Welp, here's an update. So sorry for the delay but school's been kicking my ass. On the plus side I only have 3 weeks left before vacation so yay. Bad news is I have 3 weeks left and finals/papers/projects due. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and pictured above are my two babies that I drew :D Cade on the left, Halia on the right
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Cade didn't take much. Restraining the greedy part of himself that wanted to remain latched to her throat, he pulled away with a swipe of his tongue along the punctures.
Halia whined at the loss of contact, glaring softly from under her lashes. "That's it?"
He stared at her with an amused smile. "Should I continue?"
"Yeah," She shifted closer in his lap and clasped her hands around his nape, thumbs lightly massaging warm skin. "Who told you to stop?"
A feral grin lit his eyes and Halia could only squeal as she was abruptly lifted into the air and hefted over his shoulder. Slung over his broad back she cried piteously, "I don't like heights."
Cade had a firm hold on the back of her thighs and squeezed, making her jump slightly. "You climbed a mountain. You can handle this."
"I might puke on your nice shirt." Her hand stroked down his spine and he snorted, ignoring the shiver that rolled through him.
"You wouldn't."
"I don't know, I just might." She made retching noises and he rolled his eyes, swatting her playfully on the rear without thinking.
"You're going to hurt your voice."
"I won't. That's what you're here for." Halia shamelessly groped his ass. It was staring her in the face, begging to be touched.
He yelped, surprised by both her touch and words. He couldn't miss the innuendo while she was currently fondling his ass. Blushing hotly he kicked into a quick jog, Halia bouncing violently over his back.
"Oh gods," She groaned loudly and clutched at his hips to steady herself. "You're doing this on purpose!"
Voice an octave higher, he replied innocently. "I don't know what you mean."
"You lie."
He gasped in shock. "Never," She could almost see the mock devastation on his face.
Halia liked him like this. His playfulness. The easy banter between them. She wanted his friendship just as much as his intimacy. She loved when he laughed or bickered teasingly with her about the merits of black beans over pinto. She loved his smile; the bashful, timid one that accompanied flushed cheeks and husky tones. She—
"Don't freak out," Was all the warning she got before being tossed into dark, tepid water.
To her credit, she only floundered for a second until getting her footing on the smooth stone beneath. She kicked the short distance to the surface and glared at him from across the small pond. He was grinning widely and had smartly stepped away from the edge.
Floating in place she called, "What if I couldn't swim?"
"I would rescue you."
"You don't get to drown and save me."
He arched a brow. "No?"
"Yeah," She nodded. "One or the other. Pick."
Pretending to think about the choices, he finally drawled. "Well...I guess I'll save you."
Halia sniffed, tossing her nose up. "Well... I don't want you to save me."
He choked out a laughed, "Halia!" But she wasn't listening.
Swimming farther into the pond and turning her back she muttered blandly, loud enough for him to hear. "Woe is me. How will I ever survive this peril? What villain has doomed me to this untimely fate?" Open palms apathetically slapped the water's surface, imitating distress.
Cade was doubled over trembling, almost crying with muffled laughter. "H-Halia—"
"Woe!"
She heard the splash and felt waves gently ripple over her skin as he paddled closer. Holding herself still she let him enfold her from behind, his long arms curling around her waist. He tugged her against his chest and nuzzled the crook of her neck.
"Still don't want me?"
Turning in his hold she gripped him by the shoulders and pulled herself to his lips, mumbling. "What do you think?"
Cade nipped at the plump lips steadily moving against his and cupped her thighs, coaxing them around his waist. She fit snuggly to his chest and her fingers combed through the wet strands over his brow, spiking them up as her hips wriggled into his. He hummed into the kiss and slipped a thumb under her wet shirt, stroking smooth skin.
Halia arched into his touch with a quiet growl and felt the burn of her irises as they glowed. Wincing, she clenched her eyes shut and snarled at her wolf as she tried to overtake her.
Mine, her wolf hissed. Let me...
An amber glow swallowed the brown of her eyes as the wolf forced her into submission. Mine.
Cade saw the flash of gold and pulled back in concern. "Hal—mmf," His lips were attacked before he could finish the sentence and he stumbled into the edge of the pool, hard stone digging into his back as water sloshed around them. Her hands gripped his face as her tongue swept into his mouth and slicked along the sharp points of his teeth.
"Caedus,"
He moaned at the rasped growl against his mouth and his palms slid down to cup her rear, bringing her closer into his touch. Her thighs clenched around his waist as she ground into his lap with a groan, golden eyes narrowed as she watched his head tip back in pleasure.
Warm lips settled over his bobbing Adam's apple and quick fingers worked at the hem of his shirt, tugging the wet material up his stomach as her hands splayed over his abs. Her palms rubbed over tense muscles and he shivered at the heated touch.
This was different from earlier. He wasn't complaining, far from it, but he knew this wasn't Halia kissing him. He'd seen brief flashes of gold in her eyes a few times over the past week and could only assume it was the wolf bleeding into the woman. Now it seemed the wolf had taken complete control.
Halia could only watch as her wolf smothered him with affection. She could hear and feel everything but couldn't move. As annoying as it was to be shoved to the backseat, she wasn't truly angry. She hadn't shifted since the mess in the kitchen and her wolf had been whining to be let out all week. She'd admit the fault was her own. But that didn't stop the surge of jealousy she felt watching Cade respond to her wolf.
