Protected by Her Wolf, page 9
“I really am feeling better. My head is still a little sore, like the slightest movement will cause me cringe in agony. But other than that? Better. I can actually go for a nice hot bath.”
Vivian leans in, speaking quietly. “You need to bond with him. I can feel your wolf. She is weak. She’s fighting to keep you both alive, but with the spell working to kill you, she is fighting harder than she can right now.”
I hear Celly take in a sharp breath just as I ask, “You can feel that?”
“I’m powerful in my own right, Marcel. I am the mate of the Chieftain. I can sense the animal within you, too. However, this ability is newer for me.” Vivian turns her gaze back to me. “Though I couldn’t get a hint of your wolf before your…” She pauses, thinking of a word. “episode. I can now, and she’s struggling.”
“What if,” I swallow, afraid to voice the words. “What if I still die?” I croak out.
She gazes at my mate for a moment, his face hidden from view from where he is perched. She turns back to me. “If you still go, your mate will join you. He will not live this life without you.”
“What about our son?”
“Our son will be just fine. Vivian and Alex have agreed to step in if they need to,” my mate says to me. “But I will not live this long life knowing I will never know the love of my mate. We will complete the bond tonight, and worry about the what ifs later.”
Complete the bond? Tie myself to Celly? The thought was scary at first, and to be honest, it still is, but I feel more terrified of never seeing him again. What would happen if he were taken from me before we were mated? I would probably spend the rest of my life in misery. I can’t do that to him. “I’m scared. I’m not ready. But I don’t want to leave him and Byron without me.”
“I was, too. But I had to decide if I wanted to die alone, or with my mate. The latter won out. I can’t imagine my life without him now. Even though we have only known each other for a month.”
I take a deep breath. “You promise, that if I don’t make it, you will care for Byron as your own?” I knew the answer. I’ve watched Vivian with Byron all week, and know she wouldn’t let anything happen to him. He will know the love of parents, even if it’s by his aunt and uncle.
“I give my word that he will be loved as much as you love him. He will have his Nana here, as well. She will not let harm come to him. If I fail in my duties to be a good parent to him, I forfeit my life.”
“Those are some pretty strong words, sister.”
“She gave an official oath. Her words are binding. If she mistreats him, that isn’t within the lines of a parent punishing her child, the Clan can take her life,” Alex says, coming in to stand between Celly and Vivian. “I vow to protect, love, and care for him as my own child, or I forfeit my life. He is our nephew, so we will love him as such, but to put you at ease, giving the official oath was required. I promise you nothing but the best a child can ask for.”
I smile up at both of them, tears in my eyes. “Thank you both, so much.”
“Don’t thank us. We won’t need to do this if you complete that bond. Just make sure you fight with all you’ve got to make it back to all of us.”
“As you say, Chieftain,” I respond in an official manner.
“We’re all going to clear out. I’m going to send Genny back in to administer another dose of the pain reliever. Sleep if you must, but please, complete the bond today. We don’t know how much longer you have. You’ve been out of it for three days.”
My eyes widen. It didn’t click when Celly said Monday morning instead of this morning, or even yesterday when talking about when Vivi and mom came in the living room. “It’s Wednesday?”
“Wednesday night.”
“Oh Gods, I’ve been out that long? How?”
Vivian answers. “It’s the spell. Completing the bond is the only way to ensure you are strong enough to take on the evil that Deseres protected us from. Otherwise, you will die. Better from the spell than at the hands of those monsters.”
“And you are so sure she isn’t evil?”
She nods her head. “She has been sending me dreams. Some of them I can interact with her, other’s I’m just stuck watching what happened to us all.”
I place my hand over my mouth in horror. “She is showing you that?”
“It’s necessary to know. All of this can be discussed tomorrow. Tonight, you two do the bond.” Her words are a command.
“As you say, Chieftess,” both Celly and I respond. She leans in and gives me a kiss on my head.
