by Lecia Bester
"The energy surge from marking someone might be enough to bring her back. Please, you have to try. She's the only family I have left." I hesitate."...but I'm not sure that's what she would have wanted yet..." Jess and Luke make a noise and I look up at them. Jess is the first to speak.
"Emily is in love with you, Connor and even if she wasn't, to live a life with you is better than not to live at all." Doc and my father rush into the clinic. I move to give Doc some room to work.
"Oh, dear Moon Goddess, the girl's body... She shouldn't even be alive right now. She lost too much blood. There's a bullet wound that surely must have pierced her heart." Great, bad news all around then.
"Everyone leave." I've decided. I'm marking Emily. She can hate me for the rest of our lives; at least she'll be alive and hating me. Everyone clears the room. I flip a clinic bed the right way around and place Emily on it. This is definitely not how I'd imagine doing this, but I don't have any other choice. Allowing my wolf some free rain, he surfaces enough to elongate my teeth.
Her beautiful green dress is torn and stained in blood. Here we go...Please, Moon Goddess, let this work. I kiss her first, our lips touch, and the familiar burning sensation from contact isn't there. She's cold. I move quickly, and just above her collar bone, my teeth pierce her skin. I feel the energy surge, and my wolf practically howls. I lick the wound closed, hoping it would heal. Hoping every wound would soon heal. I sit silently, listening to her heartbeat. After a mating mark, the couple's thoughts should be linked, but I don't feel Emily in my mind. I try to call out to her but nothing. I must have been sitting next to her for an hour watching Doc clean her wounds and bandage them to stop the bleeding. Why isn't she healing?
"Son, don't lose hope. This is new territory to all of us. She's survived this far..." Her beautiful face is covered in scars. Doc had to cut away what was left of her dress, and that's when I saw the bullet wounds. One in the left side of her chest, another in her shoulder, and her side. There was one in her thigh, along with bruises, so many bruises. Nobody should be able to survive that, yet her heart was still beating, and she was still breathing...for now. Doc said her vitals are holding, and the fluids he's giving her will keep her blood pressure up.
A few hours later, Jess came to sit with her while I take a shower. I'm exhausted, my wolf is exhausted. The hot water running over the muscles in my back relieves some of the tension. I'm replaying the entire night in my head. How did it go from well-planned to complete shit so quickly? My wolf whines. He probably wants to go for a run but now is not the time. I suppress him but he keeps pushing his way to the surface. That's when I feel it...pain. Not my pain but Emily's pain. She's becoming strong enough for our link to work. I'm starting to feel what she's feeling. I have to try and reach her.
Emily... Emily, can you hear me?
She's not replying but the fact that the link is becoming stronger means she's healing, slowly but still. I rush through my shower and towel dry my hair. I'm pulling on my pants when I hear her voice fill my mind.
Connor? Was that you? Emily.
Thank the Moon Goddess!!!
But how? How can I hear you?
It was the only way. You were dying and I had to do anything to save you.
What do you mean?
I marked you, Emily...
Oh...
I'm so sorry. I know you needed more time but...
No Connor. Don't apologize. You saved me and that's all that matters. Thank you.
I don't know why I'm still in my room. I'll be down in a second.
Barely getting both my feet in my pants, I sprint down the hallway towards Emily, not even bothering with a shirt. I'm suddenly nervous to see her. When I walk in, she's sitting upright and Jess is holding her hand. They see me and Jess gets up to leave, wiping away the tears on her cheek. "She's all yours." Jess is laughing and crying at the same time.
"Thanks Jess." I go in to hug her.
"You couldn't spare two seconds to put on a shirt? You don't have to seduce her anymore. She's your mate now, idiot." She means it well but I cringe a little. Feeling guilty for making that decision without Emily will haunt me for the rest of my life. Finally, I walk over to her. She's sitting up in the clinic bed, looking at me with big blue eyes. She's smiling- it doesn't reach her ears or light up her face but at least she's smiling. Most of the bruises on her face have faded and the cut on her lip is healed but she's pale and dark circles surround her eyes...yet she's still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
"Hey babe." I expect the same cold hand I held before I left her, but her palm is warm this time.
