Page 19 of Lycan and Lark
“Every power I gained was at the expense of a Chosen’s life. Creedin discovered a way to transfer their powers to me. I don’t know if death was truly a requirement, but none of them survived.” She could scent anxiety rolling off of him. She didn’t want to pry, but she needed answers and this was the most dreaded question of all.
“And your wolf?” Her voice trembled as she asked.
“Stolen from another. Creedin said it was his greatest accomplishment. It meant every time he beat me and scarred me, I would heal. He no longer had to worry about doing too much or going too far.” Aria looked at the scar on his face and he answered her unsaid thoughts. “Any scars remaining were there long before the wolf took root inside me.”
Aria’s stomach sank. Poor Lark. He was raised by a monster. The things he must have suffered.
“Stop feeling sorry for me, please.” His expression was tight.
Aria grimaced. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I’m angry at the way you were treated, and the fact that you had to grow up with Creedin. You deserved so much more…and your poor wolf.”
“Don’t feel sorry for him, either.” The surge of resentment she felt coming off of him caught her off guard.
Aria tuned into his body, her wolf reaching out to his. There was a massive disconnect as she struggled to acknowledge his animal. Then came the rage. His wolf was practically boiling within. She pulled back instinctively, but her wolf wanted more. It wanted to help the broken beast inside him.
“Lark…” She chose her words carefully. “When was the last time you let your wolf take control?”
“Let him? Never,” he snapped, and his curtness surprised her.
“You’ve never shifted?” She watched the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed.
“Never by choice.” His words were quiet, but the weight of a thousand dark memories settled into each syllable.
Aria reached for him, taking his hand. She kneaded his fingers between her own, working to soothe his agitated human and wolf. “It’s okay. You can tell me what happened.” Lark tried to pull his hand free but she held on tightly. “Let me be here for you, Lark.”
He was quiet for so long she thought he might not answer. Then he exhaled a long, sorrowful breath. “Creedin wouldn’t allow me to shift. He didn’t want the wolf’s unpredictability, only its healing abilities and strength. Eventually the wolf found its own way to break free.” Lark’s body tensed and she stroked his hand in reassurance. “I started blacking out and waking up covered in blood. All I could remember was the pain of the shift. Sometimes I was gone for days before waking up at home, and sometimes…sometimes I woke up where it had left the bodies.”
Aria worked to keep her expression neutral. “It’s not your fault. Wolves need a pack. They need an Alpha. Your wolf just needs a chance to share control with you. Maybe if you willingly let him out—”
“It’s a monster. It has killed before and it will kill you if it gets the chance.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Aria—”
“I think your wolf is unstable, maybe even bordering on feral, but it won’t hurt me.” She hoped he was reading her thoughts now so he could see that she truly meant every word.
Lark’s hand rested on her cheek. “I can’t risk it.” The words left him as a whisper.
Aria decided right then and there that she would do whatever it took to heal the rift between Lark and his animal. She needed them—both of them. He was their mate…and somehow, she was going to make this right.
ChapterNine
Lark listened in on her thoughts. But instead of hearing her accusations of murder, or plans to escape him and run back home, he found her planning ways to fix his wolf. The sheer determination in her mind let the tiniest flicker of hope spark in his chest.Was hefixable? She referred to him as her mate again. That word had been haunting him since they met. He only had a vague idea of anything lycan related. How could she be sure he was hers? Why would she want him?
Her thoughts were pure and passionate. He took a moment to memorize her face. Sapphire eyes with the power of a storm beneath them. The smallest cluster of freckles decorated the top of her petite nose. Today he noticed there were slightly more spreading onto the right side of her face than the left.
Then there were those perfect lips. He had replayed the memory of their softness when they had kissed over and over in his mind. He leaned forward, brushing a bit of powdered sugar from her mouth. She stilled at his touch.
Aria crawled forward, climbing into his lap. Her lips sought him out as her hands slid into his hair. The last traces of sugar danced sweetly across his tongue as she opened up to him. The kiss was gentle, warm, real. He brushed his tongue along the seam of her mouth. Aria’s thoughts took her back to their time in her bed and the tricks his tongue had performed. He chuckled darkly against her lips.
She pulled away, growling beneath her breath. “Are you reading my mind?”
He gave her a devilish smirk then whispered in her ear, “If you want my tongue back between those sweet thighs, all you have to do is ask.”
Aria whimpered and smacked him across the shoulder. “Stay out of my thoughts.”
“I can’t help it, Princess.” He licked the sensitive spot beneath her ear and the scent of her arousal hit his nostrils. “So easy to get you wet for me.”
