by Leela Ash
That whole long morning, she said nothing. Darian probably assumed that she needed to concentrate, that this task was far more difficult than it truly was.
Tess didn’t explain. Let him think she needed to watch every tree they passed, lest they become lost in the North Woods. Need didn’t keep her tongue silent: shame did.
He could never know what the Adanai truly were.
Some sins couldn’t be forgiven.
Four miles into the hike, they shifted loads. Ethan’s initial burst of syrup-fueled energy began to wear down. So Tess took a share of their baggage and Darian gave his son a piggy back ride.
A couple hours later, they came out exactly where she expected: a dirt road that led to the Echo Lake boat ramp. No Fangs, no deranged ex-boyfriends menaced them. By the time they arrived, an early-morning fisherman was already on his way out with his day’s catch. Tess regaled him with a story about getting lost on a hike and the elderly gentleman was delighted to give them a ride back to the nearest town. He wanted to help them ‘find their car’ too but they managed to talk him out of that.
Once they reached town, a guy in a pickup gave them a ride to Bangor for $40. Being in the same town as Dick uneased her. But Bangor was an actual city. They grabbed a pair of rooms at a cheap strip motel and ordered pizza for dinner.
Between that, soda, and the tv, Ethan was in heaven. He buzzed around the two adults for a full hour, chattering and playing, until the weight of the day’s excitement came crashing down upon him. Then he suddenly curled up around his half-built Lego truck and fell fast asleep on the floor.
Tess and Darian retreated to her room.
As she slipped her boots off, he came up behind her and began to massage her shoulders. “How are you doing?”
“Fine.” Which was almost true. The first outline of a plan had come to her during dinner. Before she started down that path, however, there was something she needed to know. “Hey, I’ve got a question for you.”
“Sure.” He stepped around her and took a seat on the bed. Tess settled down beside him. “What do you want to know?”
“You said that these Wellspring things had been closing and no one knew why.”
He nodded. “I think it’s been a hundred years since the last one faded.”
“Is that… bad?”
“Oh, yes! Terrible.”
Great… Shame reddened her cheeks. In the dim hotel light, however, he didn’t seem to notice. “Why? What happens when they close?”
“It becomes harder to reach the Other Side. Magic fades from the world. Wonder grows dimmer.”
Oh, hell. Now she felt like she’d murdered Santa Claus.
“For Shifters, the effects are even worse,” Darian continued, oblivious to her growing discomfort. “We forget our true selves. We lose our grip on what we ought to be. When Dragons fall, for instance, we grow greedy, possessive. We’re meant to be protectors of sacred places and people. Without the Wellsprings, we lose that. We can’t complete the Rite of Claiming, so we can’t find our true Mates. The worst of us go mad and become Worms, Dragons who’ve chewed their own wings off.”
Wonderful. So she’d destroyed the lives – even damaged the souls – of his entire Kind?
Tess sat in the half darkness, letting that dreadful truth settle down upon her soul.
“Hey.” He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “Talk to me. You don’t look good at all. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she lied.
“This doesn’t look like nothing.”
“It’s just…” She wracked her brain for an excuse that would satisfy him. Fortunately, Darian found one of his own.
“The memories? Were they as terrible as you thought?”
“Yeah.” Lying hurt, but what the hell. What did one more matter?
Especially given what she planned to do.
“Hmm. Well…” He leaned closer, until his lips brushed against her ear and his breath tickled her cheek. “The best remedy for bad memories is good ones.”
His arm slipped around her shoulders, drawing her near. Her selfish body thrilled at his touch. But her heart, still aching, chided her. She didn’t deserve Darian. How could she let him make love to her?
How could she not? It wasn’t even a contest, really. Greed won, hands down.
Just one last time together, she promised her heart. Something good to remember him by. Then I’ll let him go so he can find someone better.
“Good memories sound great.” Forcing a cheerful tone into her words, she began to pop open the buttons on her shirt. “Let’s…”
Darian’s hand closed around hers. “Slow down,” he chuckled.
