Page 25 of Crossing Between

Morning sunlight filtered through the window. There were birds chirping happily outside, and it promised to be a beautiful day.

Fuck. That. Shit.

Those fucking birds were getting a pillow thrown at their nest if they didn't shut up soon.

A groan slipped out as I sat up in bed, my eyes trying to focus. Last night came back to me in a rush and it just made me want to crawl back under the blankets and pretend nothing was wrong in the world. This mattress felt like I was engulfed within a cloud and I needed it at home.

Admitted to the men I had crushes on that I was an illegal magical being?

Check.

Told that I wasn't said magical being but something even more rare?

Check.

Not to mention I had my blood sucked for the first time and wanted to jump on my boss's cock and ride it off into the sunset. That had been very professional.

I rubbed the bridge between my eyes with a rough huff.

Caffeine. I needed something to get my eyes open all the way and working before I tried to tackle the day.

Throwing off the blankets from my legs, I swung them off to the side when a grunt made me pause. It hadn't been me.

Blinking my eyes a few more times, I looked over my shoulder just as Elias pushed the blankets off his face and sat up on his left elbow, a large yawn taking up his face for a brief few seconds.

Oh!

That was right! I'd slept next to him last night. He'd been cool against my back; it had to be because he was a kraken, but it'd been pleasant. I'd been too tired, but I hoped it wouldn't be the last time I woke up next to the healer.

"Damn. Varon has good taste in mattresses. Now I feel even worse for destroying my room." Elias gave a throaty chuckle as he looked at me. "Good morning, Zoey." His gray eyes were kind and soft as we looked at each other. "Your bedhead is adorable."

"What?!" Embarrassment shocked me as I clamped my hands over my hair. "Bedhead?" I stood up but squeaked slightly as a tentacle wrapped around my waist to drag me into the bed with my back up against Elias' chest.

His face nuzzled against my hair from behind as his tentacles moved down my arms in a caress that brought goose bumps along my skin. Who knew tentacles would feel so good?

"I like it. You're even more beautiful in the morning light." His voice had deepened with power, his kraken slipping out more.

I tilted my head back to look at him. His eyes had changed to a bright yellow with a pupil that reminded me of a cat's eye. His kraken met my gaze while pressing his hips into my back.

"Elias?" I pressed my thighs together to stop spreading them as I became turned on by the way his touch ran down my body and as the suckers just lightly pulled skin in a teasing manner.

"Mate." He grunted as a tentacle tip brushed along my lips. "Mine. Marked."

I opened my mouth to ask what he was talking about when there was a knock at the door, and we both froze as if we were caught with a hand in the cookie sex jar.

"Darling," Quilith's voice rang out through the door, happy and annoyingly bright. "It's time to wake! Tea has been made with some food. We have lots to talk about!" The door started to open, and I scrambled out of the bed with a shout.

"I'll be there in just a minute. Don't come in! I'm, uh, naked!" I glanced back over my shoulder to see Elias climbing out of the other side of the bed quietly.

"Oh, don't tempt me with a good time, my dear!" Quilith cackled, but their voice faded as they walked away. "See you in a little bit."

A huge sigh of relief escaped from me as I slumped against the edge of the bed frame.

"That could have been awkward." Elias laughed low, sending a thrill through me. He looked relaxed for the first time since I'd met him. "Although knowing Quilith, they would have enjoyed seeing us in that predicament."

"They would have called everyone to come see." I snorted before rubbing my arms. "Um, Elias, about what you said right before Quilith knocked?"

He froze as he had been putting his hair up in a half bun. "Oh. Um, my kraken came out and he was staking his claim on you?"

I raised a brow. "His claim? Like I'm a possession to be claimed?"

He visibly flinched and rounded the bed to my side quickly.

"No. Of course not." He gripped my arms and pulled me into a hug.

"It's complicated, and I'm not sure today is the best day to explain with everything else that we're about to learn today.

" He tipped my chin up and placed a finger on my lips as I opened them to say something.

