Elemental Awakening Book Bundle

by Nicola Claire

  I wanted to feel Theo everywhere. Inside and out. I wanted him to claim me; body, heart and soul. I wanted more than I had a right to ask for, but I didn't care. Right then, as Theo lost himself in me and I lost all possible chance to think reasonably, I didn't care. That we were enemies. That he was not mine and I was not his. In that moment, when our bodies came together, I could fool myself into believing our hearts and souls did too.

  Sweat pooled between us, making every glide of his skin against mine pure bliss. Heat rolled through me, but although Theo's eyes bled a little gold, I was sure his Stoicheio had not been unleashed. Like me, he wanted this to be honest. Just him, just me, just our bodies, just this moment. Nothing else, but an honesty that can only be found when you give yourself completely to another.

  I cried out as an orgasm slammed into me. It rocked my body and made me clench in places I had no idea I could control. Theo groaned above me, muttered something about me being so tight and then thrust one more time, seating himself so very deep, deeper than he had until that moment, and groaned out my name. His face dipped down into the curve of my neck and before his release was through, his teeth clamped down on the skin at the base there and held tight.

  I had the distinct impression he was claiming me. Inside and out.

  Our heartbeats were erratic. I could feel his bounding against his chest wall, thrumming through his skin into me. I think it matched the pace of mine. He held me so close, so tenderly, so possessively. I felt safe and wanted and... home. Slowly he released his hold on my neck with his teeth and pulled back. I watched as his eyes took in what was no doubt an obvious mark of his claiming, and surprise wash his face.

  He hadn't even realised he'd done that.

  He stared at his mark for several long seconds and I wondered if he regretted what we'd just done. But his face was shut down, closed off to me, leaving me strangely disturbed and confused. We'd just experienced, what I believed, was the most beautiful intimate exchange. But I had no way of knowing if he felt it too.

  "I'll get a wash cloth to clean you with," he murmured, as he pulled away, taking his warmth, and slipping from between my legs.

  An ache took up residence in my heart, only matched in its wretchedness with the ache between my legs. Muscles I hadn't even known existed flared to life with a vengeance. Letting me know I'd probably walk a little funny tomorrow. I wanted to smile at that image and the reason why it should be true, but my heart felt heavy from watching Theo's reaction.

  I think he regretted it. I think I wasn't what he'd imagined I'd be. Which was ironic, because he surpassed all expectations for me.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I Had Thought Becoming What I Was, Was The Roller-Coaster Ride From Hell

  Theo returned to the bed and carefully wiped away all evidence of what had happened. I didn't make a sound or move throughout his tender ministrations. He disappeared to the bathroom again and then when he came back, moved me beneath the covers and then slipped in beside. I was slightly shocked when he wrapped me up in his arms and laid a kiss against my temple. I had expected him to freeze me out further, hadn't dared hoped for an embrace after seeing his reaction to biting my neck.

  "Are you OK?" he whispered into my hair. "Are you in pain?"

  I shook my head to say no, finding my voice right now was impossible. I was confused and deeply scared that he hadn't enjoyed it. That I'd ruined it all somehow.

  "You're not talking, Cassandra. What's wrong?" He pulled me closer, lifted my leg and draped it over his thigh, pressing himself into my groin, sending a signal I couldn't decipher.

  I frowned and ducked my head to his chest so he couldn't see my reaction. Why did this have to be so confusing? Didn’t I have enough in my life to be confused about?

  "Casey," Theo persisted, pulling back and tilting my chin up with the tip of his finger so he could look in my eyes. "What have I done wrong? I thought you wanted this." He looked worried, concerned, and surprisingly, confused. As confused as me?

  I let a breath of air out and blinked at the emotions washing over his face. There was no hiding now. Why had he hidden before?

  I opened my mouth twice, before I found the words I needed. He waited patiently, the same look of concern and confusion on his face as before.

  "Why did you bite my neck?"

  His face shut down.

  I tried to push him away, but he just held me tighter. He muttered a long string of words in Greek and then admitted, "I hadn't intended to. I'm sorry."