“But…”
“Let me do that.”
He rose, pulling her to her feet. Sliding behind her, he wove his arms around her waist. Lips kissed the nape of her neck, teasing.
Oh, that felt so wonderful! The heat, the hunger in those lips melted away the last of her guilt. Tess leaned into him, surrendering herself to him, and to her own desire.
Strong, long-fingered hands stroked her stomach. One button popped open, then another, as he slowly worked his way higher, freeing her body from the clothes that imprisoned it. She tilted her head back as he nuzzled her neck.
With a gentle tug, her shirt slid to the ground. Fingers curled beneath the strap of her bra and a moment later it joined the unwanted shirt. Cool air washed over her breasts as they were freed, and Tess shivered as her nipples grew firm.
“Cold?” Darian’s warm arms wrapped around her again. Hands cupped her breasts, his thumb circled her aureoles, promising pleasures to come.
“No,” she assured him. Tilting her head, she kissed his chin, delighting in the roughness of its shadow of a beard. Darian bent to meet her and their mouths, eager, hungry, joined. Lips parted, she felt his tongue dart forward. Tasting her. Exploring her.
The hands caressing her breasts fell away, leaving an aching need behind – until they slid lower, down to her hips. One drifted across the front of her jeans, pausing over the warmth that spread between her thighs. She could feel him, the heat of him, with only a layer of cloth keeping them apart.
His other hand traced along the top of her jeans. Sly fingers slipped beneath them, dipping below her panties. A soft purr escaped her as they ventured close – so close! – to her womanhood. Yet after one teasing caress those fingers retreated to pop open the button at her waist. The desire, the need they left behind them nearly drove her mad.
Damn him and his taunting! Why didn’t he rip her clothes off and just take her?
But she knew the answer. She could feel it. In the shallowness of her breath, in the unthinking animal way that her body pressed against him, begging him to continue. Fire rose within her, higher and higher. Darian wasn’t a man who delighted in quick pleasures. Only the pinnacles of desire would do for his Mate.
Button and zipper undone, his hands disappeared beneath her pants. They stroked her buttocks, claiming them, then slowly pushed the jeans down. As they slid lower, his kisses descended as well. Flowing down her neck, along the small of her back. Lingering playfully, as he nibbled at the curves of her hips.
Tess stepped out of her clothes – free, naked – and turned. Her love knelt before her, eyes drinking in the beauty of her body.
To be naked before a clothed man felt odd. Yet Tess found her passion growing despite her vulnerability. Or, perhaps, because of it. It was a pledge of her trust in Darian, her eagerness to arouse him. As if she had made an offering of herself, her body, for his pleasure. Tossing her shoulders back she stood, revealing herself fully. Letting him drink his fill of her. Holding nothing back.
To her delight, she saw the crotch of his pants swell. A silent witness to the desire lurking behind his calm, masterful demeanor.
Tess reached for the buttons of his shirt, intent on stripping away the clothes that hid him from her. But Darian caught her hand. Raising her fingers to his lips, he kissed them gently and whispered, “Lie
down on your stomach.”
Her breath caught in her throat and she obeyed. Her nipples, still tingling from the touch of his hands, ached as the bedsheet’s soft folds rubbed against them. She could imagine his eyes upon her, savoring the curves of her thighs, her buttocks. Behind her she heard a shirt fall to the ground, then pants. Quivering with anticipation, she burned as she felt the bed shift.
Muscled legs straddled her, she felt his manhood brush against her buttocks – then powerful hands settled on her shoulders and gently began to knead. “You’re tense,” Darian whispered. “Let me help with that.”
Massage, too, was new to her. Yet as his hands moved, stroking, Tess felt her body sing. Muscles softened, melted. His strong hands found knots, secret tensions she’d hidden within her for so long. One by one, he banished them until she lay, basking in a soft joy she’d never known.
Before those relaxed muscles could rob her body of its arousal, however, his hands glided lower, circling her buttocks. They slipped between her legs. Fingers kneaded her thighs and, softly, secretly, stole higher to caress her womanhood. Tess moaned, burying her face in the pillow, as Darian stroked her. She felt herself grow wet, ready for him.
