by Anna Lewis
She looked up at me with such pleading eyes that it broke my heart. There were so many things that I wanted to say in that moment, so many ways that I wanted to reassure her that I’d only had her best interests at heart, but it didn’t feel like the time or place, so I simply nodded. “You can stay here, of course you can. I’ve tightened security in this place since what happened to you, and… I have plenty of spare rooms for you to sleep in. You can wash, eat, and rest safely. I won’t let anything happen to you I promise.”
She nodded wearily, accepting my promise for the time being. I offered her a drink or something to eat which she quickly refused, then I led her to the room down the hall from mine where I could keep an eye on her.
As she lay down and quickly went to sleep, my mind reeled. This whole situation was crazy and I didn’t even know what to think about it.
But at least Chantelle was back with me. That was the main thing.
Sure her feelings towards me weren’t great at the moment, but that hardly mattered. She was here, she was alive. I finally had what I wanted.
***
Chantelle
It took me a while to start feeling like myself again, but with the help of Aaron I finally got there. He was so loving, so attentive, and so respectful of my need for him to keep his distance while I recovered from my ordeal, too. I couldn’t fault him at all.
Sure, I got why he didn’t pay Shelley’s price to save me more than I had before, but that didn’t make it any easier to digest. I knew now that he’d come to rescue me from that awful basement but that Jon had gotten there first, which made it a little easier, but my emotions about the whole thing weren’t always rational.
In the end, I went to see a therapist about it. She talked me through all of my problems – kidnapping related or not – and eventually, after a few months, I started to return to the person that I’d once been. It wasn’t easy, in fact it was a very painful process, but I couldn’t have come out the other side if I hadn’t of gone through it, so for that I was grateful.
And as I recovered, I started to remember the good points about Aaron, everything that had attracted me to him in the first place. I knew that he was far too much of a gentleman to make the first move after everything that had happened to me, so I knew that I had to do it. It took me a long time before I finally felt ready, but I got there in the end.
One evening, as we were sitting eating dinner in front of the TV, I took the plunge.
“Do you think…?” I began. I felt myself going red, and I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him. “Do you think you might want to take me out on a date one night?” I could hear the tremor in my voice, which made it even more embarrassing, but I was glad that I’d finally put it out there.
“Are you serious?” he asked, with a real shock in his voice. “I mean, of course I want to. But, are you ready?”
I finally met his eyes, spotting that warmth that I’d fallen for in the first place. “I’m ready,” I confirmed. I knew it. I’d waited for long enough. I was ready for sure.
“Can I take you out tomorrow for dinner?” he asked, but that already felt like far too long away. Now that I’d made my decision, I was ready to begin my new life immediately. I already felt like I’d missed out on too much and I didn’t want Jon or Shelley to take even one more day away from me.
“Why not go out for drinks tonight?” I said, feeling bolder now, not even caring that I was being far too forward really.
“Do you want me to go to your apartment to pick up some more clothes for you?” He’d been doing this ever since I got back from my ordeal because, although I’d been here when I was taken, I just couldn’t face going back there. There was just something about my home that made me not want to go back there these day. A memory of the vulnerability and loneliness I felt there, that first night after escaping from Jon.
I bit my lip and shook my head, not too concerned with what I looked like. Sure I was only in a t-shirt and skinny jeans, with my long blonde hair hanging loose and no makeup on, but I felt fine with that. If Aaron liked me and still wanted me when I didn’t look perfect, then surely that was the sign that I needed that we were meant to be.
“Okay then,” he looked a little nervous now. “Shall we go?”
***
An hour and a few drinks later, we were both feeling much more relaxed around one another. It was almost as if we’d gone back to the way he and I were before all of this happened.
And the tipsier we became, the flirtier we became too.
I finally felt ready to let him back in, and I couldn’t wait for that to happen. Everything that I’d done since returning home had led me to feel much more confident in myself, and I was finally ready to express that.
He gave me a look, one that suggested that he was hoping that I might want him again, so I leant in and I brushed my lips very lightly against his, letting him know just what I wanted deep inside.
“Come on,” I whispered into his mouth. “Let’s go home.”
Soon after, we crashed through his front door, both elated and excited to be back in one another’s arms. I had been afraid that Jon and Shelley might have messed me up too badly, and that this intimacy might have been too much for me, but luckily those two were the furthest thing from my mind.
All I could concentrate on was this gorgeous man standing right in front of me. The one who made me feel things that I never expected.
We had barely stepped inside when I pushed him back against the wall, kissing him with the fierce passion that was coursing right through me. I wanted him to know how much I wanted him, and I was also enjoying being in control. I’d spent so much of my life having people run my life for me, that it was nice how Aaron let me take charge.
