Page 12

–Storm–

I CAN’T BEGIN to tell you how nervous I grew the deeper into the caves Callum brought me, only that it started fading when we entered a mossy cove that looked like it was at the base of a huge tree. It faded even more when he sat with me on his lap and kissed me.

After that, I was lost, gone, caught on the swift wings of where he took me because it felt like I lost all sense of reality and flew. I catapulted so high in never-ending pleasure I wondered how I had ever stood on the ground to begin with.

How I had ever existed without feeling all of this.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it was my inner dragon making these comparisons, but my wolf was there too, hovering near the surface, basking in all the pleasure my Fated Mate could bring me.

And good God, could Callum deliver.

I had pleasured myself, so I knew what an orgasm felt like. Or at least I thought I did before I ended up in Callum’s arms. And it put the word orgasm or climax to shame because it was so much more than I’d ever been able to accomplish myself.

So much more than I knew I could feel.

Going into this, I had thought I would be self-conscious about my body because, again, I was no Kaia or Naya, but Callum never gave me a chance to think, only feel, and layer by quick layer, he made me feel beyond beautiful. My curves didn’t feel like something best hidden under a hoodie or comfy sweats but like the best part of me as he touched, kissed, and worshiped every last bit of me.

By the time he finally took my virginity and filled me more than I knew I could be filled, there was no pain. Only a moment of pressure and stretching before everything burst open inside me, and I felt a whole new sort of pleasure.

One second, I was sobbing with the grounded, soul-deep way he made me feel. The next, I was flying across the warm, vivid, fiery hot skies of my inner dragon until I slammed headfirst into his wolf, and everything expanded sharply. I went from tentatively taking him to screaming toward pleasure and digging my nails into him in a split second.

Then there was silence.

My fiery mind.

My fury.

My past and future all rolled into one.

And then there was Callum.

Only ever Callum.

If I wasn’t over the moon in erotic pleasure because he’d pushed me off the edge twice already, I told him to let go because I sensed he waited for me, and we flew over the edge together. When he thrust deep and let go inside me, I sensed that finally coming together like this was going to mean so much more than we realized.

Our ever-intensifying bond was going to make a big difference.

I wasn’t entirely sure what that difference would be and how it would affect everything we faced, but I would soon enough. Until then, having lost my shyness and feeling emboldened, I made it clear I wanted more. All I could get from him before we had to return to the others, which I suspected wouldn’t be long from now.

And, strangely, I wanted to be in control this time.

I wasn’t typically the controlling type or one to take charge, but something about knowing this big, strong, gorgeous man was all mine empowered me. He seemed to understand it, too, because he rolled, taking me with him, until I straddled him.

He had made me feel beautiful up to this point, but the way he looked at me now, with my hair cascading around my shoulders and my body laid bare, made me feel like the most desired woman alive. Fully aware he was already hard inside me again, I was tempted to move because he felt so good, but I didn’t.

Instead, I took the time to admire him and let him admire me. As he had assured me it would, his wound had healed quickly, thanks to his inner beast and magic. Yet still, I noticed prior wounds had left scars, and I ran my fingers over them, glad none had taken his life.

Then, I marveled at the rest of him, loving everything about his broad-shouldered build, from the ropes of muscles in his arms to the hair on his chest. Not too much. Just enough to amp up his masculinity. I ran my hands down his chest, loving his well-defined, rigid muscles.

Especially the one between my legs.

When it jerked inside me, eager to pick up where we had left off, a fresh ache blossomed below, giving me no choice but to move. Take. Ride him slowly at first as I got used to the position. One I liked a great deal, and it seemed he did too based on the way he grunted with approval as his wolven eyes flared and his hands rode up my thighs.

I gasped when the pad of his thumb brushed my clit, and I chased the sensation, grinding my hips to increase the friction. It seemed he liked it just as much because he grabbed my backside and guided me to move faster. Take more.

So I did, losing myself quickly in how amazing he felt. My inner beast obviously agreed because everything brightened, telling me my wolf eyes were out. Heat flared beneath my skin before it felt like cool, erotic flames rolled over me.

“Because they are,”

he said hoarsely as I braced my hands on his chest and rode him faster, chasing my release now, eager to feel that incredible wonder again. Yet I wanted him to feel just as much pleasure, so I rolled my hips, understanding what would feel good for us both.

“’Tis all right,”

he managed, his eyes drifting with pleasure now. “If you go, I will too.”

“Pull me closer,”

I whispered, urged, needed, unsure what I was looking for, but again, it seemed he did because he sat up, bent his legs, pulling me flush against him, hitting new areas inside me, and that was it. Exactly what I needed as he wrapped me up in his arms and thrust once so deep I sobbed in pleasure and let go harder than before.

Already shaking from the intensity, I trembled that much harder when he buried his face in my hair, inhaled deeply, and groaned, releasing so strongly I felt him filling me again, and it only amplified what I already experienced.

Again, it seemed like hot, then cool fire swept over me, and I moaned at how impossibly good I felt right now. How consumed I felt by him, both inside and out. How less alone because, despite having my cousins, I’d felt incredibly lonely in life since losing my parents.

