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Moving his head back down to my nipples, he thrust a finger inside of me, in sync with each lick and bite. After several minutes of the torture, Eli added another finger and pressed his thumb firmly on my clit, making my back shoot off the couch from the pleasure. Chuckling under his breath and sending vibrations along my skin, Eli continued his movements, bringing me closer and closer to the edge.
My body began tensing, my mind spiraling as I felt myself teetering on the edge, when Eli bit down on my nipple at the same time he pressed harder on my clit, sending me tumbling through the waves of orgasm. Whiteness cast behind my eyes as I felt the pleasure course through each nerve ending in my body, never wanting this feeling to end. After what felt like hours, my body finally calmed and I opened my eyes to Eli’s grinning face, causing my lips to form a smile as well.
“That was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.” Eli said, caressing my face gently. I couldn’t deny that it was one of the hottest things I’d ever experienced either. Moving my hands, I went to reach for Eli, wanting to return the favor, but he stopped me.
“As much as I would love to feel your hands and mouth all over my body, this was about you. You’ve been through a lot today and I’m just happy I could bring you some pleasure. But now, you really do need to rest.” Eli responded, picking me up and carrying me towards my room.
Wrapping my legs around his lean waist, I rested my head against his shoulder, enjoying the feel of his arms around me. After setting me on the floor of my room, he stripped out of his pants, straining against his briefs, and undressed me to my underwear as well, before guiding me towards my bed. Placing us both under the covers, he brought me back to his chest, cuddling our bodies together.
“You can sleep now Halley; I promise to keep you safe.” Eli whispered and my eyes began to close, the safety of Eli’s arms lulling me into sleep. And as I thought about how much more I wanted to do with the man underneath me, I realized I needed to tell him about Madden.
Chapter Ten
Madden
Standing against the wall, I sneered in anyone’s direction that dared to approach me. I didn’t know why I went along with Knox’s orders, but I figured it had a lot to do with the red-haired siren that always took over my attention. I knew she was the cause for half of my strange behavior lately and I didn’t even hate that she was changing my daily routines. Most of my time was spent thinking about her now instead of brooding in a corner. But if it meant I got to spend more time with Halley’s naked body beneath mine, I wouldn’t change a thing.
So here I stood in Central, eyeing up those in charge of checking in on the students. Knox’s words about the Council being behind the attack swarmed my head. My initial reaction was that it was bullshit, but that was the community talking. Growing up, we were taught that the Council could do no wrong and that life was perfect. But I knew that wasn’t true. I knew there was a whole world out there that we couldn’t be a part of. And so, when I really thought about it, there was no doubt in my mind that the Council could have been behind this. Power came at a cost. And often that cost was the people under the ruler’s control.
Currently, various Council members stood on the borders of the room, taking stock of the situation. Or keeping everyone contained. Fuck, maybe I was becoming paranoid, thinking the worst, but if it meant protecting my own ass and Halley, I’d stay on edge. Guard members were taking care of the students, those that were skilled medics tending to the injured. And a lot of injured there were. The first strain of injured students was healed by Halley, but after she went out to shield and attack, the rest were left to wait for actual medical attention. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like there were too many serious injuries, but I also knew dozens of bodies sat right outside these doors, dead for trying to protect their people.
The professors and Zachariah also wandered the room, checking in with students and getting their account of the fight. Listening in, I heard them ask about when the attack started, how the students congregated to the area, and how the Hunters were defeated. Most students had the same answers. Either they were woken by the Hunters entering their dorms and killing or they heard the screams and came to help. No one knew the exact time the Hunters infiltrated the school, but there was a general consensus it had been sometime in the middle of the night. And the one story that stayed the same throughout was the Enchantress had been the one to defeat the Hunters.
“Madden, may I speak with you?” Zachariah asked and I nodded my head, knowing that my glare couldn’t keep the headmaster away.
As Zachariah began asking me the same questions as the other students, I found Knox’s gaze in the crowd and he gave me a slight nod, face tight in concentration. I figured that meant he was keeping Zachariah from seeing anything in my future that may give away our earlier conversation.
