by Caris Roane
She leaned down and kissed him, though it was an odd sensation to feel Emma’s healing vibration travel through her lips.
She rose up chuckling and met Emma’s gaze. “That tickled.”
The witch’s eyes were damp with tears. “I’m reminded of those difficult days with Vaughn. It’s worth it, in case you’ve been wondering.”
“I’m not wondering any longer.”
“I can tell.”
Natalie disengaged her hand from Grant’s only long enough to bring a chair close, so she could sit beside him. He immediately took her hand once more, though this time he closed his eyes.
He had to be exhausted from his recent ordeal with Kryder, not to mention drifting into the afterlife only to be brought back.
She let him rest but couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was a gift that had been returned to her like something from a fairytale. He was a complete miracle in her life, this time truly on all fronts.
She was so grateful he was back, that he’d chosen to return.
For a moment, she pondered what her life would have been like if she’d had to bury him, instead of holding his hand in the hospital. But what came to her, surprised her.
She would have grieved, but not like before. When Aaron had died, along with her baby, and as she relocated to Revel as a newly formed alter, she’d been left in a profound state of despair. Yet, she no longer felt that way about Five Bridges, or her new status as a fae-wolf. The experiences of the past three nights had changed her completely. She understood now that even if Grant hadn’t come back, she would have been okay moving forward alone.
Her journey had given her a new, stronger spirit with which to face the future. She had a purpose now, something she hadn’t had before. She was meant to work hard and to rid Five Bridges of as much of the evil in their world as she could.
For the immediate future, that evil was still in the form of Kryder. This time, there would be no half-measures.
This time, Kryder must die.
But first, she and Grant needed to make some careful plans. Together.
Chapter Fourteen
As Grant recovered, he kept remembering the sounds of the fae held captive in Kryder’s dungeon room. She’d been in pain and if he understood the full extent of Kryder’s methods in The Sapphire Club, the fae would have been pumped with the sapphire flame drug in order to enhance her futurism.
What he feared was the typical brand of vengeance Kryder would have exacted when Grant slipped away from the hook-and-chains in the torture room. He couldn’t even be sure the fae was still alive.
Despite his fears, he would do whatever he could to secure the fae’s rescue.
Natalie had left the bay to escort Emma to the exit door. Grant had thanked the witch for again tending to his wounds.
As he stared up at the ceiling, he still couldn’t believe he’d basically performed a feat of dematerialization when he brought their corporeal bodies to the beach in Santa Cruz. Yet, what had been more miraculous was that even with a severed artery, he’d managed to pilot the dreamglide back to Phoenix. Of course, if Natalie hadn’t been with him, he would have died on the beach.
He felt wrung out, yet restless. Kryder was probably already checking the future to see what his next move should be. Maybe he should do the same.
When Natalie returned, he was about to ask her, when she said, “I should find out what’s happening with Kryder, don’t you think? In the future, I mean.”
He smiled. She looked beautiful with her light brown hair and a mass of curls around her face. When she sat down, he took a long lock between his fingers. “You have the softest hair.”
“And so much of it. And very curly.”
His lips curved. “My wolf loves it.”
She smiled but said nothing more.
He searched her eyes. “You don’t have to jump into the future just yet. Not if you don’t want to.”
“Oh, no, I want to. Part of the lesson of the past few hours, of being separated from you, was not being sensible enough to check. Let me do it now.”
“Good deal.” He released a sigh grateful they were on the same page.
She sat down in the bedside chair then closed her eyes. He didn’t see the usual tensing up because of the pain she’d described to him earlier. Instead, she’d never looked more peaceful during the process.
He watched and waited. She took her time, yet no particular emotion showed on her face.
Finally, she opened her eyes and murmured softly, “Huh.”
“What?”
“He’s alone in what I believe is his apartment at The Sapphire Club. His room is in blue tones. I kept checking in five-minute intervals. He remains in place either sitting and sipping a Scotch or pacing. He’s frowning hard.
“No phone calls?”
“Nothing.”
“How far into the future did you go?”
“Until dawn.”
Grant leaned back against the pillow. Kryder had to be up to something. “Can you check on the fae, the one that was in the room next to mine?”
She nodded and once more closed her eyes.
When she was done, this time her brow was furrowed. “She’s resting on the bare floor, but I couldn’t see her face. She’s definitely breathing. He keeps her in chains and she’s covered in blue flames. Grant, we need to get her out of there.”
“We will. For now, though, I need a good meal and maybe a couple of hours of rest to finish healing. Then we can tackle what we can accomplish before dawn.”
“Are you thinking of going back to the Meldorin Compound?”
He shook his head slowly. “If I go back, Kryder will attack again.”
“Would you like to join me at Agnes’s compound?”
He agreed readily.
He continued, “First, I think we need to go invisible. It’s possible we can’t be tracked in the future if we can’t be seen.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. But I want you to know I won’t return to my canal home until Kryder is out of the picture permanently.”