"Hi... I thought...You weren't waking up and I had to do something to..." She tightens her hold on my hand.
"Shh. Connor it's fine. It's more than fine. You saved my life. Stop apologizing for that. I wish I had a shower and brushed my teeth because then I'd kiss you right now." I smile back.
"The minute Doc clears you, I'll take you up to your room for a shower."
"Your shower is so much better, though..." I almost thought she was flirting with me, but that's just silly. Get your head out of your ass Connor, she almost died and your thinking about jumping her.
Chapter 38 - Daylily
CONNOR
It's been about 3 hours, Jess went to fetch the moonstone in her room for Emily to draw energy from and since then, almost all of Emily's wounds have healed. She was able to wobble to the bathroom with Jess to brush her teeth and wash her face. Everyone came by to see her, asking how she's doing, thanking her for saving them. Our entire pack was healed, not just the wolves injured in the fight but also some who had ailments troubling them before last night. Doc had arthritis in his hip - it's gone.
My father's left elbow was injured years ago during a fight, and he no longer feels any discomfort. Everyone is talking about it. The prophecy came true. I've been sitting in the corner watching her interact with members of the pack -she's going to make a wonderful Luna when the time comes. She sends me an SOS through our mind link. I get up and everyone in the clinic turns to look at me.
"I think Emily needs a little rest now." Swiftly everyone shuffles out of the clinic, leaving me alone with Emily. She starts getting out of bed, placing her left leg on the ground but the wound on her thigh and the one on her chest haven't fully healed - the silver still lingers and she flinches.
"Ugh... These two still need a little time, I guess." Hopeless, she sits back down on the bed."No worries babe, I got you."
I picked her up easily and carried her up to my room. I'm a little nervous, not sure if I should help her or not. My wolf is in full caretaker mode and is urging me to help her. I don't want to assume or overstep a boundary but also fuck that. She's hurt and there's no way she's going to be able to get into the shower on her own. She's sitting on the tiled bench in my shower and I'm plucking out pins with tiny fake diamonds on them, letting the mess on top of her head fall down.
I'm kneeling in front of her, my eyes searching hers for any sign that I need to stop. I don't see it; instead, I see the golden shimmer of her wolf. I turn on the shower and place my palm underneath the running water until it's a comfortable temperature. Emily's heart rate has picked up a little and for a moment, I wonder if she's just still weak from the previous night or maybe she's nervous. I do the only thing I can think of to make her a little bit more comfortable. Considering I'm only wearing pants, I turn back towards her and slowly step out of them. We don't lose eye contact but her breath hitches a little and her cheeks flush pink.
Goddess I'm happy to see them any other color than pale white. Taking her hand, I help her up then walk around to unfasten her hospital gown. It doesn't fit her as nicely as the emerald green dress and my hands shake a little as I untie each string. Flattening my palms on her back, I slowly move them up and over her shoulders, letting the gown fall to the floor. Now it's my turn to start breathing abnormally. Underneath the hospital gown was nothing but Emily.
Taking in the display of bruises in
various stages of healing on her body, my hand starts tracing over them one at a time. Just as my finger brushes over one - it disappears. What? I do the same with the one next to it and it disappears almost instantly. I'm so busy finding bruises and making them disappear that I don't notice Emily is shaking a little.
"Are you okay? Is this okay? Do you want me to stop..."
“No. I mean, I'm okay...please don't stop." I move closer, my chest flush with her back, shifting us forward towards the water. When both of us are submerged, I reach for the soap and start washing her hair, massaging her scalp. She tips her head back to rinse it off and I see the mark I left, just a little bit paler than the rest of her skin. It makes my wolf proud to see it. After she's finished rinsing her hair, she turns towards me, her eyes drinking in every inch of my body. My muscles tense and blood rushes to part of my body I have no control over.
