“How about you take a break to eat?” he asked, making her jerk. And causing a blotch of what was supposed to be bright blue sky smack across the mountain peak.
Pressing his lips together, he risked a peak at her face. She slowly turned her face to lay her angry gaze upon him.
“Ummmm...my bad,” he muttered.
Nodding, she turned away from the painting. “Sneaking up on me is definitely your bad habit.”
He gave her an apologetic grin and waved towards the blanket. “How about some delicious apple pie?”
She quirked a brow at him. “Pie? What is pie?”
He felt his jaw fall slack. “You’ve never had pie?”
Shrugging, she replied, “I don’t think so. What’s it taste like?”
“Well, you’re gonna find out in a few seconds,” he said, rushing over to the pack and pulling out the little containers he had packed. “Never had pie. It’s a sacrilege,” he muttered under his breath as he rooted out some utensils.
He caught her rolling her eyes as she sat down on the blanket. “Oh, you won’t be rolling your eyes once you’ve tasted its deliciousness. Trust me.”
She nodded, but her face was full of doubt. “I’ve never cared much about food, so…”
“That’s because you’ve never had good food. Or, more importantly, my food, which is better than good. If I do say so myself.”
“Mhm. We’ll see,” she murmured, taking the container he handed her.
“Wait! Wait!” he cried as he saw her going to pull the lid. “Now, this is your first time having my delectable creation. Savor it.”
Sighing, she rolled her eyes again. “I’m about to throw your ‘delectable creation’ over the cliff and get back to my painting.”
He paused, taken aback by her brashness. It was so...untimid of her. Like that kiss she’d shocked him with on the full moon. He’d chalked it up to full moon craziness. Everyone went a little nuts around that time. But, no. As he gazed at her, her stare unflinching and her head cocked with attitude, he realized...she was full of fire. Fire she must’ve doused to survive in Blackmoon. And if that kiss was anything to go by...he was dying to feel the burn.
“Humor me,” he teased. “Close your eyes.”
“Again?” she huffed. “I already saw the pie.”
Chuckling, he nodded. “I know. But I want you to smell it...ummm...properly.”
Her head fell back in a dramatic show of exasperation.
“C’mon. Please. I made it just for you,” he declared, giving her a big, fat grin.
Even though she sighed at him, he caught her lips curving into a smile. “Fine,” she puffed, shaking her head as she closed her eyes.
“Thank you, gorgeous,” he muttered and pecked her on the cheek.
Her eyes popped open and her free hand came up touch her cheek.
“Hey, now. Close your eyes.”
She hesitated a moment before she finally shut her lids again.
Taking the container from her, he gently pulled the lid off. “Okay, now. Smell.” He raised the container up to her face and watched as she took a deep breath, her mouth and eyes opening as she stared at the contents of the container.
“Oh, my,” she breathed, her face leaning closer to the pie.
Nodding, he smirked. “Yeah. Smells good, huh?”
Her eyes rose, sparkling into his. “It smells amazing.” He held a fork up and she nodded, reaching for it.
“Remember, savor it,” he teased.
She nodded faster, and he handed the fork and pie over. She moaned, closing her eyes at the first bite. Letting her head fall back, she enjoyed the second bite with just as much enthusiasm.
“I take it you like it then?” he snickered.
“Mmmm, so good,” she murmured with a full mouth.
Well, now that he had her in a good mood…
“So, just so you know. I don’t make pie for just anyone.”
She peeled her lids open. “Oh?”
He couldn’t stop himself from fidgeting. “Yeah. I’ve only ever cooked for my family before.”
Her fork stopped midway to her mouth as she stared at him. Lowering her hand, she tilted her head to the side. “What are you trying to say, Torin?
He took a breath and scooted closer to her, laying his hand on hers. “You’re like family to me, Autumn.”
She stared at him for a long moment, and he saw her eyes start watering. “Really,” she sniffled.
