☽ KIRA ☾
The rogue attack was worse than bad. Hundreds of wolves had flooded into Valkyrie pack lands and tried to lay waste to the city. But hundreds could not stand up to thousands. Damian required every member of his pack to be trained in the art of defending their home, and they made quick work of the intruders. Each of them refused to yield, so each of them died for their hubris.
I looked out over the piled-up bodies, ready for burning. Magic sparked along my fingers as I walked past them all, searching for something. But I found nothing. Nothing had compelled these wolves to attack us except the word of a man who promised them their own pack lands if they succeeded in wounding us.
We weren't the only ones that felt Nikolai's wrath; the other packs who had attended the treaty signing had been attacked at the same time we were. We all weathered the night and came out the other side with dead rogues and only a few lives lost. But something was nagging at me. We were all in danger, not just the packs that were at the treaty. Nikolai wouldn't stop with us; he would go after any werewolves in his quest to get to me.
I circled my way back around to where Damian, Skye, and Dimitri were standing. Corey trailed behind me quietly. He had been a constant presence, and I was growing to find it comforting. Having someone there whose sole purpose was to fight for me amongst so many wolves that could easily hate me for my past brought me a sense of peace.
Damian looked up at me as I neared him, and my eyes traveled over him briefly. He was wearing black slacks, and a white button-up with the sleeves rolled up his arms. His hair was disheveled like he had run his hands through it a hundred times, but his eyes were bright, and Onyx danced at the surface. I couldn't fully feel his emotions, but I felt enough to know he was angry about the attack and relieved I had done as I was told and stayed back in the house.
"How does this not break the treaty?" He asked as I stopped beside the small group.
"He didn't use his vampires; he didn't come himself. He can use werewolves, humans, and witches, and it won't break the treaty." I paused, thoughtful. "The packs need wards, all of them."
Werewolves and humans were one thing that I knew every pack could handle, but witches were a whole different thing. Witches fought with magic and could take out a werewolf with a simple spell if they so desired and were strong enough. There wasn't a witch alive with magic stronger than mine, but I couldn't be everywhere all the time. And Damian would never let me leave his side.
"Wards?" Skye asked thoughtfully.
"Yes, wards, wards against unlawful entry into their lands. Every pack, even the ones that weren't at the castle, needs to be warded by witches that can be trusted before Nikolai uses magic against us."
"You really think he'll go after the packs that weren't there?" Dimitri asked, disbelief clouding his tone.
"I know he will. He'll do anything to draw me out of the safety of these lands. The more that die, the less I'm going to be content sitting here and waiting for him to come to me."
A low growl left Damian, and he pulled me into his arms. "You can't leave until Circe returns."
His words made my shoulders sag again. It had been three days since we had removed the collar around my neck, and there was still no sign of Circe. I felt an emptiness in my very being that rivaled the one I felt during my final years as Nikolai's prisoner. Part of me was missing; I'd argue the most vital part.
I leaned into Damian's hold, my head on his chest. We hadn't been able to spend much time together as he was busy being an Alpha, and I had been busy resting. Getting my magic back had taken a lot out of me. Getting that magic under control had taken some time, but now I no longer felt like it was going to explode out of me at the slightest provocation.
For the first couple of days, I had felt like a ticking time bomb, and everyone had been tiptoeing around me. We were all fearful that any semblance of a threat to me would cause my magic to lash out without my having any say in the matter. But it seemed that things were back to mostly normal for me.
Well, as normal as they could be, considering I felt like I had time traveled. The advancements the species had made over the past five hundred years were astounding, and I constantly found myself amazed. Magic wasn't as prevalent as it had once been, replaced by something Damian called science.
I didn't argue with Damian's assertion that I couldn't leave until Circe returned. He was right, and I knew it, even if I wanted to march back to the castle and take Nikolai on with just my magic. Circe would strengthen me, she would strengthen my magic, and nothing he did would stop me.
"I won't leave unless I have Circe. I have no desire to get back on one of those planes," I said.
Skye chuckled at me and shook his head. "I don't blame you. If I had the power to fly, I'd never use a modern plane again."
I smiled at the older man, well, older-looking. No one here was older than I was. Thinking about age made me more eager to get Circe back. Once my bond with Damian was complete, it would tie his life to mine, and he would age as I did. Which is to say, he wouldn't. He would gain all the benefits of living forever without the pesky part of getting old and dying. Guilt plagued me a bit because I hadn't told him that.
He looked down at me and kissed the side of my head. "Let's go back to the house; we don't need to watch them burn the bodies."
I nodded and let him lead me to a car. He drove it with me in the passenger seat, and Corey followed in his own car. I discovered not all cars looked like the ones we had left the castle in. Some of them were smaller and sleeker, and I could even say they were beautiful. The ride to the house was quiet as Damian steered with one hand and rested his other on my thigh.
