by G. K. DeRosa
The gothic stone arches were covered in dozens of twinkling lights and candles lined the pathway leading up to the marble fountain. More candles floated in the water, the warm golden light bathing the entire space.
“It’s incredible,” I breathed. Emotion tightened my throat as my gaze caught on the blanket set up at the foot of the fountain. A picnic basket sat atop the fluffy, white comforter and something else lay next to it, but from this distance I couldn’t quite make it out.
Hunter urged me forward, and only then I realized my feet had stopped moving. “I thought we could relive the night we first met. Only this time, I want it to go a little differently.”
I trailed a few steps behind him, my head tipped up taking in the sparkling lights and the sweet scent of gardenias in the air. A golden mist washed over me as I stepped onto the pathway, and Terra’s presence suddenly made sense. A privacy bubble. No wonder the academy’s guards hadn’t made an appearance yet.
As if Hunter had read my thoughts, and maybe he had, he said, “The campus is empty except for a few guards, which Terra took care of with a mild sleeping potion. The bubble is just an extra precaution. It’s summer break or something.” He bent down and sprawled out on the blanket, patting the spot beside him.
I nodded and folded down onto the cushiony comforter. The small sack next to the picnic basket caught my eye. “What’s in there?”
“It’s a surprise for later.” Excitement flashed across his golden irises, and my wolf purred in response.
She nudged at my insides, eager to make her presence known. But it wasn’t her turn, it was mine. For months, I’d dreamed Hunter would embrace our destiny, and now he finally had. And for once, it wasn’t a result of my constant nagging. He’d planned this date all on his own.
He reached for the basket and pulled out a bottle of champagne and two flutes. He popped the cork and poured the bubbly liquid into the glasses, a broad smile spreading his lips. Handing me the champagne, his eyes fixed on mine. “I’ve made so many mistakes, Sierra. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and do everything over because I’ll never forgive myself for losing all those years with you. I was only trying to protect you, but I ended up hurting you the most.”
I shook my head, unshed tears burning my eyes.
“So this is how our first night should have gone…”
Chapter Five
Hunter paused and crouched beside me, his fingers going to my ankle. It was the exact same pose he’d assumed four years ago when he found me in this very courtyard, injured and mortified. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Fine,” I said, repeating the answer I’d given him that night. I even stretched out my leg to survey the imaginary damage to my ankle.
“That doesn’t look fine.” His piercing amber gaze locked on my foot, then traveled up my legs, over my top before finally settling on my eyes. Just like he’d done all those years ago. Heat tingled over my skin, trailing his dark stare. He cleared his throat and lowered his gaze to my foot. “Do you want me to take you somewhere? The school healer, maybe?”
“No, I’m fine.” Damn, I’d been stubborn. I was at a new school with no friends and no idea where the infirmary even was, but still I’d fought him.
“You keep saying that, but I don’t believe you.” A smile played on his lips as he continued the re-enactment. Finally, he folded down in front of me, crossing his long legs beneath him and cracked his knuckles. “You must be asking yourself why I care, right?” He deviated from the original script, and my eyes jumped up to meet his.
I slowly nodded.
“I saw you earlier at Initiation, and I knew the moment our eyes met. I don’t even know your name, but every detail of your face is emblazoned in my memory. I’ve already memorized the curve of your lips, the sparkle in your mesmerizing violet irises, the perfect slope of your nose, the sweet sound of your voice—” He cut himself off with a wry grin. “You probably would’ve run away screaming if I’d said all that the first time we met.”
A rueful laugh slid out. “You’re probably right. I didn’t even know I was a wolf back then. I’d only just wrapped my head around my witchy side.”
“Anyway, the point is, I should’ve been upfront with you from the beginning. I should’ve told you what I suspected from the first moment I laid eyes on you.”
My heart grew to twice its size, filled with so much love for this wounded man. “I never realized you’d recognized me at the Initiation ceremony. I thought you’d only found me later.”
“I’d felt something immediately—an incontrollable pull. Why do you think I went to the stupid ball to begin with? I was looking for you.”
