"Your body is amazing." Christian traces a finger from breast to navel after they have completed mating again. "I'm going to love you forever, Anniebelle."
"And I will love you forever, Kiss-tian." She smiles when good memories flash in her eyes. "But Christian, if I ever see you with another female, I will make sure you both live in an eternal stench."
He chuckles. "Never. It will only be you. I will never ruin what we have now. Thank you for giving me a chance."
Annabelle runs her fingers through Christian's soft dark strands. Her head lays on his shoulder as he relaxes with the comfortable feeling. His eyes become heavy and soon she listens to his even breaths as he sleeps. She quietly slides out of bed and dresses. She panics when he reaches out for her, but she quickly gives him a pillow in her place. He snuggles into it and slowly falls back to sleep. She grabs a robe from the bathroom and slips out the door. She is careful when she walks out of the hotel and escapes towards the deep woods where she can hear the calls.
The scarlet macaw has lost the vibrancy of colors in its feathers throughout the years. His movements are still graceful and enchanting when he flies down to her. Her old friend shifts to his human form and he bows to his master. His vibrant red hair is mixed with gray, dulling it only slightly, but his face is still youthful and handsome. She tosses him the robe careful not to look at his nudity and happy he had shifted behind a bush to cover his lower regions. She is now a mated woman, after all.
"Mac, it is always a pleasure to see you." She gives him a hug when he is covered. "Please tell me you have good news for me."
"It's happening. The war will take place in two days. The trolls are on our side and so is the goblin king. They have finally agreed now that we have given the promise to release their queens from captivity." He informs her.
"Very good. Now tell me, did everything go as planned?" Annabelle asks and her eyes become black with anger.
"Jeanette has completed her mission. She and her mate had captured her outside of Black Moon Territory. They are holding her in your cells. Nobody knows we have her. She is furious at being betrayed. She had begged Tommy for his help. He did well in making her believe he was on her side and she had always thought he blamed you for his mother's death. He has finally revealed the truth to her and is thankful he no longer has to pretend. Tommy has her guarded and is torturing her to gain the information you need. She will remain in the cells during the war." His master could not be more thankful to hear the news, but she is still uneasy about the outcome.
"This was too easy. I can't help, but feel she has another plan up her sleeves." She feels there's something important she is missing.
"It feels easy, because you are brilliant and meant to be queen. However, we must be careful the Alpha is out of the picture at the time of the war. The resemblance between you and her are remarkable. You could be identical twins. The Alpha will not know the difference, but will only feel your mate bond. Hell will break loose if he releases her before the war ends."
"Did you bring the potion I asked for?" He removes a small bag from behind a rock and hands it to her. She opens the bag and the potion glows to its bright blue shine with the magic it holds. "This is perfect. One sniff of this and the Black Moon pack will no longer be a problem."
"The small vile will work on anybody withing the pack territory, but you must be careful." He asks concerned.
"Don't worry. I have a concoction that will block the vapors. The pack will not be of concern after my return. I'll be sure of that." She sighs. "Notify Tommy of the upcoming war. I will return in time. Now, I must return. There's a slutty succubus concierge I must deal with. She will learn she is not to mess with the mate of a powerful woman."
Christian moans at the soft touch against the mark on his neck. More soft pecks are peppered along his jawline and he turns his head slightly to give her better access. His eyes remain closed as he enjoys the tingles that linger after each kiss. There's also a lingering fear that he will open his eyes and learn it was all a dream. Possibly a cruel vision given from the witch.
"Wake up, my love. I want to make love with you again." His mate purrs her pleading whispers in his ears.
He grabs her by her slender waist and rolls them both over so that he is now on top. He keeps his weight off of her as he covers her nearly naked body with his. She giggles at his surprise turn around. He places a tender kiss on her mark just as she had done to him.
"What was that you were saying, my love?" He sucks on her mark and tastes the sweet spot with his tongue.
"Mmm." She moans and lifts her hips to feel his hardness against the place she needs him the most. "I want you."
"You have me. You have me for a lifetime." He thinks he sees sadness cross her face, but she clears her expression before he can say for sure.
She tilts her head and brings her lips to his. They let their tongues dominate over one another. Both wanting to pleasure the other. His tongue slides against hers and he can feel her tremble with her moans. He too moans at the strong sensation and urge building. He never thought he would have this, but now that he does, he's never letting it go. His heart is pounding at the same rhythm as hers. The smell of her arousal is causing his arousal to build with the need to bury himself deep inside her.
