“I don’t need to stab you, or see your blood running. What I do need you to do is accept the facts. First, I love Eden more than my own life. I would die a thousand painful, awful deaths for her, and then I’d do it all over again if she wanted. I will mate her. We will be together, and you won’t stand in my way, and neither will anyone else in this room. The only person who will be responsible for none of that happening is Eden.”
Hudson stared at him, the silence once again heavy. Sharing the quiet with Eden had always been a special time, but being immersed in it up to his neck with these males … shit, he wanted to stab himself.
“Do I make myself fucking clear?”
Hudson lowered his gaze, and Blake began clapping.
“That was better than any stabbing.”
“Shut up, Blake,” Noah murmured.
“You’ve made yourself clear,” Hudson said, meeting his stare again. “All I ask is that you take care of my little girl.”
Axel clapped his hand on his shoulder, and spoke in their native tongue. “If you mean take care of her as in you want me to love her, that is done. I will, however, not try to control her.”
He grabbed his cell phone off the table, made his way through the Warriors. and headed out of the gym. He needed food in his belly, then he needed to feast on his mate-to-be, and then, he would take comfort in her arms, the only place in the world where he was truly understood.
Or, maybe, he’d just skip the food altogether.
Chapter 38
Eden had just stepped from the shower and pulled her hair up in a towel when she heard pounding on her door. She rushed over as she wrapped another towel around her torso. The knock sounded very insistent, and she worried something had happened to Axel. He had been sleeping peacefully when she’d left him, but as she had found out these past few days, life could change in the blink of an eye.
Axel stood on the other side of the panel wearing only a pair of sweats, his chest and feet bare. His gaze seemed so hard as it roamed over her body, and for a moment, it scared her. Then, she realized her man had come for her, and a chill traveled down her spine. Her plan of showering, then going upstairs and helping to prepare dinner, disappeared. Based on the look he gave her, she’d be busy the next few hours.
He stepped into the room, and she backed up as he shut the door behind him. As he stalked over to her, heat moved through her limbs, landing in a ball of desire in her core.
As he gently unwound the towel from her head, she began to tremble. He obviously felt better, and she stared at the reds burning brightly around him, growing and crackling with each passing second. He wanted her.
“Did you just get out of the shower?” he asked as he tossed his cell phone to the bed, then dropped the towel to the floor and traced his finger over her collarbone.
“Yes.”
He leaned down and placed his lips just below her earlobe.
“I need a shower,” he whispered.
The gentle kiss to her throat sent a chill down her spine as his beard tickled her skin. She shut her eyes as his big hand wrapped around the back of her neck, his fingers tenderly massaging her.
“Your muscles feel a bit tight, but it’s been a stressful few days.”
He turned her so that her back faced him, and he kneaded her shoulders. The tension and fear that had plagued her seemed to disappear. Both she and Axel were safe in the silo, and everyone knew about them. There wasn’t a reason to hide any longer.
After a few moments, she worried she would fall asleep on her feet.
He walked around her and faced her. “On the next full moon, I want us to have a proper mating ceremony.”
Her heart thudded in her chest. She hadn’t expected that, especially this soon.
Liberty had told her about the mating ritual on SR44, which had always been done when all three of the moons were full.
“Are you sure?”
He nodded.
She didn’t need to hear words because his aura told her everything she needed to know.
“Okay, Axel.”
And that was that. She would become a mated woman in the near future.
He reached out and pulled the towel on her torso loose. For what seemed like forever, he just boldly stared at her, his gaze moving over every inch of her body, making her feel as if he caressed her. Her sex ached with desire, and her nipples hardened into tight peaks. When he finally looked into her eyes, her breathing had become shallow. Could she be the only one who felt as if she may explode from need?
As he closed the space between them, she laced her arms around his neck and pressed her chest to his, surrounding herself in his magnificent aura. She imagined its beautiful crimson tendrils swirling around her, stroking her. As their lips met, she sighed. All was right in the world.
His hands roamed up and down her back, settling on the globes of her butt. “I’m going to go shower really quick.”
“Okay.”
As he stepped away, she couldn’t help but notice the erection tenting his sweatpants. He walked into the bathroom and shut the door.
She sat on the bed, unable to wipe the smile from her face. Axel was alive, and he wanted a mating ceremony. Liberty had explained it all to her—the candles, the circle. She tried to picture it, but she figured it would be even more beautiful than any vision she could conjure.
Moments later, Axel emerged from the bathroom naked and stalked over to her smelling of soap, obviously taking the quickest shower of anyone on Earth.
Her breath caught in her throat at his raw, male beauty. The hard planes of his body reminded her of chiseled statues, the muscles beneath his skin rolling with each step. The black and grey tattoos seemed to move like snakes up his arm as he made a fist.
