Out of the Darkness
Seven
Valerio
For the first time since coming back to life, I've finally slept through the whole night. I'm not sure if it's because the wolves have left so I'm not as worried about them being all together, or if it's because I know where my pack members are. It also possible I slept so good because Lexie and I are finally fully together again. Either way, whatever the reason, I'm just grateful. I knew I wasn't getting a lot of sleep, barely any if I'm being honest, and just one full night's worth of sleep has made a huge difference.
As my eyes open, I'm relieved that I don't immediately feel anger. It's still there, but it's receded quite a bit. Instead, the first thing that comes to my mind is Lexie. She hasn't been my first thought of the day in too long. I roll over, desperate to see her beautifully round face. When I see that she's still asleep, I wrap one of my arms around her and pull her closer to my bare chest.
I kiss her shoulder, and then proceed to stare at her until the inevitable happens. To me, Lexie is too perfect. Every curve of her body silently begs for my touch. Her perky breast demand to be sucked and licked. I have never been able to control my boners around her, and this morning is no different.
My dick springs to life, aching to be deep inside her. It's been far too long since I've woken her up by playing with the soft curls at the apex of her thighs; so it's no surprise that my hand gently finds its way down there. In her sleep, Lexie moans, causing my dick to jerk. As she begins to wake up, I drive my fingers deeper to play with her clit. I circle it a few times before pinching it between my index and middle finger. I wiggle my fingers up and down rapidly, knowing this drives her wild.
Against me, Lexie fully wakes and withers until she's laying flat on her back. I capture her lips, savoring the way her whimpers taste. Her legs part, allowing me to fully toy with her. I move my hand down, loving how wet she already is. Delicately, I slip my middle finger inside her and move it back and forth a couple times before slowly pulling it back out. I break away from our heated kiss, bring my moist finger to my mouth, and suck her juices off it.
I groan as my eyes roll into the back of my head. The way Lexie tastes will never cease to amaze me. She's so sweet, and I can never get enough. Having just had a tiny sample, my body craves more. I open my eyes, kiss her, and then begin kissing down her body while I adjust myself so I can lie between her legs.
"Valerio," Lexie breathes, her voice full of sleep.
I'm not sure if she wanted to say more because next thing I know she's gasping as I lick her generously. Having her full taste on my tongue sends me into overdrive and I lose control of myself. I lick her completely, moving my tongue all over until I feel her legs trembling against my head. I drive my tongue into her, and then revel as she explodes on my face.
As much as I would love to keep pleasing her in this way, I'm dying to be inside her. As I pull my face away from her, I wipe her wetness off my mouth with my hand, and then move back up her gorgeous body. I position myself at her entrance, and then push her legs further apart. As I push myself barely inside her, I look at her face. She's flushed as I push deeper, and when a breathy moan escapes her lips, I plunge myself in as far as I can go.
Coming out of the bathroom about half an hour later, I absentmindedly glance at the photo of Dad and I from when I was a kid. I don't remember what we were doing, but I know the photo was taken when I was about three years old. At the time, I didn't have a care in the world. I look so happy in the photo. It looks like Dad is trying to sneak up on me, but from my cheesy smile, I know I knew he was behind me.
I sit down at the desk where the photo is, and for just a minute let myself miss him. Even with everything going on right around that time, he still made time to play with me. He was such an amazing father. You're never ready to lose a parent, regardless of how old you are. And it's not like I lost him to old age; he was ripped from our sides. One second he was there and the next he's just gone.
As Lexie comes out of the bathroom a few minutes later, I turn my head to look at her. I smile, pushing pass my grief. "Let's have a baby," I say without any control.
Lexie stops walking towards the closet abruptly. Her back is to me, so I can't see what her face looks like.
I quickly stand up, and rush out, "I know you had your Dad put that spell on yourself. I know the spell won't wear off until you're twenty-four," I pause, taking a deep breath, "but life is too short, Lexie. We won't be able to cheat death anymore, and if anything were to happen to me I'd want there to be a part of me left for you."