I leapt into his arms, wrapping myself around his neck and pressed my lips to his. “Thank you for this truly epic date.”
“It’s only just begun.” Hunter placed his hands on my hips and lifted me up as he stood. Walking over to the fountain, he bent down and a small speaker caught my eye. He flicked the switch, and music filled the courtyard. The melody was soft and sweet, and strangely familiar. Before taking my hand, he grabbed the large pouch nestled beside the picnic basket. Tugging the drawstrings open, he flipped it over, and the contents slid into my palm.
Two golden masks peered up at me, shimmering beneath the pale moonlight.
Hot tears pricked my eyes, but I willed them back. I didn’t think I’d ever cried from happiness before, but the swell of emotions was just too much.
“It wouldn’t be us without the masks, right?” Hunter slid the golden half-mask over my head, his rough fingertips brushing my skin as he adjusted it on my face. Then he repeated the procedure with his own dragon mask. My heart fluttered as memories flooded my senses. Dragon Boy.
I didn’t even know him, and I already loved him back then. I didn’t think it possible, but I loved him even more now. Despite everything we’d been through, despite everything he’d put me through, I wouldn’t change a thing. “You don’t have to erase the past, Hunter. Everything that’s happened was meant to be. I love our history as much as I love you.”
He pulled me into his arms, placing his hand on the small of my back and we began to sway to the music. I refocused on the familiar tune as I traced the lines of the golden dragon mask. “This is the same song, isn’t it? The one we danced to that night?”
Hunter nodded slowly. “After the curse kicked in, I used to listen to it for hours. I hoped somehow it would trigger something…” His lips twisted into a scowl.
I reached beneath the mask for his cheek, cupping it in my hand and forced his eyes to mine. “It doesn’t matter anymore, okay? It’s not all on you anymore. We’re going to break this curse together.” The soft scruff on his cheek tickled my thumb as I swept it over his tense jaw. After a few more passes, his expression softened. “And even if we can’t, because I know it’s a possibility, I still want this. I still want to be your mate, do you understand me?” I summoned some of my own alpha power in my words, channeling it at my stubborn mate.
His eyes widened from beneath the mask. “Yes, ma’am.” He drew me closer and enveloped me in his warm embrace.
I closed my eyes and leaned against his chest, the steady thrum of his heart echoing against my ear. We remained like that for a while, dancing in slow circles beneath the starlit sky just enjoying each other. And it felt so right.
“I could stay like this forever,” I murmured against his soft shirt.
“Mm, me too.” His warm breath skated through my hair as we continued our gentle rocking. His arms tightened around me, crushing me against his body.
A flare of heat ignited as his arousal brushed my lower half.
“Sorry,” he muttered and slipped his hand between us to adjust the bulge in his jeans.
I grabbed his hand before it got away and placed it on the swell of my breast. His golden gaze lit up, a smoldering fire beneath the dragon mask. “Don’t be sorry,” I whispered.
His lips captured mine as his hand cupped my breast, gently caressing one th
en the other. He slid his hands beneath my top and the feel of his skin against mine sent a tremor up my spine. Fiery need built up low in the depths of my core, and a growl slid through my clenched teeth.
Hunter’s hands moved from my chest to my hips then further down. Grabbing my legs, he lifted me and wrapped them around his waist. His hardness grazed the apex of my thighs, and I let out a groan.
Slowly walking backwards, he gently laid me atop the blanket. His lips claimed mine once again, the gentle kisses taking on a fiery edge. One hand slipped beneath my top as the other cradled my neck, tilting my head to deepen the scorching kiss. He tugged my top over my head and his intense gaze settled on my partially naked form. He sucked in a breath and whispered, “You are so beautiful, Sierra.” He dipped his head and dropped a trail of kisses down my torso before unclasping my bra with a lightning-fast flick of his fingers.
I wriggled beneath him as desire pooled in my core. Gods, I wanted him so bad. Sure, I didn’t have tons of experience with other guys, but I’d never felt anything like this.
