“As long as you’re sure.”
“Positive.” She was dying to see her father, but Notus had driven so long yesterday, and she didn’t want to put him through it again today.
“Alright,” he said with a smile. “What do you want to do instead?”
“Well, I’d love a glass of the wine I bought yesterday. How about you?”
“I can’t drink much, not before I’ve brought you back home safely, but I can definitely have a glass,” Notus said. “Just let me find my charger first and plug my phone in. The battery is low.”
Eden opened a bottle of red wine, poured two glasses, and handed one of them to Notus once he’d come back into the kitchen.
“To a job brilliantly done,” Eden said, extending her glass and clinking his. She took a sip and sighed. “I’m so relieved it’s all over,” she said. But she was also sad. Sad that this meant it would be the end of her time with Notus. She wasn’t going to think about this now though.
They moved to the sofa in front of the fire and watched the flames playing while they chatted. The room was dimly lit, and the firelight glowed on their exposed skin. She asked Notus about his childhood. He asked her about hers and then about her self-defense business ideas, and she was impressed by the suggestions he gave her.
After a while, she fell silent. She was still feeling bad about hurting him when they first met, and she had a strong impulse to tell him he was the strongest, bravest, most admirable man she’d ever met, and to apologize for calling him one-armed, but somehow every time she tried to approach the subject the words got stuck in her throat.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said instead, raising her forefinger in the air. She felt a little lightheaded from the wine and the warmth of the fire; not in a drunken way, just in a very relaxed, effervescent way. “Now that the case is over, you can tell me why you didn’t call to tell me my dad had been kidnapped.”
“Oh, I was hoping you’d forgotten about that,” Notus said, avoiding her eyes.
“But you said you’d tell me the truth once the case was over!” Eden protested.
She could see from the expression on Notus’s face that he was wrestling with himself. “I’ll tell you another time,” he said.
“That’s not fair!” Eden poked him in his upper arm. “The case is over now, so I’m all ears. A promise is a promise.”
“Fine,” he said, breathing out a long breath. “I couldn’t call because I had to drive you out of my thoughts in order to connect with the Oracle. My mind needs to be very calm for me to get in touch with her. It has to feel perfectly smooth, like the surface of still water. But even the slightest thought of you created giant waves through my mind, and it was all I could do to not think of you.
“Xephyr called me at about one a.m. in the morning after your birthday to tell me that your father had been kidnapped. The hours after that were a torture. I spent so much time trying to force you out of my mind. And I couldn’t. I was under time pressure, but I couldn’t achieve the tranquility I needed to have a vision. I finally managed, after many hours and many unsuccessful attempts.” He paused.
Eden stared at the ground, burning to ask him if he was saying what she thought he was saying. But finally she lifted her head and saw it in his eyes. This man had feelings for her. He didn’t want to have sex with her and forget her. He was attracted to her because he liked her soul.
She got to her feet, took two steps and sat on his lap, straddling him. His eyes widened in surprise, but there was unmistakable appreciation in them.
“So, you liked me back then?” She thought she’d ask nevertheless, just in case she was getting this whole thing massively wrong.
“Of course, I did. I liked you from the first moment I set eyes on you,” Notus said.
Eden dipped her head and pressed her lips to his, her breath shaky, her stomach full of butterflies. He made a deep, growling sound, as the touch of his firm lips sent a jolt between her legs. She moaned as he parted her lips with his tongue and entered her mouth, drawing her into a passionate kiss. His tongue brushed and circled around hers, and she sensed his arousal in the urgency of his touch.
Her thighs were wide apart and she felt an emptiness between them, an ache, which she so badly wanted him to fill. She pressed her body against his, her breasts crushing against his chest, and his hardness was there, at the apex of her thighs. She gasped at the contact and he let off a growl, his hands moving more urgently along her back and ass now, his chest heaving up and down. Her nipples hardened into aching peaks, straining against the thin fabric of her bra. She drew back from the kiss and looked down at him, inhaling his usual masculine smell of soap and spicy cologne, wanting to preserve this moment of sweet anticipation.
He took the hem of her blouse with his hands and pulled it over her head, before unfastening her bra with his right hand. He made a sound of appreciation at the sight of her breasts, which dissolved her self-consciousness at being half-naked in front of him. She unbuttoned his shirt, her hands shaky and weak, and slid it down his broad shoulders, then ran her hands along the bulging muscles of his chest.
Notus lowered his head to her breasts and flicked his tongue over her nipples, one, then the other, teasing her, taking his time. Each touch of his tongue was like a jolts of electricity, shooting all over her body, while the ache between her legs turned to an unbearable throb. She moaned as he pleasured her, and a fog filled her mind. All she could think was, don’t stop.
He cupped her ass with his hands and stood up from the sofa, holding her in his arms. He put her down and then stripped her off her jeans. When he slid her panties down, she stepped out of them. As she stood naked in front of him, her throat tightened with embarrassment, and she couldn’t meet his gaze.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, his voice deep and husky.
Eden raised her eyes to his and stepped toward him. She unbuttoned his jeans, which were bulging with his need for her. His shaft was straining against the fabric of his boxers as she took them down, stifling a gasp at the sight of his long, thick cock.