  He was sorry we did it. He did regret it.

  "Oh," I said, lowering my head and staring blindly at his chest.

  "Casey," he said on a sigh. "I'd hurt you enough already, I was angry at myself for hurting you more." I didn't believe him. He must have seen the scepticism on my face.

  "It didn't hurt," I blurted, to distract him from my facial reactions.

  He paused, stiffened just a little, and then asked, voice low, "Did you enjoy the bite?"

  Of course I did. It felt like he was marking me, claiming me. My heart and soul sang when the realisation of what he was doing sunk in. I couldn't say that though. It was too revealing.

  "Casey," he persisted, shifting down in the bed until his face was nose to nose with mine. "Sweet little Gi. Tell me what you felt when I bit you?"

  Why was he pushing this? He'd regretted it, I saw. Why rub his reaction in my face now? I glared at him, but he only smiled.

  "You liked it," he said, rather arrogantly.

  I pursed my lips together and stared him down. He started laughing, threw back his head and let a loud bark of unrestrained laughter out. If I was confused before, it was nothing like I was now.

  "Oh Aetheros, what are you playing at?" he announced to the ceiling, some of his smile diminishing.

  "What has your God got to do with any of this?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest, which was difficult to do with him still pressing me firmly into his side.

  He shifted suddenly, moving above me, covering me and surrounding me with his body and arms. His eyes flashed a brilliant gold. His hips wedged themselves between mine and my traitorous body reacted to the intimate invasion. I wriggled beneath him, so he settled in just the right spot. A blush tore up my cheeks at my blatant display of arousal.

  Damn the man. He was the most confounding person I had ever met.

  "Ekmetalleftis claim their Thisavros with a bite to the neck during release," he explained, his voice low and seductive. "If the bite is not well received, then the recipient is not their Thisavros. It is... revealing to expose oneself at that most vulnerable time. Most will not endeavour to do so unless sure of the reaction they will receive. I didn't think. My body acted apart from my mind. I assumed you did not enjoy it, because my mind kept telling me you could not possibly be my Thisavros. I still find the notion unbelievable, so tell me now, Casey, did you or did you not enjoy my bite?"

  What? I stared numbly up at him, my mind racing to make sense of his words. The trees had told me I was his Thisavros, I just didn't know what a Thisavros was. But Theo wasn't sure, despite his body going through the motions to claim me. What was the safest response to give? What would protect my heart?

  I went with, "What is a Thisavros?"

  "It literally means 'treasure'. Our most precious treasure. Our mate."

  Oh. Oh, dear God. Oh.

  "You didn't regret having sex with me then?" I asked, before filtering my mouth, it seemed.

  Theo's face pulled back, stunned. "Why on earth would you think that?"

  "You seemed upset, after you bit me, when we both found release. I thought..." I couldn't finish the sentence. Way to go revealing myself.

  "Oraia," Theo murmured, his hand coming up to cup my face. "I loved it so much I want more." His hips rocked, letting me feel his erection against my centre; the evidence of his continued desire for my body.

  All tension left my frame, my heart beat a little triumphantly and I breathed out a relieved breath of air.

&n
bsp; He enjoyed it.

  He wanted more.

  I started smiling.

  "Now, little minx. Tell me you enjoyed my bite. Tell me you want more of the same. Deny convention, appease my heart, and tell me what it was like."

  What answer did he want to hear? Not that I would lie now, but it puzzled me still. He seemed so reticent to believe I could be his Thisavros, but conversely he seemed to crave a positive answer to his question as well.

  "I loved it," I breathed out. "I felt complete, I felt desired. I wanted more." I watched for his reaction, absolutely at a loss to guess what it would be.

  He blinked, a slow smile forming on his lips.

  "Sweet Casey Eden," he murmured, hand still cupping my cheek, eyes golden and staring into mine. "What a wicked web we have weaved." Ah, that was telling. His eyes scanned my face, searching for something, or just trying to commit every aspect to memory. "This complicates things," he whispered and I couldn't argue with that.

