by K. Rea
“I’ll live; this isn’t that cold,” Aiden said. “I’m going to walk away from you, try to listen to your aura. If you can fight it, go back into the cottage and stay there. I will give you your space. Try not to go to the fence. There are more than druids waiting for an opportunity to claim you,” Aiden warned before picking up the ax by the door and walking toward the back of the cottage. He turned back toward me.
“When it comes to protecting what’s mine, I am the strongest, fiercest, and most ruthless mate around. You are mine mo ghràdh, I’d rather not have to prove it,” he smirked, shouldered the ax, and disappeared around the corner of the cottage, leaving me cold, bothered, and conflicted.
NINETEEN
Far from the cottage door, sheltered under an evergreen tree, I watched the snow whip through the wind. I tried not to think of the self-proclaimed fiercest, strongest, and most ruthless mate behind me, but I failed. If possible, Aiden was the true north of some internal compass, the north star that beckoned. He was right; I could feel the absence of him. I could also feel others nearby, like a ripple in a lake. Ignoring Aiden’s pull and warning, I followed the ripples.
Curiosity drew me closer to the fence line. Snow and ice crunched beneath my feet as I moved toward the men along the fence. Some men yelled and hit the fence; other men silently stared with intimidating intensity. Still, that north star called to me from the cottage.
“I can smell you, girl. Come here, we’ll treat you properly,” one man yelled, his fangs showing. Vampire. His announcement excited the lot of them.
“When you’re my wife, you’ll never have to stand in the snow. You’ll only be on your back enjoying the pleasure I can give you!” a yellow-haired druid hollered. More commentary about wedded bliss followed from noisy men. Some men growled, pacing like caged animals. Werewolves, I realized.
The loud and crass men did not call to me, I realized. The woman in the red leather outfit lounging on the hood of Aiden’s car caught my attention, though. Someone had broken into it; the bloody pocket square was gone. The woman watched me and smiled; her red hair was braided back and didn’t move in the wind. None of the men paid her or the car a second glance. She nodded at me and pulled a set of keys out of her pocket, and slid off the hood.
“Let the prince know I’m taking his car for a spin until he gets all this sorted. It’s safer in my hands than here. Best of luck, wolf,” the woman said. She turned, got into the car, revved the engine, and drove away. With her went any chance of a speedy getaway if I managed to clear the fence and lust-crazed posse.
Even with the woman gone, the pull I felt was still there. I looked back at the fence, trying to figure out which ones were calling to me. Rather, only one man at the fence did. A quiet, copper-haired man. He stared at me as if waiting for me to see him. His clothes differed from the animal furs and talismans of the druids. He rested his hands on the fence, dressed in camel-colored jeans and a burgundy collared shirt.
“Are you a druid?” I asked, approaching closer to the fence, his amber eyes warm like honey. He smiled, a hoop in one earlobe shined.
“No, my name is Jude Beecham. I’m an old friend of Aiden’s. Wanted to see what was causing all the fuss in my woods. Gaius won’t be pleased. He expected the bond to have occurred by now. He underestimated you, or perhaps overestimated his heir,” he speculated. The wind tugged pieces of his tied-back hair free. “I’m surprised Aiden would let a little lady like you wander out of his sight at a time like this. Did you kill the poor prince?” Jude asked.
“No, though, that is an excellent idea. Aiden wanted me to know what was waiting if I didn’t bond,” I argued, and Jude laughed.
“He must have warned you to stay away from the fence. You didn’t heed him, did you?” Jude questioned as his hands glowed. My aura responded to his power; I felt as if it had hit me in the gut and left me breathless.
“If it’s any consolation, I would not normally get involved. I’m not the bride stealing kind, but little wolf, now that I’ve met you, there’s no denying you are stunning. The raw power in your veins, the woods fairly sing in your presence. Aiden will forgive me eventually; perhaps he’ll thank me,” Jude mused.
“What are you?” I asked, stepping away from the fence as the glow that started in his hands spread along the bars. Aiden was right; the bond’s call was never to the group of men, but to one. I was being torn between Aiden and Jude. Now, so close to him, it was difficult to walk away.
