“You left,” she said, her breath hitching as he nibbled her earlobe.
“I knew if I stayed, training you every day, watching you heal from the losses you’ve suffered, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from having you again.”
He held her by the waist and spun her around to face him. She opened her eyes and stared in to his. Thora saw the naked desire reflected there, and possibly something more. Love? Perhaps she was fooling herself, seeing what she wanted to see. But the unification kiss had cut through her fears, reaching to the deepest part of her.
“You take my breath away,” he said, and slid his hands up her ribs until his thumbs caught on the underside of her breasts. “Every night, I’ve dreamed of seeing you like this again. Your body bared to me.”
He ran his thumbs over her nipples, and she trembled at the touch. Then, lifting one breast, he leaned down and pulled her nipple gently with his lips before circling with his tongue.
Thora moaned at the teasing touch, and arched her back to get more of her breast in his mouth. She caressed the back of his head as he sucked on one nipple and then the other. She wiggled against him as each tug of his lips sent a hot tingle through her body.
Tired of him toying with her, Thora stood upright, forcing his mouth off her breast. He looked surprised at first, but she didn’t give him the chance to wonder what was wrong as she grabbed his head with both hands and pulled his mouth to hers in a wild kiss.
Garrett moaned in to her mouth, and a sense of power came over Thora. His reaction in the orchard had given her a hint of what that power felt like, and now she wanted more than a taste. She wanted total control.
Stepping toward him, she guided him backward until the back of his knees hit the bed. She ended the kiss, then deliberately pushed him over. He landed on his back, and she immediately crawled on top of him, straddling his waist.
His erection nudged her opening, but she wasn’t quite ready. With her hands on either side of his head, her breasts dangled in front of him, and he turned his head back and forth so his lips could continue their game.
As delicious as the feel of her nipples in his mouth were, it wasn’t what she wanted, but embarrassment had taken hold of her. She inched up. Then, suddenly, his hands cupped the cheeks of her ass, and he was wiggling his way lower until his tongue met the lips of her pussy.
The initial contact had her jerking upright in shock, and she caught herself with her hands on his chest. He began to explore, licking and sucking her clitoris. Thora whimpered as his touch dispelled any thought of shyness. She leaned back and, gripping the top of his thighs to steady herself, thrust her hips forward, giving him more access to her.
“More,” she moaned.
His fingers reached from behind, and one slid in to her opening before a second joined. He pulled them out and then thrust back in. He set a rhythm that matched the firm strokes of his tongue, devouring her as he drove her closer to fulfillment.
She gasped for breath and ground her hips down, the building pressure in her core urging her on. Yet, release remained elusive.
Reaching behind her, she found his hardened length, giving it a little squeeze. His hips thrust, and she briefly tightened her grip before letting him go and levering herself up. She shimmied down his body until his penis was poised at her entrance. He grasped his flesh and guided himself in to her aching pussy.
Filled with a burning, she placed her hands on his stomach and began rocking her hips back and forth, then in circles. Each movement pressed his erection further inside, setting off waves of sensations that left her wanting more.
Garrett’s hands settled on her waist, trying to guide her movements, but she refused to relinquish control.
“No,” she said, and pulled his hands away. Holding him by the wrists, she pinned them to the bed beside his head.
“Fuck, Thora. You’re so fucking hot.” His face glistened with sweat as he found her rhythm, matching it with his thrusts. “I’m not going to last.”
His eyes squeezed shut as he struggled to hold back. Thora’s own orgasm crested, and her hips frantically pumped as she strained for that last slap of his groin on her clit that would send her over the edge.
Thora’s hold on Garrett loosened, and he jerked a hand away, going down to where their bodies were joined. His fingers found her sensitive nub and massaged it in firm circles. Her muscles clamped around his penis.
“Garrett, I’m coming,” she called out, her voice trembling as her vagina pulsated. When the peak of her orgasm passed, she collapsed on his chest, her body quivering in the aftermath.
Fingers digging in to her ass cheeks, Garret’s hips surged up, and he gave a long groan as his cum emptied in to her.
Their heavy breathing echoed through the room as they lay there completely drained. A satisfied smile crept across Thora’s face.
“I’ll never regret our unification,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
Sleep tugged at her, dragging her in to the darkness as the events of the day caught up with her. The steady rise and fall of Garrett’s chest created a soothing rhythm that lulled her deeper in to a dreamless sleep.
* * *
Sometime later her eyes opened and at first she wasn’t sure what had woken her, then she realized the bed beside her was cold. Garrett was no longer there. She sat up and looked around the darkened room.
“Garrett?”
The lamp on his desk switched on.
“Did I wake you?”
She noticed he was fully dressed. An odd state, considering it was still the darkest hours of the morn.
“What are you doing?” Thora sat up, holding the sheet to conceal her nakedness. Modesty seemed silly after being so intimate with him, but the fact that he was dressed left her feeling vulnerable.