“Are you sure?” he asked, to which I nodded fiercely. Then I pressed my body up against his, molding into him. I could feel his abs, his muscular thighs, his thick erection, and I couldn’t wait to explore everything that he had for me.
Aaron started to moan passionately, tangling his hands up in my hair as both of us started to pant in a heavy, labored fashion.
“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,” I gasped loudly, meaning every single damn word.
The passion radiated from me, making me feel hotter than I ever had before as I ran my hands up and down his body. I could already feel a hot pool of pleasure building in my stomach, and the more we kissed, the more it zipped through my veins, sending me wild. Everything about me was on fire, I was literally dizzy with desire. This was exactly where I needed to be. I wouldn’t have changed this moment for the world.
I tugged at his shirt, wanting him free of it, and he did the same to me. We were in a frenzy for one another, desperate to have each other naked, but by the time that we both were, all we could do was stop and stare at one another, really drinking each other in.
A thought unexpectedly popped into my mind as I gazed upon his sculpted body. I really do love him. I want him to be mine forever.
But I didn’t feel ready to express that aloud, not just yet, so I gripped tightly onto him and kissed him once more. My feelings were real, and they were strong too, but I wasn’t sure how he was going to react to them, which sealed my lips tightly shut.
His hands explored my body, running over my breasts, playing with my nipples, until he eventually started to work his way down my body eventually finding my core.
“Oh God,” I groaned, throwing my head back in ecstasy, as I closed my eyes and lolled my head to once side. As he kissed me all down my neck, I fully lost myself in the moment, feeling only the incredible sensations that he caused to course all over my body. His fingers discovered me in a way that felt perfect – it was almost as if he already knew my body much better than I did myself.
And then, before I really lost control, I decided to take him in my hand too.
“Oh my God…” he moaned, almost falling against me. “You feel so… I can’t believe…”
But before he could finish th
at sentence, he spun me around and drove into me against the wall, giving me the most pleasant shock of my life.
As my body began to tremble with pleasure, I gripped tightly onto Aaron, digging my fingernails into his back as he rode me harder and faster, driving me insane.
There was a pressure building inside of me, one that felt powerful and all-consuming and as it overcame me entirely. I yelled out against him, feeling wild and free. It was the best that I’d ever felt in a very long time, and I never wanted that moment to end.
“I love you,” I heard myself calling out, despite knowing that it might not be the right time or place to say that. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” he answered me, sounding as consumed by passion as I felt. “And I want you to be my wife.”
Once we were both collapsed against one another, panting heavily in a satisfied passion, he spoke out once more.
“I meant it, you know,” he asked, which caused my eyes to snap up at him. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? And how did I feel about that? “I do want you to be my wife,” he repeated. I didn’t know what to say, so I simply said nothing. “So will you… marry me?”
***
Aaron
I waited with baited breath for her answer, willing her to say yes. All of this had made me realize that there was no point in holding back when we were so clearly meant to be. She was mine, and I was hers, and if we could survive all that the world had thrown at us then surely we could survive anything. We could make it to the end of time – together forever – I was certain of it.
“Are you serious?” she asked, pacing the room, completely forgetting to be shy about her naked body. I loved seeing her like that, so carefree. It felt nice that she could be that way around me after all that she’d been through. It made me feel glad that I was the one that she could be that way with.
“Of course I’m serious,” I answered, laughing lightly, trying to disguise the hurt that was starting to course through me. I knew that she had to be cautious, and I knew that things were crazy, but it was meant to be, I was sure of it. “I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t really want it to happen.”
“I mean… of course I will!” she exclaimed excitedly. “It’s just a little bit of a shock.”
“I know, but it’ll be amazing, right?”
“Of course,” she finally panted, putting me out of my misery. In that moment I felt my entire life come together in the way that it was always meant to be. It felt like everything had been building up to this moment, and now it was all right. “I’m actually going to be your wife!” she squealed, throwing her hands over her mouth.
I picked her up and spun her around in the air as we celebrated happily. I couldn’t believe how ecstatic I felt. I was on top of the world.
“Come on,” I told her. “Let’s go to bed. We have a lot of wedding planning to get done.”
“Already?” she asked. “Are you mad?”
“Of course!” I chuckled. “I want you to be mine officially forever. I don’t want to delay anymore. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she replied simply, with the cutest smile on her face, which filled my heart with happiness. “I’m so glad that you’re in my life. Now and forever.”
As she lay down in the bed next to me, sleeping like an angel, I couldn’t help but smile at myself. Sure, our road together hadn’t been easy – in fact it had been the hardest thing that either of us had ever had to go through – but we were getting there now. We were slowly carving out the right life for each other, and once we were married and finally settled, everything else would finally fall into place.
I felt like things were going to work out for us now, and that we were finally going to get our happy ever after.
