by Eve, Jaymin
Once I was properly dry—I used magic on my hair—I slipped beneath the covers, snuggling into the warm bed. The fire was starting to die down, and I didn’t bother to add more magic, because I didn’t like my room too hot when I slept.
Despite my nerves over sharing a bed with Louis, exhaustion won out as my eyes fluttered shut and I sank even deeper into the comfortable mattress. Sometime later, the bed dipped slightly and I felt his energy wrap around me.
His power was so strong it followed the damned sorcerer around like an entourage.
My body was tense, despite my half-asleep state, as I waited to see what he would do. A strong arm snaked around my middle, dragging me across the bed and into him. He’d pulled on soft pajama pants, and I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or not.
His hand slipped around my front and pressed possessively, his fingers stopping short of the place that ached for him. “Didn’t take you for a naked sleeper,” he said, close to my ear.
I relaxed back against him, forcing myself not to arch and slide those fingers a little closer to where I wanted them. “Yes, have been for most of my adult life. Clothes are annoying.”
His chest rumbled against my back as he laughed. “Fine by me if you want to ditch them permanently. Of course, you’ll never be able to leave the house, or have any friends….”
He trailed off and I could tell he was pleased with that suggestion. “Never gonna happen, Louis. You get to control me a little during sex, but in the rest of my life you get no say.”
His hold tightened on me, but he didn’t reply. I felt the predatory nature taking him over as he staked his claim on me. “You weren’t sure about the bond, remember?” I said breathlessly, because his fingers were stroking me softly.
His teeth sank into my shoulder and I shuddered, spreading my legs a little further. He was turning me into a sex addict. I couldn’t seem to get enough.
“I want you,” he said, so softly I almost missed it. “I’m not sure I can let you go, even though it’s the worst fucking idea ever to mate with someone like me. I’m not good for you, for anyone.”
“Fuck,” I groaned. “I don’t want you to be with me just because of this bond.”
But if he moved his hand right now, I would kill him. Two fingers slid inside, while his thumb stroked across me.
“It’s not just the bond, Elizabeth, and you know it.”
I didn’t know anything in that moment, because his expert fingers had me in my new favorite place. As he continued to stroke me, my mind turned into a dizzying sensation of pleasure before I cried out, my body tightening around him. When I was done, I let out a low groan and chuckle. “I think it might be safer if I put underwear on at least.”
Louis made an annoyed sound but didn’t protest when I magicked some underwear bottoms from my drawer nearby. I didn’t bother with a top, because that really would annoy me, but I could do panties.
I remembered what Louis had said about the bond, about it being more than that. He’d used my full name, which he only did when he was serious. “We can talk about the bond tomorrow,” I said around a huge yawn. I wasn’t sure what he did after that, because darkness dragged me under. Apparently all a girl needed for a good night’s sleep was half a dozen or more orgasms. Good to know.
17
Louis
She slept like the dead, barely stirring even when I pulled her back against me. I was tired as well; the last week had been hell without her, and I’d barely slept. I wanted to just feel her in my arms. To touch her soft skin.
This night had been more than I ever expected. I guess I’d never really let myself imagine being with her, so I shouldn’t have had any expectations, but somehow I had. And this blew them all out of the water. She had shattered under my hands, her body so responsive. I was getting hard just thinking about it.
It amused me as well, the way she challenged me. Four orgasms. That would be a short night between us if I had anything to do with it. In her sleep, she turned toward me, snuggling in closer, and my heart did some sort of fucking stupid twirl in my chest. Tee knew how to bury herself under my skin; she’d been doing it since we were children, but it was only now I realized just how deep her hold was.
You cemented the bond further. What the hell did you expect?
I’d been too weak to stay away from her, and now, whether she realized it or not, she belonged to me. I would never let her go.
Eventually I buried my head into her luscious hair, which I was probably scarily obsessed with, and sleep dragged me under. I had not slept soundly for many years, since before Regina was murdered, and I expected the nightmares to jerk me from sleep, but I didn’t stir until I sensed someone on the edge of Tee’s wards. She’d done a very good job at securing her property, and if she wasn’t so asleep right now, I knew she would be sensing the alert too. I didn’t move immediately, because I knew who was outside, and those handsy bastards could wait a few minutes. Their presence bothered me though, so eventually I slipped out of bed and shut down the ward alarms so they wouldn’t wake Tee.
Striding across to the front door, I opened it before I even got there. Three bears stood on the other side, eyeballing the hell out of me.
“What are you doing here?” I bit out, sending power with those words. The three of them flinched, but they didn’t move.
The tallest stepped a little further forward. “Elizabeth is a member of our family, and even though she said stay away, I don’t fucking trust you, mage. We’re here to check on her.”
A small part of me was relieved that she had such loyal friends—family, if they thought that—but a larger part of me was pissed off that they were on my mate’s doorstep.
Fucking bears.
“She’s fine. She’s asleep right now, and I would heed her warning to stay away.”
The middle one crossed his arms, trying to use his size to intimidate me. Little did he know, I could make the three of them disappear with barely a thought. They were lucky I cared too much about Tee to hurt her like that.