He dragged a notebook across his desk, flipping through it until he found what he was looking for.
“Something isn’t right about that Anton,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“How did he know about us?”
“He saw you leaving my room, Garrett. It’s not surprising that he guessed what was happening.”
“He knew before then. He had memories he shouldn’t have had. That first day I brought you here, he was no where around. Same with our time in the training room.”
She slid from the bed and grabbed her shirt from the floor. She pulled it over her head, and then searched for her panties. When she'd found them, she slipped them on.
“He was a spy. He was here to watch without getting caught. Does it even matter how he got the memories?” she asked. “There was nothing false about them.”
He sighed and shut the book, pushing it away from him, before pulling it back. “I know. It’s just frustrating.”
His head tipped from side to side as if relieving the tension held there. She moved behind him, and started massaging his shoulders, then slid her arms around to his chest and placed her head alongside his.
“We’ve only a few hours till morning. This can wait,” Thora said, and kissed the tip of his ear. “Come back to bed.”
“I can’t. I need to get the carriage ready.”
“Carriage?” A sinking feeling took hold of her, and she stepped away from him. He swiveled his chair so he could see her.
“I’ll only be gone a few days. Odessa will take Sophie to Oozara. I should be able to catch up with them before they reach the Capitol dome. Then it’s just a matter of finding a way to separate them.”
“You’re leaving to chase after Sophie?”
Rage ripped through her, and all she could do was stand there looking at him incredulously.
“I know she wasn’t the nicest person—”
“She threatened to have Amadeus place me in the service.”
“I can’t believe she would have done that.”
Did he really think Sophie’s threat had been only words?
“You said the reason you didn’t end your unity trust was because of So
phie’s threat. If you truly believed she wouldn’t follow through on it then why didn’t you withdraw your request?”
“It’s not as simple as that.” He stood and grasped her upper arms, but she yanked away.
“Actually, I think it is that simple.”
“I had a duty to uphold the trust.”
“And that is your primary concern. Upholding your duty.”
“Yes; it is,” he snapped. “I’m trying to bring down The Council, and every move I make could lead me in a direction that threatens that goal. Until The Summit begins, I need to do everything they'd expect from a loyal hunter.”
“Everything,” she repeated, her voice sounding so hollow.
“Yes. And that includes going to look for a breed who has just been handed over to the witch who sold her to the Bascadors when she was eleven.”
He grabbed his notebook and the pack from under the desk, before stomping across the room and out the bedroom door. The echoing slam of it tore at her heart, shredding it into tiny pieces.
Thora sank on to the edge of the bed, her entire body shaking from the adrenaline coursing through her.
What had just happened?
The day had started normal enough, but quickly became such a blur of emotional highs and lows she could hardly focus on any details.
Wanting to escape the suffocating room, she finished dressing. As she slipped on her sandals, there was a sound outside the door. Thinking it might be Garrett, she ran over and flung it open.
But Garrett wasn’t there. Instead, it was Anton Galani.
“What do you want?”
“I just saw Garrett leaving the dome in a carriage. I wanted to make sure you were all right,” he said, and she swore she heard concern in his voice.
“I’m fine.” She started to close the door, but he placed his hand firmly on it, keeping it open.
“I also wanted to apologize. I never meant for you to be caught in the middle of the investigation,” Anton said, his brow crinkling in what could have passed as contrition.
“When The Council forced you to choose, well, that was not my intention. It’s kept me up all night.”
Despite the great show he was putting on, she doubted he really cared so much.
“What’s done is done. All we can do now is move forward with the fate we have been given.”
He nodded, then reached in to his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He tapped it against his palm and stared at it, as if debating what to do.
“The choices they gave you were not a choice at all. Whether you were banished, servicing the Fae who have earned the favor of the members, or united with a Fae who doesn’t love you, you were doomed to a life of misery.”
For it to be stated so simply stung, yet it was a reality Thora knew she had to face. Garrett might want her body. He might even care for her but, ultimately, their unification was part of his duty to protect the breeds.
Anton held out the paper.
“What is it?” she asked, making no move to take it.
“An opportunity to live a different kind of life. Free of The Council and duty. Free of fear.”
Curiosity won, and she took the paper. Unfolding it, she found a map of The Sanctuary. Anton pointed to the east end of the grounds where the rose gardens met the wall.
“There’s a secret entrance here. It’s only used by Council members, and is unmonitored.”
Considering the lengths they had gone to in order to defend the front entrance, she was surprised that they'd leave a not so secret door unguarded. She shook her head.
“Even if I were to leave, I have nowhere to go. Bascadors would find me before I ever reached The Capitol.”
He flicked his fingers, and the lines of the map rearranged into one of the faction. A thin blue line wound its way across the paper.
“This route will take you to the Grand Coven’s building. They believe in The Peace Treaty, and will offer you protection,” he said. “It will take you a few days on foot to reach it, though I suppose if you wait for Garrett to return he might take you by carriage.”