He nodded and smiled. “Yeah. Really. I couldn’t imagine you not being here. And I’m going to make sure you can stay here as long as you want, no matter what.”
Pie and fork were flung into the air together as her arms wrapped around his neck. “But why,” she sobbed. “Why do you care so much? I’m nobody.”
Pulling back, he cupped her face in his hands. “That’s not true. You are just as much a somebody as anyone else is.”
She shook her head and sniffled. “I don’t even have a last name.”
“Take mine, then,” he whispered, stroking her cheek.
Her eyes widened as she stared into his. “Wh...what?”
“I told you that you’re part of my family now.”
“But...my being here is threatening your real family.”
The truth of her words sank deep, making his heart cringe with guilt. But the thought of giving her up to Blackmoon made it feel like his heart would completely shatter. “Let me worry about that. You deserve a real family, too.”
“You would risk your family for a nobody like me?”
“In Blackmoon, you may have been treated as a nobody. But here, with me...you are everything.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Autumn threw her arms around him, wanting to cry and kiss him all at the same time. And then she realized she could. Because nothing was holding her back. Finally, after a lifetime, she was in complete control of her own destiny.
Staring into his eyes, she felt the familiar pull, dragging her body and heart closer to his. Maybe he could be part of her new destiny. The one she finally chose for herself.
And so, she kissed him, laying her lips on his for no other reason than simply because she wanted to. No hidden motive. No fear of the unknown. Just a woman kissing the man she wanted to kiss. And, oh, could this man kiss.
His clean, woodsy scent filled her lungs as he enveloped her within his embrace, slanting his mouth to capture hers perfectly. She felt every sweep of his tongue down to her toes. And, once again, he made her crave more. Of him. Of this. This moment. This feeling. She never thought she'd crave this kind of physical intimacy, but his kiss was more than she ever thought it could be. It wasn't a hot, sticky mess she had to bear. It was her heart racing with anticipation. Her fingers itching to sweep through his hair and clutch him tighter. Her mouth wanting another lifetime to taste him.
By the time they came up for a breath, they were both panting. And she was ready to dive back in for more. But, instead, he ran his mouth along the column of her throat drawing a deep sigh from her. Every new touch was a revelation, making her body shiver. Which had nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with this man's magic touch.
"Tell me if I'm going too fast," he murmured against her skin, drawing her out of her lustful haze for a moment.
"Too fast?" Her voice was little more than a tiny wisp of sound through the chilled air.
He pulled back to look into her eyes. "I don't want to do anything you don't want me to," he said, a serious note in his voice even as his eyes sparkled with lust. Literally. The gold flecks in his eyes must have caught the sunlight at the right angle to produce such a dazzling display. A girl could drown in eyes like that.
Correction. This girl was drowning in those eyes.
Her lips curved as she pulled him towards her. "I don't see how that's possible right now," she whispered, capturing his mouth again. When he took her bottom lip between his teeth, a zing of pleasure went through her. Gods, he was such a good kisser. She hoped she was half as
good as he was. Because it's not like she ever cared before, or even cared to learn. Well, no time like the present...
She dove into the kiss with more enthusiasm, intent on learning every little move that made him clutch her a little tighter, groan a little louder, and dig his fingers into her hair.
"Gods, you're making me crazy," he whispered, his voice cracking with restrained lust.
"Is that a good thing?" she asked, not missing a step as she nipped his lip.
"It's a fucking great thing," he growled, tightening his grip on her hair as he yanked her body flush against his. And suddenly the obvious state of his arousal came into focus as his erection slammed against her hipbone. That's when she realized just exactly where they were headed if she allowed this kiss to continue. Because no man was ever content with just kissing. Hell, the way she was feeling, maybe she wasn't content with just kissing.
When his hand dove beneath her shirt, brushing across her stomach and making her skin tingle, she knew. Kissing would never be enough where this man was concerned. Already her body wept with want, flushed with heat despite the cold air surrounding them. As if he had her wrapped in a warm bubble of desire that she never wanted to bust out of.
