Miatta
My visiting hour was up and I escorted Addy and her group back to the dark room. She pulled me in for a final hug and whispered shortly in my ear:
“Do not forget your promise to me.”
She had asked for my word and I had given it selflessly. Addy had never asked anything of me in the past and now that she had, I didn't want to let her down. Ramona was coming with me by nightfall. There was to be a wolf run and during that period, every shifter was free to do what he pleased, slave or freeborn. Many found their mates on the day of the Moon Festival while others just mingled sexually for the fun of it, a one-night only orgy. It was at that time when everyone was distracted that I planned to leave with Ramona.
On my way back, shadows had fallen along my path, protecting me from the harsh sunlight. The weather was not hot however as chilly winds clashed with each other. Goosebumps were aligned on my upper arm and I rubbed my relatively warm palms along them. I mentally made plans to burrow into Lucas’ body when I got to his room. He would enjoy it as much as I would and besides, a relationship was about giving as well as taking. He was obsessed with my body and it didn't irk me one bit.
The halls were quiet except from the occasional light swishing of flaps that served as doors and short footsteps picked up by my supernatural hearing. I made my way to my mate, thinking up things I would like to try with him on our last day together. My heart broke at the thought of leaving him; he was my happiness, the other half of me, my mate. It was an illusion of my mind that I could simply move on without him and I knew it. In the short time that we had spent together, I had gotten to know the real him and he would never hurt me. He loved me and worried about me more than necessary. I choked on a tear, forbidding myself to be weak in a time when I needed to be strong.
It was while I wiped away my shameful tears that I heard them whispering. My ears picked up on the little, husky voices and I couldn't just pass by. It could be nothing or it could be something important. Either ways, I didn't want to leave knowing that I might have gotten some important information if I had stayed. The voices were coming from a corner of the hall, in a well hidden spot behind the great columns. A little room I had not known existed was there and the occupants seemed to be great in number. I drew nearer but not too close so as not to reveal my presence. The voices cleared up and soon I could hear everyone speaking individually.
“Tonight is the night of the Moon Festival, Logan. I think the time is right.”
“Patience, Asukar! I say when the time is right!” a voice that sounded like Beta Logan commanded. His order left no room for arguments but I heard some murmuring nevertheless. What was it time for?
“The Prince will be an easier target to defeat than we earlier thought. Have a little patience and watch it unfold.”
Panic clawed at my throat and my palms were sweaty. Lucas was a target and he was in some kind of danger! I would have loved to stay behind long enough to see the faces of the traitors but I had a feeling that if I was caught, I would not escape with my life. Besides, I could not protect Lucas if I was dead. With that resolve, I scurried away silently.
***
When night fell, I laid on my mate’s bed, buck naked yet comfortable in my own skin. Shifters were not that self conscious and that perspective of ours suited me completely. Lucas was getting ready and I was snuggling with his sheets, warm from our recent copulation. I was not in my heat period but I was still asleep insatiable and Lucas was amenable to my needs, his magnificent body structured to cope well under pressure. His back was to me, presenting his hard ass to my view and I could see marks from when I had grabbed him roughly from ecstasy.
“We just had sex, Miatta. Don't be thinking stuff like that when I'm half-naked and you don't have a stitch on,” Lucas growled, with an edge to his voice. The rumbling aftermath in his throat heated me up at once. I had forgotten again that it was I who established the mind-link between us. I must have let my guard down and it wasn't the first time it was happening.
“I wasn't thinking anything you don't want to do, Lucas,” I purred, stretching like a lazy dog. “And stay out of my head.”
The speed with which he spun around stunned me speechless and neither did I anticipate his rounding me up. His palms rested on both sides of my head and he lowered his naked lower half into me. I swallowed a moan, hiding my response to his proximity.
“I'm excited about tonight, baby,” he admitted, nuzzling his straight nose in my clavicle. “How do you feel?”
“Right now, about tonight?” I quipped, tugging at his hair so he would look at me. He obliged, staring at me with those dark eyes that I had once hated but now adored with a frightening intensity. “Or in general?”
He chuckled, throwing his head backwards and his hair tumbled down his back. I wanted to kiss his bobbing Adam’s Apple until a hickey formed there, red and blazing as a temporary tattoo. He had left similar ones on my neck and I want to leave at least one on him.
“Miatta,” he groaned, shutting his eyes briefly and leaning heavily on me. “Baby, don't tempt me. I can't resist you when you're thinking such dirty thoughts. You know you turn me on when you are bossy.”
He nipped at the cords that stood out on my neck, pricking me with his sharp canines. I felt his tongue lap at the little drops of blood and soon, the pain turned to sweet, sweet pleasure. I held his head to my neck and he lifted the weight of his body off his elbows, lying finally on me. On instinct, my hands flew to the hem of his shirt, lifting it to get to his skin.
“My Lord, your booth is ready. Will you be leaving anytime soon?” Ryker called from the other side of the door. Lucas mustered a expletive against my neck, eliciting a giggle from somewhere within me. His gaze returned to my face and I could see him suppressing a laugh.
“Easy for you to laugh. You won't be the one sporting a boner before the eyes of your people. Give us a minute, Ryker!” he yelled for the benefit of the guard standing outside. He got to his elbows again, making to get up when I grabbed at his shoulders. Alarm flashed in his eyes and I eased the pressure in my grasp.
“Is something the matter, Miatta?”
I didn't know how to say what I had in mind without creating a panic scene but I had to warn him somehow. I added bricks to my thought wall and strengthened my resolve.
“Promise me you will be careful tonight. I don't want to lose you. I love you, Lucas.”
“And I love you too,” he replied profoundly, dropping his forehead gently on mine. I promise, he completed in my head. His word had to be enough for now and for when I would no longer be there by his side.