by Vivian Wood
“Fuck, Em,” he gritted out, trying to hold back. “Tell me who you belong to and I’ll make you come.”
“I’m yours,” she whispered, agonized.
“Louder! I want everyone to know that you’re mine!” he commanded.
“I’m yours, Connall!” she shouted, hey eyes closing as she was overwhelmed with sensation. He slipped his hand down between her legs and pinched the center of her need, tipping her over the edge.
“Oh gods! Connall!” she sobbed, every muscle contracting with pleasure.
He let out a roar, slamming into her once, twice, and a third time before pumping his hot release inside her tightness. The moment stretched to an hour, a thousand years, into forever. All that beautiful tension bled away, leaving Emma’s body wrung out and limp in the most satisfying way.
Connall collapsed onto her, rolling them both onto their sides to allow her to breath. They were still connected intimately, both struggling to catch their breath. He ran his hand over her hip, as if feeling to make sure that she was still with him.
“Are you okay?” he asked, brushing the hair out of her face. The concern in his expression was evident, making Emma flush.
“I’m very okay,” she said, giving him a soft smile. “Maybe a little sore, though.”
Connall nodded and withdrew himself slowly from her body, looking worried. Emma bit her lip, curious about his experience.
“Was it- did you like it?” she asked, trying not to expect too much. It had been her first time, after all. She had a lot to learn still.
“Are you kidding? I almost died at least three times. I’m like a teenager with you, Emma. The second you take off your clothes I’m ready to come all over the place.”
Emma laughed, relieved.
“You didn’t seem like a teenager at all, if it makes you feel better,” she confided.
“It does, actually,” he said, giving her an exhausted grin.
“Is this the part where we stay up all night talking about our lives and our deepest desires?” Emma asked, only half joking.
“It could be, if you want. Or we could sleep in and talk over breakfast in bed. I could use the sleep, really. You’ve kept me restless for months on end, and tonight you’ve almost exhausted me,” he said with a chuckle.
“I could sleep,” she said nonchalantly.
Connall pressed a kiss to her lips before closing his eyes. He looked so handsome like that, at rest for once. She considered her situation, trying to decide what to do next. Should she stay and hope that his mention of talking over brunch was serious?
No, she should definitely get moving. She’d had her long-awaited fling, and it had been even better than she’d hoped. Staying would just mean an awkward goodbye in the morning, and Emma didn’t want to mar this experience in any way.
He could joke about a room service breakfast all he wanted, but Emma wasn’t naive. She refused to be the clingy girl that Connall had to politely dump the next morning. No doubt he would be a pro at it, able to reject her kindly. He’d probably done it a hundred times to other women like herself.
No, she wouldn’t do that. She’d been his for a night, and she was glad she’d chosen him as her first. Now it was time to walk away before she managed to attach any more sentiment to their time together.
Emma smiled softly and watched as his breaths deepened, waiting until he rolled onto his back and was deeply asleep before she moved. Getting up, she quickly dressed herself and slipped on her shoes. She gave him one last look before slipping out of the room.
Turning her cell phone on, she made a quick call.
“United Cab? Yes, I need a cab at-” she paused to check the address on the front of the building “337 Esplanade, please.”
And with that, Emma walked away from her dream man.
6
Chapter Six
“Miss?” the maintenance man prompted, and not for the first time.
“What? I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening,” Emma admitted wearily. She rose to her feet from her desk, trying to focus on what the man was saying.
“I said that you’re all set. Your locks and alarm codes are changed, just like you asked,” he said, giving her a weird look that she undoubtedly deserved.
“Okay, thanks. I appreciating you doing this on such short notice,” she said, walking over and handing him a $100 bill as a tip.
“Hey, no problem!” he said, beaming the second the money had hit his hand. “You call me anytime, okay?”
Emma nodded and took the new key he offered, then showed him out. She locked up and armed the security alarm, then stripped and climbed up into her bed. Things weren’t exactly going the way she’d planned when she’d left Connall’s hotel room.
For one thing, she hadn’t expected to be miserable the second she was alone in her apartment. She’d lived here for three years, and other than Stace and the handyman, no one else had ever been in the place. Emma was a private person, and she’d never depended on anyone else for security, comfort, or happiness. In fact, she prided herself on that.
And yet. Now the 2000 square foot loft was a big, empty fortress. The place was a tomb, silent except for the hollow sound of her irritated sighs. Now it was just her and the elephant in the room, the fact that she didn’t want to sleep because she was afraid she’d immediately end up in Connall’s arms again.
And he would be angry, or at least disappointed. That hadn’t been Emma’s intention. She’d just needed some time to think, to figure out what this all meant. Months and months of dreams, and then suddenly she was living them out? It was disconcerting on some level, worrisome.
One day she was just crazy Emma, the next day she was telling a stranger her darkest secrets and admitting out loud that she was his and giving up her innocence…
It was just too much for one day. So she’d run, and now here she was lying in her bed too scared to sleep. It was ridiculous. She had to sleep, she was completely useless right now. She’d just have to hope that it was like Connall said and that she controlled the dreams, not the other way around. Emma’s thoughts traced over and over this idea, and she never felt the moment that she fell asleep.
