Claire squirmed. “I’m just glad we could stop the poisoning in time.”
“Me too. But I’m also glad that this whole ordeal brought you into my life. All the craziness was worth it. Now, let’s take these coins and go home.”
Claire looked up at him and smiled. “Yes, let’s. I can’t wait to be home.”
Seth squeezed her arm, then went to look for some clothes, since his had been lost when he shifted. He was looking forward to being back in Torch Lake, too, but he already knew that from now on, home was going to be wherever Claire was.
While they’d captured the coins back, she’d captured his heart.
Chapter Fourteen
Claire took the last bite of chocolate cake and closed her eyes. “Mmm. I can’t believe you made this in a skillet over the fire. Where did you learn to do that? And how is it so good?”
Seth smiled. “It’s an old clan secret. I’d share it with you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
Claire rolled her eyes, then stood to take her plate into the RV to rinse it off. After making it about halfway back to Portland, where they would drop the RV off and head back to Torch Lake, she and Seth had decided to stop at another campground tonight. The day had been long, to put it mildly, and they both felt like they deserved to rest. Now that they had the coins, there was no rush to get back. Seth hadn’t even bothered to send a message to the High Council, or anyone else in Torch Lake. Now that the coins were recovered, he said he didn’t feel the need to hurry to explain everything. Waiting one more day to explain things wouldn’t hurt anyone, and Seth said he’d rather talk to the High Council in person.
So Claire and Seth had enjoyed a lovely evening of relaxing and cooking over a campfire. They had talked and laughed about all sorts of things, but not about the biggest thing that was nagging Claire. She wanted to know whether Seth still wanted her. Was he still interested in taking her on a date? In being in a relationship with her? Had their romp in his office been enough for him, or had it whet his appetite for more? He had been sweet with her, and took any opportunity to squeeze her shoulder or brush his hand against hers, but that had been it. There hadn’t been any more kisses, or any talk of where this was going. And Claire was dying to know where it was going.
A little later, when they were both ready for bed and about to go to sleep, Seth finally spoke up. They were each lying in their separate, tiny bed, across the aisle of the RV from each other. Claire had been about to say good night, when Seth spoke first.
“Wasn’t it kind of weird to look in the mirror at your own face and have it look old? It was like looking into the future.”
Claire sat up on her elbow to look at Seth. The lights in the RV were out, but moonlight streamed in through the thin curtains. “Yeah. It is kind of weird.”
Seth looked at her with such intensity in his gaze that she felt like her insides were starting to heat up. He smiled, and she thought she might literally melt.
“If I could really see into the future,” he said, sitting up and coming over to sit on the edge of her bed, “I would hope you would be in it.”
“You would?” she asked, her voice sounding unnaturally high. Her heart had started pounding, and she hoped he was about to say what she had been waiting all day to hear. She hoped he was about to tell her that he wanted a serious relationship with her. She never could have guessed at what he was going to say next, though.
“Claire, I think you’re my lifemate.”
Claire sat up all the way and furrowed her brow. “Your lifemate? What’s that?”
Seth looked surprised. “Do wizards not believe in lifemates?”
“Uh, I don’t know. I’ve never heard that term before.”
“Oh. Wow. I just assumed wizards would use that term too. It’s something all shifters believe in.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a wizard talk about a lifemate. What does that mean?”
“Well, we shifters believe that each and every person has a fated lifemate. Someone you’re destined to be with. It’s kind of like the human concept of a soulmate, but it goes much deeper than that. From the moment you’re born, destiny is working to bring you across the path of your lifemate. When you meet them, you’re usually attracted to them from the very beginning. And once you sleep with them, the lifemate bond is formed.”
Claire felt her heart pounding. “The lifemate bond?”
“Yes. You feel it as a deep warmth in your core when you make love. It binds your heart and soul together with that of your lifemate. And it’s unbreakable. For the rest of your life, you’ll never truly be able to love anyone else. And, really, you wouldn’t want to. Your heart is fully dedicated to the one destiny chose for you. All you want is to be with them, to love them, and to protect them.”
Claire swallowed hard. “And you…you think I’m that person for you?”
Seth looked at her with eyes that were blazing and intense. “I know you are. When we slept together in my office, I felt the warmth of the bond. I wanted to talk to you about it, but everything was so chaotic with figuring out the coins. I could never find a good moment, and the stress of trying to stop the Dark Warriors in time kind of overshadowed everything else. But now that things are settled, I want you to know how I feel. Heck, after spending the last few days with you, I’m surer than ever that you’re the one for me. You were so brave back there in Spring Landing.”
“I didn’t feel very brave,” Claire said in a quiet voice.
“It doesn’t matter how you felt. It matters how you acted. And you acted with courage. You have a good heart, Claire. A strong heart. And I would be honored if you would let me love and protect that heart for the rest of our lives. Let’s stay together until we’re old for real—no makeup required.”
Claire looked up at him and smiled, her whole body warming. “I can’t think of anything that would make me happier. After we slept together, I felt connected to you like I’ve never felt to anyone else before. But I had no idea about lifemate bonds. I just knew that I couldn’t imagine a future without you.”