A riot of sensations invaded my insides as his fingers danced across my stomach before moving further down to the waistband of my jeans.
As he undid the button, I reached behind his head to free him of the mask. “I want to see you,” I rasped out against his lips. He lowered his head, and I loosened the tie until his handsome face was revealed. Then I yanked his shirt off next. My hands moved of their own accord, tracing the sharp indentations of his torso. He was perfect, so perfect. And he was mine. My she-wolf purred her approval.
His free hand moved to the back of my head and ripped off the half-mask in the space of a heartbeat. “I thought you’d never ask,” he said with a smirk. “Not being able to see your face for all those years… It was torture.”
I snagged his lower lip with my teeth and gave it a gentle nibble. A growl reverberated across his broad chest, spurring me on. I ran my tongue over his swollen lip, and his fangs descended.
“Careful,” he warned.
Ignoring him, I reached between us and unzipped his jeans, freeing his dragon before he could object. He let out another moan as my hand closed around him. I stroked his silky flesh, and a wave of desire crashed over me. His, mine, the combination was too difficult to decipher.
I wriggled out of my jeans, tilted my hips up and brushed against his hardness. Only my panties stood in the way now. And it was too much. My body begged to erase every millimeter of space between us. Fixing my eyes on his, I forced out, “I don’t want to wait anymore, Hunter.”
He shook his head, a hint of sadness streaking across the golden abyss. “Sierra…”
I sat up and framed his face with my trembling hands. “I love you, and I don’t care about the curse. I know what you feel for me, despite everything. I want you to be mine, and I need to be yours. Please.”
Silence stretched between us, and mounting disappointment nearly swallowed me whole. He opened his mouth and I was certain he’d say no, but instead, his lips brushed mine. Slowly, gently, then with renewed fire. “Gods you have me by the tail, Sierra. Please don’t make me regret giving in to you,” he muttered against my lips. “If I hurt you again, I could never live with myself.”
I smothered his objections with my mouth, slipping my tongue inside his and rekindling the brewing storm between us. He lowered himself on top of me, our bodies flush, our pieces fitting like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. His tongue danced with mine, then nibbled and skated down my neck and across the sensitive skin at my collarbone. He paused at my birthmark, the raised patch of skin in the shape of a wolf head. “Mine,” he growled and ran his tongue over the mark.
Goose bumps exploded over my skin as he worked his way down my torso. By the time he reached my panties, I squirmed with need. My heart pounded against my ribcage, the manic thumping roaring across my eardrums. Hunter’s echoed the rhythm, our two organs beating as one, tied together by fate.
Hunter slipped his fingers below the lacey waistband, and my core clenched. Brushing the delicate skin, he inched closer to my apex. I bit down on my lower lip to keep from moaning. An excruciatingly long minute later, he dipped one finger inside me.
I clenched around him and a moan broke free, despite my best efforts. My hips moved, grinding against his palm. The bundle of nerves at my core strained with his leisurely caresses. Oh gods, I was going to explode. Hunter continued devouring my mouth as his fingers ravished my insides.
“Hunter…” I whimpered.
“Not yet,” he rasped, his voice rough with need. “You have to be ready. I don’t want it to hurt.” He snagged his lower lip with his teeth, and a swirl of guilt zipped through the bond.
I cupped his firm cheeks and forced him closer so that I could feel him between my legs. “I know it’s going to hurt, Hunter, but I’ll be okay, I promise.” I’d been waiting nineteen years for this, and now it was our time. It was a good thing Cass had convinced me to keep taking the magical contraception potion despite my mate’s endless objections.
His lips skimmed mine, softly, reverently. “Keep your eyes on me, okay? If it’s too much just tell me.”
My head bounced up and down, but I kept my eyes pinned to his. Those beautiful, mesmerizing golden irises. He kissed me again and wrapped an arm beneath my lower back. Tilting my hips up, he exhaled slowly. “You are more important to me than you’ll ever know, Sierra. I may not be able to love you, but you are my world and have been since the second I laid eyes on you four years ago. I’ve been waiting for this moment since that day.”
