by Haley Weir
Casey thanked Cole and hung up the phone. Her heart raced. "What do I do?"
"I'm not a genie in a magic lamp. I can't tell fortunes or grant wishes. Just follow your heart. It's a cliché for a reason."
Giddeon was hurt. Casey knew it down in the depths of her soul. She had to see him, to know that he was alive. She grabbed her bag and sprinted towards the door. Damien followed her to the elevator while keeping up despite the fact that he walked at a casual pace while she ran. He tossed her his keys and plucked his phone from his pocket. "Take the Jaguar. I'm calling the airport. Ask for the Rivera. The password is Titan."
Casey balked. "You're letting me used your car and a private jet?"
"I told you that Giddeon is a friend. Go save him."
The elevator doors closed and Casey pressed the button to her floor over and over again impatiently. The doors opened, and Casey ran for the exit that led to the underground parking. Damien’s mirror chrome jaguar was beautiful. The car purred as it tore down the street at a frightening speed.
When she pulled up to the curb, Damien was waiting. He grabbed the keys from her hand and wished her luck. She was taken aback for a moment by how quickly he had gotten there. Casey snapped out of her thoughts and headed for the private terminals.
Chapter Twelve
Castle Black
Destiny, Alaska
Darkness settled over his mind like a thick layer of oil. Images broke through from time to time of his brothers huddled over him with worry pinched on their brows. Consciousness never lasted for more than a second or two. But it was the dreams of Casey he found most painful of all.
Dizziness, nausea, and regret warred within him. He wanted to apologize for being cold towards her, for pushing her to make a decision quicker than she was ready for. Giddeon fought through the sluggishness until his eyes opened after what had felt like an eternity. A sleeping figure sat in the chair beside the bed. He recognized the silken waves of her hair and the subtle rise and fall of her shoulders.
Movement caught his attention and Giddeon turned his head to see who else was in the room. He hadn't seen Damien in person for many years, but he was happy to know that a strong male had been looking after Casey. Damien's watchful gaze never looked away. Giddeon shifted slightly. His movements alerted Casey. She sat up and reached for him. "Are you all right?"
He nodded, and Giddeon lost himself in her touch. It was simple—no more than her hand upon his own—but it melted the ice around his heart. "I will be."
Damien straightened from his place along the wall and walked towards the door. "You two need time to talk." The door shut behind the elusive wolf with a soft thud.
Casey tangled their fingers together. "I'm sorry that I left like that. I was overwhelmed and I needed to clear my head…get back to what was normal again."
"I went back to apologize," he confessed. "There was no note, no goodbye. At first, I thought the worst had happened. I thought you had been taken until a maid told me you left in a taxi."
Casey crawled up into the bed beside him carefully. "We were both pretty selfish, huh?"
Giddeon wrapped his arms around her despite the burning in his chest. "Why did you come back?"
"It's hard to explain. When I was in Washington, I saw what had happened here…in my mind. I felt everything like it was happening to me." She rested her head above the mark of their bond on his chest. "It was unusual, but it had to be a sign. Right?"
"What sort of sign?"
"That I was never supposed to leave you," Casey whispered. Giddeon felt his skin grow damp with tears and reached up to run his fingers through her hair as she continued. "The thought of you hurt or dying was devastating. I...I think I'm in love with you, Giddeon."
He smiled and pulled her against his chest tighter, but Casey jumped out of his hold and turned her back to the mirror on the wall. She glanced at her reflection over her shoulder and began removing her blouse and blazer. On her left shoulder blade was a mark that matched his own.
He forced himself to his feet and limped over to her, dwarfing his mate with his large body. Casey continued to stare at the mark that bonded them as mates. She touched it gently and hissed. Giddeon yanked her up against him and kissed her until the pain was unbearable. He growled at her taste and carried her over to the bed.
"You need to be careful," she scolded.
"I'd risk a hundred bullets and stab wounds if it meant I could kiss you." Giddeon buried his face in her neck and breathed her in deeply. Beneath the smell of the airplane, her last meal, and the soap she had used to bathe was her own unique scent that filled his veins with fire. Casey squirmed as his breath tickled her neck and Giddeon pulled away to kiss her softly.
