by Ashley Marie
Her head is turned to the left, her body tenser. Tight with coiling tension. Dread bubbles up in Kayden’s normal steel gut. This is not good.
“Ah. Damn.” Cam whines.
Kayden moves catching up to Avery walking on her right side. He watches her face as she passes through the group of six guys. Barley noticing them or him for that matter. She looks mesmerized by something and he doesn’t think it’s Dean or Jimmy. She stops right in front of the two wolves. Kayden right beside of her ready to act within seconds.
Surprise rushes through Kayden as he watches Dean back away with a whimper, ears flat and tail tucked. That’s a first. Either Jeff makes him stop or winning a fight does. Not a five-foot slight of a girl.
“What’s she doing?” Hearing Nick, Kayden puts his gaze back on Avery. She’s squatted down beside Jimmy, her arm stretched out. Her emotionless eyes flickering around her slender hand following something.
“I don’t know.” Aden barks out visibly aggravated.
Kayden watches those cold eyes of hers. The only thing giving something away. Her gaze moves to her hand, up her arm, and towards her chest.
“She’s taking his pain away,” Cam says to no one. A small tremor in his voice.
“That’s not possible.” Aden snaps, his arms crossing staring at Avery.
“Well, she is.” Cam hisses.
Kayden reaches for Avery as she falls backwards pulled by invisible strings.
“Don’t.” Cam cries, stopping Kayden’s hand that’s a mere inch away from Avery.
Kayden watches with horror filled eyes as her mouth opens in a silent scream, her eyes wide and glossy.
“Damn it. Cam, what in the hell is going on?” Kayden growls out, his hands hovering over Avery as her body starts to seize. Should he touch her? He doesn’t know what to do and its sending his wolf into a frenzy.
A burst of crippling pain and brain numbing pleasure blasts him to his knees. Takes his breath away.
Shit. What was that?
Getting his baring he raises his head. Everyone around him is either unconscious or on the ground like him.
Cam looks to be doing a little bit better with Aden’s hand clamped on his wrist. While Aden is sweating up a storm and looks on the verge of passing out.
“It was her.” Cam wheezes.
“How?” Nick barley get the word out through gaps of air.
“Her shields are down.” Cam groans causing Aden to tense and grind his teeth together.
Kayden looks Avery over. Her eyes blink once a soulless look to them. Her harsh pants moving her chest up and down rapidly.
“Does this mean she’s an empath?” Nick mumbles dazed.
“Is she ok?” Kayden snaps worriedly.
“I thin.” Cam screeches as he falls down face first into the sand, taking Aden with him.
And Avery God Avery. Her body comes off the ground like something unnatural. Her body bending and bowing like in that movie the Exorcism.
Kayden’s body trembles from watching her.
The sound of her bones snapping jolts him more aware and out of the pain, pleasure filled haze.
“Do something.” Kayden snarls at Cam watching as another bone breaks inside of Avery’s body. This can’t be happening.
“I can’t.” Gasp. “She projecting,” Cam grunts out the last part as he falls face forward in the sand once more with an agonizing groan.
Aden is passed out and so is Nick. Only Kayden and Cam are still conscious. Barely holding on by threads.
It feels like a lifetime as he watches helplessly on as Avery’s body bends, bows and her bones break. The sound echoing like thunder in his sensitive ears.
At last, she falls back on the ground. No longer moving.
He’s so pissed. He couldn’t help her. That’s a horrible feeling watching her body bend and her bones to snap into pieces and him being able to do nothing what’s so ever to stop it.
“Kayden. Don’t touch her.” Cam whispers out, panting for air.
Kayden grinds his teeth together as he crawls the short distance separating him and Avery.
That’s all he wants to do. To touch her, grab her up in his arms and never let go. Whatever is going on with her damn well needs to get fixed.
His eyes scan her body. One would think she was dead if it wasn’t for her shallow breathing that hardly moves her chest. Kayden cocks his head listening for her pulse. God, it’s so weak.
