by Quinn Loftis
But now, Tara saw his head drop forward. His shoulders slumped. She frowned.
“Elias?”
He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her stomach. The movement was so fast Tara gasped. Her hands instinctively went to his hair, and she began to run her fingers through it.
“There are no words for how sorry I am Shelly has been hurt and taken,” he said, his voice muffled because of his face pressing against her. “You have every right to hate me, but I couldn’t let you go. I don’t know what I would have done if Tucker had gotten his hands on you.”
Tara wasn’t angry anymore. She was devastated, but the entire day she’d been feeling all of Elias’s emotions because of their soul bond, and it was breaking her. The anguish he felt because of what had happened was torture.
“I’m not angry,” she said. “It’s not your fault. The only one at fault is Tucker.”
“And he didn’t pay for what he did. But he will, luv, I promise you that.”
“Zuri said the battle was intense. She said she’d never seen you fight with such focus and ruthlessness. She spoke like a proud mother.”
Elias chuckled. “I was trying so hard to figure out a way to get Shelly from him before he could hurt her. There were archers moving into place on the mountain, but we didn’t bring them in fast enough. It’s been a very long time since we’ve had an enemy show up at the academy door.”
“Will Ra be able to get her back?” Tara asked as she continued to stroke his hair. She could feel him relax a little, and she liked knowing she could give him that comfort.
“If anyone can, it’s him. Ra is one of the best fighters I’ve ever seen. He’s relentless. He meant it when he said he’d get her back or stay with her. Which essentially meant he would die with her.”
Tara swallowed the bile that rose up in her throat at the thought of losing Shelly. It would kill her.
“I can feel your exhaustion,” Elias said as he looked up at her. “You need rest. We all do. We won’t be worth anything if we don’t keep up our strength.”
He was right. But there were also other things that had to be dealt with.
“What about Carol and Shelly’s parents?” she asked.
“Terrick and Itterra have gone to them,” he said.
Tara’s eyes widened. “Seriously? What are they going to do?”
“Tell them the truth. The headmaster and mistress respect the fact that Shelly is their daughter, and they deserve to know what’s happened, as does Carol. They will cast protection spells on them, but neither Carol nor Shelly’s parents will be allowed to come here. It would put them in too much danger.”
“Will I be able to talk to them?”
Elias nodded. “You can call them first thing in the morning. Right now, I think you’re about to drop.” He stood and picked her up, cradling her in his strong arms. He walked over to a door and stepped inside. It was a bathroom. He set her on her feet and pointed to a cabinet. “Towels are in there. Take a shower. I’ll bring you some clothes. I’ll take one while you’re getting ready and then I’ll be back.”
Her brow rose. “Back?”
“I’ll sleep on the floor if you want, though I’d prefer to hold you. But I won’t leave you. You’re mine, Tara. We belong together. We are stronger together. You will realize that when we complete the bond and start using our magic together.”
He left without another word. Tara’s voice was stuck in her throat. It sounded like he’d made up his mind that they were going to be married or something. Part of that made her giddy, and part of it freaked her the hell out. They were so young. How could you commit to a person you barely knew? But then, how could she not when she also knew he was her soul mate, her perfect match? She wanted him and she needed him.
Tara continued to think as she showered. When she got out, she saw a stack of folded clothes waiting for her. She shivered at the idea of Elias coming into the bathroom while she’d been naked. But then again, maybe it had been Zuri. Tara also noticed her bathroom had been stocked with a variety of toiletries.
She dressed, brushed her teeth, and combed her wet hair. When she opened the door she found Elias laying on the bed, wearing a pair of sleep pants and no shirt.
Bloody. Hell. She forced her mouth to stay closed. She knew if she didn’t, the gathering drool would come falling out.
“You’re going to have to put on a shirt,” she said.
“Why is that?” Elias asked with a flirty smile on his handsome face.
“Because your body is too hot for words, and I don’t want to molest you.”
“And if I want you to molest me?”
“I’d tell you one of us has to be the responsible one.”
Smirking, he reached behind him and produced a T-shirt. She glared at him. He’d purposefully laid himself out like a damn centerfold. Elias slipped on the shirt and then held his hand out to her.
“Come here, luv,” he said, his voice dropping into bedroom mode. “I need to hold you.”
Tara’s feet moved without her permission, and before she knew it, she was crawling on the bed and lying down beside him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and tucked her close to him. His body was turned toward hers, and he pressed his face against her neck where her shoulder met it. Elias took a deep breath and then pressed a kiss to the sensitive skin.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“As a guy? Absolutely not. But as a warrior for the earth elementalists, then yes.”
He chuckled. “I promise not to corrupt you too much.” He kissed her again but kept his face against her. “I love you, Tara. It doesn’t make sense, and I know I sound like a nutter. But that doesn’t change the fact that I love you. I will do everything in my power to protect you, to make sure you get Shelly back, and to drive you insane. Mostly in pleasant ways.”
“You’re crazy,” she said. “But I can’t deny how I feel about you. I don’t understand it either, but I’m falling in love with you. I can’t imagine my life without you anymore.”