She's quite for a long minute. The silence stretches on, eventually becoming thick. As she turns around, I feel myself get excited at the prospect of having a child. When she's fully facing me, still naked from our shower, she just looks at me. For once, I can't read her expression.
"Lexie?" I press her.
She takes a deep breath, and then says in a hard tone, "Valerio." She stops herself. She takes another deep breath as she closes her eyes. When she opens them, she continues, "I want kids with you, but not yet. I'm not ready, and there is too much going on. You're right, we can't cheat death anymore since we don't have access to The Warlock's blood; so how would you feel if I died while I was pregnant?"
My excitement instantly turns into anger. "You would of course have a protection spell on," I reply, trying to keep my voice level. "C'mon Lexie, is that really what's stopping you?"
"I'm nineteen, Valerio!" She shouts. "I've just barely graduated high school! I still want to go to college, build a career, be something other than a Guild Leader."
"So it's my fault you don't want kids right now?" I scoff at her.
She gives me a flabbergasted look. She doesn't say anything for another minute, and then asks, "How do you do that? Turn everything around? I didn't say it's your fault."
"No," I reply shortly, "you just said you want to be something other than a Guild Leader."
"Your Mom had her own business! Why can't I too?"
"So your career, that you don't even know what you want to be, is more important than us starting a family?" I shout back at her. "Are you really that selfish?"
"I'm selfish?! Valerio, you knew I wanted to wait to have kids! You're the selfish one for wanting to force me into something I'm not ready for yet. You spring this one me all of a sudden and expect me to just fall in line?"
"I at least expect you to consider what I want," I tell her through gritted teeth.
Lexie shakes her head as she sharply exhales. "If this was really such an issue for you, then why did you say you supported me, and my decision when you found out about the spell in the first place?"
"Because I thought you would have changed your mind! How many times do either of us, or someone close to us, need to die before we realize that we're not promised tomorrow?"
"Oh don't try to say your sudden desire for a kid is all because of your morality. I had just died when you found out about the spell, so if that was really the case you would have said something when I woke up!"
"Is it so wrong of me to want a child with you?"
Before she can answer, someone knocks on the bedroom door. I growl at whoever it is. I want to tell them to go away, but Dad's teachings force me to walk across the room. "What?" I demand before the door is even fully open.
Keegan's eyes widen. "Sorry to interrupt, but Gavin is in the living room. You told me to let you know when we got back from the airport."
I nod at him. "Thanks. Tell him I'll be down in a minute." I slam the door in his face, and then turn to Lexie. I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly to calm my racing heart. "I have to go fill Gavin in on everything going on. Just," I pause, letting out a sigh, "think about it, Lexie. Please?"
She shrugs her shoulders with her arms across her still bare chest. "I'll think about it, Valerio, but don't expect my mind to change."
Gavin is speechless by the time I finish telling him everything. I feel bad for him since Uncle Luke left with Sophie, but I'm sure he'll be back soon to tell Gavin his own thinking behind not claiming Elena. I know Elena is still here, so maybe Gavin could talk to her in the meantime. Elena sent Holden home with the rest of her pack, but she was too worked up to make the long flight home. I agreed to let her stay in her room until she was ready, but who knows how long she'll stay.
"Are you okay?" I ask Gavin as he remains silent.
He nods his head. "Yeah, I'm good. It's just a lot to take in at once."
I smile at him, as I reply, "I'm sure, but I understand your Dad's point of view." Gavin only nods his head again. I clear my throat after a moment, and ask, "So you found your mate?"
Instantly, Gavin's face lights up a little before the smile drops. "Uh, yeah," he stammers. "There's actually something you should know, Valerio."
My eyebrows knot together.
Gavin takes a steadying breath. It's obvious he's nervous, but I can't figure out why. He swallows a few times as he rubs his hands together. He takes another deep breath, and then says quietly, "My, uh, mate, is," he takes another deep breath, clearly trying to figure out the right words.
"It's okay," I try to reassure him, "take your time."
He clears his throat, forces a smile at me, and then says confidently, "My mate is another man. I'm gay."