Tears filled my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. Hunter bent his head, kissing my eyelids before moving to my mouth. His finger swept across me, focusing my attention to the persistent throbbing below, and the building storm intensified. He gently pushed at my entrance, and the tangle of nerves sang. “I’m ready,” I panted. I felt a slight pressure as he entered me then a sharper pain as he plunged deeper. A yelp escaped from my lips.
Hunter froze, his body straining above me. It took me a second to get used to the feeling of fullness, but after the initial shock, I relaxed and the pain waned. Slightly. Angling my hips up, I urged him on, but he remained motionless, fear streaking across his golden irises.
“I’m okay,” I muttered and brushed my lips against his.
“No, you’re not. You’re in pain.” He raked his hand through his hair and scowled. “I can feel it, it’s excruciating.”
I shifted below him, my body stretching to accommodate him. It really wasn’t that bad anymore. “It’s fine, Hunter, I swear. We were made to do this.”
“Sierra, after everything you’ve been through the last thing I wanted was to cause you more pain.” He sat up, gently pulling out of me and rolled onto the blanket beside me. A rush of disappointment ballooned in my chest. “I had no idea it was that bad. Is that how it is for all females?” The genuine look of horror curled my lips into a half-smile and a shoved the regret away.
I shrugged. “I guess. It’s not like I’ve had a chance to compare notes.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
We lay there naked wrapped in each other’s arms staring up at the stars for a while. I wanted to be disappointed we didn’t complete the bond, but I couldn’t be. Sure, it wasn’t the mind-blowing lovemaking I’d imagined, but I’d gotten Hunter to give in, to accept the idea of us together even if we couldn’t break the curse. All in all, it was a win.
I traced his strong jaw with my finger, his light scruff tickling my fingertip. “I love you,” I whispered.
A smile pulled at his lips, softening his features and making him appear younger. With all the responsibility my mate carried, he often looked older than his twenty-four years. I wondered if he thought the same of me. “Even if we didn’t complete the bond?”
“Even so.” I hoped he could feel the truth in my words through our link. “At least I finally got to cash in my V-card.” I shot him a playful wink.
“Oh, Sierra, that
does not even come close. Believe me.” He swept a lock of errant hair behind my ear, his thumb lingering on my cheek. “We’ll try again when the time is right. And then I’ll make you mine forever.”
Chapter Six
Hunter
* * *
Gods, I couldn’t believe how close we’d come to completing the mate bond. If my wolf had bitten her… With all my objections, in the end I’d crumbled for her. To hear her soft groans, worship her perfect lips, smell her intoxicating scent and finally burrow inside her. We were meant to be one. I felt it for an unbelievable instant, before the pain rushed in.
I couldn’t believe her strength as she lay there unmoving, without a complaint. Her pain shot through our link in a scorching rush. And she just sat there and took it, her eyes intent on mine the entire time. I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t let her suffer like that.
I sat up, leaning my head on my elbow as I watched her sleep. I needed to go back to the lair, but I couldn’t tear myself away, so instead I’d enlisted Vander to keep an eye on Lucien and Ransom. The thought of the traitorous Royal beta made my wolf bristle, eager to tear out of my skin. It had taken every ounce of restraint I’d had not to rip his head off. How could he do that to my mate? How could I let him get away with it? My claws erupted from my fingertips, and a growl shook my chest. My wolf wanted revenge, and I couldn’t blame him. No one hurt our mate.
I exhaled a breath, and my claws receded as I focused on Sierra’s peaceful expression. I’d do everything in my power to keep her safe. Vander also had an SIA buddy following Grayson, my father’s trusted guard. With Tyrien still in feline shifter territory, any commands would go through his old confidant.
I tried to convince myself my father would have to lay low for a while after the Sonia incident, but I had no idea what he was capable of anymore.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand and I grabbed it, silencing it before the vibrations woke Sierra. I crept out of bed after a quick glance at the screen. Vander.