I nod as if I understand. And perhaps, part of me actually does. Though, it's a feeling I won't quite give voice to just yet.
“I also still feel an obligation to mankind,” he says. “There are still many things in this world they need protecting from – things that have crawled, flown, and slithered out of Chondelai. Sealing the Doors and pretending we don't bear some responsibility is turning a willingly-blind eye to the suffering our kind has caused in this world. And I will not stand for that.”
“So, once the Doors are sealed, you'll still continue to fight?” I ask.
He arches an eyebrow. “Won't you?”
It's a question I haven't asked myself yet. One I hadn't even considered, really. The Council believes our mission is complete. And once the Doors are sealed, we're going to be on our own in the world of man. Cut off from Chondelai completely. Doesn't that change what we do and how we operate?
“I hadn't given it much thought, to be honest,” I admit.
“I think you should,” he says. “Because even after the Doors are sealed, we will be continuing on as normal. The Rangers who stay as well as the Children of the Dawn will still be fighting as if our mission hasn't changed – because to us, it hasn't.”
I nod and cast a glance back at Kaitlyn. Part of me wants to remain in the Riverlands with my Clan. Knowing that I'll never be able to go back if I come back through the Doors is giving me pause. Giving me a lot to think about.
“It's a big decision, but consider it,” Quint says. “Give it some thought. I will say this though, if you choose to stay here, I would consider it an honor to have you remain with us, continuing the fight. You're a skilled fighter, one of the best I have, and a valued member of this team.”
Without another word, Quint walks off, leaving me feeling wide-eyed and slack-jawed. That was the first time Quint had ever come close to giving me a compliment. And it fills me with a sense of pride I haven't had since I completed the Trials.
I look over at Kaitlyn again. She looks back at me and gives me a smile before turning back to Ashley and pulling her into a tight embrace. I stand there watching her, feeling utterly conflicted.
“Still weighing out the pros and cons, huh?” Deyro asks as he steps up beside me.
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“The way you look at her,” he says, “I'd say you have more in the pro column than the con column.”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
Deyro chuckles softly. “I think you do,” he says. “I see the way you look at her. But more importantly, I see the way she looks at you. Seems like maybe you've finally established a connection with somebody.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I say.
Deyro claps me on the shoulder and gives me a smile. “More to the point, seems like you finally found something worth fighting for.”
He turns and walks back and speaks with Glyn and Vanessa as my mind whirls with his words and my own thoughts. I have no idea what the next day or so will bring – or where I'm going to end up. Part of me wants to stay in the Riverlands with my people. Another part of me wants to stay here – with Kaitlyn.
“Okay everybody,” Quint calls out. “Go, enjoy the night. We'll meet back here tomorrow morning. And given that the Ba’Chul and his minions are still out there, be safe.”
The meeting breaks up and everybody files out of the room. I walk out with Kaitlyn and Ashley, still having no idea what I'm going to do.
Chapter Nineteen
Kaitlyn
It honestly feels more like a wake than a fun night out. Ashley went to go see one of her friends with benefits, saying if it was going to be her last night on Earth, she was – as she put it – going out with one hell of a bang. Wyn only agreed to let her go if she promised to be back at the training house by six tomorrow morning and told that if she didn't show, he'd be able to find her – which made her hastily agree.
After Ashley had gone, Wyn had used his magic to ward me – as he called it. He put a protective bubble around me to keep Nyro from locking on to the energy I'm apparently putting off. He said he was just strengthening the ward he'd put on us before going to the training house so we didn't have to worry about Nyro tracking us down on what might be our last night on Earth.
But instead of enjoying our night out, the mood is gloomy and filled with tension. The two of us are sitting in Mick's – the bar we first officially met at. I suggested it mostly because I was too brain dead to think of someplace else to go. We're both sitting there staring at our beers like two condemned prisoners on death row.
And given what we're facing, what we're going to have to do, maybe that's exactly what we are.