“I need you, Ella. Please don’t leave us.”
“I love you, Vivi. I will fight my damndest.”
“Love you, too Ella.”
16
STELLA
They leave and Genny comes in, injecting me with her concoction. I don’t ask her any questions, I just lie there, waiting for everyone to clear out. Celly doesn’t leave my side the entire time. “That should hold you over. I can’t do anything once the bond is complete. Vivian blacked out from the pain for several hours after they completed it. That’s when she got her first message from Deseres. Maybe you will, too.” She takes her things and heads out, locking the door behind her.
“I heard you say you wanted a bath. Is that still something you see in your future?”
“Will you carry me up there?” I ask him.
“Who said anything about stairs?”
I smile at him. “I want to be in our bed. Not on this small couch or the floor. Not tonight.”
“Upstairs it is.” He bends down, placing his hands beneath my legs and back, and lifting me up.
He carries me to our room, and into the bathroom, placing me on the counter while he fills the tub for me. The bath is large enough to easily fit the both of us, and then some.
Once it’s full, he helps me undress. Keeping his eyes on mine, while he pulls off one item of clothing after another. Once I’m naked, he takes my hand and helps me into the bath. “Do you need me to help you wash?”
“No,” I say too quickly. He gets up to leave, but I halt him with a hand on his arm. “I don’t want you to go. Will you join me?”
He studies my face for any sign of me being unsure of my request. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
I look up at him and smile. “I have never wanted anything more. Mate, will you please join me in my bath? I changed my mind, help me wash up, and I will return the favor.”
His smile is very seductive. “As you wish, my love.”
My love. I like the sound of that. I don’t voice that though, I’m not ready for where that leads.
He undresses slowly. I’d like to say that I kept my eyes locked on his as he did to me, but my restraint is not as strong as his. Without shame, I eye him up and down, taking in every inch of his glorious body. Every bit of him is pure muscle. I just want to lick him from his head to toes.
I pull myself forward so he can get in behind me, and I fit snugly between his legs. Everywhere our bodies meet, little bolts of electricity shoot into me.
My mate takes care to wash me, starting with my back, and moving down my legs, lifting them to get to my feet. He finishes with washing my hair. His hands are so gentle the sensation makes my eyes droop. When he is done, I turn around and repeat the process with him. I get up on my knees and take the sponge and wash his body.
Once we’re done, he helps me out, drying me off before doing the same to himself. Only then does he let his gaze take in my body, from head to toe, I can feel the heat in his gaze as it travels down me. “Gods above. You’re beautiful.” I blush. Not used to compliments. I still don’t feel beautiful.
“Thank you. You aren’t so bad looking yourself.” I wink at him.
He must have read the uncertainty in my expression because he says, “Baby, I will tell you that you are beautiful every day if it takes the doubt out of your eyes.” I open my mouth to lie about it, but he stops me with a finger to my lips. “I get it. Your body created life, but you are beautiful, even more so because your body shows the signs of bringing our son into this world. Your body is a temple. One I will worship on a daily basis.”
The way he says our son. It makes my heart swell with love. I never thought I would find a man willing to enter a relationship with me because of Byron. I know meeting someone I trusted enough with telling them about Byron would have a long shot, but I have that now. Marcel has already laid claim to Byron without me even broaching the subject. He told me Byron is his too. He’s already spent one on one time with him, and he accepts us both. I’ve never been happier that fate gave me my mate. Marcellus Catullus. Tears of joy fill my eyes. I try and blink them away, but one escapes. “I am so thankful to have you in my life. Thank you for making me feel like the most precious person in the world.”
He steps closer to me, tilting my chin up so my eyes meet his. “You are absolutely the most precious person in my world. My life will revolve around you from now until the day we die. Our children will know nothing but the love we feel for one another and for them for as long as we live.”
I don’t know how to respond so I bring my lips to his. The kiss is slow, sensual. His arms wrapping around me, making me moan as our naked bodies press together.