“I want to see her,” he insisted.
A rumble rocked my body, and I barely contained the growl. If they thought I was going to let them look at my mostly naked, asleep mate, they were fucking delusional.
“You’re treading on dangerous ground, bear. I do admire your tenacity, and I’m grateful for any way you cared for Tee while I was out of her life, but I will take it from here. You can fuck off.”
He pushed back at me, even though I could see the wariness in his eyes. He was brave, I’d give him that, but also smart enough to know the predator I was. Especially when it came to Tee.
“I’m not leaving until I see with my own eyes that she’s okay,” he rumbled, his body changing as the bear took over. His wingmen remained loyally at his side but didn’t speak.
“I’m fine, Connor. You can stop worrying.” A soft voice broke through our standoff, and I snapped my gaze to her, relieved to see she had pulled on a robe. It was tied tightly around her body, her mussed hair flying around her head. She looked stunning, and I wanted to drag her right back into bed.
She shot a smile at the middle bear shifter, who must be Connor. “I appreciate you checking in on me though.”
Connor relaxed somewhat, even though he was still nailing me with dark glares. “Okay, Liz, we’re heading back now. Got to make that big meeting, but keep me updated.”
He pulled out his phone and waved it at her, and she nodded. “Yep. Have a safe trip.”
The three turned and stomped off, and I spun to face my mate. She lifted her hands before I could move or say anything. “If you even mention once that I have to stop being friends with them, I’m gonna kick your ass right out my door and I will spend the rest of my life figuring out how to ward this place so you can’t get in.”
Her fire filled my body with energy, and I couldn’t stop from stalking closer to her. “You’d succeed as well, I have no doubt.” There was nothing she couldn’t do when she wanted it badly enough. �
�I wasn’t going to ask you to give them up. I know they’re family, but you’re going to have to give me some time to wrap my head around it.”
She shrugged. “That’s fair. I’ll allow you time to adjust, until … whatever this is we are doing ends.” Her voice was filled with indifference, but I could see the fear in her eyes. She was truly afraid that I would bail on her, break her heart again.
She was wrong. I’d tasted her now, and I would never have enough.
She must have read something in my expression then that clued her in on my thoughts, because her eyes filled with heat as she took a step closer to me. “The bed is awfully cold right now,” she murmured, her teeth pressing against her bottom lip as she stared up at me. The slice of innocence in her almost stole my breath away, and I had to force myself to focus because she was probably going to destroy my mind.
“I was planning on getting right back in,” I said, our bodies mere inches apart.
There was desire in her eyes as she smiled. My heart did another stupid swirl, because it was a disloyal bastard and had apparently forgotten the last time a Montgomery tore it from my chest.
Her smile faded as she turned, watching me closely. “Having some regrets?” she asked lightly, taking a step back, her hands tightening her robe. Like that would protect her from me.
Using magic, I lifted her up in a rush and dragged her right across to me. She shot me a narrow-eyed look, and then her energy fought my own, halting her movement. Desire hit me so hard I was near knocked to me knees. She was strong. So amazingly strong. Her power was like a wild, ancient bird, freely flying around the world, untouched.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that you’re my true mate,” I told her honestly. “If I’d had to list the supe most likely, it would be you. It was always you.”
“No!” she cried, and her fight died, replaced by sorrow. It drifted along our bond and I released my power on her, letting her fall gently to the ground. I wasn’t sure what had happened, and I wanted desperately to gather her close to me.
But she needed a moment, that much was clear.
When she finally lifted her head and stood tall, her face was clear and her eyes were dry. “It was not always me,” she said, cutting through me. “I had to stand on the sidelines and watch you love my sister. I had to stand on the sidelines and watch how much it destroyed you when she died. Regina was everything. It destroyed every fucking one of us!”
She had been left alone. Guilt at my part in that was coursing through me, burning my veins like acid.
“My parents checked out,” she said, “and I was pretty sure both of them were happy to die on the battlefield. Anything to be reunited with Reggie. And you … you were gone. In mind and soul and spirit. The last few times I saw you, I didn’t even recognize you. All of you left me. And I rebuilt my life here. I found new friends. Now you want to barge in and start demanding things from me. To start … making me feel for you again.” She took a few steps forward, and she was pleading with me. “Please, no more. I can’t do it again. I can’t lose you again. I can’t be second choice again.”
Because I couldn’t help myself, I wrapped my arms around her and buried my head in her hair, breathing her in. “I have a lifetime to make it up to you,” I said, a seal of promise in my voice. “I can’t take the past back, but … I would, if the opportunity presented itself.”
She froze before tilting her head back and meeting my eyes. “You’d take what back exactly?”
Lowering my head, I pressed my mouth to hers. “Everything,” I murmured. “I would take it all back … except you.”
It was a truth I had been coming to terms with for a long time now. That what I felt for Regina was strong, but it was not … enough. We didn’t really know each other, we’d fallen into a mateship so quickly, and I’d let myself pretend for some time.
Because she was as close as I could get to her sister.
