Tobias, her mind whispered, her heart becoming instantly calmer in his presence. They lay against the ground for a few moments, before she began to wriggle in an attempt to escape him and stand.
“Be still,” he growled, his voice deeper and rougher, shocking her with the change it had taken.
Her body stilled and he began to move, turning her so that her back came to rest against the ground. Hovering over her, his eyes scanned her frame and she felt herself quiver beneath his gaze. The amber of his eyes she had expected, what she had not anticipated was the wildness his stare contained. His body seemed heavier atop her own and a quick glance at him told her why, his muscles were larger now as though at any moment they would simply burst from the skin that contained them. He smiled, exposing his sharp fangs and the fear that had evaporated at his appearance returned in force and her body began to tremble beneath him.
“Tobias?”
His nose wrinkled as he inhaled the scent of his mate’s fear and he found himself cursing his actions. Lowering his head he rubbed his rough cheek against her own, painstakingly gentle in his actions. The tremors of her body ceased and he smiled, levering himself from her frame and stretching a hand out towards her. “Come with me.”
She sighed in relief as his amber eyes became flecked with grey specks and she placed her hand in his, trusting in him implicitly despite his wild actions. They walked slowly through the trees and as the adrenaline left her system she became increasingly aware of the pain in her knees and hands. The ache multiplied as she tried to keep up with Tobias’ longer stride eventually causing her to tug at his hand, forcing him to stop.
“Tobias, can we slow down just a little bit please? My legs hurt.”
His amber eyes turned to her, confusion evident in his gaze and his expression. Turning the hand he held within his own upwards, he raised it to his bent head, breathing deeply. He frowned, dropping her hand before falling to his knees. His fingers brushed lightly against the grazed skin on her knees and she winced at the contact, drawing his attention. Their gazes locked for a moment before he got to his feet, pulling her close against him.
“You’re hurt,” he stated, rubbing his cheek against the soft curls of her hair.
“It’s just a small bit of grazing, nothing too serious, it just stings a little. Are we nearly there?”
“There?”
“Wherever we’re headed? Are we nearly there?”
“No.”
“Oh,” she breathed, struggling to hide her disappointment. “Well I guess we should keep going then.”
“Yes.” The arms that had held her close to him tightened before lifting her into the air. Her hands shot out automatically, grasping his shoulders for support before his hands shifted her in his grasp, throwing her legs over one arm while the other wrapped itself around her waist, supporting her back. “Hold tight,” he ordered before speeding off. Her body relaxed against his immediately, breathing in his comforting scent.
The forest rushed past them as he continued to move at an amazing speed, her eyes watered as air rushed into them and she closed them tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck. Though she knew that they were moving incredibly fast, her body wasn’t jostled against him and her closed eyes allowed her to believe that they were moving at a more sedate pace.
They continued to move and Tobias felt an incredible sense of exhilaration as his wolf’s instincts overcame any inhibitions he might have had. Each footfall rushed through him increasing his enjoyment in the sheer thrill of the run, urging him to move even faster, while his heightened senses revelled in his surroundings. His eyes saw through the darkness, viewing everything with such amazing clarity that even the tiny veins on the leaves were visible. He could hear the blood that ran through his veins, the steady tattoo of his heart and the small hitches in Alex’s breathing when she occasionally opened her eyes. His senses zeroed in on his precious cargo, her intoxicating vanilla scent clouding his mind while his body reacted to the feel of her small one pressed against him. His sense of taste was the only thing being deprived as he carried her in his arms, but he assured himself that that wouldn’t be the case for long and continued to run.
His footsteps eventually slowed, soon stopping all together. “We’re here.”
Her eyes eased open to take in her new surroundings. Here, turned out to be some sort of cave or at least she assumed it was. The walls that surrounded them in almost every direction were dark and rough, etched out through centuries of natural erosion because of exposure to the elements, rather than the smooth stone associated with human craftsmanship. The cave was warmer than she would have thought it should be, but she soon realised that very little wind from outside reached this place. A light layer of grass and moss covered the floor, feeling slightly springy beneath her feet as Tobias slid her down his body.
Both feet now on solid ground, his head descended as her body instinctively closed the gap between them. Their lips met, his hard and demanding with hers quickly following suit. His hands slid down to the rounded cheeks of her ass, pulling her closer against him. She found herself moaning loudly as his tongue slipped passed her lips to lap sensuously against her own. The kiss ended almost as abruptly as it had began, leaving her body aching as she struggled for breath. His shaft hard and throbbing with the need for release, he reluctantly took a step away from her. Almost immediately after he had stepped away, he found his body returning to her, his wolf’s desires riding him hard. He began nuzzling the exposed skin of her neck, fantasies about the claiming running riot through his mind.