She moves back to catch her breath and they stare eye to eye. His steel grey eyes to her blue ones. Her eyes sparkle with so much love that it makes his chest warm with the amount of love he has for her. She whispers her love for him as he tastes every part of her body letting her know that he loves every inch of her. His wolf purrs when he sniffs her center to catch his scent mixed with hers. She would find the same result with him. Neither have been with any others.
Annabelle skims her finger just above the waist of his boxers. One finger lifts the band to let the rest of her hand explore. He nearly loses it when she wraps her hand around his hardness and it's about all he can take. He growls and rips off their clothing until they are both gloriously naked.
"Christian." She says his name through the gasp released from her mouth after he slides his full length into her. He begs her to say his name over and over. She does.
Christian has her hands held over her head when they both find their release. Their breaths coming out heavy as they recover. He releases their entwined hands and he slowly trails a finger down her right arm. His finger glides over the pack mark of the Dark Moon pack and can feel the raised skin from the scarring he had left. He had wanted to punish her and used a silver knife to give her a lasting mark in reminder she was not wanted in the pack. The mark will heal when they make her an official Luna of the pack. He kisses her mark hoping she heals from the memories as well. He doesn't know if he will ever let go of the guilt.
He moves slightly to get his weight off of her, but he continues to explore her body with his fingers. He trails down her neck and she turns her head to give him access. She closes her eyes when he goes over her mark. Christian smiles when she moans. His eyes are watching her in awe as her plump lips part slightly. His mate is beautiful. Inside and out.
Christian's eyes turn back to her body when he feels raised skin just above her sumptuous breast. There's a small scar on the skin over her heart. The injury must have been deep for it to leave a puckered mark. His heart thuds in his chest that it could have killed her. They are in possession of a medicine made by Chiron, an immortal centaur, that will remove the scars. Annabelle and the rest of the pack have used it. She would have been covered in the deep marks of her past if they had not been healed. He wonders why this one remains. Had something happened during their times as rogues?
"Where did you get this?" He asks and she turns her head away from him.
"Please. I can't." Her voice breaks as she tells him she's not ready to talk about it. "I keep it as my battle cry. It's a reminder that my heart still beats and I have something to fight for."
Christian shifts on the bed and covers them both with a blanket. She curls into him and he leaves a sweet kiss on top of her head. He knows she will tell him about the scar when she's ready. They fall asleep holding each other with fear the other will not be there when they wake from sleep.
Annabelle's legs feel weightless when they finally climb out of bed after a nap. The cold breeze coming in through the open window causes a shiver across her body. She wraps the silk robe around her for it's temporary warmth. She seeks the warmth of her mate. She stretches her sore body, but this time the soreness is pleasant and not caused by a terrible night's sleep in a toddler-sized bed. She walks to the double doors of the bedroom and peeks her head out. Christian looks up as if sensing her and smiles. He thanks the waiter dropping off their late afternoon lunch and closes the door behind him when he leaves. Annabelle intertwines her fingers behind her back and playfully walks over to the table of food.
"Build an appetite?" He asks with a smile.
"Well, we have been going at it all night," she pauses. "And morning. And afternoon."
"Yes, we have." Christian brings his mate into his arms. "I never want this to end."
Christian doesn't see the frown Annabelle is giving. She quickly recovers and kisses his cheek stating they should eat before it's time to work off an even bigger appetite. He chuckles and pulls out a chair for his mate. She thanks him with a kiss.
"Can I ask you something?" He asks.
"Of course." She tastes her eggs and decides it needs a bit of hot sauce.
He chuckles at her again. She's definitely different than other girls. He shakes his head. "The day you accepted my, you know."
"Yes." She cuts up her food into bite size pieces. Neither want to say the word rejection.
"You were showing the other members glitter of man-sized handprints on your jeans." He watches her as she becomes nervous and keeps cutting her food.
She drops her fork and sighs. "Tommy and I were visiting the fairies. They are very fun, active people with a lot of energy. The first time I met the king he asked me out on a date. I accepted."
Christian growls and leans back in his chairs. He crosses his arms over his chest fighting control. His wolf wants to go find the fairy king to rip off his wings and have fairy barbecue for lunch. "And?"
"I wanted to get over my feelings of loving you. You were still with Lucy at the time and I would get angry every time I thought of her sleeping in the same room as my mate. Somebody had finally made me feel pretty and I wanted to be loved." A tear falls from her eyes and his arms drop with regret.
"Did you kiss him?" He looks away.
"No, I would turn away every time he tried. Then I heard of Lucy's death and you were once again occupying my mind. We both finally accepted that I wasn't going to get over you. We remained friends. Anyway, now he flirts for the fun of it. He likes to get a rise out of me and see me blush. Fairies are naturally very flirtatious. Tommy refuses to visit them ever again. There's one very persistent pixie that has a crush on him." She giggles, but becomes serious. "Christian, you're the only guy I have ever kissed. I only ever wanted to be with you."