7
Chapter Seven
So much blood, blood everywhere. Was it coming from the boy or from Emma herself? In all the commotion, she couldn’t tell. She was in the front yard again, holding the dark-haired teenager…
But this time there was more. There men in all-black combat gear all over the place, there was gunfire. One of the strange men turned his back and Emma read “LEGION” on his bulletproof vest.
“Don’t shoot them! We need them alive!”
There was a shout, and she turned to see Connall struggling against three of the men. He was trying to make his way over to Emma, but the three soldiers were hammering him with kicks and blows. One of them struck Connall with a Tazer and Connall roared, shifting uncontrollably to his wolf form.
“Connall!” she cried out, dropping the boy on the ground as gently as possible so she could rush to her lover’s side.
A man stepped into her line of view and grabbed her arms, holding her back. One of the soldiers said something and shook his head, then pointed his gun at Connall and shot point-blank at the wolf’s head.
There was no cry of pain from the wolf. No movement, except to slump to the ground. Emma smashed her fist into the fact of the soldier holding her and ran to the wolf, throwing herself on his prone form.
“Connall!” she said, shaking the wolf violently. “Connall, get up! You have to get up!”
There was a loud booming noise, a series of thunderous cracks.
The wolf’s eyes gleamed dully, staring up past her face.
He was dead.
8
Chapter Eight
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.
Emma awoke like a shot, scrambling to get her head over the railing of the bed as she gagged and retched. She heaved helplessly for some time, unable to control herself. The dead wolf’s eyes, Conn
all’s eyes, were burned into her mind and she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe.
“Emma!” came a muffled shout from behind the front door.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.
Emma clawed her way down to the floor, trying to avoid her vomit. She scrabbled into the living room just as the door gave a splintering heave. What the hell was going on? Were the soldiers here?
Another loud thud, and the door burst open, falling top-first into her apartment as Connell barreled through the door.
“Connell!” Emma sobbed weakly, flinging herself at him despite his confused expression.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing, leaving me in the middle of the night!” he growled, grabbing her by the shoulders. He froze suddenly, cocking his head. Emma sniffled miserably, dropping her head.
“What the matter? Are you okay?” he asked, pulling her back and examining her.
“I shouldn’t have left! I just… I freaked out. And now the bad thing is happening again,” she cried lamely, trying to control her hysterical sobs of relief. He was here, not dead. Those weren’t his eyes, that wasn’t his wolf. There were no soldiers.
“It’s okay, it’s all okay. Gods, Emma, I woke up with this feeling… I thought you were dying,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “When I got here I could hear you crying out, but I couldn’t get to you.”
“I’m sorry,” she said miserably, trying to calm herself down. “I didn’t mean-”
“It’s okay. When I realized you weren’t with me, I knew where you’d gone. I was going to have to come clear you out of here this morning anyway,” he said, almost talking to himself.
“What?” she asked, wiping her face and pulling back so she could look at him.
“There’s still a lot I have to tell you about myself. My people, Shifters. There’s no time now, though. Let’s get you cleaned up and pack you a bag. There are some bad people coming to town, and I can’t risk you being here,” he said, straightening and running a hand over her tear-stained face.
“The soldiers,” she whispered, cringing. It was true, all of it. She braced her hands on her knees and gulped in big breaths of air, trying not to vomit again.
“What soldiers? Emma, what did you say?”
“Legion. They are coming,” she said, pushing down the wave of nausea and standing up again. She shook fiercely, her skin beginning to crawl. It felt like a thousand invisible ants were swarming her body.
Connell went still as a statue, his eyes glued to her face.
“Where did you hear that?” he asked, his voice hardening.
“The dream. It’s me, and the boy, and then you are there… and they…” Her face collapsed again, hot tears streaming as she tried to explain. The nausea rolled heavily again, and she broke into a cool sweat.
“They killed you, I saw it. You were a wolf, and they killed you,” Emma stuttered.
“You dreamed about the Legion,” he repeated, stunned.
Emma nodded miserably, hugging herself.
“Okay. Go get cleaned up and then we’ll pack some things for you. Everything is going to be okay. Right, Em?” he said, his tone soothing.
“Okay,” she said, feeling more helpless than ever.
Emma ran to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She washed her face and combed her hair as best as possible, then braided it. She felt calmer, but the intense sickness was tearing at her, pulling her toward… wherever. Somewhere west, she thought. West toward what, though? A dead body? A murder in progress?
Maybe it wasn’t like she thought. Maybe… maybe she was supposed to be a part of this, and Connell too. Maybe this time she could get there before the murder. Before the boy died.
What if… what if all the dreams were events that she could chose to prevent or let happen as she willed? It made a lot of sense. It was all the maybe-future, she thought. Even the dreams of Connall could be visions of a possible future rather than simple lustful thoughts.