  His face dipped down and he kissed me sweetly. A tender touch of his lips to mine. It was over too briefly, leaving me tingling and desperate for more. I would always want more from this man, but my heart told me, it would always be more than he could give.

  "So," I said, as he pulled back to stare at me some more. He seemed to want to just take me in, to just look at me and do no more. I felt a little bereft at that thought, despite the heaviness in my heart dampening my mood and desire right then. "This isn't a good thing, I gather."

  He shook his head sadly. "It is not impossible to have a Thisavros from a different branch. But as we no longer mix, it is uncommon. And," he sighed, it was weighty, "also now unaccepted by the Rigas; regardless of kind."

  "Oh," I said, understanding crushing me beneath its weight.

  "The more time I spend with you, the harder it will be to let you go," Theo admitted softly. "And now, to know you are mine. Truly mine in the eyes of Aetheros, and to not be able to keep you." He swallowed, buried his face in my neck and kissed the spot he had bitten. "It tears my heart apart," he mumbled against my skin.

  I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight. He might have felt like his heart was being pulled asunder, but to me, his admission, his confirmation of what I had felt in my heart for so long, gave me bliss. Gave me encouragement. I couldn't think about being parted, because I was not going to be forced to leave. We'd find a way to stay together. We'd find a way to convince his father and all of Pyrkagia that I am not a threat and should be allowed to stay in Auckland. With Theo. If their God allowed this in the past, it wasn't wrong. It wasn't evil. There was a precedent there for us to argue with. We had a case to make, we just had to convince them.

  I fell asleep feeling happier, lighter, brighter than I had for days. Theo wanted me. He'd claimed me. He may be in shock at what he'd discovered, but he couldn't deny it was the truth. He'd see we could do this. He'd begin to believe, like I do, that all was not lost. Because it couldn't be. Not now that we'd found each other.

  It just couldn't be. Love conquered all. Right?

  I woke to warmth and a delicious male scent surrounding me. I let a small sigh slip from my lips and snuggled down further beneath the blankets and against Theo's chest.

  "Good morning," he mumbled from beside me, his hands starting to run across my skin in delicate waves.

  "Morning," I said cheerily, stretching like a cat in the sun.

  "Mmm," he murmured, ducking his head beneath the covers and wrapping his lips around a nipple.

  He licked and sucked for several seconds, then allowed his hand to slip down my side, across my hip and between my thighs. My legs parted immediately. Where had the innocent, stuttering girl gone? His finger dipped into my centre, rubbed my wetness around and around and then pulled out to coat my little nub. He swirled and pinched gently, as he nibbled and sucked firmly on my breast. My body arched, my hips seeking the exact right angle and my breasts pushing into his mouth. I was a glutton, there was no denying it now.

  "Are you hurting?" Theo breathed against the sensitive skin of my nipple.

  "No," I breathlessly replied. The ache was there, but in the background. I wanted him inside.

  "One this way first," he announced, intensifying his attempts to bring me to orgasm.

  The idea he wanted me to come this way, from his touch alone, before I came with him inside, was enough to bring me tumbling over that edge. But with his lips and teeth on my breast, and his finger steadily pumping inside, while his thumb rubbed against me, I wasn't prepared for the type of orgasm that hit me. It rocked through my body, made me cry out my release loud enough to startle birds in the trees outside, and made me shudder against his hold.

  Theo growled, shifted so he was on his back and pulled me up to straddle his hips. Oh. This was new. Then in one swift plunge he seated himself inside. He groaned a sound of complete abandon when he pulled me down firmly against his groin, then without warning he started rocking his hips, guiding mine so I rode him fast and hard.

  Oh dear Lord this was different and awesome and almost too much.

  Then he lifted his lips to my breast, sucking my peaked nipple into his mouth and all thought vanished in a cloud of desire. His movements were hungry, every single thing he did was as though he was losing control. And I was right there with him. Wanting more, needing more, greedy for more. I rocked back against him, found my own rhythm and rode him harder still.