His wolf easily gained control over his mind, placing a light kiss to her neck, before the scent of the blood from her grazed hands and knees drifted up to his nose, forcing his protective instincts to the fore. “Come.” He gripped her elbow and began leading her farther into the dark cave. Her eyes strained frantically against the darkness to no avail, she could seen nothing, not even her own hand if she had waved it in front of her face. Trusting the steadying hand at her side, she tried to remain calm and soon became aware of a distant dripping sound. As they walked closer to the sound, she found it became easier for her to see as moonlight filtered through small holes in the cave’s roof. A small spring came into sight, the light from the moon reflecting off its shimmering surface.
“Beautiful,” she whispered, moving towards it unaided now that she could see.
“Clean up, I’ll be back soon. You’ll be safe here, there’s only one way in and I’ll keep my eye on it.”
“Thank you Tobias.”
“I’m glad that you agreed to the claiming, though the chase is very pleasurable.” He grinned, remembering the thrill he had experience pursuing her through the forest. “It’s nothing compared to having you here now.”
The deeper timbre of his voice combined with the intensity of his stare was still slightly unnerving, reminding her that it wasn’t the Tobias she knew that was in control of his actions but something within him that was wild and somewhat unknown.
“You won’t regret this dearest.” The familiar endearment soothed her, but he was gone before she could respond.
Turning to look at the tranquil waters of the spring, she smiled to herself at the thoughtfulness of Tobias’ wild side. Maybe they’re more similar than I thought. Moving to sit at the edge of the spring, she allowed her hands to delve into the water pleased that it wasn’t unbearably cold. The water stung her hands but soon provided relief. Taking off the light jumper she wore over a plain blue t-shirt she dipped it into the water, gently dapping at the cut skin on her knees. Again the water stung, but she knew it was necessary to keep the wound clean. Draping the jumper over her arm, she began to walk back the way she had came, determined to reach the entrance.
Visibly lowered as she moved further away from the spring and the moonlight that had managed to seep in. She stumbled again, reopening the wounds on her hands and knees. “Stupid dark cave,” she cursed, pulling herself to her feet and moving on. Once more she stumbled and again
she found herself cursing the cave’s darkness.
Maybe I should just go back and wait for Tobias. Her hand reached out and met nothing and she began to panic, her head swinging side-to-side frantically. I don’t know how to get back! I can’t see anything. Swallowing her fear, she raised her hands in front of her and began to walk forward, towards what she hoped was the entrance. She stumbled, falling into what felt like a wall, the steady rise and fall of the wall soon disillusioned her of that idea.
“You should have stayed put dearest.”
“Tobias,” she sighed relieved.
“Come with me.” His arm wrapped itself around her waist and he began to lead her through the darkness.
A small fire soon came into view and she rushed headlong towards it. “Light!” Sitting down beside the fire, she examined the abused skin on her hands and knees. Nothing that won’t heal given time.
“I’ve brought you some food,” he stated, beginning to create a small pile of fruit at her side.
She examined the offering, not recognising most of what he had given her and reaching for the familiar first. The sweet taste of peach hitting her tongue caused her to groan in pleasure and she bit deeply, quickly finishing the sticky treat. Her eyes scanned the pile searching for another, which was gone just as quickly as the first.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” Tobias informed her, leaving the cave and disappearing into the night.
She nodded, barely acknowledging his departure as her teeth sunk into the sweet fruit. Her eyes scanned the small pile again, frowning as no more peaches appeared before her gaze. Picking up a small and unknown berry, she sniffed it, her nose crinkling in disgust at the pungent aroma. The berry and all like it were separated from the main pile and put to the side. A few cherries caught her attention and were soon consumed.
“Xandria?” Tobias called from the entrance to the cave. Her head swung to face him and a large smile materialised on her face as she took in the arm full of peaches he carried. “Will these do?” He strode to her side, placing the fresh pile of fruit at her side before he sat down beside her. Her hand shot out, grabbing one of the ripe fruits, she brought it to her lips before a though occurred to her.
“Don’t you want some Tobias? You must be hungry as well.”
“What I’ll eat while we’re here and what you’ll eat aren’t the same.”
“Why? I mean you must be hungry and there’s plenty of food here.”
“I’ll hunt for my food later.” His hand rose to the back of her neck and caressed the skin lightly, almost as though he couldn’t resist the temptation of touching her. The feel of his fingers on her skin became increasingly pleasurable the longer he touched her and she leaned into his palm, silently urging him to continue.
“Hunt?” Her eyes fell to his sharp canines, understanding quickly dawning. “Oh I get it.”
“Eat dearest, you’re hungry.”
The peach in her hand finally reached her lips and she bit deep, finishing it quickly. Several other peaches were soon demolished in a similar manner leaving them surrounded by the large pips. Her hunger satisfied, she turned to look into Tobias’ amber eyes.
“You aren’t my Tobias are you?”
The question caught him off guard and he frowned. “Why would you think that?”
“You’re very short in your answers to me, when you talk to me at all that is, and you seem to be very on edge, my Tobias is usually very calm.”
“You’re only partially correct. Yes, I’m on edge, but that’s because being near you makes me want to do things that can’t happen just yet and I want them badly. As for me not being your Tobias, I’m as much a part of him as he is of me. We influence each other’s actions everyday. There is no Tobias without me, just as there is no me without him. Sometimes we disagree on certain things but not about this, not about you. On this we’re in perfect agreement. I don’t want to frighten you, I’m sorry.”
