“Jane,” she heard muffled through the window. Her heart hammered in her chest and tears sprang to her eyes when she recognized the silhouette. She quickly opened the window and helped Axel into her bedroom. He stood up tall, majestic, and just as beautiful as when she’d last seen him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, realizing she’d been fantasizing about seeing him ever since he’d been taken from the place with the willows. Now that he was there in front of her she didn’t feel any differently. Her heart felt relieved and excited at the same time. She felt the chemistry between them... the buzz of the electricity in her ears.
34
Axel
Axel drew her in to his embrace. “I had to see you before I destroy the portal,” he breathed into her hair. She smelled of soap and flowers, and he wanted to have every inch of her in his mouth, beginning with the nipples that puckered up so nicely against him through her pajamas.
“Shouldn’t you be waging war or something?” she asked, still in his arms.
“I’ll do what has to be done,” he said, releasing her but keeping hold of her hands. He never wanted to let go. “I wanted to see you, to hear your voice in person.” He smiled at her, and suddenly she got shy, lowering her eyes. He put his finger under her chin and raised her face to his. “To kiss you before I can’t.” And he did. To kiss her was like waking up on the most beautiful day of the year, like having all of your dreams come true at once. She pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He knew he was losing control, as he always did when he was with her. Axel picked her up, her legs circling his waist. They tumbled to the bed, and he let his hands roam while continued to devour her lips with his. When Axel moved his hand from her waist to her breast, she gave a soft moan, and he knew he couldn’t hold himself back much longer. He was already hard as a rock.
“I missed you so much,” he said, not filtering his words.
“I missed you, too… I was so worried about you… All the time…” she said in harried breaths. He groaned, her words increasing his need to be inside her. Her hands were in his hair, down his arms, gripping at his biceps.
“I think I should stay with you,” he said.
“Huh? You can’t.”
“I know. But I want to. Don’t you want me to?” He kissed her neck, inspired by its beauty.
“You can visit,” she said, her eyes closed tightly. He watched her savor his touch as he brought his hand underneath her pajama shirt.
“I could,” he said, wishing she’d said something else. What if she came back with him? What if she agreed to marry him? He stayed quiet then, though he knew he should say it all now. This was the moment. She distracted his thoughts when she squirmed beneath him.
It was too much. She was too much. What had happened to him… What he’d done for her. It was all too much. He reached between them and ripped off their clothing. Strips of cloth in his hands, he flung them against the wall. He looked down at Jane, expecting to see her disgusted with his sudden burst of passion.
Instead, she slid from underneath him, grazed her fingers softly over every inch of him, and delved into the most amazing kiss he’d ever had the pleasure of tasting. She was trying to be the calm to his storm, but it was only ramping up the hunger within him.
Axel twisted her hair up on top of her head and pushed her back on to the bed where she landed with a naughty smile. He loved it. No one ever got to see this smile, and the fact that it was only there and with him made his heart swell. He pushed away the thought of Andrew (whom he could sense was sleeping like a baby in the next room) having seen her like this.
Inch by inch, he worked his way over every smooth curve of her skin with his lips. When he made it to the place that made her cry out softly, Axel worked even harder with his tongue to make sure she never forgot him. By the sound of it, and the way her body shook beneath him as she cried out his name, he doubted she’d forget him. And her face said it all.
Before she could even think of moving, he entered her fully. He was glad she’d come already because, once inside her, he knew he wouldn’t last long. He made love to her, making her gasp and moan. When she came again, it was glorious. He loved her best in that moment when she was lost to the sensations he was inciting in her. He sped up, his own release so fucking intense that he almost crushed her with his weight when he couldn’t keep himself propped up over her.
The moments after were filled with silence and caresses, each of them deep in their thoughts. Axel wanted nothing more than to break the silence with a full confession of how his heart was feeling, but again, fear got in the way.
“You will visit?” she whispered to him.
He pulled her close and kissed her head, taking in the smell of her sweetness once more. “Yes,” he said. How could he not visit her? How could he leave and destroy the only way to see her? He couldn’t. Not yet. Not before he could convince her to come back with him. It would be difficult, what with the fate of his people at risk.
Every day the citadel gained more and more power by drinking human blood. He had to take care of that. But he had to find time to come back to Jane.
35
Jane
The next morning Jane and Axel walked to the portal. They lingered along the way, and she wished they could have more time together. It wasn’t easy saying goodbye. She held his hand in a grip as if she thought he’d disappear forever.
“When will you come back?” she asked.
“Soon. When I can.”
“I know there’s a lot going on in fairyland.”
He chuckled. She smiled, but her throat constricted.
“I’ll be with you again,” he promised.
Jane sighed as they arrived at the tree line. They stepped on the hard, compact dirt and splotches of grass that led to the hollowed tree. Jane knew what was waiting on the other side of that tree. It was a world of color and magic. Emotions and passions and traditions. She missed it already. But she would miss him most.
He touched her face, and she felt a great warmth spread through her. Their eyes locked. She saw her own face the day that they lay on the grass after making love in the bath.
“This is how I remembered you every time I was lonely and on the edge of despair,” he told her. Her vision cleared and she saw his bright eyes, the intensity of them shifting something inside her. She shivered when the warmth subsided. Axel gave her one last kiss, and then stepped in the portal.
When he disappeared, she sat and stared at the tree feeling as if joy itself had been ripped away from her. Jane knew the path that lay ahead would not be easy for them. Still, she had hope. And he’d said he’d come back…
Sabrina’s Note to the Reader
Thank you for reading! I have absolutely loved these new characters that sprang from my imagination on the page (er…screen), and I hope you have too.
If you’d like to continue along their journey with me, check out A Touch of Summer: The Spellbound Series Book 2 by clicking here!
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XOXO,
Sabrina
Acknowledgments
This book would not be possible without the 20booksto50k group. It has been an honor to receive advice from the creator of the group, Michael Anderle, and all who frequent the forum to support, encourage, and just chug along.
My wonderful beta readers have given me such wonderful ideas and suggestions, so I must give a huge thanks to Amber C., Bree Buras, and Dorene Johnson. You have no idea how much your time and detail have meant to me and this story.
Last, but not least, I want to thank God for giving me such wonderful friends and family who support me unconditionally. I have to thank my husband as well, who puts up with oh-so-much, but I’ll do that in private :)
Sabrina Sable, A Touch of Spring: Spellbound Series Book 1 (The Spellbound Series)
A Touch of Spring: Spellbound Series Book 1 (The Spellbound Series) Page 11