As she stood there, contemplating whether she should stop things while she still had the willpower, his free hand slid through her hair, tugging her head back so he could run a scorching trail of kisses over her collarbone. She wanted more of this. More of his hot mouth. More of his magic fingers. More of him.
She slid her fingers through his hair, holding him against her skin for just a moment longer before pulling his head up. His hooded gaze locked onto her face.
"What's wrong?" he asked, instantly stepping back from her. Giving her room to breath. Too much room. She already missed his touch. "Did I go too fast?" She could see the worry in his gaze. What she didn't see was even an ounce of frustration. No huffing and puffing because she pushed him away. No flare of anger in his soft, hazel eyes. Just concern…for her.
That, more than even the incomprehensible desire she felt for the man, convinced her. He was the one. She felt it in even the deepest corners of her heart that she kept locked tight. Was wanting a man for such carnal pleasures normal? Well, she didn't know. But it felt good. It felt right.
"I don't know what I'm doing here, Torin. But," she whispered, stroking the sides of his face. "I---"
High-pitched screams tore through the calm air, making Autumn jump and clutch her chest. Torin's eyes got wide as he looked towards the dark forest behind them.
"Oh, gods. No."
"What is it? What's wrong?"
His chest heaved as he took great breaths of air, his brows furrowing and his mouth thinning with each breath. "I smell smoke." His eyes glowed bright gold as he gazed back at her. "A lot of it."
***
Torin saw Autumn's face fall at his words. She sucked in a breath as she pressed her tiny hand against her mouth. He turned to snatch up her paint supplies.
"Leave them," she snapped, her fingers gripping his own as she looked at him with wide eyes. "They're just things."
He gave her a stiff nod, wanting to hug her, but knowing there might not be time for that. Already he'd been gone too long.
"Go on ahead. I'll catch up."
His head whipped around to her. "Are you fucking insane? There's no way in hell I'm leaving you behind." Not alone. And not with Blackmoon prowling the woods unchecked as of late. And if his instincts were right about that smoke, they were prowling far too close to home at this very moment.
Her throat moved as she swallowed hard. "I'll just slow you down. There's no time, Torin."
Pulling her into his body, he gave her a stern look. "Didn't you hear a word I said?" When she gave him a bemused look, he continued. "You're my family, too. And I don't abandon family."
Her mouth fell open before she cupped his cheek, tears making her eyes glisten. "I don't deserve you," she murmured.
Smiling at her, he gave her a quick peck. "I think you got that backward, gorgeous. Now, I'll need to carry you if we want to get back to the village faster."
After she nodded, he scooped her up and began the long dash back to his home. He soon realized that sprinting was out of the question. Damn body of his had to heal faster.
***
The pit in Autumn's stomach gave a jolt as Whitemoon Village came into sight. Gasping, she scrambled out Torin's arms, allowing him to race ahead of her towards the billowing clouds of smoke and flame that poured out of the windows of several homes. The beautiful decorations in the village center were little more than piles of glittery ash. People scrambled from home to home carrying buckets of water and sopping wet quilts.
Amidst the chaos, she heard a dull pounding and looked up to find a small girl banging on an upstairs window. Heart jumping into her throat, she rushed towards the crowd of people. Must save her.
"There's a girl trapped upstairs!" she screamed at the nearest person she could find, her fear of speaking to tall, burly men overshadowed by her fear for the helpless little girl. The tall man followed her pointing finger, nodding as he caught sight of the girl and sprinted towards the door of the house. Autumn stood fidgeting, wishing she could do something to help, until the man reappeared in the doorway with the little girl in tow. He handed the coughing girl off to Autumn.
"Where's her mother?" Autumn asked.
The man only gave her a sad look and shook his head, making her heart sink for the poor child in her arms. She gulped and turned to find a familiar face. Someone she could ask to help the little girl more than she could. But as her eyes roamed over the scene before her, several familiar faces jumped out at her. And every one of them was unwelcome.