As we pulled up to the house, I didn't move; I had already learned that Damian liked to open the door for me. He had gotten quite grumpy the first time I had let myself out of the car. He opened my door a moment later and took my hand, helping me from the seat. As he closed the door, he turned and pushed me against the side of the car, and his lips were on mine.
I returned the kiss with fervor. Kissing him had become second nature over the past few days. We did it every chance we got, and while Damian seemed content with just that, I could feel his arousal every time he pressed his body against mine. Today was no different. I tangled my hands in his hair, forcing my mind to stay open and not get lost in memories of the past and instead focus on the present.
I was safe; I was with my mate, and he wouldn't force me to do anything.
Damian broke the kiss and rested his forehead against mine. "You're safe," he whispered.
"I'm safe," I whispered back. The conviction in my words showed I felt it, and the contentment that ran from me to him through the tether of our bond allowed him to feel it too.
He smiled at me and kissed my forehead, then pulled away. As he turned, I caught him adjusting his pants and knew it was only a matter of time before our kissing turned into something more. He reached back and took my hand, leading me inside the house.
"Do you want some tea?" He asked.
My favorite of the inventions I found was an electric teakettle. It heated water in half the time a fire did, and I marveled at it every morning and evening when I made myself a cup of tea. Damian and Corey both tried to do everything for me, but I was insistent that I learn how to take care of myself in this strange new world.
"Yes." I grinned and beat him to the kettle, filling it with water before placing it back on its base. I watched as the water bubbled and finally boil.
Damian had pulled a tea cup and tea bags out of the cabinets while I watched my favorite little machine. He chuckled at my excitement about it, and I hoped he found my fascination with it endearing. I lifted it from its base and poured water into my teacup, leaving it to steep as I pulled myself up on the counter.
"I used to grow tea and many berries to mix into them," I said wistfully, remembering the various gardens I've had over my lifetime.
"We can build you a garden behind the house. You can plant whatever you like," Damian replied as he slotted himself between my legs and kissed my neck.
His lips brushed my mating mark, and I shivered. It was like a highway straight to my core as everything inside of me flared to life. I wanted this man standing in front of me, but I was afraid. Afraid that at the last moment, fear would grip me tighter, and I would tell him to stop. I didn't want him to experience that rejection from me. Nor did I want to experience the shame that would go with it.
But there was another line, a tether straight from me to him, and he could feel my arousal and want. He buried his face in my neck and breathed me in.
"Let me make you feel good," he murmured, hands resting lightly on my hips. "You don't have to do anything; just let me please you."
My hands tangled in his hair, and I could feel the desire rolling off of him. It was woven into every one of his words and every breath he took. I bit my lip, watching his eyes and warring with myself and my past. There was nothing but adoration in his gaze and none of that calculated evil I always saw in Nikolai.
I nodded.
Damian gently and with care pulled my pants down to my ankles, dropping to his knees in front of me. Kisses trailed from my knees to the innermost part of my thighs. He pulled my legs apart with all the care in the world, his lips trailing further and further until they were right on my heat.
His tongue snaked out and flicked over the nub of pleasure that rested at the top, and I gasped, my hands returning to his hair. He flicked it again before wrapping his mouth around it and sucking gently. All thoughts of Nikolai and what he had done to me left my head as I gave myself over to the pleasure my mate was pulling out of me with gentleness and care.
He used his tongue to lick me from bottom to top before sucking on my nub again. I squirmed under his ministrations, my breaths coming in short gasps, interwoven with moans of pleasure. Everything inside of me coiled so tightly I thought I might snap. He pressed his face into me more, his tongue lapping at the juices that were freely flowing, and suddenly I was soaring over the edge.
My hands that were tangled in his hair pulled on the strands as I cried out his name, and he growled in appreciation. My tea was long forgotten as he continued to work his tongue over me until I stopped trembling and fell against the cabinets behind me.
He kissed my thigh and looked up at me, licking his lips appreciatively. "Good girl," he whispered.
I expected reality to come to a halt at hearing those words again but coming from him; they were like a song and a prayer. His voice was filled with so much devotion I couldn't even compare it to the way those words had been said to me so many times before. I found myself desperate for more of his praise as I leaned forward and captured his lips with mine. I could taste myself on him, but I didn't care.
"Let me please you," I mumbled against his lips, trying to slide off the counter.
His hands that rested on my thighs pinned me still. "No, tasting you was enough."
"Really?" I titled my head and looked pointedly at the bulge in his pants.
"Really." He stood up and adjusted himself before pulling my pants back up my body until they were securely around my hips again. "This isn't tit for tat. You're not ready for more, and I'm not going to push you."
He kissed me again, cupping my face in his hands, his tongue dancing with mine. I leaned into the kiss, my hands tangling in his shirt. I still wanted more, but he was right; I wasn't ready. I needed more time as much as need flowed through me, and my arousal perfumed the air.
"Am I still a good girl?" I murmured around the kiss.
"God, yes." He growled, arms wrapping around my waist. "Always my good girl."
I preened under his words, eager for the day I could mark him and feel what he was feeling through the bond that tethered us together.