“You need never feel lonely again,”

he murmured, catching my thoughts. “Because I will always be with you wherever it may lead us, anamchara.”

I sensed he was getting ready to say more but was rendered speechless.

“What is it?”

I said huskily, having trouble finding my voice.

“’Tis you,”

he said softly, awe in his gaze when he pulled back and ran his fingers through my hair, showing it to me. “Look at it. ‘Tis just as your wolf pelt was in our dream.”

I looked down at my hair pooled in his hand only to find it aglow, almost as if it were on fire.

“And your skin,”

he whispered, trailing his fingers over my shoulder and down my arm, marveling as small, painless flames swirled over my skin and wrapped up his fingers as if pulling him closer before wisping away. “’Tis your magic, Storm. ‘Tis what I saw when you were nearly at your peak.”

He continued touching my hair, only for the glow to fade with the fire.

“I know my magical element is fire because of my inner dragon, but this has never happened before,”

I exclaimed, trying to catch the last flame before it curled away. “What do you think it means?”

“That whatever magic you already possess is going to become much stronger.”

He sounded certain as he wrapped his large, warm hand around the side of my neck in a way I liked, brushed his lips across mine, and met my eyes. “As I’ve thought all along, you’re special, Storm, and I cannot tell you how humbled I am that you and your inner beast chose me…accepted me.”

“Ditto,”

I murmured, pulling his lips back to mine because I couldn’t get enough. I wanted more and more. All he could give me until the end of time.

“Soon,”

he promised after a long, deep kiss that stirred his cock once again. “But alas, not quite yet because ‘tis nearly time.”

He cupped my cheek and tried to hide his concern, but I still caught it. “We must return to the others now because what happens tonight could be very important to your future. Our future.”

“I know.”

I hated the idea of being anywhere but right here doing what we were doing, but he was right, and I had started to feel it. A stirring inside me I couldn’t explain. “Something’s changing…like some sort of transformation I can’t put my finger on. Almost like shifting without actually shifting.”

“The moon calls to your inner beast.”

Callum brushed his lips across mine one last time before he lifted me to my feet and chanted us back into clothing, all the while keeping a steadying hand on me, and good thing because my legs were wobbly.

While I tried my best not to be nervous but fearless like my cousins, it was difficult. Not because I was a coward, I wasn’t, but because I had started to feel what Callum alluded to. A strengthening inside me that felt unfamiliar and perhaps hard to control because it was made up of my dragon, wolf, and witchy powers being amplified by the growing bond between me and my fated mate.

“You need not fear it.”

Callum reeled me close one last time, tilted my chin, and gazed into my eyes, sharing his strength with me. “You need but embrace it. When you do, I suspect your apprehension will fade quickly.”

“I hope so.”

I swallowed hard. “Because I have a feeling people I care about are going to depend on me, so I need to be confident and undaunted.”

I shook my head. “Not whatever this is I’m feeling.”

Whatever this was could get me in big trouble if I confronted Tadc right now.

“Have you sensed him in this era?”

Callum asked. “I have not.”

“No, not yet,”

I said, uneasy as he took my hand, and we started back toward the others. “But what if that’s because he was there the day I lost my parents? What if he’s flying under the radar somehow?”

I brought up what we had yet to discuss, but I knew Callum continued to mull over. “Look at how many people were indirectly involved via dreams, and we didn’t even know it. And one of them was your sister, someone I know you were once close with.”

Someone he should be close to again, in my opinion, but now wasn’t the time.

“Either way,”

he replied, glossing over Mave, “whether Tadc is here or not, we need to keep on task and get you safely through tonight’s possible shift.”

“I think we both know it’s not possible but probable,”

I said softly, stopping again before we got to the others. I looked at him and made sure he understood what lay ahead. “I’m not sure why I’m becoming more certain by the moment, but I am. I will be shifting tonight, Callum.”

I shook my head. “And I have a strange feeling it won’t go as planned. I feel too outside myself already in ways I don’t understand.”

“Whatever happens, I’ll be by your side,”

he promised yet again, squeezing my hand. “Of that, there can be no doubt.”

He traced my jawline. “Even if our wolves weren’t already well on their way into our Fated Mate Cycle, I would remain by your side even if it means—”

“No.”

I put a finger to his lips and shook my head again, knowing what he was about to say. “It won’t mean your death if I have anything to say about it.”

Grateful he was lower than me on the rock path, helping to compensate a little for our height differences, I stood on my tiptoes, brushed my lips across his, and frowned. “So don’t even think it.”

He was about to respond when Gráinne spoke into our minds. “You should come now. Night has fallen, and the moon rises.”

I nodded and pulled away before I was tempted to fall into his arms and never let go, looking at him with the courage he needed to see despite my worries. His gaze lingered on my face for a long moment, and I knew he struggled to keep me locked away in our little cave and as safe as possible during my shift, but whatever was coming knew no boundaries.

It was wild and wolf and coming for me again.

When we joined the others on the cliff we had stood on before, Broderick and I exchanged a look that told me he was fully aware my life had changed yet again. I was no longer a virgin and grew closer to Callum by the moment.