The faces of the men who'd caused her such misery dashed through the village, cackling as they snatched up little girls scurrying to get to their mothers. Dark images of her own past flitted through her mind. When she had been just as young. Only she had no mother to run to. Autumn clung the child in her arms whose mother had perished in the burning house behind them, determined not to let the child suffer the same fate she had. She took off, running to the only place she'd ever felt safe in her life. They can't have her.
As she dodged around more burning buildings, the screams and shouts echoing in her ears, she held back the tears of her guilty heart. She had caused this. Blackmoon had come for her. She looked down at the child in her arms. The motherless child. Her fault. It was all her fault.
When she got to her safe haven, it too was engulfed in flames. And then Torin walked through the smoke of his family home, cradling his mother's limp form in his arms.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A sob tore from her chest as she looked at Lauren's face. A nasty burn covered her right cheek down to her collarbone.
"No, no, no," she muttered as her legs gave out and she crashed to the ground still cradling the child who wept in her arms.
"Miss Laurie?" the child cried, her innocent eyes widening as she caught sight of Lauren. "Miss Laurie? What's wrong with her?"
She and the child sobbed together as Torin knelt down, breathing into his mother's mouth.
"C'mon, Mum," he muttered between breaths. "Don't you dare die on me. Come back. Please."
Kay came sputtering out of the door, holding her arm over her face. "I'm going to murder those bastards from Black---Mum? Oh, my gods, Mum!" Kay crashed beside Torin, skimming her fingers over her mother's burned face. "No, Mum, no!"
Lauren gave a weak cough, followed by another and another, and a wave of sighs swept through them. More coughing and then Lauren sputtered out, "Save your sister."
"Kay's right here, Mum," Torin said, stroking his mother's hair as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"N..N...Ness---" Lauren's head lolled back and she said no more.
"Mum! Mum!" Kay screamed.
Torin swept his hand down his mother's body. "She's still breathing. But those burns need to be treated before they get infected. I'll take her to the healer." H
is gaze finally landed on Autumn, taking in the fact that she held a child. "You should come, too."
"Tor...what about Nessie?"
"What about her?"
Kay gripped her brother's chin, forcing him to look at her. "They're trapped in the basement. It's still daylight."
***
Torin uttered every profanity he knew as the blackened walls and broken windows of Nikoli's house came into view. There would be no healing being performed in that ransack.
Kay stepped in front of him with that "I can't believe you" look in her eye. "Give me Mum. I'll try to find Nikoli---"
"I'm not leaving her." No way. Not happening.
And there went the hands on the hips. "Torin," Kay pressed. "They could be burning alive in that basement!"
"They're vampires. They'll be fine."
Kay clenched her fist as she rolled her eyes and huffed at him. "You stubborn ass. You know as well as I do that vampires are vulnerable to fire."
Son of a bitch. She was right. Apparently, even super-special supernatural hybrids weren't invulnerable.
"I'll go find your father," Autumn chimed in, drawing his gaze from his stick-in-his-side sister. The tiny woman still carried the child in her arms, and he'd be lying if that sight wasn't having some kind of effect on him. But that little thought would have to wait for another time.
"My father?" he asked, wondering why on earth she'd volunteer to go find the one man in Whitemoon that might actually hand her over to the Blackmoon warriors plundering about.
Autumn's slender throat moved as she gulped and gave him a stiff nod. "The Alpha will be able to round up help the fastest, wouldn't he?"
Torin lifted his shoulder. "Well, yes, probably, but…"
"Then, I'll find him while you go save Nessie and Kay looks after your mother. I know you don't want to let her go, but Nessie needs you, and you know that Kay is capable of looking after your mother."
As she turned and walked away, Torin shook his head in amazement. Because he had seen the fear in her gaze and tremble in her body, and still she went towards the danger.
Kiss of Fire: A Dystopian Shifter Romance (The Whitemoon Warriors #2) (The Whitemoon Warriors Series) Page 13
