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“Riven,” Eldon shuddered out as he came. His gasps of pleasure were followed quickly by my own, slamming home one last time before filling him with my seed.
It was several minutes before I pulled out of him. Eldon gave me a second to collapse on the bed before he was dragging me to the shower.
We were quiet as the steam filled the bathroom and the hot water ran over us. The double-headed shower was the best idea that he’d had yet. In fact, we hadn’t showered alone in over a year.
“Do you think we can win this?” he asked. I didn’t have to ask for clarification, I knew the competition was still in his mind. El was quick to act and ready to snark in an instant, but he was also an overthinker. He wanted to consider all possible outcomes before going all in.
“I think we have as good a chance as any. Most of the contestants are people just like us, so I’d say we’ve got a big chance as long as we take it seriously.”
“Good, because I don’t like to lose,” he joked. His grin was back in place but it didn’t reach his eyes. There was more to this than he was saying.
“What else is on your mind, El?” I demanded. Dragging things out of him was never easy but I knew better than to dismiss it. He’d bottle it up without hesitation. A byproduct of being raised by narcissists who didn’t give a shit about their kid.
He gave me a side eye but didn’t deny it. “How do you do that? You always know when I’m holding something back.”
“Because I know you,” I said simply. “We’re mates and I can feel it. Now… what is it?”
“Do you think we’ll find another mate there?” The question didn’t surprise me. We talked about it a few times a week. We were happy and content in our own relationship. But we were also both bisexual and craved having a woman in our circle. Not to mention monogamy was seen as rare, so we were always left wondering just who else was out there for us.
“I don’t know if she’d be safe with your jealousy,” I teased.
“Stop, you know it wouldn’t be the same as a stranger getting close to you,” he argued. “Mates are different. There’s no jealousy, or at least I hope not. And I’m serious. What if this is the trip that changes our lives?”
“Then it changes our lives. There’s a possibility it could happen. Are you ready for it, though?” My eyes locked onto his and I wished I could hear his thoughts.
He was quiet for a moment, chewing on his bottom lip until I tugged it free of his teeth and brushed my lips over his before pulling away.
“I am. It’s been really great having just us but I still feel like there’s more out there,” he explained. “I just don’t want you to think that means you’re not enough. You’re amazing. It’s just… there’s something missing.”
“I know what you mean,” I reassured him. It was strange to feel it, but there was a small empty space in our lives we couldn't quite pinpoint at first. Now we both recognized the space for a mate and craved it like we needed air. “We’ll find our missing piece eventually. And until then, I’ll keep claiming this ass.” I gave his ass another light smack for good measure.
El let out a carefree laugh this time and I knew he was no longer stuck in his head. My bear purred in satisfaction. He was just as pleased as I was that we could be there for our mate, providing him with comfort.
For Eldon, we were both enough.
ChapterFive
Nyla
They say you can't go home again and in this moment, I felt that in my fucking soul. To me, it held awful memories. Ones I couldn’t shake. Even the best friends I’d had here had slowly pulled away when I refused to come visit or even talk about the wedding.
I think that was my biggest regret about leaving, not Lance. It wasn’t fair of me to completely cut out the two people in my life who had always been there. They’d seen me through the death of my parents and the wedding disaster. It was all on me and I knew it was likely never going to be fixed.
Everything had changed in a year, including the city around me.
Madison had always seemed like such a small city to me, but I realized now that it wasn't as tiny as I thought. In the last year, they’d really built the area up and it showed. In fact, the hotel was brand new and likely bringing in even more revenue to the new businesses popping up on the main road.
A man sat out in front on the corner, playing a guitar. He stopped every so often to swipe the drool from his chin, panting against the hot sun beaming down at him. Yet he was a whole level of unbothered I wished I could achieve. Sometimes it was easy to pinpoint someone’s soul-bonded animal, and between the drool and lazy way he played his guitar, I knew he was a dog. A hound if I had to guess from the droop to his eyes and the languid behavior.
He wasn't the only character on the block. Somebody on the other side of the building was playing a violin. The sound reverberated beautifully off of the buildings closing in around it.
It was a far cry different from the town I left behind. But maybe that was more my feelings than the actual truth, something I shoved away before they could truly take hold and make me question everything. The past was better left in the past where it belonged.
My horse snorted in agreement and urged me to start moving.
I'd love to get time to explore, but right then, I needed to brave up and go inside. The thought of it sent a fresh wave of anxiety through me, but I had a hunch that was more the location than anything.
Zathrian’s fingers found mine and he held me tight. I gave him a squeeze before finally forcing myself to walk inside. It was a whole lot easier with him by my side.
