Anson had brought her back to his home and had made sure that she, Heidi and his old Aunt Nora were safe. It had been an honor to meet her, and Krystal could tell that Nora was just as enamored with her as Heidi had been.
“You’re his chosen one,” she had said as she cupped Krystal’s face and smiled at her warmly. “It’s so good you have finally arrived.”
Krystal felt so special, so incredibly grateful to have followed her fate back to her original hometown, and now, she just hoped that it would all survive long enough for her to live and enjoy it.
Heidi rolled over and breathed deeply. She had slept the entire evening and was completely unaware that anything was happening. Krystal smiled; the innocence of a child was the most wonderful thing in the world.
She tucked her in and then stepped quietly out of the bedroom, doing her best not to wake her.
She walked slowly down the hall to the living area and sat up at the kitchen island with her phone in her hands. She had been trying to contact Beau but knew she was traveling back and was likely in the air. Every time she had dialed her number it had gone straight to voicemail as if it were turned off, and her texts had gone unanswered.
She opened another message and sent one more…
K: I know you’re probably on a flight crossing the Atlantic right now, but I just wanted to tell you again PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THE STORE OR THE APARTMENT. Something extremely dangerous is there! Come to Anson’s home instead, I am here, and we are all safe. Love you xx
She sighed as she pressed send and then rested the phone on the counter. Aunt Nora was fast asleep in one of the spare rooms downstairs, and Heidi was tucked in safely too. Now, all Krystal could do was pace until she got word from Anson. It felt as if he had been gone for hours, and he probably had. Her eyes were starting to feel weary and she looked up to the clock on the wall to see that it was just past midnight.
She rested her head in her hands and yawned.
Her energy was completely depleted, and her mind was working on overdrive. It had been such a crazy day, with so much to take in, she didn’t actually know how she was still functioning.
Suddenly, a prickle worked its way up the back of her neck, and she felt the now familiar tug of longing deep within her heart. She turned and looked toward the doorway, and she could feel him out there somewhere close to the house.
Anson was making his way home.
She smiled and got to her feet and gripped the side of the island, hoping to god that he was all right. Her lips burned and tingled with the fire and energy of their kiss, he was still lingering on her skin, and his power was still coursing through her.
The door started to unlock from the inside and the handle turned, and when it opened, and they lay eyes on each other they both ran down the hallway until their bodies collided and they were holding each other in a deep and desperate embrace.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his breath hot and heavy.
“I’m fine,” she whispered. “Are you? What happened?”
She pulled back and looked at him all over. He didn’t seem to be hurt in any way, his eyes still glinted with amber, but he was settled and in some way at peace.
“I took the book to my pack,” he said. “And we did the best we could.”
He took her hand and led her back into the back half of the house, his broad shoulders were slightly slumped, and he looked exhausted. Krystal made her way to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water and some food. She set down a big plate of sliced meat, one that he had cooked a day before, and she urged him to eat.
“You look worn out,” she said as she grabbed him a plate. “Here.”
Anson unscrewed the top of the bottle and drank the whole thing quickly and in what appeared to only be three large gulps. He set it down and wiped his mouth and then he pulled the plate toward him and started to eat the meat. He was ravenous, she could see it, and it was clear the animal inside him was desperate to be nourished.
When he had finished, he pulled her onto his knee and kissed her neck. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and held her there as if he never wanted to let her go.
“What happened?” she whispered.
“We went to the store,” he said. “And we did what we could.”
“Is the veil sealed?” she asked.
Anson shook his head.
“We read over the tomb and sent for another pack that lives at the top of the mountains. They have been an ancient and much needed force here since the accident happened, but they have had to stay out of plain sight and well away from any humans. They are dragons… Men who shift into a beast that has never been believed. It would be absolute carnage is a tourist or a resident of our town saw one of these men when he was shifted into his true form. It is easy to explain away a large wolf or a bear… But a Dragon?” he laughed and shook his head. “It would blow people’s minds.”
Krystal nodded. She felt like she was having her mind blown right now. She had never heard of a Dragon shifter before… And the idea was more than terrifying.
“We met them there at the store with the wolf pack, and we discussed our next steps. We all agreed that the entire building has to be sealed and guarded from now on, until we figure out a way to defeat this thing.”
“So… my aunt…?” she asked.
“Everything inside had potentially been touched by evil,” he told her sadly. “We need to barricade it all in and wait.”
“So, my aunt will have to close the store?” she asked.
Anson nodded.
“For now, the precautions we have taken with the basement will hold… But it’s what could happen later, when the forces get stronger or they figure out a way around what we have already done. Things have been slipping through all year, and we still believe that there must be an area in up the mountain and in the forest where the veil is also thin, maybe an old tunnel of the mine that had been long forgotten but is still hidden beneath the earth.”
He kissed her neck and again and it sent shivers up her spine. She had never been kissed like that by a man, and it felt so erotic. Her pussy ached and she turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, a little smile flitting across her lips.