Fair is fair. I do the same, moving from her toned legs up to her narrow waist, briefly stop at the scar on her right hip. It almost looks like a flower stretching over her hip. Reaching out, I lightly trace the shape, watching goosebumps erupt all over her skin. It looks like the flower she was holding the first day I met her...what was it again? A daylily.
Flattening my hand on her hip, I pull her a little bit closer. The top of her head barely reaching my chin, I tilt it up with my other hand. I place a soft kiss on her lips at the same time I move us to the back of the shower, the water now running over my back. She comes up on her toes to deepen the kiss and my wolf surfaces almost immediately. Her hands start wondering, feeling my body, leaving a blazing trail everywhere she touches until they come to a stop at my sides.
She's pulling me closer, her body molding to mine, yet it's not close enough. I move my hands down to her waist and lift her with ease. Her legs wrap around my waist instantly, locking themselves there. A small groan escapes her lip and kisses become needy. I trail them along her neck and collarbone. When I kiss the spot where I marked her, a tingling sensation runs through my body. Based on the slight shake her body just did, I suspect she felt the same sensation. I need to control myself but I don't think I can.
With her pinned to the shower wall and her legs secured around me, my hands start roaming. Feeling every soft inch of flesh, running my palms over her and feeling the goosebumps. Her breast, her waist, her lower back and then even lower...I pull back a little and she makes a sound of disapproval. I almost want to laugh. If only she knew how much I don't want to stop doing what I'm doing.
"Are you sure about this?" My wolf wants to take over, and he doesn't understand why I'm stopping this. She pauses, her breathing rapid. I can see her naked chest rise and fall, shiny droplets of water running down towards her waist. Slowly, I move one palm over her chest, feeling the weight of her breast in my palm. If she doubts this even a little, she needs to tell me right now.
Chapter 39 - The Bond
EMILY
I've never felt like this. My entire body is burning and everywhere Connor touches me goes even hotter. Regardless of how close he is, my body wants him closer, no scratch that needs him closer. It's just me and Connor and what he's doing to my body borders on ecstasy and torture at the same time. I need to tell him I haven't been this intimate with anyone before and the way he's looking at me - with hooded eyes and burning desire - tells me I need to do it now.
"Connor. I need to tell you something first." He makes a hmm hmm sound while he traces kisses along my jaw. Pulling back slightly, he focuses on my face. Taking a deep breath, it comes out a little shaky.
"I've never been...I mean, I haven't before. With anyone." He nods his head once in understanding.
"...and you are sure you're ready?" He's searching my face for any sign of doubt. He won't find any. I'm so ready for this, for him, that my only reply is crashing my mouth to his. He kisses me back with such force, and I feel my back press into the wall behind me. Placing his hands underneath me, he walks across the room carrying me with ease, his mouth not leaving mine. Both of us are still soaking wet, but Connor doesn't seem to care.
He drops me onto the bed but remains hovered over me, our bodies barely touching. He returns his mouth to mine but after a few kisses, he starts leaving a trail down my body, kissing me in places I've never been kissed before. My hands grasp the sheets as Conner makes a pathway down. He pauses for a moment waiting for me to either stop him or reassure him that he can continue. "Connor...Don't stop." I'm hoping he takes that as the final answer because right now, what he's doing with his mouth, is making me lose all ability to speak.
His kisses trail down my body and his hands dig into my thighs. The pressure building inside is almost too much to handle. I've never experienced anything like this. Just before I think I'm going to lose control, Connor stops what he's doing and swiftly comes back, shifting us up in the bed. His one hand is holding mine and pressing it into the mattress while his other is moving us until my head is resting on a pillow. The muscles in his arms ripple and I'm very aware of the strength this man has, yet he's handling me like a porcelain doll. I wrap my legs instinctively around him, more than ready for what's to follow. My body tenses in anticipation, but his kiss relaxes me. He's moving slow, giving me time for my body to adjust.
It takes a minute but then any discomfort disappears and my hands roam over the tense muscles of his back. His sudden forward thrust almost made me scream out his name but then he bit into the exact spot where he left the mark to save my life- and my body unraveled completely. His entire body tensed, a low growl leaving his body. He gives me another kiss before looking at me.