My mouth falls open, and I feel my eyebrows hit my hair line. There is only a small handful of wolves like Gavin. It's extremely rare, but when a wolf finds it's mate it doesn't matter who it is. I had no idea Gavin was gay, and if I'm being honest it does me uncomfortable a little. To me, the whole point in finding your mate is to have children. Obviously it's impossible for mates of the same sex to have kids.
I want to be happy for Gavin for finding his mate, I really do, but I just can't. Gavin being gay only makes me angry that he's not going to contribute to the continuation of our species. Lexie and I are a normal mated couple, and she refuses to have kids right now. I wonder if she would change her mind if she knew about Gavin. Some mates can't have kids because of who they're mated to, but Lexie and I don't have that problem.
As the fight Lexie and I had plays out again in my head, I feel my anger rising. Gavin sits on an opposite couch from me in the living room, not saying a word. I can't tell if I'm more angry at Lexie for not wanting kids right now, or Gavin for not being like most werewolves.
"Get out of my house," I practically spit at Gavin.
"Valerio, you can't be serious."
"Get out!" I shout as my anger starts to overtake me. I stand from my cushion, and yell at him again to leave as Keegan walks into the room.
Gavin sits there for a moment with complete shock on his face. To be honest, I'm surprised I'm throwing him out too. But it's either I throw him out, or I beat the shit out of him. I'm choosing to not attack another pack member even though every bone in my body wants me to take my rage out on him.
"Gavin, just go," Keegan encourages. My Second doesn't even know why I'm tossing Gavin out, but at least he's supporting me.
Gavin looks at me, and although I can see he wants to say something, he stands up, dips his head to me, and then walks out of the room.
As I sit in my office a few hours later, I watch the news intently. My eyes are glued to the TV screen that's mounted on the wall as the White House Press Secretary stands behind his podium and fends off the dozens of reports shouting their questions at him. Everyone wants to know the same thing; how does the President intend to find those practicing black magic? I can see sweat forming at the Press Secretary's hair line, but he just smiles as he reiterates the same generic answer.
"The President has made this a classified matter," the dark skin man repeats in monotone.
"But Dr. McCoy brought it to the public's attention," a reporter says off-screen, "does the President not think the American people have a right to know what's going on?"
"The President wants to have all the information," the man replies, trying to sound casual, "and not just a theory, before addressing the nation."
The reporters in the room erupt. There's so much commotion and noise that it's impossible to hear a question. I sigh as I watch. What can I do? I can't just go to the White House and ask to speak with the President. I don't even have a solution to our problem. Lexie had been right; hoping and wishing the humans just forget was childish thinking. I need to figure out my next step before I do anything.
I summon Keegan into my office, and when he takes full form, I say, "We need to find out what all the humans know about magic."
"How?" He asks as he takes a seat across from me at the desk.
I shrug. "I haven't figured that out yet," I reply. "I need to send someone to shadow Dr. McCoy, seeing as how he's the one that figured it out, and he doesn't have secret service surrounding him."
Keegan nods his head. "But who do we send? And how are they supposed to figure anything out?"
I sigh deeply as I rub my hand against my forehead. I look back to the TV, seeing the Press Secretary leaving his podium. I turn the TV off, look back to Keegan, and then shrug again.
"Well," Keegan says, "I know it's your choice, but I think sending Aquila would be best. She's closer to his age than any of the high rankers, and she already has the most knowledge about that kind of stuff. She was able to teach me quite a bit yesterday in a very short amount of time. She could probably get closer to him than anyone else."
His words echo in my mind. "It makes sense to send Aquila," I respond, "but is she up for it?"
"I think she needs it. After what we saw yesterday at The Warlock's compound, I think Aquila could use a few days away from here."
I shake my head as I remember what Keegan said they saw. I knew The Warlock's coven had been desperate to live through the pack's attack, but I didn't expect for Zombie to persuade everyone that Braelyn could harness the powers of the diamond. Zombie is responsible for two members of my family dying. And who knows how many people he's going to kill now that he's alive again.
Clearing my throat, I tell Keegan, "Aquila is a good choice; make sure she's up for it."
Thanks for reading!
~Stefanie