“I was so worried,” she whispered. “I just wanted you back here with us.”
He smiled and nudged his forehead against hers.
“Heidi has slept soundly, and your aunt too… I have been checking on them.”
“Thank you,” he said. “I honestly don’t know how I have survived without you for this long.”
They both laughed.
“I could say exactly the same,” Krystal whispered.
She slipped from his knee and turned to face him. He pulled her between his legs and wrapped his big, protective arms around her. She looked into his eyes and their lips met. His kiss was powerful and hungry, and it made her moan with desire.
Their lips broke apart and they stared into each other’s eyes. There was nothing quite like the potential end of the world to make someone want to live in the moment. Krystal moved backward and took his hand.
“Take me upstairs,” she whispered, and she knew her eyes were large and engulfed with want.
Anson rose to his feet and looked down at her. He pushed his body up against hers and she could feel the hard poke of his desire pressing into her belly.
She bit her lip and pulled him again, urging him to take her toward the staircase.
In one swift movement, he pulled her up and wrapped her legs around his waist as he stared into her eyes and walked with her to the stairs. He kissed her, nibbling her neck and sending her pleasure into overdrive with each step. She was so wet for him, and they hadn’t even made it to the bedroom.
At the top of the landing, he moved down and away from Heidi’s room to the other side of the house, where he kicked a door open with the tip of his boot and carried her inside. He was so strong, and he held her effortlessly as he closed the door behind him and then walked with her to the bed.
He lay her down and stood above her, looking at her. Krystal’s heart was in her mouth and her body was already trembling and full of anticipation. She knew what this would mean, but it was more than perfect, and she knew now it wouldn’t matter what her aunt told her… She wanted to be here, and she wanted to be with him. Nothing had felt so right before, and she wasn’t prepared to walk away from it, no matter what the cost.
She opened her legs and bit her lip, waiting for him to come to her. He pulled his t-shirt off over his head and his massive, heavy muscles throbbed in front of her and she gasped. He was so manly and so strong; she knew that the moment he could have her, she was going to be completely at his mercy.
He slid his hand and between her legs to separate them further, before slipping between them and putting his full weight on her. He rubbed himself on her, pressing his crotch against hers and quickly moving to unbutton his jeans. He leaned back and pulled them down, showing his boxer shorts and the mammoth, hard bulge inside them. Krystal gulped, but her pussy throbbed again, excited to see what he was hiding. He took her knees and then moved toward her jeans. He unbuttoned them one by one, and then pulled them down and slid them off before he threw them over his shoulder. He pressed down on her again and she could feel him, big and hard inside his boxers. The feeling of him pressed against her was exquisite and she gasped as a wave of pleasure pulsed through her, making her gush in her panties.
“I want you, Krystal,” he panted. “I need to be inside you.”
She moaned and nodded, she wanted nothing more than to take his huge cock inside her, and when he reached for her underwear and pulled them down, she gasped and opened her legs wider. He slowly slipped an enormous finger inside her as she writhed against him and moaned with pleasure.
He pinned one of her wrists to the pillows above and with her free hand, she moved it down to his crotch, groping for him until she pulled down his underwear. When she first managed to wrap her hand around his incredible cock, she couldn’t believe how big he was. She had never been with a man who was that size before and she was suddenly scared… How was she going to take him? He was so big and powerful, and her pussy was so tight… Surely, he was going to destroy her? But she was so overcome with arousal that she wouldn’t turn back, she wanted him so badly and she wanted to be claimed. Anson groaned and moved between her legs so that his massive length was positioned at her pussy. He looked at her deep in the eyes and pressed himself into her, penetrating her inch by inch, opening her wider than she had ever been. She gasped, the pleasure rippling through her as he thrust himself in and out, his intense heat filling her up and making them one. She felt weightless and as if he were taking her to new levels of pleasure. He gripped her breasts and kissed her neck as he slid his cock in and out of her dripping wet pussy. His arms were heavy and hairy, his groans turned to growls, getting louder, deeper and gruffer. He was taking on another persona and his whole demeanor was changing the more pleasure he experienced. Krystal’s world was a haze of thrusts and growls. She opened herself up to him like a flower, his hot, hard cock pumping in and out of her and bringing her to the edge of the most intense release. She gripped him, and her whole body tensed up as he thrust again, hitting her spot so hard and good she knew she could not hold on any longer. She fell back in an explosive rush of pleasure, just as she felt Anson’s body tense and jerk, and he growled so ferociously at the ceiling that it made her cum even harder. He emptied his massive load in her pussy, gripping her as the heat rose from deep within him. Her whole body spasmed as she came, biting his shoulder and as she did another roar came from him, the power along with it so impressive, she knew that from then on, something between them had changed. She felt the bond grow, the fate spinning out ahead of them. In an instant she knew she was his, and what she had been waiting for had finally happened… Anson had claimed her.