Notus drew her naked body to his, and kissed her hungrily. His mouth still on hers, he lifted her up again, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her, effortlessly, over to the wall next to the fireplace. Eden sighed at the feeling of being crushed between his hard body and the wall and ran her nails down his back, grazing his skin.
Notus wrapped his left hand around her ass to hold her as he took his cock in his right hand and pressed its tip against her entrance. Eden gasped as her ache for him deepened.
“I want you so bad,” she whispered, her voice coming out shakily.
Notus bent his knees, gently pulling her body down the wall, and then pushed himself up and entered her. Eden felt her muscles stretching to accommodate him, and her breath caught in her lungs when Notus pushed himself all the way in.
Eden moaned at the sensation of feeling all of him; the base of his cock pressed against her clit while his tip was buried deep inside her. He pulled almost all the way out before slowly, expertly thrusting all of his length back in. Her hips jolted, and she let out a wild cry, as he set her insides on fire.
He continued moving in and out of her, first slowly, and then more and more urgently. Shivers ran up and down her spine and her breath quickened as her pussy muscles gripped him tightly, craving to feel all of him.
Abruptly, he moved her off the wall and carried her in front of the fireplace, before laying her down on the pelt in front of it, his cock still deep inside her. He pulled out, leaving an emptiness inside her, and put his massive forearms either side of her head, before lowering his body onto hers, drawing her into a passionate kiss as his weight pressed her down.
He spread her legs and started gliding his cock up and down her entrance, brushing her clit. The emptiness in her grew with every move, her hunger for him becoming insatiable. She dug her nails into his back, making sounds of frustration. He gave her a wicked look, then he probed at her entrance
teasingly before thrusting himself inside her again, his eyes full of fire, fixed on hers, stopping the breath in her lungs. He started moving quickly in and out of her as her cries became louder and wilder.
“You feel so damn good,” he said in a hoarse voice.
The pressure inside Eden grew. She tried to contain it, prolong the experience, but it became more and more uncontrollable, making her whole body shiver with its intensity, and before she knew it, she exploded violently, waves of ecstasy washing through her, euphoria taking her over. A deep roar came out of Notus’s throat at the same time, and he made one final deep thrust, before climaxing inside her. He collapsed on top of her, panting, his skin smelling sweetly of fresh perspiration.
When he got his breath back, he lifted his head and kissed her tenderly. “That was something else,” he said. “You’re one hell of a woman, Eden.”
“It was very intense for me, too,” Eden said and kissed him on the lips.
He rolled onto his back, bringing her with him, and she put her head on his chest and cuddled up to him. They lay like that, stroking each other, enjoying the warmth of the fire on their naked bodies.
Chapter 11
Notus
Notus woke up the next morning, lighter and happier than he’d been since his clan had arrived from Ethereum. He lay still, enjoying the touch of Eden’s body against his. She was still sleeping, her head resting on his right shoulder, her chest heaving gently against his ribcage. They’d fallen asleep in front of the fire yesterday, and he’d woken up hours later, carried Eden to the bed, and tucked her under the comforter before joining her.
Last night had been incredible. Beyond his wildest dreams. He’d told her that he liked her. He’d almost told her that he was in love with her but managed to stop himself just in time. He wasn’t completely sure that she felt the same way. He thought she did, but she hadn’t said it back. And he didn’t want to pressure her. If she felt anything for him, she’d tell him in her own time. He inhaled the sweet, jasmine-y scent of Eden’s hair, before he gently disentangled himself from her and pulled himself out of bed. The air in the cabin was crisp, and he wanted to start the fire so that it was warm and cozy by the time Eden was up.
He put a big pile of wood into the fireplace and breathed fire onto it until it was alight before jumping in the shower. He washed his body, the hot water invigorate him, and then toweled himself, put on a fresh green and black checked shirt and a pair of dark gray jeans, and went to get some more wood for the fire.
He shivered in the cold morning air as he stepped outside of the house. It must have been earlier than he thought. He walked around the cabin to the pile of wood he’d chopped yesterday, knelt down, and started piling the logs onto his lower left arm when there was a sound behind him. And before he could turn, a violent blow struck the back of his head, bringing an explosion of pain that quickly led him down, into a well of darkness.
When Notus came to hours later, he was lying by the wood pile. The daylight had almost faded. His body was frozen with cold, and the back of his head throbbed with an excruciating pain. His thoughts were fuzzy and disordered, then a bolt of panic shot through him. He jumped to his feet, but collapsed again, light-headed at the rush of blood away from his brain. He stayed in a sitting position and breathed deeply, waiting for the strength to come back into his body. He was shivering but wasn’t sure if it was from the dread tearing through his soul or from the cold. He stood up slowly and started moving toward the cabin, cautiously at first, and then at a run.
“Eden? Eden?” he yelled as he stormed into the house. He crossed the living room and looked into the bedroom. She wasn’t there. His breath quickened, and his lungs were struggling to produce enough air. He called her name again. No answer.