“Good. Because you’ll never be without me.”
She yawned and he pulled her tighter against him. “Sleep, luv. In the morning, we will face the coming trials. Tonight, let me hold you.” He pulled his face away from hers and looked into her eyes. His hand reached up, stroked her cheek, and then pulled her face toward his. Their lips hovered so close, barely touching. The memory of his kiss was enough to make her mouth water. Finally, he closed the distance between them and kissed her. His firm lips felt like heaven, and when he deepened the kiss, his tongue danced with her own. Elias groaned as his hand traveled to her waist and ran down her side to her hip. Her own hand ran up his chest, his neck, and then tangled in his hair. She could feel his heartbeat against her chest and wondered if he could feel hers. Tara moaned as he bit her bottom lip. Elias ripped himself away from her with a growl.
“New rule,” he said, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. “No more kissing while I hold you in bed.”
Tara smiled and pressed her fingertips to her swollen lips. When he looked over at her, the heat in his eyes was enough to burn her up.
“I think that’s a good rule.”
He shook his head. “No. It’s a dumb-arse rule and I hate it. But necessary if you want me to not undress you and join our bodies and our magic and our souls. Because that’s what I want.”
“I’m not quite ready for that,” she breathed out.
“I know,” he said as he tucked her hair behind her ear. “And I’ll wait until you are.” He pulled her against him once again and settled next to her. “Sleep, my love. Tomorrow, we will meet with Ra and make the plan to get Shelly back while the rest plan for war.”
Tara closed her eyes and prayed to any god that might be listening that Shelly was okay. She felt guilty she was being held comfortably in the arms of her soulmate while her friend was in hell. I’m sorry, Shelly. Just hang in there. We will get you back. She was going to have to trust Ra, a gu
y she didn’t know, to bring her best friend back alive. If Shelly didn’t make it, then Tara didn’t know if even the soul bond could keep the darkness from consuming what was left of her soul.
The End
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Continue reading for a sneak peek of the second book in the Nature Hunters Academy Series, Sealed by Fire.
Sneak Peek Sealed by Fire
Book 2, Nature Hunter Academy Series
Her breasts were on fire. That was the first thought that entered Shelly’s mind as her faculties slowly came back online. Why in the hell were her breasts on fire? Shelly tried to take a breath, but then her lungs caught fire as well. She must be sleeping while her house burned down around her. Why wasn’t the smoke detector going off? Why couldn’t she wake up? “WAKE UP!” She screamed inside of her mind. But no matter how hard she willed herself to open her eyes, her body wouldn’t move. She was going to burn alive, completely aware of it, and unable to do anything to save herself.
As the thought threatened to drive her mad, she felt flames licking at her feet. They took hold and traveled up her body. The flames sped over her calves, her thighs, and then up her hips and stomach. The burning reached her chest but didn’t slow. It moved right on to her neck, her face, and finally, covered the top of her head. This isn’t fair. I should be stopping, dropping, and rolling, but I can’t even move. All those drills in kindergarten were for nothing.
Damn furry, gluteus maximus, son of a teet. Shelly mentally cursed Smokey the Bear and his prevent forest fire mantra only because she needed someone to curse, and he seemed the most logical culprit. At least in her panic-driven, pain-filled mind.
The pain grew in intensity, and she wondered why she was still alive. Shouldn’t I have burned up by now? How long did it take the human body to burn until death occurred? She wondered. That would have been helpful information to know. At least she would know how long her torture would last. And if burning alive didn’t kill her quickly enough (and it obviously wasn’t), then maybe they should have taught how long it took to die from smoke inhalation. Then, at least she could breathe deeper to hopefully hasten her demise. Just die already, Shelly thought, hoping if she couldn’t force herself to wake up, then maybe she could end her life faster by willing it so.
Good grief. You know things are bad when you are trying to will yourself to die.
She wished she could move, even if it was just to flail about like an idiot. Anything would be better than being frozen in her burning flesh. As the frustration built inside of her, Shelly found herself screaming every profanity she could think of, though it was only inside of her mind since she had no control over her body. She let the pain overtake her and rage followed on the anger’s heels. When she was exhausted from screaming, she cried. When she didn’t have the energy left to cry, she just burned.
Visit https://www.quinnloftisbooks.com/naturehuntersacademy to get your copy of Sealed by Fire!
About the Author
Quinn Loftis is a multi-award-winning author of over thirty novels, including the USA Today Bestseller, Fate and Fury. When she isn’t creating exciting worlds filled with romantic werewolves, she works as a pediatric nurse and crafts like there’s no tomorrow. She is blessed to be married to her best friend for over twenty years and they have three sons, a French Bulldog and a cat that wants to take over the world.
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Quinn’s Bookshelf
The Grey Wolves Series
The Gypsy Healer Series
The Nature Hunters Academy Series
The Elfin Series
The Dream Maker Series
Clan Hakon Series
You can also find Quinn writing contemporary romances as her alter ego, Alyson Drake, at www.alysondrake.com.