“Do you think we can win?” I ask. “Do you think we can beat Nyro if he's as powerful as you say he is?”
“I think we can,” he replies. “Nyro is powerful. No question. But he's not yet reached the zenith of his power.”
“Not until he pulls it all out of me.”
“Right,” he says. “But we're not going to let that happen. We have a plan. A good plan. This is going to work, Kaitlyn.”
I take a long drink of my beer. “And what about after?”
“What do you mean?”
“Let's say we do win –”
“We will.”
“Okay, when we win,” I say, “what happens after. Are you staying in Chondelai with the others?”
“I – I really don't know yet,” he says.
His voice wavers and is filled with uncertainty – and I feel like I've been punched in the gut. It's silly – maybe even beyond silly – but there is part of me that hoped he wouldn't be uncertain. That he'd be emphatic in his desire to stay here – with me.
The idea of Wyn not coming back hurts me in a way I am shocked by, given how little time we've known each other. But in that short time, the feelings I've developed are deep. They're strong and sometimes, just the mere thought of him makes my breath catch in my throat and leaves me weak in the knees.
Being with him just feels right. Like some piece inside of me – a piece I never even realized was missing before – has suddenly fallen into place. And the idea of him not being here – it makes my heart hurt.
But I know it's a hard decision for him. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to contemplate never being able to travel home again. To never be able to see friends or loved ones again. It's why I'm not pushing him to stay – or at least, I'm trying not to. I don't want to influence him to make a decision he comes to regret – or resent me for influencing him to make.
I look down put my hand on my stomach, feeling a bolt of fear coursing through me. I imagine that I feel something squirming and writhing around inside of me, but thankfully, ever since Wyn had used his own magic to heal me, I haven't felt it moving around again. But I know it's still in there – whatever it was Nyro had put inside of me was still there. I feel its presence, dark and brooding, just waiting.
“What's going to happen to me?” I ask, eyes still fixed on my belly. “When we win and kill Nyro and all. What's going to happen to this thing inside of me?”
Wyn shakes his head. “I really don't know,” he says. “Nobody does. Maybe it dissipates. Maybe it actually grows into a child. It's uncharted territory, to be honest.”
“Great,” I say. “The last thing I want or need right now is a baby. Especially if I'd be birthing the goddamn Antichrist.”
Wyn takes my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze and I look up at him, tears shimmering in my eyes.
“It's all going to be okay,” he says.
I shake my head. “It won't,” I say, tears starting to roll down my cheeks. “Even if everything goes right and this turns out to be a normal, healthy baby, I'm not ready to be a mom, Wyn. I want a career first. I want to chase my dreams. I don't want a family right now. I don't know if I ever want one.”
He gives me a small warm smile and comes around the table, pulling me into a tight embrace. He strokes my hair and kisses the top of my
head.
“We're going to figure it out,” he says. “Together. We will figure this out.”
“Together?” I sniff loudly.
“Together.”
I look up and find myself drifting in those dreamy blue eyes of his. I want to believe him. Want to believe that he means it. That he's going to stay with me. But I don't know just yet. And I don't even know if he knows just yet. Hearing him say we'll figure it out together doesn't bring me the comfort I'd hoped it might.
“Let's get out of here,” he says.
I nod. “Good idea.
He takes my hand and we walk out of the bar. Together.
Chapter Twenty
We're sitting on a blanket on the sand, watching the white foam of the waves rush ashore as they break. The sound of the surf is relaxing and the scent of the salt on the air is intoxicating. One of my first stops after getting here from Missouri was the beach – and being near the sea never got old for me. I never pass up a chance to stick my toes in the sand and enjoy the waters.
The moon is high overhead, its silvery light casting the world around us in a monochromatic tint. It sparkles off the surface of the ocean and makes the foam of the breakers seem to glow. A slight breeze makes the evening a little chilly, but not unpleasant.