“I am fae. A woodsman, little wolf, and one of the strongest there is. In a moment, there will be nothing between you and me, then perhaps we can get to know each other better,” Jude said.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, stepping away from the fence.
“I can give you an alternative to bonding with our dear prince or going to that damned abbey. I can make you a lady of the wood. I’m willing to invoke the wrath of a king and a prince if you are. Aiden will forgive me eventually,” he promised.
With a promise like that, I dropped the blanket, turned, and ran for the cottage. His laughter followed me. The wind picked up, and snow blocked my sight. I could feel Jude’s aura grow behind me. A part of me wanted to turn back to the sultry embrace of his power. Another part beckoned to the burning aura ahead. I could hear the rhythmic echo of an ax burying into a wood. I ran faster.
“Aiden!” I yelled. The storm roared around me. The wind sent stinging pellets of ice into my face. I barely dodged a tree as I ran, evergreen fronds scratching my face. I saw him ahead of me, ax in hand.
“Evelyn?” Aiden questioned. He buried the ax into a knobby looking stump. Despite the snow, he stood sweaty and shirtless next to a pile of firewood. I wrapped my arms around him.
“Evelyn, what are you doing outside? What’s wrong?” Aiden asked. “I left you outside the cottage over an hour ago.”
“That’s not possible. It’s only been minutes,” I argued. I trembled from the exertion and the cold, or was it desire? I wasn’t sure. He saw me shiver and cursed.
“You’re freezing. You went to the fence. What were you running from?” Aiden asked. He grabbed his flannel shirt, wrapped it around me, and scooped me up off the ground.
“A fae woodsman, Jude. He says he knows you. He was coming through the fence to make me his lady,” I explained as my teeth chattered. Aiden growled then damned faeries, friends, and snow as he trudged back to the cottage with me in his arms. I still felt Jude’s power, but it didn’t seem to grow stronger like Aiden. “I can feel him, but he’s not coming closer,” I whispered to Aiden.
“Damn fae is waiting for me to make a choice,” Aiden muttered as he kicked open the cottage door. A wave of warmth encircled me as he sat me down on the familiar couch. He stomped to the bedroom and ripped the quilt from the bed, and brought it to me. He wrapped it around my shoulders before heading to the kitchen and refilling the kettle.
“What choice?” I asked, tightening my numbed fingers around the blanket. His fingers clenched around the lip of the kitchen sink as he braced himself. His breath visible in the air, the muscles of his back on display; the wounds from the night before now gone. Instead, there were the faintest silver lines, row after row of scars, almost perfectly spaced but not quite. He sighed, then turned back to face me. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair, shaking loose water droplets and snow. My eyes followed his every move, soaking up his image from his brawny arms to the dusting of hair that tapered down his muscular torso into his jeans.
“To take you or leave you. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I should have left you at the abbey. We need more firewood. Have some tea, warm up, whatever you like, but do not leave the cottage. Even if the place is coming down around your ears, do not go outside,” Aiden ordered before slamming the front door behind him as he left.
“Jude, get your fae ass out here!” I heard Aiden bellow. I hurried to the window and peaked out. Through the snow
, I saw the two of them standing six feet apart. Jude looked cautious while Aiden’s stance suggested he was ready to pounce and take him to the ground.
“I think she misunderstood me, Aiden! I tried to offer her the option to be a lady of the wood, not to be my lady,” Jude yelled in the wind.
“You would do that for her?” Aiden asked.
“I would do it for you, and any woman to keep them out of Gaius’ hands,” Jude said.
“Jolie is okay with this?” Aiden asked.
“It was my wife’s idea. There’s a grove near a pack of moon shadows I know; I can bind her to it. It would be her wood to protect until she died. She wouldn’t be able to leave, but she wouldn’t be stuck in an abbey, and others of her kind could look after her,” Jude explained.
“If anything happened to you or the wood, she’d die. She may never have a mate or a family,” Aiden responded.
“I can anchor her to the woods. She’d have her wolf, the woods, and the freedom they provide. Can you offer her something more?” Jude asked.