Her eyes are vacant more than normal. Like blue empty glass. It looks like she checked out of her body.
Kayden doesn’t know what to do. His hands hovering over her, his fingers flinching but not touching. He feels numb and completely helpless.
Kayden looks behind him at the sound of painful groaning.
Cam’s sitting up slick with sweat. Aden is still knocked out beside him and Nick is slowly climbing to his feet.
“Go get help.” Kayden snarls at his brother. His wolf riding his voice.
He turns his glowing green eyes back to Avery. She’s so still. Lifeless. It causes something between a whine and a growl to pass from Kayden’s clinched lips.
He feels useless. Utterly useless, it’s something he’s not felt before and he doesn’t like it. A sickness boils in his stomach. He never wants to see something like that again. It’ll haunt his dreams and waking hours for years.
“Is she okay?” Cam asks in a tired strained voice.
“I don’t know.” It comes out as a terrified whine.
“I heard her bones break,” Kayden whispers. It was the gravest sound ever. Kayden can still here it echoing in his ears. In his head.
Chapter Ten
Avery
IT’S DARK AND cold here. Wherever here is. But peaceful. Oh, so peaceful and completely silent.
My body is still humming and throbbing from those black ribbons. I never knew that I could absorb them. That they were more than what I thought they were. Visions of people’s emotions.
There was a reason for being able to see them. It makes me feel less like a freak and more human knowing that the ribbons have a purpose. What purpose, I don’t know?
God the pain, though. It was monstrous and staggering. I’m sure more than one bone broke in the process. But the pleasure.
It was something else entirely. I’d endure a thousand broken bones just for a hint of that marvelous pleasure. Not only was it emotionally good and physically sensual but it seemed to feed me. Fill me up from my toes to my head. I’m floating gloriously on a pleasure filled high.
I still don’t know where I am. It feels like I’ve walked for hours. Nothing but pitch black all around me. So, dark I can’t even see any part of my body.
A smile graces my lips as an aftershock of that pleasure filled haze rolls through my body making me tremble. God, it feels so good. Addicting.
I feel free. If that makes any sense. I was constantly on guard. Always aware of my steel walls that lock out everything. Making sure they stay strong. Keeping away from others and their emotion inducing touches. I’m not now.
I’m adrift in this endless darkness. I should feel terrified but I’m not. I feel like I’m finally home. I feel free. Finally, unrestricted from everything. I never want to leave this beautiful dark world.
Maybe I’m dead?
It could be a possibility. Maybe this freeing dark is my heaven. It would make sense in a way. And could be why I haven’t run across any people with their wall shattering touches.
It would make it an almost perfect heaven for me. Only one thing is missing. Daddy.
If this was my dark heaven, he would be here with me. Then everything would be right in my world.
But he’s not here. Making me think I’m in some type of limbo or somewhere else entirely. Oh, and the tingles. Those damn feel good tingles that run across my skin whenever Kayden is near. Those wouldn’t be part of my perfect heaven. My body pluses with them even now.
My legs are tired and there’s no end to this darkness. I lay down and curl in
to a ball. Coolness seeps into my body. It’s comforting. Much better than walking when there’s no end in sight.
Kayden is moving away. The tingles aren’t as strong. Once he completely leaves I can relax more. My body at rest. Possibly to drift away in the dark. I could do that. Nothing is really keeping me here. I’ve lost all that matters to me.
It makes me happy thinking about drifting away. Like a feather on the wind. Nothing to worry about.
An electrical jolt runs throughout my body. I jerk. It’s stronger than the pleasure that the black ribbons brought me.
I concentrate on the electric feeling. The more I focus on it the more it feels like Kayden.
What is he doing to me?
My head shakes. No. I don’t want this. This feeling coursing through out my blood. My very soul.
I whimper.
Make it stop. Make him stop. I just want to drift. Drift away in my dark world.
I gasp and grab at my chest. It feels like my heart was trying to rip its way out of my body at the thought of leaving. No, the thought of leaving Kayden.
Leave me alone! Go away. I scream it out over and over.