“Now,” she pleaded, as she rolled onto her back. “Please, now.”
Hard, erect, he knelt before her. Ripped, chiseled abs… iron stomach… lean thighs… no detail of her dream was missing. And across it all spread the tattoo of his Dragon, its scales rippling with every motion of his muscles.
He was perfect. She wanted him, needed him.
Unable to hold herself back, Tess caught him by the hands and pulled him down.
Darian joined her. Bodies wound together. Mouths joined. Hard cock pressed close, achingly close against her damp sex. At its touch, soft whimpers escaped her.
With a firm, smooth thrust, he entered her. His thick manhood filled, her, devoured her, just as it had when he Claimed her. Each stroke rocked her, fanning the flames that burned between her legs. Cries – sharp, needing – spilled from her as her fingers knotted themselves in the sheets. His own deep, guttural moans of pleasure joined hers.
Eyes closed with ecstasy, lips parted, he drove again and again into her most secret parts. Desire blazed, burned… and, with a cry, she came. His hot seed spilled inside her as he joined her in bliss.
Panting, exhausted, Darian dropped beside her. Tess snuggled closer, reveling in the dampness of their bodies and the lingering, wet traces of their love nestled between her thighs.
“I love you,” he whispered.
A hitch, the faintest of hesitations, and then she answered, “I love you too.”
It was true, after all. No matter how much she hurt him, she would always love him.
For a time, they lay there, twined together. Darian’s breathing grew deeper. As he dozed, Tess gently unwound from his embrace. At last, when her love slept, she slipped out of bed. Slowly, sadly, she gathered her clothes and dressed.
She found a pen beside the phone and, on the pad of motel notepaper, she wrote him one last message:
Darian,
You deserve someone better than me. I know I’ll never convince you of that, so I’m leaving. Don’t bother looking for me. Just take your boy and go. Find another woman, one who’ll be a decent Mate to you.
Tess
That was all. No explanation. No sign of how much she loved him. No plea for him to forgive her. All of those would simply hurt him and make it harder for him to move past her betrayal.
It was better this way, even if it broke her heart. Better for him.
And, in the end, that was what really matter. He was a good man. He deserved a good woman.
Not someone like her.
Silently, Tess set her message on the pillow beside him. Then, heart and footsteps heavy, she slipped out of the room and walked away into the night.
Chapter 12
Crunch.
Crunch, crunch.
Something was stomping about Tess’ cabin.
The noise roused her with a vain, foolish hope. Darian had come back for her! He was going to explain why it was stupid to abandon your hope, your love, and your future. He would refuse to leave her, he’d make her see sense. He wouldn’t leave until they talked this through.
He’d forgive her, for the unforgivable.
Crunch.
One eye cracked open. Damn, she felt miserable! Not just alone, hopeless, and unloved. No, a dozen physical aches joined their spiritual brothers. Dry mouth, pounding headache, dizziness… those were the signs of a massive hangover. Her stomach growled and her back ached.
How long had this bender lasted?
Judging from the beer cans scattered around her lawn chair, three days.
Three days of beer, and gin, and her old buddy whisky. Three days to contemplate how wrong she’d been. How, once again, she’d made a total mess of her life. Abandoning Darian had torn a hole in her soul, one she doubted she could ever fill. Which left her with only one option.
Run away.
Shed herself. Again. As she’d done so many times.
Crunch.
Unless… this really was him? Rising onto an elbow, Tess prayed that her Dragon had more sense than she did.
The man standing in the middle of the mess wasn’t Darian, however. Her heart sank as she realized that. Though, honestly, she hadn’t truly dared to believe he’d come back for her.
The stranger staring at her was big. Six and a half feet of solid muscle, arms that looked like barrels and threatened to shred his flannel shirt. His image wavered between annoyed lumberjack and mangy bear.
Shifter, then. Looks like Dick’s arrived. With help, this time.