They took a few minutes to thank the staff at the refuge, then headed to the ER doors. Once outside, he spoke the word softly, “Begin.” The invisibility spell covered them both instantly since what they could see now had the usual soft glow.
“Let’s fly together.”
She smiled up at him. “I’d love that.”
He slid his arm around her waist and lifted them into the air. He could feel that she was using her levitation as well to match his movements.
As he flew, it struck him hard that he now had a woman by his side. He’d asked her to marry him and she’d told him she loved him. His chest expanded, and he took in more air. His heart felt full for the first time in years.
He squeezed her waist and she wiggled just enough to slide her own arm around his waist. She hugged him in return.
The flight to the compound didn’t take long. If we could get inside without have to check in with the guards, that would be the best thing possible.
I’ve thought of that. Agnes is meeting us. Watch, she’ll open the door in a moment then let me know when we can touch down and slip through.
Perfect.
The tall metal door opened, and Agnes appeared. She stepped toward the guards and began chatting with them.
Natalie said, “We can go in now.”
Grant began his descent and the moment he felt the cement beneath his feet, he let go of Natalie. He took her hand instead, moved swiftly and quietly between the guards, past Agnes then slipped through the doorway.
I’ll lead the way, Natalie said. The cottage is past the terrace and the townhouses, second on the right.
Agnes’s compound was a small gem surrounded by tall walls. He’d heard about her security system, that it included an invisible grid across the entire top of the property. No one could drop inside the walls, whether in an invisible state or not, without tripping the alarm.
Natalie levitated and sped through the larg
e patio. Several women and a couple of men were talking quietly. The compound was a place of recovery with several private safe houses for anyone in serious trouble.
A large central green belt was flanked by rows of townhouses on either side. He could see a cottage straight back, but at the end of the townhouses on the right, Natalie moved toward another cottage. It was set back from the other dwellings. There was also more new construction of what looked like additional cottages. The property was quite large.
Once at their destination, he followed Natalie around the back. She entered his mind with, I left the slider unlocked. I thought it might be best, since we’re invisible, to enter through the rear.
Good thinking.
She opened the door and the moment they were inside, she drew the vertical blinds then went around and closed whatever coverings the other windows had.
He followed her into the living room, a space that was barely nine feet wide.
“There. We’re safe. Or as safe as we can possibly be.”
“But we should stay invisible.”
She stood in front of him and nodded. “I agree. I’m hoping it will keep anyone from seeing us in the immediate future.”
He’d been bleeding out on a beach in California barely two hours ago. He’d almost died en route and most certainly he’d died in the ER. Now he was here. With Natalie. He’d been given a second chance and he wasn’t about to blow it.
“You look so serious,” she said. “What are you thinking?”
“I want to apologize for the way I behaved after we made love. I was acting as though nothing had changed, as though now that I had defeated Kryder, I could pick right back up where I’d left off. I dismissed you without a single thought. I didn’t even bother to see you to safety myself. I’m so sorry, Natalie.”
She took a step toward him. “And I apologize for not saying something to you then and there. I could have, but I didn’t. I wanted an excuse to disappear and you gave it to me. I think we were both pretending we could walk away, no problem.
“But Grant, I have never felt so desolate in Five Bridges as I was during the time I spent apart from you. I even went to the chapel to think things through.” She chuckled softly. “I confess I offered up a few prayers, because it didn’t feel right being separated from you.”
She sighed, then continued, “I’ve built up a considerable shield against my life here. I’ve kept everyone at bay and fell right back into the old pattern the minute you walked out. “It didn’t even occur to me, until much later, that I was making a mistake by not challenging you.”
He shook his head. “Even if you had, it wouldn’t have mattered. I was too focused on pack business and refused to acknowledge how important you’d become to me. The truth was that I feared losing you, feeling that grief again.”
“We were similar in that way,” she said. “Renee even asked me to take a look at my deepest fears and it was the same. I didn’t want to love you because if I did then my heart could get broken all over again. But what I didn’t understand was how much being with you had already changed me. I began to see life in Five Bridges differently, as a daily challenge I needed to pick up and accept rather than this horrendous burden to bear.
“I know that in our world, and because of the role you play in Savage, I could lose you in the next five minutes. But the uncertainty of it no longer matters to me. I guess you could say I’ve come to accept the reality of this life. No, not just to accept but to embrace how hard this life is. How impossible.” She stepped closer and put her hands on his chest. “I love you and I’ll keep loving you for as long as we have together.”
“We’re in the same place then.” He felt his lips curve. “So, here’s my next question. Will you bond with me?”
“Hell, yeah I will. The sooner the better.”
He glanced around. “Does this place have a bed?”
She grinned. “Sorry, it’s a queen. We’ll have to snuggle.”
He chuckled then swept her up to cradle her, one arm slung behind her knees. She slid her hand behind his neck then planted her lips against his.
She’d been doing this from the start, kissing him straight out, and he loved it.