I saw it now. I had been in love with Tee back then, but she never indicated she wanted more than friendship, so I’d let myself go for the next best thing. And I had fallen for Regina, that much I would never deny, but my feelings back then were nothing on the roaring surges of emotion that Elizabeth Teresa Montgomery dragged from me every second I was with her.
“You can’t mean that?” she said, trying to wiggle down from me. “Remember who you’re talking to. I saw you two together. I felt the devastation after she died. Don’t lie to me!”
This conversation had been a long time coming. We would never be able to move forward unless we healed from the past. I didn’t let her pull free from me though. I couldn’t let her go.
“Tee, please, listen to me. I promise I’m not lying. Regina was the substitute for you, she even accused me of it during one fight we had just before she died.” Another reason I’d let guilt consume me. “And I mourned not just for her, but for you. I mourned for you, because I lost a chosen mate, but you lost your sister. She was your best friend. And I should have been there to keep her safe.”
Tears sprinkled from her eyes before trailing down her cheeks. She was wheezing as she tried to get herself together. “I can’t believe you,” she cried, and then I was blasted back with her power.
I didn’t bother to break my fall, knowing I deserved her anger. My back hit the wall next to her fireplace, but before I could crash through it—and her power was enough that I would definitely have gone through the timber—she pulled me up and dropped me to my feet.
“I need some time,” she said, tears still streaming down her cheeks. “I need to visit my sister and my parents, and I need to figure out if I can believe the words you’ve just given me. If I can believe in us again.”
As much as I didn’t want to leave her, I knew how stubborn she could be. If this is what she thought she needed, then I would give it to her.
“This time for real, Louis. I’m not kidding.”
I nodded. “I understand, this is a lot, but I promise … I have not lied to you. Not about us. Not about the truth of Regina and me. I need you to know that while I might have panicked in those first few days, I’ve finally come to my senses. I will fight for this bond, Tee. I will not let you go again.”
She buried her head in her hands and soft sobs stabbed me in the chest. The floors started to rock as my power leaked out and energy swirled in my center. If she didn’t stop crying, I was probably going to accidentally destroy her house. At least I had enough control to make sure she wasn’t hurt in the fallout.
Large silvery eyes were locked on me now, and while tears still poured from them, she was no longer sobbing. “You’re so different,” she whispered. “Kind of ironic that it took literal darkness to infiltrate your soul before our bond clicked in. I didn’t get the light, kind Louis. I get this badass, scary Louis.”
I chuckled, taking a step toward her because I couldn’t help myself. “I’ve always been scary, you know that.”
She chuckled, her fingertips wiping away her tears. “Yes, you have always been scary, but now there’s an edge to you that wasn’t there before. A darkness that is part of who you are now, and it makes me wonder why….”
I finished her thought. “Because you’re light. You’re the one who keeps my darkness at bay, and unfortunately that’s going to be a bitch of a job for the rest of your life, but I hope it’s one you decide to take on.”
She considered me for a moment. “I want to say yes—every single part of me wants to say yes—but I think I need to deal with my past first. So give me this time.”
I nodded. I would try my best not to break my word to her. It was the least I could do.
“I’ll be in Romania later today,” I said. “At the sanctuary. We’re meeting there with all the supernatural leaders around the world. If you have decided by then, I’d love to see you there.”
I left it at that, and before she could utter another word, I used magic to speed across to her. Lifting her in my arms, I pressed my lips to hers, just one brief, brushing kiss, and then I set
her down before turning and striding out of her house.
In a heartbeat, I had my step-through open and I was gone.
Leaving part of my soul behind.
18
Elizabeth Teresa Montgomery II
The moment Louis left, a scream rocked through me. Since I knew I was alone on my hill, I let it spill out of me in a roar of emotion. I’d asked him to leave … to give me time … again. But now that he was gone, his energy no longer filling every inch of my life, I felt empty.
Weakness invaded my core, and I forced myself to straighten, to magic some clothes onto myself and to do exactly what I’d told him I had to do. I had to deal with my past.
My step-through led me back home, to the place where my sister and parents were buried, to the old farmhouse I had spent my youth in. In Aberdeen, Mississippi. The farm was still mine. I had left it there because I couldn’t face it, but I hadn’t been able to get rid of it either.
Ignoring the old house, I headed toward the gravesite where my ancestors were all buried. It was right at the far end, beyond the fields of wildflowers. In my absence, everything had gotten unruly. Out of control. And I loved it. This was how nature should look.
Magic kept the grass down around the gravestones, and I paused at the gate, my heart thundering in my chest. I had only been back here once since Regina, and that was to bury my parents.
Worst fucking daughter and sister ever—but it hurt too much to know they were truly gone from my life. Before I could enter, I found myself hesitating and then turning away. I started to run through the fields, like I had as a child, my hands brushing across the flowers.
My favorite old tree was still in its spot, shading the world, and I crawled up onto its thick roots and watched the clouds. Louis used to find me here all the time. All of the millions of times he had comforted me, protected me, stuck up for me against bullies….
Even before we had power, I was always the poor supe, the wild one who didn’t follow rules and liked to dress in bright colors. Regina fit in better, but she was still always a little on the outside. People were very critical of social standings back when we were kids.
