AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Adara
Gideon’s hand doesn’t move, his thumb rubbing against the curve of where my thigh meets my hip, sending a series of sparks through my body. It feels so right to be sitting in his lap, which makes me feel like a traitor. Why is it so hard to hate him when I’ve seen his temper, his violence?
I know he’s my mate, but does that mean I just ignore everything else? His past? His cruelty? Every red flag?
My wolf growls at my train of thought, and I try to ignore her.
He’s never been violent with us, though, has he? He only protects us.
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I blow out a breath. That is true, but—
And your coven hasn’t helped you or Jules in all the years you’ve been loyal. Gideon and his pack have, and they’ve never demanded anything but your silence.
I shake my head to clear the thoughts. My wolf isn’t helping, and I just need her to shut up and leave me alone.
No. I won’t leave you alone until you accept him.
“Are you okay?” Gideon’s gravelly voice is next to my ear, his lips grazing the tip of it, and I jump at the sudden intimacy.
“Yeah, fine,” I say, shooting off his lap. “I, uh, just need a drink.” I move toward the kitchen, but he grabs my wrist.
“I’ll get it. I need to get out of these clothes anyway.” He guides me back to the lounge chair, pushing my shoulders down gently until I sit.
I fidget on the seat, wanting the release of movement to clear my mind, but as I watch him walk away, I drink him in. His wavy black hair is slicked back, and the suit he wears clings to every curve of muscle. His jacket is stretched tight across his broad shoulders, the sleeves straining against his biceps, and pants grip his hips and backside the way I wish my hands were able to. I lick my lips and blush as he glances over his shoulder, his eyebrow arching over his stormy gray eyes.
Looking away quickly, I find Mila standing by the grill still with Frank, and I try—and fail—to think of something to ask them, feeling like my brain is broken after the Gideon overload.
“So.” Mila plops down onto the chair beside me, smiling from ear to ear as she watches Frank walk inside through the slider doors. “That was some kinda hello!”
My cheeks flame again at the memory—and the embarrassment of knowing it was witnessed.
She laughs, the sound pulling a smile from my lips despite myself. “Gods, you are so lucky. I haven’t seen Gideon this happy…ever.”
I give a small laugh. “Ever? How long have you known him?”
“Oh, maybe a century now?” She shrugs as I stare at her, my mouth hanging open. “I used to keep to myself, though. I’ve only just started going to the bar and hanging out in the last few months. Frank is just…” She bites her lower lip and smiles.
“He is really sweet,” I say with a smile. “Honestly, I’m still surprised by how nice you guys are to me, and the age concept is still a bit… strange.”
“We may bite when we want to, but we’re nothing to worry about.” She winks, getting up to flip the steaks on the grill. “And,” she calls over her shoulder, “you’ll get used to the age part with some time, now that you have plenty of it.”
It takes a moment to dawn on me—I’m immortal. Being a wolf, I’m now immortal and have all the time in the world. Instead of being excited about the fact, dread creeps up around me, shrouding around my shoulders like an itchy wool shawl. What about Jules? Will I have to watch her grow old and die? Does Kaylus become immortal as my familiar?
Glancing over my shoulder into the tree branches behind me, I see Kaylus’s sleek black form, his beak craned around and nestled under his wing as he sleeps. As my familiar, he’s able to share certain powers with me—such as telepathy—but also life force. We can share the life force drawn between the two of us, always knowing where the other is and if they’re wounded. If I were to be on the brink of death, he could share his life force with me to help me survive, and I could do the same for him. But with my life force being an endless stream of immortality now, does that mean his is too, or will he die and leave me without the one friend I’ve been able to rely upon?
My breathing quickens, and my vision begins to tunnel. My world was so small, filled with just a couple of loved ones and the purpose of sending Jules to the academy, but now I feel cursed to watch everything crumble around me as time picks them off one by one—or as Monique does in an effort to kill or steal my wolf.
I close my eyes against the panic, tears burning behind my eyelids, my throat becoming tight. Focusing, I try to concentrate on my breathing, but every breath brings an image of death.
Jules, attacked by Monique, tortured and dying because of me.
Kaylus, blood soaking his sleek black feathers.
Gideon…
A hand touches my chest, gently but steadily applying pressure just below my collarbone. “Breathe,mia fiamma. In—one, two, three. Out—one, two, three.”
My eyes fly open and find his, calm rainstorms staring back at me, brows furrowed with concern as he kneels before me.
