and dug his fingers into her hair.
Grinning, she slipped her mouth down him, moving her hand out of the way as she did, taking in as much of him as she could. She couldn’t help but love the fact that she could feel him at the back of her throat and still hadn’t taken him in to the hilt. With help from his grip, she worked her mouth back and forth, nearly letting him slip free each time, only to sink back down as far as she could.
“Kellie . . . ” Alcott growled a low warning as his hips gyrated, further aiding how he moved within her mouth.
Sliding her mouth off with a pop, she placed one last kiss on his tip. Still holding him she gave a gentle squeeze and watched his expression. She grinned up at him as his cock twitched in her hand. “I love that I do this to you Alcott, almost as much as when you do it to me.”
He growled, and she laughed as she stood on her tiptoes, still holding his prick, and guided his cock to her core. His hands reached around her and grabbed onto her ass, lifting her up to him. As her legs wrapped around his waist, his cock slid inside of her to the hilt. Their moan was simultaneous, and he nipped her neck before he began to pump in and out of her.
Neither of them moved for a moment. She could scarcely breathe for the perfect way she felt. Nothing existed except for the man buried in her body, loving her.
When he finally did begin to thrust his hips, pleasure tore through her so powerfully she may as well as have climaxed. He pumped his hips, letting his shaft slide in and out of her tight core. Shivers were racing through her body with each thrust inside her. Nails trailing down his back, she moved with him, synchronizing their movements. As the pleasure built, the small hold she had on her actions snapped. Her hands scoured down his back and her lips found his and kissed him hard before nipping his bottom lip and tugging on it a little as she pushed her hips against him, speeding up their thrusts as her orgasm neared its peak.
His name ripped past her lips, screamed into their heated kiss, as her orgasm washed over her. She could feel her core as it milked his shaft. Alcott grunted and sped up his thrusts, biting his fingers into her ass as he continued to pump in and out of her tight opening. Wave after perfect wave of her release rolled through her, drawn out as he sought his own.
His groan followed soon after and she felt his shaft puling inside of her, even as he continued to kiss her as if their lives depended on it. His hands squeezed her ass once before her legs unlocked from behind his hips, unlocking their lips and ending the scorching kiss that had consumed them as they’d touched. He pulled out while setting her back on the carpet gently, a complete contradiction to the hard and powerful way they’d just made love.
Her legs felt like jelly and her body still tingled in delight as she walked backward to the bed, collapsing onto it when she felt it against the back of her knees.
“Do you feel alive?” Alcott asked, his eyes sparking with desire.
“Mmm,” she nodded lazily. “I most certainly do. And loved. Extremely, extremely loved.” She lay back on the bed, just letting herself live in the moment, grateful that she was alive.
Alcott lay next to her and entwined his fingers with hers. “You are, I promise.”
Alcott’s heart was thudding in his chest, exerted from the hungry round of sex and simply from being near Kellie. He ran the pad of his thumb over her hand. “Do you want to know how long you were asleep?”
She flinched. “Asleep or dead?”
Mentally kicking himself for freighting her he squeezed her hand. “Asleep. You didn’t just magically wake up and fuck me like a goddess.”
He loved the way the bright flush of red crawled up her face before she pretended to shrug it off.
“I am a little curious, now that you bring it up.”
He raised her hand a kissed the top of it. “Three days. If not for the few words you’d spoken in your sleep or the way you’d tossed and turned to get comfortable I would have been terrified. As it were, I was merely impatient and hoping you would be strong enough to wake.”
“I still can’t believe it, Alcott. Any of it really. Not that I doubt anything, just that it all seems so . . . so . . .”
“Magical?” He supplied with a grin.
“Very.” She snuggled against him, laying her head on his chest. “Do you think we can still go back to New Orleans? Soon I mean. Dying and coming back to life is making it incredibly difficult not to need a beignet.”
Laughter burst from him, taking him rather off guard. He let himself just enjoy, the feeling of utter joy at such a simple comment. He’d been so moody for so long, only to meet Kellie and have it all change. Losing her would never be an option, not unless it was her choice.
“I know we can return soon. As soon as you feel up to it. Though I think staying with Dale and Breena a few more days couldn’t hurt anything.”
He felt her nod and then a soothing silence fell between them. Hearing the simple sound of her breathing was magical. Everything going forward actually was because it shouldn’t be possible.
“Kellie?”
“Alcott?”
His lips slipped into a small smile at the way she said his name. He rolled over onto his side, propping himself up with his arm. She rolled to face him as well, and the smile on her lips was absolutely adorable to him.
“I wanted to talk to you about us, about what the next year or so will bring.”
“As long as it doesn’t involve you telling me that being my Guardian was more dangerous than guarding the most powerful Word Speaker of my time, I’m good with whatever it is. Oh, and that you’re not peacing out.” She added quickly as an afterthought.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. I know we’ve spoken of it a little, but I am yours, Kellie. Forever and always if you’ll have me. I don’t care what we have to face, so long as it’s together. I want to be your Guardian in everything — not just this science fiction world you’ve found yourself in.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Are you . . . proposing?”
He held back the urge to laugh. “Not exactly, though I can see why you’d think that. I am proposing that we remain a team. I am telling you that nothing will change how I feel about you and should you deem me a worthy forever-partner, I am not going to hesitate to propose to you and make you all mine then.” Saying the words made him smile, thinking about seeing her walk down the aisle to him made him smile harder.
“I think that is without a doubt one of the most amazing plans I have ever heard.” She placed her lips against his in a quick kiss. “Not that I want to end this moment in any way, but I’m feeling a little built guilty that I haven’t let Dale and Breena know I’m okay, assuming they’re here.”
He laughed again. “Oh, they’re here. None of us have left since you were brought back, it’s been a very long three days.” He sat up, still holding her hand. “If you insist that I share you with other people, so be it.”
“I know you’re super eager to get back home, who could blame you, but I’m honestly going to miss you both.” Dale smiled at them.
“I’m going to miss you too. Though I cannot wait for food.” Kellie said, eyes beaming when she spoke.
“I’m going to miss being able to interact with people other than Kellie,” Alcott joked.
“Hey!” Kellie exclaimed as she elbowed him in the side. “I resent that.”
“I’m sure we will all get to meet again, and your time before release is much shorter than when you first came,” Dale supplied.
Alcott mulled it over and realized he hadn’t even thought about how much time had passed since he’d met Kellie. It had been nearly eight months to the day. He could only hope the next eight months passed with next to no excitement, save for what they could create together.
“I’m going to miss my shopping buddy!” Breena said as she hugged first Kellie and then Alcott.
“If you two find a way to sneak away to New Orleans, I have extra rooms. I’m not sure how we’re going to solve our living situation, but either way, I have rooms with your names on them! You know, in case you want separate ones.” Kellie winked.
Dale shook his head but laughed anyway. “All right, let’s do this. One doorway to New Orleans coming up.”
Alcott watched as the space just to the left of Kellie began to shimmer and distort. The greenery of Jackson Square became visible.
“You’re going to drop us off in a public place?” Alcott asked, not liking that.
“It’s after ten p.m., they’ll just think they’re drunk, and I can only send you where I’ve seen. And that is literally the only photo besides a Bourbon Street sign that I’ve ever seen. So yes, that is exactly where I’m sending you.”
Kellie laughed and slipped her hand into his. “It’s perfect Dale. Directly in eyesight of my two favorite restaurants . . . plenty of alcohol and my condo.”
Smirking, Dale shook his head in amusement. “Better get going, remember people can see us too.”