Seth smiled, his whole face lighting up as he did. “Yeah, that’s the lifemate bond. So that’s a yes? You’ll be my lifemate?”
Claire bit her lip and grinned. “Yes. I’m yours forever.”
“And I’m yours,” Seth answered. Then he leaned over and kissed her. His kiss felt like fire, but a sweet, tender fire. Claire instantly felt her body heating up, melting, and responding to his touch. There, in the moonlight, he gently raised his hands to her face and slipped his tongue into her mouth, drinking her in even as she did the same to him. He took his time, his movements soft and tender as he let his hands fall from her face, to her shoulders, and then to her breasts. He massaged them, sending waves of sweet, hot tingles through Claire’s whole body. She could already feel the pressure building within her, and she was already craving the sweet release she knew he would bring her.
He reached to pull off her shirt, and she returned the favor, grabbing the hem of his black cotton t-shirt and sliding it up and over his head. He unclasped her bra, then pulled her up off the bed for a moment so he could easily slide off her cotton pajama pants and underwear. She again mimicked his behavior, sliding off his pants and underwear as well. They stood there for a few moments, Claire looking up at Seth’s gorgeous eyes, which were grazing over her whole body. She trembled as he took in her form in the moonlight.
“God, you’re gorgeous,” he said.
She might have said the same thing back to him, if she’d been able to find her voice. But it was hard to breathe right now, let alone talk. Taking in his tall, muscular body, and stiff, thick erection, she felt like she’d been given the perfect man. Not only was he strong, kind, and handsome, but he was damn sexy, too. She felt herself growing wetter as he reached a single finger out to trace a line round her breasts, down to her navel, and below. He teased at her entrance with his finger, but it didn’t take long for him to want more.
“I need to be ins
ide you,” he said, his voice husky and hungry. He pushed her down on the bed, and then managed to somehow squeeze in over her. The space was tight, but he didn’t even seem to notice as he slid into her.
She squeezed her eyes shut and let the wonder of him fill her. His movements were slow and deliberate. In his office, they had been almost frenzied in their need for each other, but tonight was different. Tonight, he was truly making love to her, his body moving inside her in a sweet, slow rhythm. The pressure she felt continued to build with every thrust. His stiff erection teased the most sensitive parts of her inner walls, and she moaned as she reached the point of no return. The heat, the tingling, and the pure ecstasy were finally too much. There, in that tiny RV bed, she threw back her head and let out a long, satisfied moan as her release came. She let the waves of pleasure take over, rocking her body with intense, hot spasms. Her inner walls squeezed around Seth’s erection, and she grabbed at the sheets and squirmed below him, just trying to contain the pleasure of it all.
As soon as she gave in, he did as well. He let out a roar, and then made one final, giant thrust. He moaned as he pulsed into her, and Claire squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. She wanted to memorize every part of this feeling, because it truly was the most wonderful sensation she’d ever experienced.
Life had thrown her some unbelievable adventures in the last week, but the best adventure of all had been finding Seth. And that adventure was only getting started.
Chapter Fifteen
Seth’s phone hadn’t had much of a signal since they left Portland, so he’d turned it off to save battery. Claire had done the same. It wasn’t until he finally made it back to his house that he remembered, and turned it back on. He was dog tired, and didn’t feel like doing anything other than falling into bed, but he figured he should at least let Leif know that he and Claire were back safely. He would give Leif a brief summary of the journey, and then tomorrow he’d go to the High Council and give them the full story.
His plans were quickly derailed, however, when his phone started buzzing and beeping like crazy as soon as he turned it on. He had dozens of messages, and twice as many missed calls. Most were from Leif, but a few were from the High Council members. Seth’s heart sank. Something was very wrong.
“Shit!” he said. Claire, who had been shuffling through takeout menus in his kitchen, searching for something quick to order for dinner, looked up at him with concern.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. But whatever it is, it must be a big deal. Leif doesn’t freak out for no reason, and he seems pretty freaked out right now.”
Without bothering to read through his texts or listen to the messages, Seth called Leif’s number. Leif picked up before the first ring had even finished.
“Seth! Thank goodness! Where are you? Did you get any of the stones? Have you been getting my messages?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. I’m back in Torch Lake. I just arrived. And yes I have the stones. I haven’t had much cell service, so I didn’t see until just now that you’ve been trying to contact me. What’s going on?”
“Long story short, the poison apparently started working already.”
“What?!?” Seth suddenly felt sick to his stomach. How was that possible? He’d thought they still had some time. Instantly, he felt guilty for not telling the High Council sooner. He should have warned them. He’d had good reasons for keeping things quiet, but still. Perhaps he should have tried harder to find a way to tell them despite his worries that a Dark Warrior spy would overhear.
“I was as surprised as you are,” Leif said. “I thought for sure it was too early for the poison to have affected a lake as big as Torch Lake. But I guess the coins are even more powerful than we thought. Several people suddenly became sick, and the doctors recognized it as some kind of magical curse, but they couldn’t figure out what it was. I suspected it might be the poisoned water, so I immediately went to the High Council and told them everything about the coins.”
