by Kenya Wright
Did Aiden dream with me again?
Savory smells drifted into the bedroom. A conversation filled the space. Aiden talked to another man. It didn’t sound like Blaze.
I think that’s Damian.
I rose from bed and eavesdropped.
Damian laughed. “I love what you’ve done with the place. Is this for me?”
Aiden didn’t sound like he found the joke funny. “What do you want?”
“I wanted to show you this.”
Half a minute passed.
Aiden spoke, “What is it?”
“A poem. I think. Or maybe it is a song. Open it,” Damian said. “Perhaps it means nothing.”
“If you found it in the witch’s pocket, then it means something. I’ve never known one to carry poems around. They’re usually chants, spells, or something else. For witches, words are power and spoken exactly right. Anything can happen.”
The sound of paper unfolding came next.
Yawning, I stretched my arms and then checked my phone. The screen showed ten missed calls from Harper.
Dang it. I have to check-in with her.
Aiden’s voice captured my attention. “Has Sherwin been taking good care of the witch?”
“He said her essence is too strong for anything he could give her or come up with.”
Aiden sighed. “He should still try.”
“King, I actually agree with him.”
King? Did Damian just call Aiden that?
“And why do you agree with him?” Aiden asked.
“Magic saturates her. I can smell it down to her bones.”
“And you’ve been doing a lot of smelling?”
Damian coughed. “Well. . .no. I mean. The few times that I’ve been in Sherwin’s cabin to check on her.”
I left the bed, put on my robe, and tiptoed to the door.
Skepticism coated Aiden’s words. “Hmmm. What other observations have you found?”
“At night, her power rises. Sometimes she even glows.”
“Glow?”
“It’s a bronze hue that forms all over her body, even her clothes. Sometimes she opens her eyes. And they’re. . .it’s hard to describe. They’re like kaleidoscopes.”
“Kaleidoscope eyes?” Aiden sounded skeptical. “And you didn’t eat those mushrooms you found in the forest a few days ago?”
“No.”
“Hmmm. Go ahead. I’ll study this paper and see if there is something here. We’ve woken my mate. She is about to come out.”
I widened my eyes.
Oh. He’s talking about me now.
I went to the bathroom to wash my face. Once done, I left the bedroom and followed the trail of savory scents. When I made it to the dining room, I gasped at what I saw. Aiden had picked tons of flowers this morning. Several vases were full and scattered around the table. He must have run out of vases because there were pitchers, pots, and cups full of flowers too. And there were all types of flowers—red roses, white lilies, purplish-pink orchids, and pale-yellow gardenias.
So beautiful.
I turned my attention back to the table. Lit candles sat at the center. Plates were on both sides. One had a stack of four juicy steaks. Eggs, steak, and a tiny bowl of fruit covered the other.
Aiden walked in from the kitchen, carrying two glasses of orange juice. “Good morning, Imani.”
My body hummed from his presence. “Good morning to you.. . .everything looks so amazing.”
“I hope you like the flowers.”
“I do. Thank you.”
“I picked a few for you.”
A few. There must be at least a hundred here.
I grinned. “Thank you. When did you do it?”
“Early this morning.” He set each glass down and gestured for me to sit. “Are you hungry?”
My stomach growled as I lowered into my seat. “Definitely, as you can hear.”
He sat on the other side.
Instead of picking up my fork and diving in, I couldn’t help but study his gorgeous features among the lit candles.
His voice was so seductive. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re not only a werewolf, but you’re a romantic one.”
“This is normal for us when it comes to our mates.”
I parted my lips.
“You don’t like it when I say that?”
“It’s still. . .a lot to get used to.” I placed my hand on the table. He reached across and put his large hand over mine. That instant rush soared between us. His eyes glowed in that lovely golden hue. My brain told me that I should be scared, but no fear boomed in my heart.
“Aiden. . .” And then I lost my voice as he slipped his thumb along my palm, inciting sparks of hunger to flow through me. Instantly, I forgot what I was going to say.