His hand was shaking as he grabbed the handle of the bathroom door and swung it open. She wasn’t there either. He ran toward the kitchen, which was empty, too. His whole body felt rickety now. Thousands of thoughts of what could have happened to her swirled through his head. Where was she? Who had taken her? What had they done to her? Had they hurt her? Was she scared?
He went back outside and checked the veranda, which was empty. He ran back toward the shed. Something was tugging at the back of his mind; there was something different about the cabin, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. The shed was empty, too. He ran toward the forest where they’d been for a walk yesterday, calling Eden’s name at the top of his lungs. No answer.
She wasn’t anywhere around. He stormed back toward the cabin, panic gripping his body more closely and obscuring his thoughts and vision. Panting, he collapsed in front of the fire, which had been dead for a good while. And then it suddenly dawned on him what was different about the cabin. His car was gone, too.
He forced himself to pause, clear the horror from his mind and will himself to calm down. He had to find Eden, and he must think rationally now. He had to be smart. He closed the door of the cabin, put more wood onto the fire, and started it again. He sat in front of it and let the flames warm his body, which was still stiff and frozen. He was shivering violently. He wasn’t sure how long he’d lain unconscious outside, but judging by the waning daylight and how deeply chilled he was, it must have been a few hours.
His body starred warming up slowly, his fingers coming back to life. But his head was still pulsing with a pain that felt as if someone was trying to pull his skull apart. He explored the back of his head with his fingers and found five bumps. He only remembered one hit, so he must have received the rest after he blacked out.
Wait, where was his phone? He headed to the bedroom to check, but then remembered he’d plugged it in to charge in the living room last night. He checked the power plug and found his cable hanging from it, no phone attached to its end. Whoever had attacked him and captured Eden had taken his phone, too.
How had they found them? And who? Xephyr had said they’d captured all of them, but he must’ve been mistaken. And how had he failed to pick up their scent?
The snow. That was the answer to the last question. His nostrils, which were capable of tolerating extreme heat, had no experience of cold, and he only realized now that he couldn’t actually smell anything at all when he was outdoors here.
And now he was about seventy miles away from the closest settlement. He had no car, no phone, and he couldn’t fly. He slammed his palms onto his knees and roared, causing a fresh blast of pain to his head. How was he going to be able to rescue Eden?
The panic returned, creeping through his body again, and he forced himself to breath in and out deeply, trying to remain as calm as possible. And then suddenly, he heard the voice. He grabbed his head with both of his hands and focused his attention on the word of the Oracle.
Her words turned to pictures in his mind, one after the other, at high speed, as if someone was fast-forwarding a film. Eden in a basement. Tall pine trees. Buildings. Factories. Massive trucks, a cargo ship, a chained door, a red wall. The words of the Oracle were more cryptic this time, and Notus tried to absorb them all, to make sense of them, to understand where Eden was.
When he finally figured it out, he was filled with a mixture of relief and desperation. Eden was in the basement of an old abandoned fish factory in the industrial zone of Rockdale, a big port city about eighty miles north of Deerfield on the coast. But she wasn’t going to be there for much longer—the kidnappers were planning to transfer her to a cargo ship. Notus didn’t know when the ship was leaving, but he knew he was already running out of time.
He locked his jaw, his veins boiling with anger. He’d been such an idiot. He’d let his feelings for Eden cloud his mind and judgment, and he’d put the woman he loved in danger. He’d failed to protect her, and now she was in that damn basement, alone, scared, and in pain because of him. And he was here, about five-hundred miles away, unable to fly and without any means of getting to her.
He had never loathed his inability to fly more than he did now. His self-disgust had consumed him after he’d met
Eden, leading him to try and fail to fly twice, both times crashing onto trees. But that was a mere shadow of the self-loathing he was feeling now. He’d never felt more useless, weak and broken. He was a dumb, helpless, wingless dragon, and every fiber of his body was screaming in frustration and pain.
He went out of the cabin, took his clothes and shoes off, and stood naked in the snow. He spread his arms wide, closed his eyes, focused his mind, and willed his shift to come. His bones cracked and his scales erupted along his skin, rippling through his flesh. His legs and arms elongated, claws breaking through his fingertips and toes, while the skin on his back ruptured as his wings sprang out. His senses sharpened and he emitted a powerful roar.
He ran up the mountain as his scales were changing color fluidly, from red to black to grey to red again, reflecting his emotions of anger, remorse, and grief. He passed by white pine trees, the snow crunching under his feet, as he looked for a spot he’d seen the previous day during his walk with Eden. He found it after about ten minutes and walked up to the edge of the cliff and looked out at the expanse under him. There was a pine forest on the right and a rocky valley about a mile below him, covered in snow, looking tranquil.
Notus flapped his wings and snarled as the pain from his injury twanged his shoulder. His plan was crazy, but it was the only option. There was no other way of getting to Eden. He was going to jump off at a spot where the rock face of the mountain was sheer and flap his wings as hard as he possibly could, hoping that the mile or so distance to the rocks below him would give him enough time to manage to somehow fly, or at least glide through the air—the same strategy he’d tried twice at Eden’s apartment. The difference was that if he failed now, he’d crash against rocks and most probably lose his life. But his life wasn’t worth anything if he couldn’t save Eden.
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