Epilogue
Chantelle
Our wedding day was the best thing of my entire life. It wasn’t too much, too flashy or too showy, but it was perfect for us. We kept it small and personal so that we could make it truly ours.
One of the greatest parts about it was that just before the wedding day, I managed to visit my parents and make things up with them. As soon as I saw them, and they embraced me wholly, I realized that it was mostly my fault we’d lost touch. I was so ashamed of what my life had become that I just couldn’t face them until all was okay. I’d stormed out in a teenage huff, and refused to go back because of my silly damn pride. With all that had happened to me, I could now see just how truly stupid that was.
My perspective had changed on absolutely everything.
They didn’t know anything about my kidnapping before because they lived too far away for it to reach their news channel, and because the police had a contact in Aaron, they didn’t feel the need to get to get to anyone else, and they were horrified to finally learn all about it. They felt a guilt that they really didn’t need to, but aside from that we were all really trying to reconnect in a positive and healthy way.
Things weren’t perfect between us yet, not by a long shot, but we were making strides in the right direction, and for that I felt extremely grateful.
As for my captors – Jon got arrested and charged the same day, and it didn’t take long for them to track down Shelley either. She wasn’t too far away. Neither of them was up for talking about the incident too much, which meant that I was probably never going to find out the full truth about why it all happened to me, but that no longer mattered.
Having a reason wouldn’t make any of it easier to deal with. I simply had to put it behind me and forget about it. I needed to move on and focus on the future.
Especially now, because I was pregnant. Aaron and I were going to have a baby, a little bundle of joy that would solidify our love forever.
Finally, after all that we’d been through, everything was good.
THE END
= Bonus Book 5 of 11 =
Dragons Blood
“…Oh my God, this one says that because of my fiery personality I should be mated with a wolf!” one of the girls in my group of friends, Charlotte squealed excitedly. “I would love that. The wolves are so hot and exciting. Plus they have bodies like no tomorrow!”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and inform her that the answers only came out that way because she wanted them to. It seemed pointless to insist that because my friends spent their whole lives deciding which shapeshifter species they wanted to be with, they knew exactly how to form their answers.
“Well it says here that I have the perfect cool attitude that would work well with a vampire,” another girl shot back.
Just because I didn't get it, didn't mean they couldn't have their fun. I had to just grit my teeth and let them get on with it.
I didn't harbor any secret urge to be whisked off my feet by a vampire, a werewolf, or a dragon. I didn't want the magical, fantasy lifestyle that everyone assumed would come with that. My only dream in life was to get a good job, marry a nice man, and have children. Normal – that was all I needed, which made me different from just about everybody else. I just wanted a quiet, normal and drama-free life, and I was pretty sure that my mundane wish was much more likely to come true. After all, that was how most people lived their lives.
Years and years ago, before any of us were born, and our parents too, the different species were all at war with one another. Each species had a different view on how to live and the stubborn opinion that their idea was the right one. Each species wanted to lead the rest of the world, and none of them would back down.
The fighting went on for decades, and because of their additional powers they were too strong for us humans. Our numbers started to decline. It seemed like we wouldn't last much longer and that the shapeshifters would be left to sort out the world themselves.
But from that tragedy, a romantic story that has determined how we live now was born. According to the legend, a werewolf stopped fighting because he fell in love with a human woman. They snuck off and hid, leaving the fighting to everyone else, but unfortunately during an intim
ate moment, the werewolf lost control of his human side and the animal in him took over, causing him to bite the human.
Fearing that he'd killed her he raced back out onto the battlefield to ask the other werewolves for help, and by some miracle they listened to him and rallied round. What made it even more amazing was that she didn't even really need the werewolves' help; the woman was fine. Actually what the bite had turned her into was a shapeshifter werewolf hybrid. She didn't have the shapeshifting abilities, but she was stronger, lived longer, and she could also carry her werewolf's babies.
That made everyone stop and rethink, leading us to the situation we were in today. Now, everyone lived in harmony. Sure, there were segments of the planet occupied by each species, but mostly everyone was alright. I lived in a place where you only ever found humans, which was probably why my friends were so fascinated with the unknown. What they didn't seem to get was that our location would make it even more difficult for them to get what they wanted.
The Council of Species was created to ensure that peace was kept for now, and it worked really well. There were representatives from each species to keep everything under control, but only certain people were chosen to go there.
Charlotte shook my shoulders and smiled brightly at me. “What about you, Hattie? What did your test say?”
“Oh… dragon,” I lied, shutting down my computer screen so that she couldn't see I'd been doing homework rather than the stupid test. “Apparently I'm destined to marry a dragon.”
“Ooh, dragons are the kinky ones,” she giggled, and everyone else pealed in laughter too. “It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?”