“I take it you missed me.” Her sweet chuckle brought a smile to his face.
“According to Caleb, I was insufferable after you left.”
“Oh?”
“I tend to break things when I’m upset. In a castle full of priceless artifacts, that method of coping is...frowned upon,” he said. “But I didn’t care. Not having you with me was maddening. I felt paranoid and angry at the slightest provocation.”
She sat up and brushed a few strands of hair out of his face. “So, what are we going to do about Seth? We can’t just let Octavius think he can get away with this.”
“I’ve tried peace and I’ve approached him directly, but nothing is getting through to him. If you have any suggestions, I’ll be glad to listen.” Gideon was touched by the genuine concern she showed when defending his family. “Seth is a strong male, but I don’t know how long he’ll be able to hold up against Octavius’s cruelty.”
“He’s exploiting your weakness for your family by taking Seth and putting on that little show of his. But what he said to you sounds…possible. You said yourself that you were training most of your life to be the next king. What if your father wasn’t the man you thought he was?”
“I have begun to question whether Octavius’s claims are true.”
Casey framed his face with her hands. “Rebellions and revolutions don’t just pop up out of thin air. There’s always a deeply rooted outcry from people with legitimate problems. The Reckoning feel abandoned by your father, so they’re willing to follow Octavius. Maybe if they knew you had offered to give them a place in the Sleuth, they’d see that he’s only after his own agenda.”
“But how do we get word to his people without him finding out?”
“Magic?”
“Even I’m not skilled enough to use my power at that distance without detection.” Giddeon sought comfort in her hold and marveled at her ability to soothe his soul. “We’ll put our minds together and come up with something soon. Balor and Caleb are just as restless as I’ve been. I hope Seth can work some sort of angle and try to persuade Octavius.”
~*~
Destiny, Alaska
Casey helped Giddeon through the doorway of the cabin. They had decided to stay where she was comfortable until she grew accustomed to life at Castle Black. She propped him against the wall and hurried to grab the bags, but Caleb had beaten her to it. He stormed past her and dragged the luggage into the house and up the stairs. She made a face behind his back and Giddeon laughed heartily with his hand pressed to his side.
After Caleb put the bags away, he left the same way he came in.
“Don’t mind him,” Giddeon said. “He feels responsible for Seth’s capture.”
“Why?”
“The man we met at the waterfall wasn’t Octavius, but a decoy as Seth suspected. When the fighting started, Caleb rushed in without any hesitation. Seth saw someone with a stun gun and knocked Caleb out of the way, taking the blast himself. They dragged him away before Caleb recovered from the blow.”
Casey winced. She took Giddeon’s hand and led him up to her bedroom. “It’s not exactly a royal suite, but it’s nice.”
Giddeon sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his lap. “If you’re here, then I have no complaints. I’d sleep in a box b
ehind a donut shop if it meant we were together.”
She smiled brightly, leaning forward to kiss him tenderly. The stubble on his jaw was prickly, but it made her squirm when she thought of the marks it would leave between her thighs. Giddeon must have scented her arousal. His hands gripped her rear and rocked her down against his erection. Casey gasped into his mouth and tugged on his bottom lip with her teeth. Giddeon fell onto his back so she straddled him more comfortably.
Though Casey was much shorter than him while standing, she was the perfect height in bed. He spanked her playfully, causing her to squeak. She glanced away to disguise the interest in her eyes and kissed along the length of his throat. Giddeon’s Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed and she sank her teeth into his collarbone. His hips arched off of the bed and she felt powerful. Her fingers worked to unbutton his shirt as she moved down his chest.
Casey pressed a kiss to his mark and watched his large body shudder beneath her. She unclasped his belt, popped open the button of his fly, and slid the zipper down on his jeans. Giddeon’s eyes burned with lust as she licked the palm of her hand and shoved it into his pants. Her fingers curled around the thick shaft, feeling it throb in her hand. Casey teased the slit of his crown with her thumb and used the wetness to ease her strokes.