He wasn’t like most of the other males in the house who tended to be clean-cut. She loved the way his beard scraped against her skin as he kissed her. He looked bad, like a stereotypical criminal from a television show … like those big, strong hands could crush her without much effort. As she rested back against the mattress and he laid over her, those deadly looking hands caressed her body gently, as if she were the most precious thing he’d ever seen.
She spread her legs wide and his hips rested against hers. He brought his lips to hers, and she inhaled the scent of soap and musky male that was his.
The languid kiss quickly turned heated as she ran her hands all over his torso, careful not to wrap her arms around him. She didn’t want him to feel trapped in any way.
Every now and then, he’d flinch at her touch, and she’d remember he had taken bullets to protect her. The wounds were obviously still tender.
He palmed her breast, his thumb running over her taut nipple. A shiver of delight raced through her as his tongue flicked the hardened tip.
“I’ll never get enough of you, Eden,” he whispered.
As he pushed her hair away from her face, he stared down at her. His black eyes gleamed just the slightest bit, and she thought she noticed a small speck of white in them. It often came and went so fast, she was never really sure if she saw anything at all.
His aura danced around him, the reds so beautiful and pure, she could never doubt his feelings for her.
She smiled. “I love you, too, Axel.”
He rolled onto his back, taking her with him. She tried to scamper away from him so she didn’t lie on top of him, but he gripped her hips firmly.
“No. I want you right here.”
Tentatively, she straddled him and settled her weight on him as she studied his face. Fear flickered through his features, and sweat formed on his brow. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a moment, then looked up at her.
“Axel—”
“No. Come here.”
She lay down on his chest and kissed him. Their tongues danced as he ran his hands up and down her back. She felt his heart thundering in his chest against her own and wondered if fear, or desire, caused it. As she tried to move off him again, he held her in place.
He reached around, and his fingers found her slick core. She moaned as they slid in and out, each thrust bringing her higher, closer to that place where she would crash into a sea of pleasure.
“Take me, Eden.”
For a brief moment, confusion tore through her, but then she understood what he meant. He was showing her that he trusted her fully by putting himself in a vulnerable position; he was fully giving himself over to her. As she slid down his shaft, he groaned and kept his hands firmly on her hips, but he never broke eye contact.
As she rocked her pelvis, he stared up at her and she could see the anxiety in his aura begin to fade. His fingers gripped her flesh as if he hung on to her for dear life, and, maybe he did. Maybe the skin-to-skin connection was the only thing that kept him grounded so he didn’t toss her across the room.
In one fluid movement, he sat up and snaked his arms around her waist.
“Put your arms and legs around me.”
She did as he asked and smiled. Their bodies had become so beautifully entangled. She couldn’t get any closer to him if she tried.
His breath whispered against her lips, his gaze never leaving hers. His aura had completely cleared of any fear, but now raged with lust and love. She continued rocking in his lap, her orgasm building quickly with the sweet friction.
He threaded his fingers through her hair and gently pulled, exposing her throat. As he kissed her neck, her body began to tremble. She was so close.
“Look at me,” he whispered.
She met his stare and wanted him deeper, wanted him closer, and didn’t look away as she crashed over the edge.
As he wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her hair, he came on a low groan and a shudder.
They didn’t move for quite a while, and finally, she palmed his face and gazed at him.
She gasped and almost jumped from his lap at the sight. Axel’s coal-black eyes had turned soft white, reminding her of the snow in the mountains of Virginia.
“Axel … your eyes …”
He furrowed his brow. “What about them?”
She shook her head, unable to believe what she saw. “You need to go look for yourself. I … they’re white, Axel.”
“What?”
Moving off of him, she said, “Go look.”
He stood and walked into the bathroom. After a moment, she followed. He stared into the mirror as if he saw a ghost. Slipping her arms around his waist, she pressed her breasts into his back and gazed into the mirror.
“What do you think it means?” she asked. “Do you feel okay? Do you want me to call Beverly?”
He nodded, but didn’t answer her questions. Instead, he stared at himself for what seemed like hours. Then, a tear trickled down his cheek.
“Axel? What is it?”
He cleared his throat and turned to her. He didn’t try to stop his tears, but let them flow freely. “Before my parents sold me into slavery, my SR44 color was white.”
She gasped as she wiped his face with her fingertips. “Why have your eyes always been black?”
“I-I don’t know. When I was released from the Miladrids, I was black. I always assumed it was because they had … they had ruined me, that they’d abused all the good out of me.”
Tears stung her own eyes as she searched his face. He looked haunted, as if all his memories had grasped onto him and wouldn’t let go.
She sighed and squeezed him. “You aren’t ruined, Axel. You’ve been through a horrific time, and I can’t even imagine what you’ve suffered. They didn’t destroy the good in you because I see it every day. I see the love you have for me. It’s bright and beautiful. Ugly things don’t come from that. Good things do. They come from the good inside of each of us. It comes from right here.”
He trembled as she touched his chest.
As he pulled her into an embrace, she sighed as her arms circled his waist.
“I think my eyes have turned because of you.”
She looked up at him. “Why me?”