“And ‘tis all right, my friend,”

he said into my mind, reassuring me. “’Tis how it should be.”

I was grateful for his continued support but made things clear aloud because I wasn’t sure where this night would lead, only that I remained uneasy about it.

“You don’t need to stay, Broderick,”

I said, shaking my head as I eyed the rising moon. Already casting soft white light across the rolling ocean below, it was gloriously swollen, calling to me like never before. Like a whisper on the wind that filled my heart and made everything but it grow duller. “I can’t see what you can do when I turn because you shouldn’t shift into a dragon. It’s far too dangerous.”

“You say that,”

he returned, “yet did a Viking dragon not shift here to protect Kaia recently and fare just fine?”

“That was before Tadc built his army.”

Worried he wouldn’t listen to me, I looked at Broderick in warning. “Even the mightiest of dinosaurs could be taken down if attacked by too many, no matter their size. There’s power in numbers, and you know it. More so when one of those wields as much strength as Tadc. While most wolves wouldn’t risk going up against you, these wolves were created by him, so they would have no choice. He would be willing to forfeit many if it meant destroying you to get to me.”

I reminded him of what we would do well to keep in mind. “Worse yet, controlling or taking you somehow because we were all bonded on that fateful day so long ago.”

“And I couldn't care less if it means keeping you safe because I know you would do the same for me, lass.”

He glanced from Callum to me. “And I would protect your fated mate whether I approve of his past decisions or not. In the end, he made the right choice.”

Though Callum grunted something under his breath about Broderick I didn’t quite catch but knew wasn’t entirely positive, he merely nodded once at my Scottish friend in acknowledgment of his allegiance.

However, I made myself clear to Broderick because I knew he initially referred to Callum choosing Ceara and the pups over me. After all, to his way of thinking, I should have been protected by my mate from the moment he knew I existed.

“My mate made the right decisions every step of the way,”

I clarified, letting Callum know even though I didn’t want him to leave them behind, I could only be glad he did in the end because of what we were finding together. Something I could only pray, as he did, ultimately protected the pups better than had he not come for me.

“But of course, he made the right decision coming to you,”

Broderick said, dancing around agreeing with me entirely, but I would take it.

“And I’m serious about tonight, Broderick,”

I said, circling back and focusing on what I felt was more important at the moment. “If I shift and do anything crazy, you should steer clear.”

I looked at Uncle Conner and Gráinne. “You should too, because there’s every chance my wolf could head for Tadc like I had intended to before. Every chance it will think that’s the best course of action if it means keeping everyone safe.”

“Or,”

Callum countered, “it might very well wish to remain with its fated mate.”

“Whether it does or doesn’t, I’m sticking with you, peanut.”

My uncle wore a look I knew meant he wouldn’t budge. “I couldn’t be there for your cousins, so I’ll sure as shit be there for you.”

“As will I.”

Gráinne nodded at me once, surprising not just me but Callum when she looked between us. “You are the fury and fire within the storm, and this Rogue will follow you both until the end.”

“Thank you, Gráinne,”

I said, flattered but also experiencing a strange sense of déjà vu, as if somewhere deep inside, I knew this was coming. And it felt right as if paving the way to whatever this was swelling inside me.

I was about to go on, wondering what to expect next, but the sound of crashing waves faded, and all went silent as the fiery waters of my mind arose and stilled like they never had before. Instead, I saw clearly the full, vibrant moon above the blazing water, and it called to me. Howled at me to come to it. Be with it.

But above all, run to it.

Run beneath it.

Become one with it and the fire burning within my soul. Let it show me all it had to offer. Give to me as I took from it. So I did, embracing it and then racing toward it. Or at least I think I did as colors swirled around me and brightened. The next thing I knew, I was tilting back my wolven head and howling at the moon.

As Callum predicted, I had painlessly shifted this time, and the feeling was untouchable.

Welcoming.

So much more than I anticipated.

As was the sensation of looking into the brilliant, amber-colored eyes of the big, gorgeous mahogany wolf in front of me with flecks of grey and tan. I had wondered at the premature wisps of silver in his hair but realized now they reflected his inner beast and were born of his terrible longing for me. A vein of distress that plagued him because he couldn’t be with me.

Vaguely aware of Uncle Conner’s and Gráinne’s wolves nearby, I gazed into my mate’s eyes, mesmerized by how intense it felt. He felt. Everything about him seemed to expand within me, filling me with his strong, unwavering presence and devotion, unlimited love, and a perfect forever. I stepped closer and inhaled deeply, pulling in his scent. Savoring it. Relishing it as he relished mine.

Then I felt even more.

So very much drawing me ever closer like a moth to a flame because I craved whatever it was. Needed it, him, so desperately I closed the distance and rubbed my neck against his.

“My beautiful anamchara,”

he rumbled into my mind, the sound so impactful, along with our wolves finally touching for the first time, that the swelling sensation I had felt earlier combined with the extraordinary feeling of this moment made everything go silent in a whole new way.

More than that, it made the fiery waters of my mind do something they had never done before. They would bring me that much closer to Callum but also show me something I needed to pay attention to right away.