It's a beautiful night – made all the more beautiful by having Wyn's arm around my shoulders.
I lean my head upon his shoulder and look out at the dark, vast expanse of the ocean – it seems to go on forever. As we sit there in a comfortable silence, my mind again wanders, dredging up the possibility that this is the last night I'll be with Wyn – and I feel my heart breaking all over again.
Sitting up, I turn and face Wyn. He looks at me, a gentle smile upon his lips. I lean forward and kiss him. It's a soft, sweet kiss at first. But it's not long before I'm leaning into him, letting all of my feelings, my emotions, pour out of me. I push him down on the blanket and crawl on top of him, straddling him. And as we kiss, as our tongues swirl around one another, I can already feel him growing harder beneath me.
I grind myself down against his thickening cock, feeling my pulse speeding up as the fire inside of me ignites. He runs his hands up the back of my shirt and I shudder at the touch of his fingertips upon my skin. Wyn plants a row of kisses along my neck as he deftly unhooks my bra and slides his hands around to the front, cupping my breasts. He squeezes them, giving my stiff nipples a tight little pinch.
I moan softly as he lifts my shirt enough to bare my breasts and puts his mouth on them. His tongue darts and swirls around my nipples and I feel waves of pleasure rolling through me. I grind my hips harder, moving up and down on his hard cock, drawing a gasp from him.
With my nipples still in his mouth, he slides his hands down the back of my jeans, his fingertips pressing into the flesh of my ass. I love feeling his hands on me. The sensations that course through my body are intense. Electric. He makes me feel as if my entire body is one live wire.
We kiss again, our tongues darting together with passion and intensity and before I know it, my pants are halfway down my thighs. Wyn slides his hand between my legs and pushes my panties to the side. He slips two fingers inside of me and as we kiss, begins to move them. I'm instantly wet and feel the heat between my thighs growing.
I cry out softly as Wyn fingers me, slipping his digits into the hot, dripping wet center of me hard and fast. I grab on to his hair and pull it, kissing him hard, as he drives his fingers in deep. He keeps pumping his fingers into me over and over again, bringing me to the brink. And when I rock back a bit, taking him even deeper inside of me, a wave of pleasure breaks and pulls me under.
I tremble and shake, my cries and groans as loud as the waves thundering ashore. And when at last, my orgasm subsides, Wyn pulls his fingers out. I can see my juices glinting in the silvery moonlight, and he slips them into his mouth, savoring the taste of me. It drives me absolutely wild and makes the bonfire burning in me grow even brighter. Hotter.
I sit up and start to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his pants. With that done, I reach in and pull his long, thick cock out of his pants. I stroke him slowly, running my thumb around the head, making him draw in a sharp breath. Wyn gives me a salacious little smile and then grabs hold of my hips. He turns me around so that I'm straddling his face. And when he grabs me by the hips and pulls me down on him, plunging his tongue inside of me at the same time, I feel like a bomb went off inside of me.
He licks and sucks on my most intimate parts with abandon. His tongue plunging into me again and again, teasing my clit with the tip. I moan and grind myself down against him as he slides his tongue into me.
“God, Wyn,” I moan. “You feel so amazing.”
I wrap my hand around his cock and start to stroke him. I tighten my grip around the base of his cock and run my tongue around the head of it as I continue to jerk him off. I feel his breath, hot and moist against my pussy and shudder. He moans when I take his cock into my mouth and I feel the vibration of his voice running throughout my body.
He's licking and sucking on me so hard that it makes it difficult to keep my own rhythm as I suck him off – or try to. I close my eyes and try to focus as I move my mouth up and down on his cock. The sensations of his tongue on the hot center of me send electric sparks shooting through me and make me tremble. I tighten my lips around his cock and work my mouth and hand in unison, trying to bring him as much pleasure as he's bringing me.
I feel Wyn's body stiffen beneath me, tension running through every muscle. He stops, his breathing ragged, his voice hoarse.