The second she thought it, she knew it was true. It was all about Connall, somehow. Emma and Connall had to save the boy, that much was clear. Now the only problem would be convincing Connall, she guessed.
Determined, Emma went to get dressed and pack a bag.
9
Chapter Nine
“You have to promise me you’ll stay in the car,” Connall lectured sternly, his expression almost threatening.
“I will,” Emma agreed quietly. The sickness was pulling her hard, which meant that they must be close to their destination.
“And if anything happens, I mean ANYTHING, you drive off and leave me. Promise me!” he said, giving her a sharp look.
“Turn left here,” she said.
“Not until you promise me,” he growled.
“I promise. Now turn left.”
Silence descended in the sleek silver Mercedes, making both of them twitchy.
“Right here!” Emma shouted suddenly, causing Connall to slam on the brakes.
“A little notice, please?” he grumbled, easing the car off to park a couple of houses down from where she was pointing.
“I’m not usually a human GPS, you’ll have to forgive me.”
The second the car rolled to a stop, it was like a bubble burst inside her body. Suddenly the nausea and creepy-crawlies vanished. They were definitely here. Unbuckling her seatbelt, Emma moved to open the door. Connall’s strong hand grabbed her wrist, halting the motion.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, more scolding than questioning.
“Just looking,” Emma said.
“Well look from here. I shouldn’t even have agreed to bring you here,” he insisted. Emma nodded and sank back into her seat, checking out the yard.
It was just as she’d pictured in her dream: a big, well-tended corner lot with a plain white two-story shotgun house. Not the nicest neighborhood in New Orleans, but that was pretty much the norm in this city.
There were a few toys laying in the front yard, abandoned. The downstairs lights were on despite the relatively early hour, but otherwise the house was quiet.
Emma and Connell waited for what felt like hours. The sun dropped and the sky took on a dusky tinge, but still no movement. Emma was about ready to give up when a huge white van rolled by and parked across the street from the house.
“Looks like something’s happening,” Connell said, watching the van sharply. Sure enough, the passenger door opened and out climbed…
“A priest?” Emma said, confused. She’d been freaking out over a holy man? Maybe she was crazy after all!
“No, not a priest,” Connall said, his voice rough. One glance at his face told Emma that this was in fact the enemy, albeit strangely dressed.
The priest crossed the yard, walking right over the grass. He climbed the porch steps and knocked on the front door, smiling genially when a suspicious-looking woman in her mid-fifties opened the door. Whatever he said must have been convincing, because the woman disappeared but left the door open.
“That’s the boy!” Emma whispered harshly, spotting the raven-headed young man as he came out on the porch. The teen listened to what the priest was saying, then shook his head politely.
“Damn. I knew an Ascendant would be tied up in this somewhere,” Connall muttered.
“You expected this?” Emma asked, confused.
Connall shrugged.
“I knew there was a reason we were being drawn together. I looked up all the places you said you’d wandered to, and they were all places where the Legion had abducted an Ascendant or had a run-in of some kind with Shifters. I protect Ascendants, and you have some kind of preternatural detection system. It made a kind of sense.”
There was movement in the yard, drawing their attention to the yard again.
The priest’s expression changed drastically, becoming threatening. He grabbed the boy by the arm and pulled him down the steps into the yard, waving a hand at the van’s driver.
“Stay here,” Connall warned, getting out of the
car and jogging toward the yard. The white van’s side door slid open, and a surprising number of black-uniformed men sprang forth to help the priest. A lot more than Connall and one teenaged boy could take on, that much was clear.
The priest pointed to Connall and shouted something, and the men swarmed around him immediately.
Emma opened the door and ran after Connall, who immediately gave her a threatening look. She just shook her head and went over to where the priest and the boy were struggling, managing to get herself between the two.
“Let go of him!” she said, pushing at the priest’s chest.
“We will sacrifice one to save many,” the man hissed as he grabbed for her arms to pin her down. “You are nothing!”
“Run!” she told the boy, who just shook his head and threw a punch at the priest.
There was a deafening noise, pushing the boy’s body hard enough to stumble into Emma. The force of it took her knees out, and she took the boy down with her as she fell.
Suddenly, time slowed but her heart hammered relentlessly in her ears. There was blood everywhere, gushing hotly over her chest and hands. The boy’s eyes were squeezed closed, and he was in obvious pain. At least he was alive, Emma thought.
Emma looked up, freezing in place as she saw a soldier approaching Connall with a Tazer, just like in her dream. Dropping the boy, she struggled to her feet only to be caught up by the priest as he wrenched one of her arms behind her body.
“No!” she screamed as the soldier hit Connall with the stun gun. But it was too late, he was already shifting. Emma knew what came next, and she had to stop it.
Reaching out a free hand, she took all her rage and desperation and pushed it outside her body, scaring the shit out of herself as a flash of blue swarmed her vision. She heard several thuds, then opened one eye to find…
Bodies. She and the wolf were the only ones left standing, the soldiers and the priest were nothing but smoking, charred corpses. Emma released a squeak of fear and shook the priest’s crumbling grasp from her arm, terrified.