He collapsed on top of her and held her in his arms. She looked into his eyes and she saw the animal inside them. The amber was shining from within, the bear was in there and now, she belonged to them both. She kissed him hard on the mouth and he held her throat lightly as he kissed her back and they lay together in the aftermath of their love.
This experience had changed them both forever… and now, they would never be alone again. Anson and Krystal had found each other, they had bonded together, and now, they were family.
He held her from behind all night long and kissed the back of her neck as they fell to sleep. They were both exhausted after the events of the day, and now that they had sealed their relationship and made it official, it was clear that they were going to need some serious recovery time. Making love had never been so life changing.
15.
The next morning, she woke to the sound of chatter coming from downstairs and she reached to Anson’s side of the bed to discover that he had gone. She sat up and scowled, momentarily disappointed that he had left her there, until she saw a small handwritten note on the end of the bed…
Come down when you’re ready. Breakfast will be waiting…
She smiled and held it against her chest. No one had ever treated her so well. It was as if she was a princess and starring in her own personal fairy tale… Instead of the prince, she had been rescued by a mountain man bear. She laughed. Her life was certainly very different to what it had been a month before.
Gulped bShe climbed out of bed and wrapped herself in the robe that was hanging on the back of the door. She went into the adjoining backroom and ran the faucet, splashed her face with water and took a swig of mouthwash. Considering she had spent the majority of the night being thrown around the bedroom, she looked surprisingly fresh, and her skin was rosy. She saw her eyes were glinting in a way they never had before, and she felt a pang in her heart as she realized they mirrored Anson’s.
“I’m his now,” she whispered to herself as she moved to the bedroom and quickly dressed.
She ran her hands through her long, dark hair and shook it over her shoulders before she reached for the door handle and opened it and stepped into the hall.
As she walked to the stairs, she realized that it wasn’t just Anson’s and Heidi’s voices that she could hear in the kitchen. She could also hear Aunt Nora… and another woman…
Her heart skipped a beat and she picked up her pace, racing toward the staircase and running down them two at a time. She slid down the hallway, rounded the corner and entered the kitchen, and when she saw who was standing there, she almost collapsed with relief.
“Aunt Beau,” she panted as she dashed to her and flung her arms around her.
Her aunt looked as elegant as ever, standing tall with her long silver hair, wearing her purple shawl and all her crystals and rings.
“Oh, Krystal,” she whispered. “I am so glad to be back.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Krystal sobbed into her shoulder. “It has been a wild ride here while you’ve been gone.”
“So I hear,” her aunt mused.
Anson was leaning against the counter, and he smiled and tried not to laugh.
Krystal looked at him over Beau’s shoulder and he winked, and then he moved forward and reached for her hand and pulled her close to him. He kissed her on the lips and smiled, looking at her deep in the eyes.
“Good morning,” he said so only the two of them could hear.
She smiled at him and felt so completely at peace, it was as if she had finally found the place she was supposed to be. Right here, on this morning, with him…
Heidi was bouncing around the kitchen and living area, completely ecstatic to have a house full of women and laughter, and she and old Aunt Nora seemed genuinely happy about the new developments happening with Anson and Krystal.
“Come on, now, Heidi,” Aunt Nora said. “Let’s get you dressed and ready for school.”
Anson silently thanked her, and the two of them moved out of the room and toward the stairs.
Krystal smiled as she watched them go, and then she turned to face Anson and Kryst
al and smiled at them both as well.
“Well, I see you couldn’t wait for me to get home,” she teased.
Krystal felt her face flush pink and she bit her lip to hide her grin.
“But I’m just glad you didn’t run in the other direction, that was what I was afraid of.”
Krystal cocked her head to the side, unsure of what was coming next.
“The only reason I asked you to wait for me, is because there is something you need to know.”
Krystal felt her stomach drop and she tensed up. She had been dreading hearing this… was her entire world about to come crashing down?
Anson wrapped his arm around her shoulder protectively, as if he were expecting the same thing. And Krystal looked up at him nervously.
“Krystal,” her aunt continued. “Your mother did take you away from Bridge Hollow when you were a child to keep you away from the magic and the men that were here…” she trailed off and Anson scowled. He clearly wasn’t enjoying what he was hearing.
“But she told you this was because of the fact that the shifter men were trouble,” her aunt went on. “But… this isn’t exactly true.”
Krystal’s eyes were wide and expectant, waiting for Aunt Beau to lower the boom.
“Your mother and I, we always did have a connection to the paranormal side of life, and we have always been able to see and know things. When she was not much younger than you, she fell very much in love with a man of Bridge Hollow… a shifter wolf.”
Krystal’s eyes were wide, and she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had always thought that her mother was so against shifters because her own parents had warned her off them… because she had seen them do terrible things and that they had hurt her in some way. But if this was the case, then why had she fallen in love with one?
Bridge Hollow Shifters: The Complete Collection Page 41