“I know you have tons of questions,” he said. “And I know you want to be away from all this scary shit happening now. Maybe. . .you want to be away from me too.”
Sorrow pooled in those golden eyes.
“I just need you to understand something.” He tenderly squeezed my hand. “Whether you want it or not, I will be there, protecting you. I’ll always be there.”
My body buzzed with energy.
“Do you believe me, Imani?”
I whispered, “Yes.”
He let go of my hand. “So, go ahead. Ask me anything.”
I picked up my fork and cut a piece of my egg. “What’s going on with my body?”
“When we touch, the sensation between us gets stronger.” Aiden cut off some steak. “I asked my Shaman about this.”
“And what did he say?”
“What we are experiencing, it’s all symptoms of us being mates—two people who are supposed to be together. The feeling continues to rise, getting more intense and mind-numbing, until. . .”
“Until what?”
“We unite.”
“Which is what? A wedding? Sex?”
“The idea of a wedding or even sex is different for fatals. When we mate, it will be a declaration of forever. The sex seals the moment. It will bind us together always.” He paused as if giving me time to understand it all. “This is bigger than what fatals think of as marriage. There is no divorce. The only way the mating bond ends is if one of us dies.”
I tensed, not even wanting to think of him leaving this world. Although I just met him, he’d seeped into my pores. “And you really think I’m your mate?”
He set the piece of steak down and put the fork on the plate. “I’ve never felt this way with anyone else.”
“Okay, but that could mean—”
He pushed the chair back and rose.
“What are you doing?”
“Stand up.”
I did, leaving my spot at the table and walking around. I stopped a foot in front of him.
“You’re the one, Imani.” He moved closer to me. “You’re the one. My mate. The one I'm supposed to be with forever, until the day I die, until I can no longer breathe or walk this planet.”
“But—”
Without warning, he captured my hands. I gasped at the touch. A burning craving thundered through every cell in my body, dizzying me. I almost fell back, but he caught and held me up, caressing my cheek softly and tracing lines of desire across my hungry flesh. I considered backing away from him, but I couldn't. It was like a magnetic force drew our bodies forward, gluing us together. My entire being heaved toward him.
“I know that all of this information has scared you.” He brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers continued to move across my face. “And maybe you're scared of me, my pack. Any normal person would be. But our bodies are telling us this one important truth. We’re supposed to be together.”
I struggled to argue his point. But couldn’t find the words or rationale. No matter what logic said, I couldn’t deny the sensations moving within me. I couldn’t push away the feeling that he was the one that I should be with.
“I'm yours, and you’re mine.” He s
troked my cheek with his thumb.
Unable to help it, I leaned into his sweet caress.
He whispered, “Can't you feel it?”
“I feel it. I didn't know what it was when I first saw you, but I feel it.”
“You're my mate. All these years, I believed I never would find my mate. Not one so perfect as you.” Aiden traced the curve of my neck with his hand.
A small moan left my lips. “Aiden. It feels so good when you touch me.”
“We’re mates.”
I drowned in the pleasure linking between us and looked into the golden glow of his gaze.
Fuck it. I want him.
I lifted my lips to his, welcoming his mouth on mine. Growling low, he met my lips with a hot lustful kiss. A piercing tremor echoed through my body. It was raw desire. Brutal lust. Blinding white. My body trembled against his hard body. I closed my eyes and gasped as streams of light burst behind my eyelids.
Shocked, I pulled away.
“Did you see that?” he whispered against my mouth. “You have to be mine.”
The air around me grew hot. We stood there together for several quiet seconds, with these sensations of desire swimming through my mind, heart, and body.
I thought of the dream. “Last night, did you dream—”
“Of you playing with Conri in a burning forest?”
Stunned, I muttered, “Yes.”
“You have more control of him than I do.”
“What do you mean? He was licking me, and then he ran away.”