I wrap my arms around his neck, pushing our bodies closer together, if that is even possible. He deepens the kiss, making our tongues tangle together as we explore each other. His hands roam over my body down my back to my ass. He pulls me up by my legs and I immediately wrap them around his waist, feeling his hardness press against my aching clit.
I don’t realize that he walks us to the bed, until he gently lies me down. I’m too caught up in the feeling of him against me. His mouth against mine. The taste of him on my lips and tongue. He's intoxicating, drowning out everything but him and I and what we are doing. It’s been many years since I’ve laid with a man. Byron’s biological father is the last time, actually. This feels like the first time all over again because it seems so new and exciting.
He releases me, pulling away from my lips and kissing a trail down my neck to my chest, stopping at each breast and taking each nipple into his glorious mouth. I arch my back as desire shoots through me. Now. I need him now.
He leaves my nipples and continues his path downward. He kisses the inside of my thighs, swirling his tongue around and nipping me. I let out another moan, incoherent words leaving my lips.
Finally, he reaches my pussy, slick with desire before his mouth touches me. With the first stroke of his tongue, I moan, lifting my hips to give him better access. “You taste so fucking good,” he says, pulling away enough to speak.
A groan of acknowledgment is all I can muster. I feel the vibrations of his laugh through my core as he continues to worship my body. He slides his fingers in, gently pumping them in me.
My nails dig into his shoulders as my climax nears. I push my head back and thrust my hips around, working myself to finish.
He latches onto my clit and gently bites down while his tongue slides over my flesh caught between his teeth. I call out his name as my orgasm pulses through me. He releases his hold on my throbbing clit, and comes up to me, watching my face as I come back down.
“Are you ready for this?” He asks, staring into my eyes.
“Yes. I want you. I want to make you mine and mine alone. You are my mate. My other half. The one who will shelter me from the storm. I give myself to you fully, embracing the bond that will tie us together even in death.” The words bubble up from within, some distant memory or something I was told long ago.
“I will make you mine. You will be safe and loved. I will tie us together until the end of time. For you, I will give my life to protect. For you, I will cherish every laugh, tear, and smile. I will be your lover, friend, confidant. Together, even in death,” he says to me, before placing a sweet kiss on my lips.
I feel him gently push into me, allowing me to stretch to accommodate him before he moves again. I let out a moan as he fills me, our sighs and groans mingling in the air around us.
He thrusts into me, starting slow and working up a faster pace as I adjust to fit him. The continuous feel of him moving in and out along with his sweet kisses and nips at my neck, bring me close to my climax again. Just when I think I can’t take it anymore, I latch down on his exposed neck and bite, with teeth sharper than they should be, drawing blood. I drink some of it, his blood tasting better than I was expecting. “That’s enough, Elle,” he says to me softly.
I let go and lick the wound. He looks down at me, eyes shining with love. He kisses my neck then sinks his teeth in. The sensation is something I was not expecting. It feels good. Better than good. It's exhilarating. That causes me to reach my climax for a second time. As we both soar through them, I feel a tether snap into place, something that wasn’t there before. I know this cord connects me to my mate, because I feel nothing but love coming from it.
“That was,” I say, breathless. “There are no words for that.”
He plops down beside me, pulling me into his embrace. “My thoughts exactly.” He nestles my neck, licking the wound and the blood that slipped free. “How are you feeling?”
“Like sleep is the last thing from my mind. I need a drink, but I don’t want to get up. And, I don’t want you to leave my side. Not yet.”
“I would never.”
“Good.” I roll over and stare into his beautiful brilliant hazel eyes. “I felt it when our bond was completed. It’s there, like a tether that connects us.”
He frowns for a moment. “I felt our souls connecting. It didn’t feel like a tether.”