I wiggle backwards across this dark void, wanting to run away from all of this. Why do these things keep happening to me? Can’t I ever just be at peace.
A small pen prick of light out in the void halts my wiggling, causing me to sit up on my butt. It’s a beacon in the darkness. Like my very own sun. But what is it?
It’s just a speck out in the distance that blazes like a thousand suns making my eyes water. It shouldn’t be here in my dark world. This is a place I’m supposed to be free and able to just drift away.
The light gets brighter as it slowly glides closer to me. My water filled eyes narrow. It’s a person bathed in a brilliant golden glow. They are ruining everything.
Real tears start to fall from my eyes. I don’t want them here. Him. It’s a guy. He’s a dark shadow in the brilliant glow, shattering my very own darkness.
My eyes pinch shut, head laying on my knees and I start to rock back and forth. I can feel him now. That guy in the light. He’s getting closer. Warming my whole body from his glow. Covering me in his brightness. I don’t want it. None of this. I thought I was finally free. I just want to be able to drift away and leave all this madness behind me.
But we never ever get what we want, do we?
Scorching heat blisters my forearms followed by big rough hands. He wraps his hands around my arms and doesn’t move. Neither do I. The shock of him touching me jerked my rocking to a halt. He’s not welcome here in my dark void of nothingness. This isn’t right.
I feel him. In my muscles, through my blood. It’s like he’s a part of my damaged soul. He’s scared. Worried. Lost. Angry. Then there is this love. It bulldozes over everything else. Until even the blistering heat is just a faint memory.
Who is he? This alien invader in my world who seems to love me more than he loves himself. How could that even be possible?
“Avery.” His deep husky, sensual voice crashes over me like a tidal wave.
I shiver.
“Kayden.” I breath his name like he’s the very air I need to breath. Why I don’t know. If feels right. He’s my reason for breathing. A stranger to me. I just met him a day ago, and yet I feel if I lose him it’s something that would completely devastate me. There would be no coming back from that kind of loss. Not in a million years.
I slowly raise my head. Raw tears dripping down my cheeks. That light is him. It’s a soft glow now. Warm and comforting, wrapping me up into a bubble.
He’s kneeling right in front of me. My breath catches as I consider his otherworldly green eyes, that seem to glow with specks of yellow.
“Why are you here?” The words catch through my tears.
He shifts closer, a soft smile covering his scruffy face, “You need me, Avery. I need you.”
I shake my head no. Hard and fast. I don’t need him. I don’t need anyone. Not here or out there. I just need to be left in peace. He needs to leave.
He catches my face in is rough hands. I gasp as his cups my cheek, thumb stroking away the tears.
I don’t know why I do what I do. I lean into his left palm, rough against my face. My eyes close loving the feel of his callous hand on me. The smell of his rain storm scent.
He scoots closer, wrapping me in his powerful body. Smothering me in fresh cut grass and warmth.
“Yes, you do Avery. Let me help you.”
He begs in my ear. His breath sending chills down my neck.
I don’t want his help at least I don’t think I do. I want this darkness. My never-ending blackness, I want to drift, just drift away in this void.
“Don’t you feel it. This live wire between us. We’re two halves of the same whole.” He murmurs in my ear.
How I’d give anything not to believe him. I do. The words he said feel right. Us, we feeling like missing pieces of the other half, finally whole and wondrous for the first time.
“I don’t want to leave.” I whimper in his arms, “To go back means never being free. Never being at peace. I can’t”
He lifts my chin up with a finger. Forehead to forehead he stares intently into my eyes, “You have to Avery. This place isn’t real.”
“It is. It’s real and nearly perfect.” I panic with wide eyes. He can’t take this from me.
“No.” He barks out making me flinch.
A frown pulls at my lips. It is real.
“I can help you, Avery. In here you will waste away into nothingness. Out there, in the real world, I can help you.”
“No.” I cry out, struggling to pull myself out of his arms.