"That should have been how I claimed you the first time." After my body stops shaking, Connor slowly pulls out of me and drops to the side.
"Emily, that was... You were...”
He's so out of breath; he can't even finish his sentence. I turn onto my side to face him. I watch the tiny beads of sweat covering his forehead and the deep rise and fall of his chest like it’s a movie.
"You enjoying the show?" I trace a finger down his body, over the muscles of his abdomen, and follow the v-line down to his thighs. He's giving me a boyish grin and I watch the goosebumps cover his skin everywhere I trail my finger. I'm about to reach his inner thigh when he pulls me on top of him, my legs straddling him. The laughter in his eyes quickly replaced by desire. Finding my confidence, I decide to take the lead this time. Slowly dipping my pelvis, he fits perfectly, and the full sensation is enough to send my body into spasms.
We lay in bed wrapped up in each other's arms, not even talking, for what felt like hours. I feel complete for the first time in my life, this man next to me has filled all the empty parts and I can't imagine ever not being with him. Eventually, we go back to the place it started. This time the shower went a lot quicker...a lot. Only because I kept Connor's roaming hands at bay, barely, if it were up to him, we'd only see daylight next week, but I needed a proper shower and a nap. It's probably one in the morning, and the whole packhouse will still be fast asleep.
Padding out of the shower, I start roaming through his closet for a comfortable T-shirt. I fling one out and start pulling it over my head, the towel dropping in the process. Before it even reaches my shoulders, Connors pulls me back towards him and yanks the t-shirt off.
"There is absolutely no way you will ever, and I mean, ever wear any piece of clothing when you come to bed." I raise an eyebrow at him and tap my finger on my chin thoughtfully.
"Not even the green lace set?" His face goes blank for a moment and he ponders my question.
"You can wear that to bed. I'm just telling you, you won't be waking up with it on your body." He gives me a boyish grin again and my heart melts a little. He struts across his room as naked as the day he was born, locks his door and walks back to bed. Getting in, he lifts the duvet as an invitation to get in. I place my head on his chest, letting the steady beat of his heart lul me to sleep.
Chapter 40 - The End
CONNOR
Sitting around a bonfire watch
ing my friends and my mate laugh and make jokes gives me a sense of comfort. It's been almost four months since the ball and everything went back to normal, kind of. Emily surprised everyone with her strength that night and my entire pack can heal faster because of her. Now that we know her uncle wasn't the bad guy, he remains the alpha of The Royal pack.
He did offer it to Emily - she is alpha after all and has the right to take his place, but being my mate means she should be the future Luna of The Elemental Pack. I thought she'd have a hard time deciding but I didn't even have to ask her. She just kissed me and told me this is home. She's sitting in front of me, my legs wrapped around her and I run my fingers through her hair absentmindedly.
Across from me, Luke and Jess are sitting in the same position, busy dangling marshmallows on a stick over the blazing fire. Luke had his birthday recently. He woke up that morning knocking on my door asking if Emily is with Jess- they do girls' nights often. I didn't even register why Luke was up at the crack of dawn asking about Jess, but when Emily peaked her head out from under the covers, Luke didn't even wait for an answer. He just bolted for the front door in his pajamas. I heard from Emily the next day that he went straight to Jess's house. I'm hoping the rest of senior year remains as uneventful as possible, with the small exclusion of prom, of course.
JESS
Bang! Bang!
I'm jolted awake by a loud noise at the front door. Who the f... is awake at five in the morning on a Saturday? More than annoyed by whoever is disturbing my beauty sleep, I take a deep breath and furrow my brows, ready to give whoever is on the other side of that door a piece of my mind. I don't even bother putting on a nightgown, and my flimsy satin slip, covers the basics. The silent pad of my bare feet over the wooden floor gives me the element of surprise. I hear a fist bang on the door once more. Yanking open the door before the fist slams into the wood again, I watch as whoever was on the other side awkwardly fall forwards and tumble into the entrance hall. Luke?