I close my eyes, searching for the cord I can feel. I’m surprised when I see three of them. There’s a green one that I feel Celly at the end of, his essence shining brightly at the other side. A light purple that feels animalistic. That’s gotta be where my wolf is. And then a darker purple one, that feels different, that must be where my magic comes from. “It’s green,” I tell him, then gently tap it. He inhales deeply, as if he just got the breath knocked out of him.
“How did you do that?” He asks me.
“I told you, I can see the tether. I just tapped it.”
“It felt like you were patting my chest.” I smile. He closes his eyes, presumably to see the cord. “I see it, it’s green for me, too.” It feels like he is pulling a string tied to my heart. I lift my hand and place it on my chest.
I snuggle in closer to him, needing his body covering all of mine. If I could climb into his skin, I would. That’s how close I want to be, so you can’t tell where one person starts and the other ends.
“Elle, you’re amazing. I’m so honored to call you my mate.”
“I know,” I reply. He taps the tip of my nose. I laugh at him.
“I’m so very thankful to have you in my life.” I refrain from saying I love you. I don’t know if the bond is making me feel stronger emotions for him, but I'm not ready to face that demon. Not yet.
“How about we get some sleep? In the morning –” his words are cut off as a scream escapes my throat. I’ve never felt anything quite like this my entire life, it’s pure agony. My world blurs at the edges before it goes black.
17
MARCELLUS
I don’t know what to do. One second we’re making jokes and acting like newlyweds. The next an ear-splitting scream wreaks havoc on my eardrums. My mate is lying there, her body is limp and lifeless as if she’s dead. I know she isn't, I would be, too. But just looking at her scares the living daylights out of me. I’m out of bed and calling Vivian before I know what I’m doing.
“Chieftess.”
“What’s wrong?”
“She." I swallow. "She's passed out. I don’t know what happened. She screamed and then went limp in my arms.”
“Did you complete the bond?” She asks me.
“Why?” I demand. It’s not like she didn’t know we were going to do this tonight.
“Did you complete the bond?” She says through clenched teeth.
“Yes. We just completed it. Why?”
“That's what happened to me. Put something on her, to cover her nude body, we’ll be there in ten minutes.”
I stare at the phone dumbfounded for a moment before jumping into action. I grab one of my shirts from my dresser, pulling it over Stella’s head, making sure it covers her. I pull the covers out from under Stella and place them up to her waist. I don’t know what Vivian needs with my mate, but I want to make sure she’s covered. I’m okay with nudity, but Stella is new to this, I don’t want to expose her to others. I throw on some sweat pants and a t-shirt before I hear a knock at the door.
I race down the stairs and smell their scents before I can get the door open. Vivian rushes in, moving past me. “Where is she?”
“Upstairs, first room on the right.”
Alex walks in less rushed than his mate. He offers me a sad smile. “It’s hell, isn’t it?”
“Gods above, was it this bad for you?”
“Worse. I didn’t see her for two weeks after I met her. Gods, she could have died before coming back to me.”
“Shit,” I huff, feeling his agony as my own.
“Yup.”
He takes a seat at the bar and I pour him a drink; whiskey straight up. I pour myself a healthy dose as well and down it before refilling it. "What does Vivian need with her?”
“I think she’s going to try and enter the vision with Stella.”
I stop and stare at him with wide eyes. “Wait. That’s a thing?” I ask and then add, “She can do that?”
“She has yet to try it. This is going to be her first attempt. But I believe she can do it. She’s more powerful than anyone I’ve come across. She has the Clan magic now on top of your witch powers. I don’t think there is anything she can’t do. We just have to wait and see the outcome.”
I think about what happened upstairs. Stella was able to point out our bond, touch it and feel it before I could. Is that the first sign of her becoming more than just a wolf? I nod my head at that. “I believe there’s something to that. I just have one question.” I pause waiting for him to look me in the eyes. “What are we going to be up against in the near future if we need all three of them to be mated and freed from their spells before we are to face it?”