“I could see the visions in his head. He wanted to do more than lick you. In fact, he planned on taking you. I thought I would have to wake him up, but one word from you, and he ceased with that plan.”
“Take me? His. . .penis is too big—”
“Trust me. He thought he could make it fit.”
I widened my eyes.
“But you put him in his place like he was a well-trained dog. And Conri is the very opposite.” He trailed his fingertips up my bare arm. His caresses were silken and possessive, setting me on fire.
I gazed at this gorgeous man in front of me—so different from any man I’d ever met. This morning, his dark hair was stylishly messy and framed his gorgeous face. I raised my hand and ran my fingers through those silky strands.
He groaned in response.
I didn’t know what his world was about or if I could fit in it. I could barely comprehend all the things that he was trying to say, but what I did understand was the burning desire that was close to setting every cell in my body on fire.
His voice dripped with hunger. “We can’t fight this.”
“I know.” I closed my eyes, letting my head fall back as he kissed me again. He devoured me with unimaginable skill, triggering a hot yearning to pulse at the base of my throat. He slipped his hand to my chest, and instead of caressing my breasts, he placed it on the spot above my heart. My heartbeats increased.
“You want me,” he growled. “You need me. Just as much as I want and need you. Tell me I’m right. Tell me I’m not imagining this all by myself.”
My words were low and full of hunger. “You’re right.”
He slipped his fingers along the neckline of my robe, tracing the curve of my cleavage peeking out. Slowly, he opened the robe and moved it away.
Groaning, he kissed the swell of one breast and then the other. I trembled in pure pleasure, loving his touch.
“We belong together.”
I couldn’t deny him. Even though my mind didn’t understand, my body did. And surely, I could’ve easily pulled away if I wanted to, but I didn’t. I longed for his tongue. I’d dreamed about his tongue on my pussy and wanted to feel it in real life.
He whispered, “What do you want, baby?”
I was nervous about saying it, but I pushed the words out. “Lick my pussy like you did in our dream.”
A deep growl escaped his lips as he buried his face within my soft, full mounds. Suddenly, my gown was annoying and barring. And surely, he felt the same way as I yanked it down, stretching the fabric and exposing my breasts.
He pulled the top of my gown down hard, ripping it a little and freeing a nipple.
“Mine.” He sucked the aching point into his mouth.
I whimpered in pleasure. From just one suck of his mouth, bolts of erotic warmth pulsed through me. I was falling into bliss, never wanting to return. It was all electric and lust-filled.
Aiden palmed my breasts, caressing and massaging them with so much raw hunger. His touch ripped moans from my throat.
“All mine.” He exhibited no control, mirroring exactly how I felt. He tugged my nipple with his fingers so gentle. I felt it deep down in my moistening pussy. My panties were drenched.
He breathed in and growled again.
“Aiden,” I moaned. It had been so long. And besides, the guys before Aiden weren’t him. Already, I was so close to orgasming, just from his toying with my nipples.
Someone knocked at the door.
No!
Aiden didn’t speak or move from our locked gazes as if he were in a trance.
“Damn it,” he muttered, let go of my breasts and closed my robe. “I’ll have to deal with him. Give me a minute.”
“Deal with who?”
Right before he answered, Blaze stomped into the cabin and glared at him. His deep voice rose in the air. “King, we need to talk right now.”
Growling, Aiden let go of me and turned to him. “This better not be about what I think it is. We’ve already had that discussion.”
Blaze kept his hands to the sides as he formed them into fists. “This isn’t fair, and you know it.”
Aiden’s voice went dark and deadly. “She. Is. My. Mate. It is what it is.”
Oh, wait? Not this again.
Blaze stepped forward. “You know the rules. At least let me try too.”
Aiden moved to the left, putting himself between Blaze and me. “I don’t give a damn about pack rules. She’s mine. That’s final. Turn around and leave.”