“And I’m assuming it was, in fact, the water.”
“Yup. The lake is contaminated. The good news is that the poison can be removed, but you have to have the coins to do that. So, as you can imagine, we’ve been quite anxious to hear from you.”
“I can bring the coins over right now,” Seth said, already rushing to grab his keys. “But, wait, where do I even need to take them? To you? To the High Councilors?”
“Meet me at the lake. By that trailhead where we used to start our running workouts. I’ll call the High Council and have them meet us there. Apparently Councilor Isviar is highly skilled in this type of magic, and is really good at casting the kind of spell that will be needed to neutralize the poison.”
“Ok. Has…has anyone died?” Seth didn’t want to ask the question, but he had to know. Had his delay in returning and his decision not to tell the High Council about the coins cost someone their life? His heart felt heavier than it ever had.
“No, not yet. The High Council immediately sent out an emergency alert that no one was to drink tap water or swim in the lake until the situation was handled. But several people in the hospital are barely hanging on. Councilor Isviar said that once the water is purified, it also acts as a medicine, healing anyone who was made sick by the poison before. So we have to hurry. We can save a lot of lives if we get this done quickly.”
“Alright. I’m on my way.” Seth ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket.
“What’s going on?” Claire asked, her eyes wide with worry.
“Dinner’s gonna have to wait,” Seth said. “Come on, I’ll explain on the way.”
Claire didn’t protest, but followed him without further question as he ran out to his truck. Seth loved that about her. She had an innate sense of when something was wrong, and she didn’t stomp her feet or insist on knowing every detail. She just stepped in and helped however she could.
As Seth flew through the streets, taking turns way too fast and rushing through stale yellow lights, he explained to Claire what Leif had told him. All of the color drained out of Claire’s face when she heard that there were people in the hospital on the brink of death.
“We should have told the High Council earlier,” she said.
“That was my first thought, too. But we can’t beat ourselves up for that. We were worried about spies, and with good reason. If we’d told them earlier, the Dark Warriors might have gotten away with the stones. At least now we have the stones. We might still be able to save the ones who are sick, and we can definitely keep more people from getting sick.”
Seth came speeding into the parking lot near the trailhead and screeched to a stop. He saw several vehicles already parked there, one of which was Leif’s truck. The others probably belonged to the High Council members. As Seth climbed out of his truck, an ambulance came screeching into the parking lot. Several paramedics jumped out, and started running toward the trailhead.
“Are you Seth?” one of them asked.
Seth nodded.
“Come on, let’s go get the water purified. We’ve got all the poisoned citizens in the back of the ambulance, waiting to drink the water. They don’t have much time. We’ve got to get it to them soon.”
Seth and Claire both nodded, and started running toward the water. Councilor Isviar was there, and as soon as Seth handed him the bag of coins he threw it into the water with all his might and started yelling out a spell at the top of his lungs.
“Magicae purifico. Magicae purifico!” he continued saying this over and over, while everyone watched and waited with bated breath. The paramedics had giant glass containers, ready to be filled with water as soon as Councilor Isviar gave the word. No one else spoke. Leif gave Seth and Claire a brief nod of acknowledgement, as did the High Councilors, but there was no time for talk right now. Now, everyone held their breath as they waited to see whether Councilor Isviar could win this race against time.
For almost a full minute nothing happened. Seth reached over and gr
abbed Claire’s hand, and they stood there together, hoping and praying that this would work. Seth had never been so glad to have Claire by his side. Somehow, her being there comforted him. He knew that no matter what, he had her. He watched and waited, wondering how long this was supposed to take but not daring to ask any questions. He didn’t want to break Councilor Isviar’s concentration.
And then, suddenly, pink and green sparks started shooting up from the lake where the bag of coins had fallen into it. The sparks grew thicker and thicker, until a small explosion of sorts seemed to come from under the surface, emanating out from the bag of rocks. Seth’s jaw dropped. For a moment, the whole lake was pink. And then, just like that, it looked normal again. The water was blue, and the sparks were gone.
Councilor Isviar turned and gave the paramedics a nod. “Now,” he said. “The water is purified now.”
The paramedics rushed forward and filled their containers with water, then started sprinting back toward the ambulances. Everyone else followed them at a slower run, anxious to see how things would turn out. Seth waited outside the ambulances with his arm around Claire. He could feel her trembling, and he squeezed her shoulder tightly.
“We’ve done everything we can,” he whispered. “Now we just have to trust that it was enough.”
After about three minutes, which felt like an eternity, one of the paramedics reappeared from the back of the ambulance. He looked tired, but happy, and Seth immediately felt his heart leap.
“It worked!” the paramedic said. “They’re all showing immediate signs of improvement.”
Cheers went up from the crowd, and Seth turned and gave Claire a big hug and a kiss on the lips. He didn’t care who was watching. This was something worth celebrating.
Dragon Discovering Page 11