Giddeon growled through his teeth and cupped her face. He looked into her eyes with an intensity that she felt in her soul. “I love you,” he said harshly. “Not just because of the mark, but because I knew the moment I sat across from you at that restaurant that I wanted to spend the rest of my life making you feel beautiful.”
Tears began to prickle behind her eyelids. Casey stroked him faster, moaning into his kiss as she milked his member. Giddeon thrust with the time of her strokes until he tensed in anticipation. Every muscle in his body clenched and jets of seed bathed her hand like hot little kisses. She kissed and sucked at his neck. Giddeon continued to rock his hips until the very end of his release. His body gave one last heaving shudder and he rolled her onto her back.
Casey brought her hand to her mouth and licked it clean.
Desire burned in his gaze. Giddeon gripped the waistline of her leggings...but a knock came at the front door. Casey jumped up despite his growl of protest and hurried to answer. Olivia, Rina, and Diana burst through the open doorway a second later. She had wanted to take things further with Giddeon, but she was happy to see them.
“How dare you come back here and not tell us?”
Casey rolled her eyes at Olivia’s outburst. She was far too dramatic for her own good.
Giddeon walked down the stairs slowly. His clothing was rumpled, but at least his pants were buttoned and the zipper was up. It was clear they had been in the middle of something, and she suspected that had been his intention. Giddeon wasn’t a subtle man.
The entry hall was silent and Casey turned to her friends to see what was the matter. Their eyes bulged out of their skulls as they stared at the open front of Giddeon’s shirt and what she could only describe as sex hair. “Oh! Giddeon, these are my friends I told you about. This is Diana Kelly, Rina Whitely, and Olivia Knight. Ladies, this is Giddeon Black.”
Rina leaned over and whispered, “If I recall correctly, you said he had three brothers?”
Casey laughed and helped her friends carry their bags up to their rooms. It was Diana who spotted the mark on her shoulder and the matching one on Giddeon’s chest. “What the heck did you do to your body? Is that a brand?”
“It...I…”
Giddeon stepped forward as she continued to stammer. “We’re getting married. My family has a very old tradition that Casey wanted us to honor. It’s a sign of devotion that marks the start of our happily ever after.”
“Since when does Casey believe in fairytales?”
“Since I gave her a reason to,” he replied smoothly and pulled her close for a kiss that raised more than one eyebrow. Giddeon only stepped back when his pain seemed to worsen. “I’m going to rest. You ladies have a good time. I’m sure you have lots to talk about.”
Chapter Thirteen
Destiny, Alaska
He awakened to the sound of pop ballads and cackling women. Giddeon smiled to himself and climbed out of bed with less pain than before. He pulled on some comfortable pants from his luggage and dropped his wrinkled shirt into the hamper beside the door. Soundlessly, he moved through the cabin. Giddeon inched closer to the den and stopped when he saw Casey dancing around in a t-shirt for a band he didn’t recognize and a pair of SpongeBob shorts.
The one she had introduced as Diana proceeded to imitate the dance done by Mr. Bean that played silently on the television behind her. Rina sat on the couch with a cocktail in her hand, giggling until her face turned red with mirth. Olivia was passed out on the bar with a bottle of liquor clutched in her hand and the words “Spicy Taco” written across her forehead in marker. Giddeon figured it was an inside joke between them and simply shook his head.
“If this is how you are on a regular night, I can’t imagine how your bachelorette party is going to be.” The sound of his voice caused absolute chaos. Diana dove for the sofa to hide beneath a mound of blankets and Casey drunkenly tried to conceal herself behind the thin artificial plant in the corner of the room.
“Casey, I think your future baby daddy can still see you,” Rina slurred helpfully.
Giddeon tried to hold back his laughter as he approached the plant and parted the branches. Casey’s face was crimson. His barely restrained laughter burst out as he tugged her from behind the plant. She covered her face with her hands as he hugged her tightly. “You weren’t supposed to be up yet! I’m so embarrassed.”
“Why?” he asked, smiling so hard that his cheeks began to ache. “I love SpongeBob.”