However, he didn’t do much to encourage her in the middle of the living room. He wanted to get on with things.
He returned the way he’d come and walked down a short hallway. The glow held which meant they were still behind their invisibility shield. The partially-opened door to what had to be the bedroom was just past a dining area adjacent to the kitchen.
He shoved the door with his bare foot until it swung wide.
The room was oddly charming with the queen-sized bed opposite and a fireplace to the right. He lowered her to her feet. He was still caked with blood here and then so like hell he was taking her to bed in this state.
“I need a shower.”
She smiled again. “Me, too, though it’ll be tight. Just warning you.”
“I like it tight.”
She gasped then slipped beneath his arm and ran to the bathroom door. Her long, tunic shirt and bra had disappeared before she crossed the threshold. Once inside, she turned and threw her shoes at him, then began stripping off her leggings. These, too, landed on his arms.
He dropped the lot then headed in her direction. Once at the threshold, he looked inside. “This might be the smallest bathroom I’ve ever seen.”
Her back was to him and she was bent over slightly setting the water running in an equally small shower.
She glanced at him over her shoulder as she tested the temperature. “You just going to stand there?”
He realized he’d become fixated on her bare bottom.
She added, “Lose your pants or maybe I should call them shorts.”
He glanced down at the shredded leather and unbuttoned. There was a slit down the right side as well as gashes on the upper parts of the pants. Nothing was left below the knees. Kryder had worked hard to make him hurt.
As he stripped, he watched Natalie step into the shower. He owed her so much. Hell, he owed her his life. At least twice.
He drew close. “You amaze me, Natalie.”
She had her head beneath the nozzle and waved him inside. “Same here,” she said as he eased his way in.
He barely fit, but he wasn’t sure it was a bad thing since he was essentially pressed up against her.
She then slid in the direction of the shower door to let him pass and suggested he shampoo his hair. Given his height, he had to bend his knees to get beneath the spray. She bunched herself into the corner and chuckled.
Holding a bottle of shampoo, she squeezed it into his waiting hand. As he began to lather up, he felt himself relax, head to foot. Until this moment, he hadn’t realized how much this was what he had wanted, the normalcy of showering with the woman he loved.
He turned to face the showerhead in order to stand upright and give himself some room to work. He felt Natalie move in closer. She joined in and helped lather his hair. She worked it all the way to the ends.
Besides having bled from a dozen wounds during the torture, he’d sweat profusely as well. He could tell she was using additional shampoo to work the sand from his hair.
Thank you, he said quietly mind-to-mind.
You’re welcome. This warm water feels like heaven, doesn’t it?
Yes, it does. Your hands do as well.
She leaned into him, her front to his back, and he laughed. Okay, your breasts, too.
He felt her fingers graze his thighs then she was fondling his cock. He drew in a deep breath. His hands froze and all he could feel was the sensation of being stroked with a soapy hand.
That’s amazing.
She pressed her head against his back. Want to come like this? Right now?
His jaw quivered as he planted his palms against the tile. Yes.
She began to stroke him firmly and in long glides down the length of his cock. He was already rock hard. Her voice penetrated his mind. I want you insi
de me. I want to spread my legs wide and have your cock push and push until you reach the depth of me. Then I will hold onto you as you pull back. Her fist went faster. He thought she was groaning but it turned out to be him.
Keep talking, he said. I like it.
I want you moving fast, Grant, with your teeth biting my neck like you did last time, holding me still while you have your way with me.
Faster she pumped though in shorter, quick strokes, closer to his head.
I’ll feel you up as you get close, dig my nails into your skin, and as I come, I’ll scream long and loud.
Fuck, he said. I’m coming.
She kept the rhythm steady as each pulse erupted through his cock. Pleasure coursed through his veins and lit his brain on fire. He caught her fist to let her know he was good.
She surrounded him with both arms and pressed her head against his back. She sighed heavily. I love you.
For a moment, with so many chemicals dominating his body and mind, he couldn’t respond. He took deep breaths and savored the warm water that hit his chest.
She loved him. His eyes burned.
Slowly he turned around careful not to hurt her in the cramped quarters. When he was facing her, he slid his arms around her and kissed her. He went deep with the kiss, letting her feel his love, his gratitude for her. I love you, too. So much, Natalie. God, so much.
She moaned and kissed him in return, her nails fulfilling her earlier promise as they dug into the muscles of his shoulders and back. Her tongue dueled with his.
He drew back. I want my tongue inside you and I want to hear you scream.
Her eyelids fluttered. As her knees gave out, he caught her. He was chuckling, but she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. She said, I loved making you come, but I want you so much right now, I ache just about everywhere. My sex, my heart. Even my toes keep curling and uncurling.
We’d better wash all this soap off, then.
~ ~ ~
Natalie watched him crane his neck to get under the water to rinse the shampoo out of his hair. While he did, she took the time to rub off any other debris that had resulted from his recent brush from death.