I stiffened and looked from Blaze to Aiden. “What rules?”
Blaze turned to me. “I saw you first. I felt a spark with you first. According to pack rules, Aiden and I both get to court you. It’s to see which connection is stronger.”
I touched my chest. While I found Blaze incredibly attractive and enjoyed flirting with him the first day I’d met him in the diner, nothing could compare to the sensation, the intensity that Aiden triggered.
Blaze gave me a weak smile. “I know this is all new and crazy to you, but these are the rules. I get to kiss and hold you just as much as him.”
Aiden growled, never leaving his position between Blaze and me. Heat rose from him. The temperature in the room went up.
“You’re my Alpha.” Blaze bowed his head. “I am supposed to listen to you in all things, except mating. On that, we let nature guide the path.”
Boiling power radiated from Aiden. His skin rippled as if he was going to shift. “And nature also dictates that the wolf can destroy any competition around his mate. Is that what you want me to do?”
Blaze’s jaw twitched. “When I saw her in the diner, my body sensed her first.”
Aiden countered, “There is more to the connection than that.”
Blaze glared. “How would I know if there’s more if you won’t let me be around her? Meanwhile, you’ve been sneaking off to spend time with her under the guise of—”
“Enough!” Aiden roared. “This is stupid. Don’t beg for your own death.”
Blaze cocked his head to the side. “Would it be death, brother? Does she have your head spinning that much?”
Dark words left Aiden’s lips. “Go outside. We’ll finish this now.”
Blaze’s eyes shifted to silver. I stepped further back, leaning into the wall. Had it been two regular guys, I would’ve talked them through it. But they were arguing about mating and challenges to the death. I was out of my sphere of knowledge and not sure what I should do.
>
“Just let me touch and kiss her.” Blaze stepped forward.
Aiden charged, smashing into Blaze like a mac truck crashing into a wall. Blaze grunted as he fell back into the door and knocked it down with his huge weight. The doorway now looked splintered and bashed in.
“No!” I hurried forward. “Wait!”
The men wrestled on the floor, but not in a human way. Their images blurred. Their limbs twisted into ungodly angles. Their faces warped from wolf to human over and over. Then, they let go of each other. Blaze hurried to his feet and raced out of the cabin. Aiden zipped his way. Dodging Aiden, Blaze jumped several feet back in the air.
My heart caught in my throat as I rushed outside of the cabin. “No! Stop it! This is insane!”
Neither man listened. They got in front of each other. Blaze rushed for an attack. Aiden dodged it, slammed his head into Blaze, grabbed the man, and slung him out into the woods. Blaze’s body crashed into a tree, breaking it in two. Branches and leaves fell to the ground.
I jumped.
And then wolves—three massive ones stalked by me. All of them sneered at the fighting men. Aiden had been ready to run after Blaze but stopped when he heard the wolves.
“Stop this!” I yelled at him. “I don’t want you two fighting.”
Aiden wiped the blood off his lip and headed toward me. “Fine. Let’s go inside.”
I backed up. “Wait. Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. We can take a good beating.”
“But you threw him into a tree.”
“He’ll be dancing and jumping around later.”
Sighing, I turned to the noise coming from the woods. Blaze walked out of the darkness. Aiden had been correct. Blaze now strolled toward the wolves with annoyance on his face. He didn’t even limp, just dusted off the dirt and sticks on his clothes.
“Alpha!” Blaze roared.
“Stay behind me, please.” Aiden moved me to the back and turned around with fisted hands. “Blaze, I don’t want to kill you, but I will. Is that what you want, brother?”
An exasperated breath escaped Blaze’s mouth as he stopped in front of Aiden. And then Blaze surprised me. He lowered onto one knee and bowed his head. “I better find my mate, King.”
Letting out a long breath, Aiden relaxed his fingers, kneeled, and pressed his forehead against Blaze’s. “You will find your mate. If I have to search this planet for her myself, I will do it. Trust me.”