She refolded the paper, but hesitated to give it back to him.
“The map is yours whether you choose to seek asylum with the witches or not.” He gave her a sympathetic smile before nodding his head in farewell and heading back down the hall.
She shut the door behind her then stood there, staring at the map. She mimicked the movements of Anton’s hand and the lines changed again, showing the layout of the Grand Coven building. Possibilities flooded her mind as she considered what the map could do. Perhaps its greatest ability was to provide a way for her to release Garrett from their unification.
The memory of Garrett’s face when he spoke of his oath to protect every breed no matter the cost to himself flashed before her. As noble as his efforts were, he couldn’t protect them all. He couldn’t protect her. Because he was the only one hurting her now.
That was all it took to make up her mind.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, as the sun peeked over the horizon, she was sneaking through the garden with a bag of supplies. She'd worried that by leaving so soon after Garrett she'd risk running in to him, but with him traveling by carriage, the chance was slim. Besides her path was different than the one he’d taken.
The door was right where the map showed it, hidden behind a veil of ivy that crept along the wall. Unlike the marble slabs at the front entrance, the door was small and wooden, tinted green by years of the weather brushing the foliage against it. Holding the ivy to the side, she pressed against the door, and then leaned her body against it until it finally creaked open.
The barrier was only feet away, and cold air seeped through. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, moving swiftly around the wall toward the tunnel the map had shown.
The long, narrow tunnel seemed to go on forever. While she had moments of hesitation, determination carried her on. Trapped in a loveless unification was worse than anything else she might have faced. Leaving was the only option.
Thora walked along for nearly an hour before she saw a hint of shimmering blue that marked the exit. Yet, as she drew closer to the end, an uneasy feeling settled in her. She shrugged it off as fear of the unknown and forged on.
When she reached the blue curtain, she came to a stop. The beginning hadn’t been marked by any such magic, so why have one at that end?
Thora glanced at the map, which showed she was on the right path to her destination. She placed it back in her bag and stared at the barrier. It wasn’t so thick as to entirely conceal what was on the other side, but what she could make out was vague shapes that resembled trees.
Refusing to let fear control her when she'd already come so far, she sent up a prayer to her Tatiana’s soul star and stepped through.
Chapter 16
Garrett hadn’t expected it to be that hard. Finding an old witch with a young breed should have taken a few hours at most, even with the possible cloaking spells he anticipated Odessa using. Yet, a week after leaving The Sanctuary, he was still looking for them.
For days, he'd watched the tunnel he'd expected Odessa to take, with friendly eyes watching the others. No one had seen anything, which was why when he heard news earlier in the day that she'd been spotted in the city center, he'd moved in immediately.
The area was a rough place, inhabited primarily by the Fae and witches living on the fringes of the faction, and the perfect place for them to bring their breeds to make trades that couldn’t happen out in the open.
He'd been staking out the den for the past hour and seen nothing unusual. The steady stream of patrons was disheartening as he recognized many of them from his work as a hunter and with The Depository.
He grew impatient waiting for Odessa to show her face. He wanted the hunt to be over.
It was an odd feeling, because hunting had always given him purpose. Following leads, tracking down the breeds, and stealing them away from their abusers had been exhilarating,
and as glad as he felt when he found his prey and settled them in their new home, he was always ready for his next hunt.
When he left Thora in his room, the need to hunt consumed him. There was a breed out there in need of help. That the breed was Sophie made no difference to him. Within minutes of walking out The Sanctuary gates and in to the frigid outside, however, he'd wanted to turn back. He'd never walked away from a hunt before, and he didn’t that night, but he wanted to.
He'd been gone a week, and the look on Thora’s face when he said the most important thing to him was his duty haunted him every minute.
Once he found Sophie, he planned to leave her at his house in the city until The Summit, then he could get back to Thora and set things straight.
He climbed from the hired carriage he'd been concealed in, and waited for it to pull away and the den to come back in to view. His best option would be to go in the side entrance. There'd be fewer people to see him, giving him more time to locate Odessa and Sophie.
“Looking for a trade?”
Garrett twisted around to face a witch with greasy black hair streaked with gray standing in the doorway behind him. The man shifted to the side so Garrett could see inside. A female and two male breeds lounged on a sofa, their expressions numbed to the world. They had obviously been drugged. While his instinct was to set about freeing them, he knew that, logically, they were beyond any help he could offer.
The full wrath brought to the Fae realm when the human world fell, sealing the veil, was far greater than most would admit. Death was but one of the horrors unleashed upon them. The human drugs the witches brought through the veil were even more devastating. It could take years before the drugs ever left their system, and still the hunger for it would remain as if they'd shot up only that morning.
Garrett looked back at the man holding the door. The pitted skin of his face and arms spoke of his own addictions, but, unlike the breeds, the witch would have a much swifter recovery.
Hunter: Faction 10: The Isa Fae Collection Page 18