  I had no idea this was in me. How could I have known? But part of me truly believed that only Theo could pull this reaction from my body, could elicit this wanton response. My skin sang with each touch of his hands. My moans escalated, becoming more desperate, making his movements falter, his breaths come out in ragged huffs and an animalistic sound creep up his throat.

  In a blindingly fast move he picked me up and flipped me to my back, his body never breaking contact with mine. His rhythm increased and I met him eagerly; rocking hips to rocking hips. We were both panting, sweating, making all manner of erotic demands and sounds. And then as I crested that wave of ecstasy he had created, I watched as he crumbled with me and then nestled his face in the crook of my neck and bit down hard.

  I cried out as the orgasm washed through me and his bite sent adrenaline pumping in my veins. Whether he consciously made the move to bite me, I don't know. But the moment his teeth claimed my neck his release exploded inside. He groaned into my skin, his hips still rocking, but with smaller and smaller thrusts, as he eked his orgasm out. Eventually, he collapsed on top of me, letting me take his full weight for a moment, before he slipped to the side.

  My body rolled with him, so we remained connected, as his arms wrapped around my frame and his forehead rested against mine. It was at least a few minutes before he could speak.

  "I am lost to you," he murmured, eyes still firmly closed. "Utterly lost." I couldn’t be sure, with his eyes closed, but I think he sounded sad.

  We stayed like that for too long, neither of us breaking the silence that stretched between us. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was contemplative. And the reality that the sun brought with it, pushed the last of my elation aside. He was right to be sad. This was not going to be easy.

  A knock sounded on the door and Theo immediately moved to cover me with the sheet, before calling out for Aktor to come in. I couldn't prevent my body's reaction if I had tried; heat danced provocatively across my skin. There was no denying the ancient butler knew what we had just done. Hell, he'd probably been waiting outside the door for the past fifteen minutes to be sure we were through. And I had been so vocal. Oh God. I buried my face into Theo's chest, unable to meet his servant’s eyes. Theo's hand came around my head protectively and held me in place, giving me permission to hide.

  "Sir. The meeting has been brought forward to this morning."

  "Bugger," Theo muttered, but didn't move. I could tell he wanted to, his body was poised to leap from the bed, but he simply continued to protectively hold me, to give me that comfort in front of the other man. "Did they
give a reason at all?" he asked.

  "No, but I sensed urgency in the Rigas' aide's voice. Something has happened to cause them alarm."

  "This is not good."

  "There is more," Aktor said, sounding a little upset. I hadn't heard that tone in Aktor's voice before. Not that I knew the man that well, but it still sounded a little off. Something he wouldn't normally show.

  "What is it?" Theo growled, the vibration of the sound reaching me through his chest.

  "They have requested Miss Eden's attendance," Aktor said solemnly and Theo swore loudly in Greek.

  "This is not good," he repeated, as though his mind was stuck on that fact. His butler murmured agreement.

  "Shall I send for Nicodromos?" Aktor eventually asked.

  "Yes. How long have we got?"

  "An hour before the meeting starts." I breathed out slowly, the speed with which the meeting had been rescheduled seemed like a very bad sign. Both men obviously agreed with me, because the tension on the air, as my head came up to glance at Aktor, was acute right then.

  Aktor wasn't looking at me though, he wasn't even keeping an eye on Theo. I think it was all for me and not his boss. I was sure Theo was not embarrassed to be found naked in bed with his lover, but Aktor, the sweet old man, knew I wouldn't want to be seen like this. I felt an immediate sense of affection for him. He was a good person, a good friend to Theo, even if he was just considered a butler and nothing more.

  Theo sent him on his way and swiftly rose from the bed.

  "Wear the red dress," he instructed. "Pyrkagia favour that colour."

  "OK," I muttered, sliding to the side of the bed and feeling every decidedly naughty thing he had done to me last night and this morning.

  "Do you need me to help you?" he asked and I realised he'd placed that distance between us again. I glanced up and knew what I'd see before I saw it. The mask. The impassivity. Not my Theo anymore.