She whacked him on the arm before flipping Rina her middle finger.
“What did I do? I was just trying to help out a friend in need.”
Olivia rolled off the bar and landed on her rump with a shout. She popped up in the blink of an eye. One side of her face had creases from her sleeve and the other side had smeared ink. “Woah...I don’t think we’ve met,” the redhead hiccupped. “You must be...Marvin?”
“Giddeon.”
“Nailed it!” Olivia wandered over to the couch and sat on the pile of pillows that contained a giggling Diana. Giddeon didn’t quite know what to make of Casey’s friends, but they made her happy, and that was all that mattered. He patted her bottom and kissed the corner of her mouth. Casey’s blush grew impossibly brighter—much to his delight.
“Are you coming upstairs so we can finish what we started? Or should I just lay myself in your bed and make a mess of your sheets on my own?”
Rina howled like a cartoon wolf and Diana jumped out of the blankets to resume her Mr. Bean dance. Clearly, the alcohol had renewed her courage once more. Casey tapped his arm and raced towards the stairs. “Last one to the bed has to wear a dress at the wedding!” she shouted as she took two stares at a time. Giddeon growled and used his long legs to his advantage. It didn’t take long for him to pass her.
When he made it to the room, he heard someone mutter, “At least someone around here is getting laid. If I go another month without a man, I think my hymen might grow back.”
Giddeon heard Casey enter the room with a snort. She fell face-first onto the bed and kicked her feet like a petulant child. “That’s not fair. I really wanted to see you in a dress.”
“Too bad. I don’t think I’d look good in lace.” He climbed on top of her and kissed the back of her neck. Casey wiggled until she flipped over onto her back. A smile more radiant than the sun beamed up at him. She craned her neck, silently begging for a kiss.
Giddeon gave in and sealed his lips over hers. Casey licked into his mouth and reached for the drawstrings of his lounge pants. He batted her hands away, ignoring the pout that replaced her smile. “It’s my turn,” he rumbled. Giddeon placed his hands on her side and lifted her up, placing Casey gently on the pillows. His knees nudged her
legs apart as he settled his weight on top of his beautiful mate. “I’m going to claim you this time, Casey. You’re mine.”
“You were...serious about us getting married?”
He tilted her chin up and forced her to meet his gaze. “I’d rather die than betray your trust. You mean the world to me. If you asked that I give up the crown and my title within the Sleuth, I would do so without question. Though he’s the youngest, Balor shows the most promise in leading our people. I would have happily given him the throne if it meant I could love you.”
A tear slithered down her temple. Giddeon kissed both of her cheeks and swiped the droplets away with his thumb. “I should have just talked to you instead of leaving.”
“Perhaps. But what’s done is done. There’s no use in looking back.” He hoisted her legs up and placed them on his shoulders, carefully folding her in half. Giddeon moved swiftly, sliding his loungers down his legs without breaking their kiss. The hefty girth of his member rested against her heated flesh. Casey gasped.
“Make love to me, Giddeon,” she whispered. “I’m yours. I’ve always been yours.”
He rolled his hips, stroking his length along the cleft of her feminine folds. Her body began to sing beautifully beneath his ministrations. Giddeon trailed his fingers along the edges of her soft petals, teasing her until the anticipation grew to unbearable heights. He kissed along her neck and bit down on the lobe of her ear. “Tell me you love me,” he demanded. “I need to hear it, Casey. I need to know you’re in this with me.”
“I love you, Giddeon.”
~*~
Casey felt his fingers spread her open for his claim. She bit down on her bottom lip and closed her eyes, listening to the rasp of his voice as he spoke to her in that beautiful language she didn't understand. The press of his member against her entrance caused her to clench. He kissed her softly and whispered, "Breathe, Casey. I won't hurt you." She trusted him. Casey felt the slight burn as her muscles stretched. It wasn't pain, but there was some discomfort as he carved room for himself inside of her body. Those thick fingers never stopped petting her intimately. Casey felt that tension building within her and gripped the pillow behind her head as she toppled over the edge.