“I’ll tell her about your offer,” Aiden said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Jolie misses you. It’s been too long,” Jude said before he stepped back into the tree line and disappeared from view. Aiden turned back to the cottage. He stopped on the porch and looked directly at me through the window.
“Did you hear all of that?” Aiden asked, his hands in his pockets.
“Yes,” I responded; he nodded his head. His lips pursed for a moment.
“Good. Questions?” he asked.
“No,” I responded.
“He has a point; it could be a good option. I’ll leave it up to you to decide. I’ll respect your choice either way. I still need to finish chopping some wood to keep us warm tonight. If you need anything, yell for me. I’ll hear you,” Aiden said before turning and striding away.
Bundled in the blanket, I considered my options and the facts. Of all the men and monsters I’d met recently, Aiden was the most considerate and fair. He defied the king, respected me, and protected my family. He was attractive, and if that dream was anything to go on, my kind of pleasure in the bedroom. My skin flushed at the thought. Since I first bumped into him at the club, he’s haunted me. Even now, I felt him near the cottage. The wolf within wanted him more than anyone I’d ever encountered before.
I made a cup of tea, left the kettle warming on the back burner, and paced by the fireplace. As time passed, my anxiety and desire only grew. I could feel his stormy aura and emotions drawing near before the door swung open with a bang. Aiden’s arms were full of wood as he came through the door, kicking it shut behind him. Clumps of snow melted in his hair and on his clothes. He silently stacked the wood next to the fireplace and fed a few pieces to the flames.
Most vampires move with a smooth fluidity, like a snake. Aiden moved differently, like that of a wild cat. Majestic and graceful, as if he embraced his wild, violent survival instinct whole-heartedly. He was attractive. No time like the present.
“Why did the council pick you as a suitor?” I asked.
“They didn’t. I volunteered,” Aiden responded, prodding the fire.
“Why?” I asked, surprised the council let him.
“Same reason you picked me; I suspect. I didn’t expect you to pick me over Quinn,” Aiden explained.
“Vampires don’t have mates, but you’ve called to me since I pulled you out of the river six years ago. That day something roared to life within me. I’ve only felt a glimmer of it in battle. As a child, I thought it was a curse haunting my nightmares, consuming me from the inside out, but that day in the river, it gave me the strength and speed to get to you as if I had wings. I didn’t want to leave you on the river bank, but the Court is no place for a wolf. I didn’t want its darkness to ruin you,” Aiden admitted.
“A part of me recognized you in the club. I ignored it. Chalked it up to similarities and lust,” Aiden said with a laugh. “I was wrong, clearly. By the time I realized it, it was too late. The Court already knew about you.”
“I lost Lara to the King of the Court of Darkness. I didn’t want to lose you too, but I couldn’t walk away this time unless it was your choice. So, I volunteered even though I thought you’d reject me or hate me for it,” Aiden whispered.
“Then I chose you,” I said.
“Why?” Aiden asked, still facing the flames.
I set the mug down on the worn coffee table and walked up behind him, placing my hands on his shoulders. I bent low, placed a kiss on his neck, enjoying his masculine smokey citrus scent. He smelled like fire and night, my personal exploding star. I gently ran my finger along one of his scars, and he tensed beneath my fingers.
“I want you,” I whispered into his ear, avoiding the truth.
“You are mine,” the wolf echoed.
“Mo ghràdh, I want far more than a kiss,” Aiden huskily whispered back as the fire crackled before him. “If you start this, we must see it through,” Aiden warned.
“I know. I want this bond business over with. If I have to sleep with someone, it might as well be you,” I said before firmly turning his head to face mine. The flash of emotion across his face was indescribable. Relief? Disappointment? Still, I brought my lips to his and kissed him, pouring all my pent-up emotion and desire into the kiss.
The kiss became a war between our lips and then our bodies as he twisted to pull me closer. He growled; I growled in kind before nipping his lower lip. I pulled out of his arms, away from the fireplace and the heat in his gaze. He stalked me into the bedroom, the ravenous predator on display. Caught in his gaze, I stumbled slightly onto the bed. He smiled, his fangs peeking through. My heart raced, every sense trained to him and his actions.