“I was in such a dark place, but you’ve brought me into the light.”
Her stomach clenched at his words. She certainly didn’t feel that powerful and had a hard time taking the credit for his metamorphosis. Changes came from within. Certainly, outside factors contributed to them, but she hadn’t masterminded this.
“You brought yourself into the light, Axel.”
“I don’t know,” he said as he shook his head, the tears now gone. “You’ve helped me so much.”
She thought about the day that seemed like so long ago when he’d caught her arguing with Benedict, and what he’d said to her. Quit with the tears and all the damn yelling. Act like an adult, and people will start to treat you like one. Quit asking people what you can and can’t do. Just fucking do it.
“And you’ve helped me. Perhaps we should just say we’ve both been good for each other.”
He kissed the tip of her nose, and his phone began to ring.
“I better get that.”
She admired his backside as he walked into the bedroom and sat down on the bed.
“Yeah.”
The sound of deep voices filled into the air, but she couldn’t decipher the words.
“I’ll be up in a bit.”
She sat down beside him and placed her hand on his thigh.
“Okay.”
As she trailed her fingertips up his inner thigh, he glanced over at her. Their stares locked, and heat blossomed in her belly as she palmed his cock.
“Better make that a half-hour, Hudson. I’ve got something I’ve got to take care of.”
He turned off the phone and dropped it to the floor. “I’m on the phone with your father, and you’re grabbing my dick?”
She burst out laughing as he pulled her on top of him, then fell back onto the mattress.
“You’re nothing but trouble, Eden.”
Leaning down, she kissed him slow and deep as he ran his hands up and down her arms. He had a meeting to go to, and she really shouldn’t keep him any longer.
She moved to get off of him, but he held her in place.
“Stay right there,” he whispered.
They stared at each other a beat, then she spoke. “Why is it okay for me to be on top of you now?”
He shrugged and massaged her thighs. “I trust you. You aren’t going to hurt me. You’re only going to love me.”
Her heart soared as happiness washed through her. She loved Axel more than her own life, and although their relationship had moved quickly, she knew that they would make it and they would be together until unforeseen circumstances tore them apart. Their separation wouldn’t be of their own doing.
His red aura danced around him as he pulled her down for a kiss.
“Besides,” he whispered against her mouth. “Your tits look amazing from this angle when you ride me.”
She burst out laughing again and slapped his shoulder. “Axel!”
He smiled. “I meant that as a compliment.”
“I know you did, silly.”
He kissed her again, their tongues weaving and dancing. How she loved being with him, how she appreciated the trust he held in her and how he opened up to her.
“Eden, ride me, baby,” he whispered on a groan. “Let me see you.”
With love in her heart and desire crashing through her, she would do exactly as he asked.
Chapter 39
Axel walked into the War Room ten minutes late. He hadn’t bothered putting in his contacts, so his eyes glowed snowy-white. There were a few gasps and long stares among the Warriors, but no one said anything, and he didn’t offer an explanation.
As he took his chair, he glanced over at Hudson who sat across from him. He could still smell Eden on him, and he wondered if the male could sense his daughter had just given him the most intense and satisfying orgasm of his life. Hudson met his stare, but said nothing.
“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better, Axel,” Noah said.
He turned his a
ttention to him. “Yeah. Thanks.”
“Your eyes …”
“Not sure what happened there.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yep. I’m good. Let’s get this meeting rolling.”
“Alright. Let’s get you up to speed. We interviewed Eden while you were unconscious. She told us all about her capture, that fucker Judas, and the storm you brought down on them. We know you were right in the middle of it all, and now we need your take on it—especially what you think about that message left for us.”
He glanced around the table as he recalled 6 Saviors spray-painted on the wall.
Everyone focused on him.
He told his story from the time Hudson’s call came in until the time Judas had shot him. “I think Colonist offspring were involved in the rioting. This person in charge, the Countess, she’s a bitch on steroids. I wouldn’t be hesitant to say she’s a full Colonist, or close to it.”
Noah nodded. “Yeah, that whole sacrificial stuff is madness.”
Kade, the resident genius, cleared his throat and stood from his seat at the bank of computers. “Noah, if I could talk for a moment.”
“You can talk for as many moments as you like. What do you have?” Noah asked.
“Well, I was thinking about this Countess person. In the US, ‘Countess’ is a pretty antiquated term, however, it signifies aristocracy in other parts of the world.”
“And?”
“We know this woman is evil. She wants women sacrificed in her name. There were some other riots that night, and I looked into the murders that happened during that time. In Philly and New York, two women were killed in churches in what can only be described as torture and a sacrifice.”
Axel’s gut turned as he stared at the table. What if Eden had been chosen? What if he hadn’t gotten there in time?
He wanted to vomit, and as he glanced up at Hudson, he could see his thoughts ran along the same lines. The male’s skin had turned a very unhealthy shade of white, his lips pursed as if he held back his lunch, as well.
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