She thought about it for a moment, before moving the remaining peaches that separated them and shuffling closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder and listening to the reassuring beat of his heart.
His hands lowered from her neck and came to rest at her waist. His fingers, seemingly of their own accord skimmed the hem of her shirt before delving under to the skin beneath to touch her directly.
What are you doing? Tobias scolded, though his desires and the wolf’s were merging, he had maintained just enough reasoning capacity to know that should they continue to touch Alex like this, the urge to claim her now would become unbearable and that couldn’t happen tonight. The instinct would work against them if they tried to do so leaving him frustrated and even more agitated.
I’m not doing anything wrong, his wolf replied quickly. I just can’t resist touching her. There’s nothing wrong with that. We’re mates; it’s only natural that we become intimate like this. His hand crept a little higher, lightly skimming the skin just beneath her breasts.
If you continue to do this, you’ll jeopardise the claiming. I know it’s difficult, but try to think.
That’s your job Tobias, not mine.
If you want to be stubborn about this then I’ll just have to take control. It took him a few moments, during which the feel of his mate’s skin beneath his palm tempted him to simply surrender to his wolf’s desires, but eventually he was able to gain the superior position. The wolf was still very close to the surface of his thoughts, but that was to be expected as their merger continued. “Will you come for a walk with me dearest?”
Though he hadn’t said much, the little he had reminded her more of the Tobias she knew and loved and so it was easy enough for her to agree to his request. “Of course.”
Easing away from Alex’s body, Tobias stood and held a hand out to her. Easily grasping what he wanted her to do, she placed her hand within his own and allowed him to pull her from the floor to her feet. His grip on her hand didn’t loosen even when she was standing as he led her to the cave’s entrance and out into the night. The voices of the plants around them once again began to make their demands but she quieted them with a firm order. This is my time with Tobias, please just be quiet. I promised I’d come back another time didn’t I? The voices acquiesced to her request and relegated themselves to a distant corner in her mind allowing her to fully enjoy this much appreciated time alone.
Tobias’ grip on her hand was firm easily guiding her through the treacherous terrain. He relinquished her hand several times, placing his hands around her waist, and lifting her over anything he deemed too large for her to simply step over. He never detoured from his self made path, leading Alex to conclude that he had a particular destination in mind. Where it was didn’t matter, she trusted him even now.
“You seem to know this place very well Tobias,” she remarked as they continued their steady pace to their unknown destination. Tobias did seem very much at ease in this environment, easily leading both him and her over ground that if she were on her own would have presented her with a challenge.
“I should be after all the years I spent in these woods. I grew up with these trees and I spent most of my childhood running amuck here.” He laughed, remembering the years leading up to maturity. “I still come here sometimes, there are far fewer flowers in this place so I don’t feel like sneezing all the time. I like it here, it’s why I chose it for the claiming.”
She smiled at him, realising that that was the most he had said to her all night. “You seem much more like the Tobias I know now.”
“My wolf and I are reaching an equilibrium.” With me in charge. “The wolf wants the claiming to go well and so do I, there’s no need for us to disagree on the matter so our opinions and thoughts are merging.”
“Is that meant to happen?”
“Yes. It’s me who will be claiming you, not the wolf dearest so don’t worry.”
“That’s actually kind of a relief.”
“I thought it would be.” Tobias grinned before his movements ground to a halt. “We’
re here.”
“Where exactly is here?” she asked, her eyes wandering around their surroundings. This area of forest didn’t look any different to the rest of it.
Pulling her over to a particularly thick tree trunk, Tobias ran his fingers almost reverently over a set of markings in the bark. “My brother and I measured our lives by this tree.”
Stepping closer to the tree, Alex could just make out two sets of lines that were etched periodically into the wood. While one set stopped fairly low down on the tree, the other continued over her head, it wasn’t hard to guess which belonged to Tobias and which to his brother.
“I carried on the tradition after he died, but this isn’t why I brought you here.”
“It’s not?”
“No. Jump on to my back and hold on tightly ok?”
“Yes.” She quickly did as he requested, locking her arms tightly around his neck and her legs around his waist.
As soon as she was secure, he began to climb. His movements were fast and confident and they soon reached the tree’s peak. Straddling the tree’s thick branch, Tobias eased Alex around from his back to sit directly in front of him. “This is why I brought you here dearest, look.”
Her eyes widened as she took in the scene that was spread out before her. While the forest was beautiful from the ground, it was breathtaking from above. The foliage from the trees was spread out in front of her, the moonlight giving the leaves an indescribable quality that sunlight couldn’t provide.
She turned her head to face him, trying to capture what she was feeling in words. “Tobias…it’s beautiful, thank you for bringing me here.”
“Thank you for letting me.”
She returned her gaze to the beautiful landscape before her, but keeping her eyes open soon became a chore. Her eyes began to droop and her head lolled as exhaustion crept up on her.
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