“She’s in here!” he bellowed. Tess cringed as a stab of pain answered that call. To her, he simply growled, “Where’s your neighbor?”
“Gone. Flew off.” Darian’s bound Dragon couldn’t Shift – but they didn’t know that.
One last gift she could give him.
Behind the Bear, a familiar face appeared. Dick. Pale, panting, and looking ready to lose his lunch. “Tess. Where’s Morland?”
She waved indistinctly. “Flew off. Pretty amazing to see, y’know.”
“Did he give any hint of where he was heading?” She shook her head. Carefully, so as not to set the room spinning. “Which way did he fly?”
Tess pointed randomly. She couldn’t locate ‘north’ to save her life, even on a good day. And today was definitely not a good day.
“Dammit.” Dick turned to leave. “Let’s head back to town.”
That was it? Inquisition over already?
She was about to congratulate herself when a small woman slipped into the room. Gaunt, sharp-featured, she wore dull jeans and a boring tan coat that the eye naturally slid over. Nothing about her impressed, from her plain, brown, short-cropped hair to her unremarkable features. Yet her form shimmered in the air, like a heat mirage. One moment a woman stood before her, the next a Rat.
“Ugh,” Tess muttered. “You lost the Shifter lottery, didn’t you?”
The woman ignored her question and offered one of her own. “Why did Morland leave?”
Dick cleared his throat. “We should get going. We don’t know how much of a head start he has.”
The Rat waited. Tess smiled, spotting one last chance to give her ex grief. “Because I told him the Fangs of Apophis knew where he was and he needed to get out.”
“How did you know that?”
Dick’s eyes widened in horror. He gave a slight shake of his head.
Which Tess ignored. “He told me.” She jerked a thumb at her former lover. “Wanted me to find out where a Wellspring was. I decided I’d rather help the Dragon.”
With a hiss of rage, the Rat turned a venomous glare on Dick. “You idiot! You’ve screwed up for the last time. The Fangs will have your head for this!”
“I’m not the one who let him escape!” he yelped. “Your Nest is to blame for that! If your spies were better…”
The unnamed Rat didn’t buy that excuse. Neither did Tess. “The whole point of caution was to prevent him from taking to the skies, where we couldn’t follow him. Arnage!” The Bear ducked his head. “Don’t let this Fae escape. He’ll answer to the Masters.”
That did not sound good to Tess. She didn’t even need to see Dick’s horror to know that. As the Bear turned toward him, he scrambled backward, howling, “Wait! I have information you need. Let me go, and I’ll give it to you.”
The Rat held up a hand, freezing Arnage in his tracks. Odd. Given his arrogance, Tess had assumed that Dick was a high-ranking member of the Fangs. Clearly, though, the ‘lowly’ Rat was in charge here.
“Tell me this information.”
“Promise me you’ll let me go!”
Thin lips pinched tight for a moment then the woman nodded. “Very well. I give you my word.”
Tess almost burst out laughing.
It’s a trap, Dickie-Boy. That agreement came way too fast.
Beggars couldn’t be choosers, though, and her ex gulped the bait down without blinking. “That woman? Amatessandra? She’s an Adanai, like me.”
Rat-Girl sized her up. Tess met her gaze levelly, not sure why the Fangs would care about that.
Dick spelled it out. “If anyone would know why the Wellsprings closed – or how to open them back up – it’s her.”
Well, shit. Tess rose unsteadily to her feet and was dismayed to find that the room spun.
“Good to know,” said the Rat. “Arnage, tie them both up and lock them in the jeep.”
Fool that he was, Dick actually seemed surprised by the betrayal. “But you promised!”
“I lied.”
Arnage leaped, in a blur of motion that startled Tess. How the hell could anyone that big be so fast? One enormous fist closed around Dick’s collar. Then, with a quick snap of the wrist, the Bear slammed the man’s head into the door frame, hard enough to crack the wood. The Adanai collapsed, limp, in his hand. Arnage let him slide to the ground and turned to face Tess.
Hell. Oh hell, oh hell.