Aiden brought one of his hands up to caress my face before burying his hand in my hair as he continued to kiss me. A shiver danced its way down my body. Every touch on my skin sensitive, waking and stoking my desire. His tongue pushed for entrance against my lips and explored my mouth. His hands trailed down my arms before weaving his fingers through mine and bringing them up to his lips.
Slowly Aiden released my hands, kneeled, and reached for the boots on my feet. He removed them and paused. His fingers lightly traced the scar around my ankle.
“Does it still hurt?” he asked.
“Sometimes, when I jump from second-story windows or fall into rivers,” I said. Aiden frowned for a moment.
“What about now?” Aiden asked, his fingers trailed softly up my calf and down again.
“Not so much,” I said with a smile. He smiled back.
“Good, tonight is about you. For you, I’ll do anything you want and then some,” Aiden promised.
“Anything?” I teased; he nipped at my calf gently.
“Within reason, little wolf. Within reason, but if there’s something you want, that you like, and I’m not delivering, let me know,” Aiden said. “I think we best start here.”
Aiden slid his rough hands under the edge of my sweater to remove my shorts. He sat back on his heels and waited for me to finish what he had started. Those stormy gray eyes taking in every inch of skin as I removed a layer of clothes. His growl of approval filled the room at the sight of my navy lingerie.
Aiden reached a hand out and fingered the bra; he hooked his fingers beneath the band and used it to pull me in for another firm, consuming kiss. His hands fondled my breasts through the bra before he reached behind me to undo the clasp holding it in place. The bra fell away, and my nipples responded to the exposure. His hands covered them in warmth as he kissed his way down my neck, along my collarbone.
Then Aiden’s hands drifted lower across my ribs, down my navel, and rested on my hips as he brought his mouth to one of my nipples. I tensed a moment, concerned about his fangs on my delicate skin. He growled and pulled my hips toward himself as he suc
ked on my breast but didn’t cut me. His fingers slipped beneath my lace panties, and he gripped my ass firmly. He switched his mouth to my other breast and squeezed my ass again. I groaned and put my hands on his shoulders, then on his neck to tilt his head back up at me.
“Yes, little wolf?” Aiden asked.
“Take your pants off,” I ordered. He tilted his head and smirked. He seemed more than happy I demanded it. Aiden stood; that simple movement caused the muscles in his arms and across his chest to his abs to flex. He deftly undid his leather belt and jeans; my eyes followed the dark denim as it landed on the floor with the rest of my clothes. My own feeling of disappointment that he wasn’t commando surprised me. His eyes glowed, his fangs showed the predator barely in check. This time I didn’t mind it so much.
“Boxers, too,” I said.
“You do me, I’ll do you,” Aiden responded, hooking his fingers into the fragile lace about my hips. I reached my hands out and hooked my fingers into the elastic waistband. I paused a moment. There was no going back if I did this. Taking his clothes off myself put me in control of the moment. I’d be damned if I didn’t act like it.
I grabbed his wrist and pulled him onto the bed, and switched places with him. Aiden didn’t seem surprised, but he made no moves to control the situation as he reclined into the bed, his hands behind him propped his body up. He smiled, and one of his eyebrows crooked.
“What are you waiting for, wolf? I’m all yours,” he drawled.
With a soft growl, I lunged like the predator I was. Fabric ripped beneath our hands. No longer separated by clothing or hesitation, hands, lips, and teasing fangs raged between us. Desire burned through me, bright and fierce, as he flipped me back onto the bed. Aiden was deftly skilled and quick to learn what my body craved. We toyed, tested, teased, and tasted each other. He kept me teetering on the edge of climax until I bit him and demanded he finish what we started.
For a moment, that hesitation was back as Aiden moved between my legs. His eyes burning bright as embers. He paused. He leaned into me, kissed me, I kissed him back, and then a tempest ensued. My claws raked down his back as I climaxed beneath him, burning from within and without with rapture.