"Babe, please give me a few days. My kraken jumped the gun, and I don't want you to overload on information again. "

I wanted to grumble and disagree with him. Making me wait after I knew something was being hidden? It would be torture, but I also understood wanting to be able to have the power to reveal information on one's own terms.

"Okay. Fine." I sighed as he moved his finger from my lips, and his thumb rubbed my lower lip. "But I want something to hold me over."

"Oh?" His kraken came through briefly before his gray eyes sparked with mischief. "What would that be?"

I was starting to like this playful side of him the more he opened up.

"A kiss."

"How about multiple?" His growl went straight through to my pussy and I held back a gasp as his lips clashed with mine.

This kiss wasn't soft and gentle like our first one had started out.

This kiss was rough with teeth and tongue as his hands gripped my hips, fingers digging into the flesh hard enough to leave marks while he pulled me flush against him, the barrier of our clothing suddenly maddening.

A desperate thought flashed through my mind that our garments might combust, reduced to nothing but ash between us.

My pulse thundered in my ears as his tongue swept against mine, demanding and possessive, making the room tilt and sway around me.

His right hand traveled up my side with deliberate slowness, each inch of contact raising goosebumps in its wake.

When his fingers brushed over the mark beneath my shirt, electricity jolted through me, a delicious burning that made me arch against him with a gasp.

He cupped the back of my head, strong fingers tangling in my hair, tugging just enough to expose more of my throat to him.

The hard ridge of his cock pressed insistently against my lower belly, and I couldn't stop the broken whimper that escaped me, the sound seeming to bounce off the walls as we reluctantly broke the kiss, both of us breathing heavily in the sudden quiet.

"We need to stop or I won't be able to." Elias rested his forehead against mine with a soft sigh. "I don't want Quilith to come back and ruin our morning because they'll go blab this to the others."

"They wouldn't do that." I paused. "Okay, they totally would go tell the others." I stepped out of his arms even though it felt like I was tearing away a limb. "I hope we can do more of that later."

We left the room shortly after once we'd both made sure our clothes were on straight and it didn't look like we'd attempted to take a roll in the bed. I also made sure to wash up in the bathroom just in case these crazy men used their superior senses to smell my attraction.

I became confused as we walked through the hallways, but Elias seemed to know where he was going.

"The first time I came here, Varon wouldn't let me leave the first floor.

He didn't trust me or Kenji not to break anything.

Which, in retrospect, was probably a good move because the second he allowed us free rein of the house after some time, Kenji broke a priceless vase by sneezing in front of it.

" Elias chuckled at the memory as we started down a staircase.

"After that, Varon decidedly removed all his expensive artwork into a locked room that we're banned from instead of just making sure we couldn't visit. "

"Ah." It was as if his ears were burning. Varon appeared in the doorway, looking refreshed, and his hair was slightly disheveled. "You're here. I was just about to send Kenji to hunt you down."

My mouth went dry as I looked at my boss. He seemed different this morning somehow, and it worked for him because I wanted to climb him and just lick him all over. I wasn't sure what had changed, besides his hair not being immaculate like normal, he just seemed more relaxed and oozed sex.

I wasn't the only one who noticed if Elias freezing next to me was any indication. His mouth had dropped open in a little 'o' as his nostrils flared. I couldn't tell if he was thinking Varon was sexy as hell, like I did, but he clenched his jaw after a brief moment of staring.

"Aw." The oni who had just been named popped up next to Varon, his arm coming to rest on our bosses shoulder.

"I would have liked that. Maybe some hunting for you two is just what we all need to relax.

" His eyes flashed as they met mine. "I could use some fun after these past few months, and I feel like I'm the one being left out of the Zoey love-a-thon. I need to fix that."

If Elias hadn't been standing next to me, I probably would have fallen. As it was, he had to grab me as I almost fell backward. What was going on with all of these men so suddenly?

"Okay. Okay." Quilith shouted from the room. "Stop flirting and get your asses in here. We have much to discuss."

Well, that was more effective than a bucket of ice water being thrown over me.