He grabs her and pulls her onto his lap. He feels her stiffen and again he feels regret. She should have been the only one to have ever been with him this way. Plus, she fits perfectly on his lap. It feels right to have her and only her with him like this.
"I can't say it over and over how sorry I am, Annabelle." A tear escapes his eye. "I put you through so much. I don't deserve you."
She wipes the tear. "You were under the witch's spell. I remind myself that every time I think of you with Melanie or Lucy. It wasn't you, Christian. The moment I accepted the... I saw my Kisstian in your eyes. There was a sparkle of the boy I loved."
"And loved you back. My Anniebelle." The kiss starts out as a peck, but that is never enough. They deepen the kiss and both want to continue, but then her stomach growls again.
They know they need to eat. He keeps her on his lap and moves her food closer. She smiles when he takes a forkful and feeds it to her. She sighs in content. He's never done this with anybody. He also admits that he may have kissed the others affectionately, but never on the lips.
They are both frowning when it's time to leave the inn. They are going back to their problems, mainly the war. Now that they have the ability to read each other's minds, Annabelle has been working hard to block most of her thoughts. Christian is clueless about what is going to happen. He's in bliss right now over having his mate. She's enjoyed the time they spent together and is going to savor as much of her time with him before it's their last. She wants this feeling to last as long as possible.
Christian places their bags on the bed and opens the suitcases. His eyebrows draw in with confusion when he finds one of his shirts in her bag. The shirt is wrinkled and dingy. He lifts it and finds that it is slightly stiff. He understands why when he unfolds it and notices the large blood stains.
Annabelle once again can't contain the tears from falling down her eyes. She looks down and can feel her cheeks redden as well. "It was the shirt you gave me to cover my disgusting body the night we were banished. The doctor had given me fresh clothes, but I didn't want them. The shirt had your scent on it and it helped my wolf heal. I think he understood. I used to take the shirt out the days I needed you. It had both of our scents mixed and it felt like a sign when they began to fade away. I kept the shirt, because it was all I had of you. It holds the memory of the first time you had touched me and I felt the sparks. I try not to remember that it was demolished by the pain."
He places the shirt back in her bag and moves swiftly to hold her. They stay in each other's arms as tears run down their eyes. The words he needs to say are stuck in his throat. He runs his hands through her long blonde strands. He holds her until she is no longer shaking from her sobs.
"You're absolutely beautiful, Annabelle. You had always been the most beautiful girl in my pack. Even with the spell on me I had thought so and had imagined of having a mate like you, but the spell made me want it to not be you. You had natural beauty. You didn't cover your beauty with loads of makeup and you didn't have to dress in anything revealing to show what an amazing body you had. My words were meant to hurt you, but it was a jerk reaction."
"Jerk reaction is right." She makes a face and he can't stop his chuckle.
"I wanted to hate everything about you, but I couldn't deny that you were beautiful. I never let anybody else wear any of my shirts. I didn't want her to ruin the vision of seeing you in my shirt. I, uh, used to pleasure myself with thoughts of your body. Nothing could ignite a reaction like you could. Both good and bad. I should have looked more closely at why that was, but I was in denial." He reaches to his back collar and removes his shirt. He places it over her head and helps her put it on. "This one has our scents mixed. It may also hold some tears, but they are the release of the pain we held and the future we hold. As this isn't the first shirt you kept, it will also not be the last. I'm never going to let our scents fade. I love you. So much."
"I love you more." She reaches up to peck his lips before they finish packing.
"Let's take our wolves out for a run after dinner tonight. I think they would like time alone together." Christian wraps his arm around Annabelle's waist as they are walking to the lobby.
"She'd like that." Annabelle looks down to keep him from seeing the truth on her face. The run will never happen.
"What's that awful smell?" Christian wrinkles his nose when the elevator door opens in the lobby.
Annabelle turns towards the source of the smell and gives a wicked smile towards the succubus. She holds the cheek from the slap of the angered wife of the victim she attempted to place a spell on. Everybody in their vicinity scour away with sickness. The concierge meets Annabelle's eyes and bows her head. She had been warned. Now she knows not to go against her queen. Annabelle had not cruelly cast the spell of eternal stench, but one that will be released every time she tries to touch the 'forbidden fruit'. Another woman's man.
"Annabelle, did you..." Christian points towards the Concierge.
"I think she's just gassy." She continues walking.
"I think you scare me." He says with a smirk.
"Good." She smiles.