“Wait,” he gasps. “You're going to make me come.”
I look back at him, a flirty smile on my lips. “Good.”
He smiles back but shakes his head. “I want to be inside of you, Kaitlyn. I need to feel you.”
I climb off his face and turn around, intending to ride him. But he quickly rolls me onto my back, pulling a surprised squeal out of me. I laugh and part my thighs as he kisses me. He leans forward and I feel the head of his cock slipping between my swollen lips. But he draws back and then moves again so the head of his cock is rubbing my clit.
I lean my head back and moan as he starts to run the length of his cock back and forth on my clit, sending shockwaves of pleasure rolling through me.
“Oh, God, baby,” I moan.
I feel the pressure building up low inside of me and desperately need to feel him in me. I need to feel him sliding deep inside of me. Fucking me. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I dig my nails into his back and kiss him as with one hard thrust, he buries himself deep into me.
Wyn begins to pump his hips, driving his cock into me again and again. I dig my nails deeper into his back and cry, drawing another gasp from him. As if acting of its own volition, my body writhes beneath him, Wyn's every movement sending tendrils of fire shooting through me.
I can feel every inch of Wyn's glorious cock moving inside of me and my body trembles in appreciation of it. Pulling myself up, I kiss him, kiss his neck, and when he thrusts himself deep inside of me, I cry out and bite his shoulder. He gasps when I sink my teeth into his flesh but then smiles and keeps his rhythm steady.
“I love being inside of you,” Wyn gasps.
“I love having you inside of me.”
He drives his cock into me hard and deep and out of nowhere, an orgasm more powerful and intense sweeps through me. I cry out, my eyes growing wide as my body trembles and shakes almost violently. The ecstasy washing through me is intense and I feel like I can't catch my breath. I cling to Wyn, gasping and moaning as wave after wave of pleasure breaks upon me with the intensity of the waves of the ocean thundering against the shore.
I feel the muscles within me tighten around him and hear Wyn gasp in surprise. He cries out as his body tenses and a moment later, I feel him burst within me. He calls my name as I feel his thick cock throbbing inside of me and a moment later, feel his hot, sticky seed filling me up.
He collapses on top of me and together, our
bodies intertwined, his cock still sheathed within me, we ride out the waves of ecstasy rippling throughout both of us.
Gradually, our hearts slow, our breathing returns to normal, and we are laying side by side on the blanket, staring up at the vastness of space above. The sound of the waves hammering the shoreline is peaceful, calming. And the cool breeze lightly buffets our naked bodies, cooling our skin.
We lay there, next to each other, holding hands for several long, comfortable moments. But then Wyn turns onto his side, half-laying on my body, staring down at me. In his eyes, I see as many thoughts and emotions as there are stars in the sky above. And yet, he remains so guarded and cautious, I can't interpret a single one of them.
“What are you thinking?” I finally venture to ask.
“About you.”
“What about me?”
The lonely, plaintive cry of a nightbird echoes around the empty beach.
“I'm thinking that you're amazing,” he says. “You're unlike anybody I've ever met. Unlike anybody I ever expected to meet.”
“I think I can pretty safely say the same things about you,” I say, a silly grin crossing my face. “The whole dragon thing aside.”
Wyn's eyes sparkle and dance above me. They seem to glow with that inner fire I saw when he was in his dragon form. And my pulse quickens as I stare into that gorgeous face. Reaching up, I lay my hand against his cheek, reveling in the warmth of his skin. We stare at each other for what seems like minutes. I'm so lost in his eyes that I don't know how long it actually is – could have been seconds, for all I know.
But, it doesn't matter to me. I just want to stay there, lost in those eyes, our bodies intertwined, relishing this most perfect night for as long as we can.
“I'm not going to stay in Chondelai,” he says. “I'm going to stay here. With you.”
I feel the smile spreading across my face as something warm and amazing blossoms within my heart.
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