The wolf scraped her nails lightly down his stomach and slipped a palm into the top of his pants. Eyes flying open, his hand latched around her wrist as he quickly tugged it away.
"Don't." He panted gruffly and she pouted, golden eyes burning brighter than before.
"Cae—" She looked away with a sharp glare, teeth bared in a snarl. Her nails dug into his flesh as her body shook and he held her close in worry. She stopped trembling a moment later and when she looked up, it was familiar brown irises that stared back.
"Sorry." Halia shot him a small grin and slowly untangled herself from his hold, dropping a chaste kiss on his lips when he frowned in confusion.
Arms dropping to his sides, he mumbled. "You don't have to apologize... what happened?"
She hauled herself out of the pool with a small grunt and Cade got an eyeful of wet pants clinging to the supple curve of her ass. He glanced away with a slight blush and immediately grumbled to himself. He couldn't shake the tinge of shyness he felt despite everything that had happened between them.
Halia wrung the water from her hair and scraped a hand through the heavy tresses, shoving stray curls from her brow. "She wanted to say 'hi'."
They hadn't talked about her wolf, not really. Halia didn't explain how her other half really worked and Cade never pushed the subject. She figured by now she needed to tell him. Especially if they were going to be together. At least she hoped.
"Does she have a name?" He called from below, still submerged in the pool.
Halia paused and slowly replied. "...Riel."
She saw him silently mouth the name and Riel purred in her mind. Say my name, Caedus
Ignoring the wolf, Halia continued. "She fought me for a minute. Normally she would ask but she was...eager."
Cade tilted his head. "So you two can switch?"
"Yes. I can be the wolf and she can be the human. And vice versa."
"And...Riel is fully sentient? Can she hear me now?"
Halia's eyes flashed gold as Riel briefly surfaced. "Of course, baby."
Cade blushed furiously and she grinned slightly. "Yeah, she can hear you."
Clearing his throat he scratched the back of his neck. "Oh. I didn't know that."
"Sorry," She apologized and held up a palm when he started to protest. "No, really. It's my fault. I should have explained how all this works earlier. It can get confusing."
He didn't interrupt and she smiled, sitting at the edge of the pond with legs dangling in the water. Cade moved between her knees and she cupped his cheek with a soft palm, gently stroking tan skin. He squeezed her hip reassuringly and she couldn't help but nuzzle the top of his head in affection. He was the sweetest damn vampire she knew.
"I don't know how much you understand so I'll start from the beginning. Riel is the wolf and I'm the 'human'. We can switch places but I'm more comfortable in this form and she prefers to be a wolf. We share a soul. So anything I feel, she feels."
"Everything?" His eye's widened in surprise, remembering their previous intimate moments.
"Mhm," She hummed and watched as he shifted nervously.
"You don't mind?" He didn't quite understand how the dynamic between them worked but if Riel was essentially another person, was he wrong to—?
Halia lightly pinched his cheek and he grunted, looking up in shock. "It doesn't bother me. She's always been a part of me. Does it bother you?"
"Uh, no. I guess not. You won't get jealous?" He teased with a small smirk and she laughed.
"I'll try not to. It's okay to be with her too, Cade. You have my permission. She likes you a lot, you know."
Brow quirking his smile widened. "Does she?"
Riel groaned in her head, nearly pleading. Let me talk to him, Halia.
Soon, she replied.
Riel snorted. You said that last time.
I mean it. Just give me another minute.
The wolf grumbled but Halia was already refocused on Cade. "She does. Remember when we first met? You're the reason why Riel could suppress her instincts. After that I took over."
"So she wasn't in control when you were a rogue?"
Halia shook her head. "No. She was in the same position as me. Neither of us could control her animal. That wasn't us."
That gave him pause. If that was the case, he would need to rework the spell. He assumed Riel had bodily control while rogue but if that wasn't true than he couldn't simply suppress her. He'd have to find a way to isolate the purely animal instincts from Riel without harming her or Halia in the process. He started thinking of possible solutions, brow pinching in concentration. Maybe if he—
Halia tapped his chin and he glanced up, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry. What is it?"
"She wants to talk to you. Is that okay?"
"Y-yeah, of course."
He was nervous. She sighed and brushed a hand through his dark hair. "You'll be fine. Just tell her to stop if she does anything you don't like. She'll listen to you."
"How do you know?"
Halia rolled her eyes with a grin. "She will listen. She wants to please you, Cade."
Before he could respond, her irises shifted to a vibrant gold. Peaking at him from beneath long lashes, a slow smile curved her full lips.
"Hello again, Caedus." Her voice was the same but also different from Halia's. The syllables were stressed and spoken slowly as she seemed to almost caress each word. His name was a husked whisper on her lips and he swallowed. What had he agreed to?
"Um, hi. You can call me Cade," He offered weakly and she only stared down at him, golden eyes piercing green.
"I know. I prefer Caedus. You can call me Riel. Or lover. Whichever you like."
His stomach skittered at her blunt words and he managed to stammer. "R-Riel. Nice to meet you."
She hummed and placed a finger on the underside of his chin, coaxing his gaze upward. "Nice to meet you too, mate."
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Is anyone really surprised that they're mates? Also, Riel is pronounced like Ariel without the 'A'. Thanks for reading!