I’m just so tired of always being on guard. Of being cold and callous. Of not being normal. Here I can just exist. That’s it. Exist.
“Please come with me.” He pleads.
A shutter runs through my body. Come with him? Why can’t he stay here? He can’t leave. Just the thought almost splits me into pieces.
“I can’t stay here Avery.” His soft lips touch my forehead. It lingers for minutes. For days.
“Trust me.” He breaths out. My stomach clenches.
Trust him. Can I really put my trust in him? I don’t even know him but the thought of him leaving me takes the air from my lungs. Takes the beat out of my fractured heart.
“Okay,” I whisper considering those loving eyes.
A gorgeous smile breaks across his face and my heart skips a beat. Then his cool lips touch mine.
It’s an explosion of everything and nothing at the sometime. Something exciting and real. Butterfly’s rumble through my belly and my blood smolders. I melt into him. Into this perfect kiss. Sensual and sweet that has my toes curling and stars flashing behind my closed eye lids.
As I feel his rough tongue start to dance with mine, warmth soars through my very being. To my core. This here is my heaven. Him. And I never want to leave.
Chapter Eleven
Kayden
WEEKS PASS BUT it’s been minutes when Kayden senses his brother, Jeff, and Shelly.
He pulls his penetrating eyes from Avery’s prone form, looking up. They run down the beach, kicking up sand in their wake.
He’s on his feet in seconds. No longer sitting by Avery’s side. A fierce growl rings out in the tense air. His wolf almost taking control of his mental state.
It stops the others up short. Weariness crossing they’re faces. Avery is his to protect. His.
Just the thought of what she’s going through has him wanting to drop to his knees and howl. A quick glance over his strained shoulder shows no improvement to her empty state. It has his wolf stretching, pushing at him even more. His bronze skin ripples and rolls but he holds it together. Being more animal than man won’t help her. Not right not anyways.
“Kayden.” Jeff says calmly a little Alpha entering his voice, “You have to let us get close to her. It’s the only way to figure out what’s going on.”
Another growl ri
ps from Kayden’s hard chest, but he moves back to Avery’s side, giving Jeff a nod. Not able to say no to his Alpha.
Kayden watches the three of them like the predator that he is. His wolf riding him hard. His body shaking holding back the change.
“What happened?” Jeff asks, hovering over Avery’s to still body.
Camron goes on to explain what went on with Avery when Kayden only snarls. His white teeth turning into sharp canines. Kayden’s full awareness is of the girl he only met yesterday but means everything to him now.
“I don’t know?” Shelly says timidly, not moving any closer to either Avery or a trembling Kayden.
“Don’t know what?” Kayden snarls, his sharp teeth coming close to cutting his lips.
“What’s wrong with her. This is entirely new. She is an entirely new breed. I don’t know how to fix this or what to do.” Shelly cries out.
Kayden doesn’t like that. Not one damn bit. He starts to pace back and forth, never straying too far from Avery. What did she mean by new breed?
Kayden shakes his head. What to do? It’s driving him mad. There must be something, anything he can do. It can’t, they can’t end before it even began.
He stops, whips around towards the others. “What if I bond us together? Could that work?”
“What?!” Cam yells, getting a burst of energy.
Shelly looks hopefully at a concerned Jeff.
“Could it work?” Kayden moves closer yet. Almost on top of Avery’s prone body.
“If you have the connection it’s a possibility, but you just met her Kayden. How could you know?” Jeff says crossing his arms, “That’s why I wanted you four to spend time with her. It was to see if one of you could possibly form a bond with her.”
Yeah, Kayden just met her. But she’s it. That part of himself he’s been searching for. What every wolf hopes to find. Their life mate. He wasn’t sure at the beginning but when Avery contorted into in possible shapes when he felt he would lose his own soul, something clicked deep inside of him. Inside of his wolf. There is no mistaking that unbreakable connection.
“I know,” Kayden growls out, his hand slapping his chest. He’s hovering. Waiting. Not able to do a damn thing without the Alphas approval. Nervous energy flutters throughout his strung tight body.