Page 53 of Those That Are Lost

I step into the darkness, the shadows licking my skin as they welcome me. Red has stilled, blinded by them, but I can tell exactly where she is from her heaving breaths.

“Come on, let me out,” she calls, unaware that I’m gaining on her. Inhaling deeply, I check her scent for any sign that she is really distressed.

Finding none, I press on, moving slow to avoid the snow crunching under my boots, giving me away.

I circle her, get behind her back to approach, seeing her outline in the inky depths of my shadows.

“Hi, Red,” I whisper.

She jumps round and launches her snowball. As I do mine. They explode between us seeing as there is less than a foot’s distance. I lift the shadows a little as she shrieks with the cold.

“You ass!!” she splutters, shaking snow from her face and hair, a wide smile lighting up her face.

I step up into her space and brush the cold flakes off her shoulders before tucking one of her curls behind her ear. She shivers at the touch of my cold gloves on her skin.

“I think I won.” I grin down at her, standing at my full height over her.

“Only because you cheated!” She shoves my chest. I grab her forearms, careful to not get her wrists instead. We’ve started some training around her reactions but tonight I don’t want to test it.

She tries to jerk back but I refuse. After a second attempt, she stops struggling and looks up at me. Heat igniting in heremerald eyes. I stare down into their depths, cataloguing each little fleck of colour, noticing how it feels like I’m seeing everything she is, how there isn’t a single barrier.

“Something’s shifted.”Eetu’s earlier words come back to me, causing me to pause.

Red notices how I tense and cocks her head at me.

“Ty, are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I nod, voice thick. It’s fierce, the surge of want that cascades over me. I suddenly can’t think of anything but claiming her. “I want to kiss you.”

The concern leaves her face once more and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. The tiny dip of her chin is all the permission I need.

I pull on her arms again before releasing my hands so I can catch her waist as she falls into me. Her hands automatically run up my chest to lock around my neck and her torso comes flush to mine. I lower my head slowly, watching her face to see if she shutters herself away, to see if she is allowing herself to feel what’s about to happen.

My lips capture hers in a soft sweep. It's a barely there touch, but my entire body shakes as my eyes slam close with the force of emotion that surges through me.

The kiss is home. It's her, and it's more natural than breathing.

I press my lips to hers again, trying to keep it chaste, but fail the instant her tongue seeks mine. My hands move up the sides of her waist, I trail one up her back until I’m cupping her head, fingers entangled in those deliciously soft curls. I swear I can feel the silky waves even with gloves on.

Blood rushes to my dick, I’m hard in an instant and deepening the kiss further as I drown myself in her.

This is the first time we’ve kissed since the night I found her. None of our nightly activities have involved our mouths coming together. It's also the first time we’ve done anythingnot platonic outside of the locked bedroom. I savour it with every atom of my being.

Her tongue wraps around my fangs and my knees almost buckle. I repay the gesture and she whimpers into my mouth, her weight pressing into me further. The shadows around us swirl as I taste her again and again.

Eventually we have to pull away to breathe but I leave our foreheads touching as we pant in each other's oxygen.

I don’t want to let go. I never want to let go.

CHAPTER 25

AURORA

Standing by the fire is not an option, it's a necessity, after the snowball fight ends. The heat from the flames dry my overcoat as I keep sneaking glances over at Ty.

The kiss still lingers on my lips and will forever be etched in my brain. I knew kissing him again would shatter the final walls I’ve built to protect myself. I did it anyway, tired of ignoring how every beat of my heart is for him. The fear of losing him, of losing myself again, is still a bitter taste on my tongue but I can’t keep making the pair of us miserable by holding up impenetrable shields.

I’d been about to tell him as much when we’d been found by the wolves and dragged back into the snowball fight.