Zachariah’s questions tapered off as he awaited my response.
“I heard the first screams from Ethos dorm. I figure they somehow knew which dorm was which and started there knowing they have no physical powers. I gathered up my pack and we charged them, condensing the fight to outside Central and near the gates.” I drawled in a bored tone, not allowing a hint of emotion in my tone.
“I’m sure we were all lucky to have you in charge of the Shifters. I heard many were efficient in taking the Hunters down.” Zachariah commended and I shifted on my feet, not comfortable with the praise.
Yeah, we were probably lucky that I was in charge. I may be an asshole, but my pack respected me. Because I took care of them and led them with integrity. Unlike the bastards still standing stoically around the room.
“And as for the end of the fight, how did the students manage to take out all the Hunters?” Zachariah asked and I knew he was searching for a specific answer. Probably one the Council was searching for as well. Because by the dead bodies strewn across the ground, you could tell those that were killed by Shifter and Drax, the bodies mangled and blood drained. But some of the men and women out there? They were brain dead, no physical remnants to show of an attack. And I knew everyone was wondering ifshedid it. And even though I knew the truth, I refused to speak about Halley, knowing Zachariah would try to search beyond my words.
“Not sure. I assume once most of the Hunters were gone, we outnumbered them, and it was easy to finish them off.” Shrugging, I sauntered off, done with the questions. And done with being in this room.
All I wanted was to go for a run to let off some steam and then find Halley to let off some more.
? ? ?
Running through the woods in my creature form always cleared my head. I remember when I was young, my mom would go for a run every night before bed and I would sit on the porch, waiting for her to come back, wishing I could join her. She would always finish her run and the stresses from the day seemed to disappear for her. I craved that release then and now I found joy in being able to have it.
Sprinting through a cluster of trees, I heard multiple bodies running behind me, and I felt the energies of several pack members chasing after me. It seemed many of the other Shifters had the same idea as me, needing the release after the hellish night. I hoped the addition to my running meant the Council and professors had sorted out most of the situation and things would get back to normal. Or at least as normal as they could. We all knew this wasn’t the end of the Hunters. This was simply an initial attack, meant to terrorize us, diminish our numbers, and if Knox was right, take out Halley. I had no clue what the future held for Willow Grove or for the Divines, but I didn’t want to worry about that right now.
Howling towards the sky, I listened to the returning noise from the pack and then took off in the lead, maneuvering through the trees, jumping falling branches as we ran together. The other Shifters began to catch up to me and I shifted quickly, taking on my hawk form and flying above the pack, getting a better view. Although I often ignored others, I took my responsibility as the Alpha of the Shifters seriously. They were my pack, and I knew they needed a leader who would protect them. And with everything we were about to face, I needed to be that leader more than ever.
Although not as enticing as the ground beneath my tread, the wind beneath my wings gave me a different sort of high. Soaring above everyone else, I longed to fly away and leave it all behind. In fact, the first time I shifted into my hawk, I nearly gave in to the urge to leave. No one would be able to find me, I was sure of that. But then I thought of my mom, and I knew I couldn’t just take off. She had been heartbroken when my father had left us, although he had only left to be with another woman. And so, I stayed, knowing I needed to be there for her, and built myself a pack at Willow Grove. But even still, the urge never faded.
Looking down towards the trees, I saw numerous wolves, foxes, and coyotes sprinting, howling at each other and rolling around in play. A lone figure caught my eye, standing in human form against a tree, looking on the others with sorrow. Kalani stood still, tension in her shoulders. I couldn’t pretend to know what she was going through. The girl had actually died and now she wassomethingelse. Something we had never seen before. I had no clue if she could even still shift into her wolf, or if she knew how to control her other creature. All I knew was that I would be there to help her, no matter what happened. It was my duty as her Alpha. And if it helped me get closer to her feisty best friend, well, there could be worse things to happen.
Chapter Eleven
Knox
“The Hunters will attack again. We are sure of this. Preparing for the next attack is more important than ever, especially after tonight. And the Council will make sure no more students are killed.” Zachariah said sternly and I held back the snarky retort that was on the cusp of my lips.
