Page 30 of Seduced
He brushes my hair from my face in a gesture so intimate, my eyes fill with tears. I blink them away and put my palm to his cheek, relishing the roughness of his stubble. There’s nothing between us anymore, no pretense. I can’t hide how much he means to me, and it’s terrifying.
He grips my hands and pushes them down on either side of my head, trapping me, and starts moving again in a steady rhythm, giving me just enough pleasure that I’m hovering on the edge, but not enough to tumble over into bliss.
“Tease,” I mutter, then lift my mouth to his. I wrap my legs around his hips and pull him closer, rocking my hips up to meet his every thrust.
It’s there that magic happens—the very human, ordinary magic that exists between two people who are so close, their bodies meld into one. His cock hits me just right, and I clench around him in a perfect, blinding orgasm. Aiden shudders with his release, letting go of my hands so I can cling to him, too.
We rock together, trembling through the aftershocks, our skin sticky with sweat. Aiden slips out of me, and I know we’re making a mess, but I don’t care. I’m so completely sated, my limbs refuse to function properly, and I can only curl up on my side, snuggling into Aiden’s chest.
We need no words. In this wonderful moment, nothing exists but us.
* * *
Next morning at breakfast, Aiden follows me into the room and brushes his lips against mine in a quick kiss. Then he sits at the head of the table like this is nothing out of the ordinary. Jack gives me a high-five, and Maya groans into her oatmeal.
She’s up and about, healing at a pace normal for sea dragons, which means she can now hobble around on crutches and is doing loads of physical therapy with Nurse MacLeod. I’m really happy with how that turned out, but I’m also freaking scared of becoming a healer for the Amber Bay community. What if I mess someone up? I mean, I’ve successfully healedtwopeople and I’m not sure I should be counting myself at all.
But I promised Mrs. Hobb that I’d stop by the clinic today after work, so that’s what I intend to do. First, though, I need to set up the routers that will serve to connect the village to the internet. I’m taking Jack with me to carry the equipment and do all the heavy lifting—since we’re covering the entire village, this will meana lotof work, and we also need to make sure the gadgets are protected from the weather. It’ll take us several days to finish the job, and I’m not looking forward to it. I’m much more suited to staying indoors and typing away on my laptop than traipsing around the forest, trying to predict whether squirrels will chew through the power cables or not.
Princess Penny joins us on the first leg of the excursion but soon gives up and needs to be escorted back inside the Lodge to keep Ty company in the kitchen. She’s not a great outdoor dog, and I need to make sure she has enough gear for the long winter ahead. It seems almost ridiculous to be thinking about doggie coats while the future of the entire clan might be at stake, but she’s such a comfort to me, I can’t bring myself to push her out of my mind. Luckily, she’s been accepted in this community even better than me.
It strikes me then that this is not at all what would have happened if a lone sea dragon landed in the middle of my old coven. If my family members got a hold of a magical being such as one of these people here, they’d either kill them or try to steal their magic. It’s not like all witches are evil, far from it. I’ve had the misfortune of being born into a coven that’s both strong and greedy in terms of magical power, which is always a dangerous combination.
I chew over this as we proceed through and around the village. With every point of connection we set up, the web covering the area grows. Soon, all the homes will be linked to the network.
I pause. A crazy thought occurs to me. If I used the tech as the anchor… Staring into the distance, I evaluate the possibilities. The vast majority of witches wouldn’t even be able to sense technology, since my power is so rare. It would make any spell I entwined with it that much harder to detect—and to dismantle.
It’s the first framework of an idea, so surprising I don’t even dare mention it to Jack or anyone else until I’m convinced that it would work. If we had more time, I could test it on a smaller scale, but we have no clue how soon the witches will arrive.
Jack and I are both covered in dirt and crushed leaves by the time we make it back to the Lodge. I groan as something pops in my back. “Ow.”
Luckily, Ty is an angel and has cooked up a big pot of chicken curry. I try not to think of Mr. Stuart’s chickens, which I’ve had the pleasure of meeting on my daily walks with Princess Penny. It’s true, I’m a little squeamish about certain things, but I don’t want to insult any of them—this is their way of life, and I want to be respectful of it. If that means finding a dead moose on the porch from time to time, I’ll get used to it. It helps that I’m so hungry, I’m seeing stars. That’s what a night of steamy sex and a full day of honest work will do to you.
Aiden walks into the kitchen, which is as far as Jack and I got with our bowls of food before digging in. I’m sitting on a crate, and Jack is leaning on the counter, scarfing down his curry and rice. Aiden stops in front of us, his fists at his hips.
“I’ve called the meeting,” he announces, his expression grim.
Ty raises his eyebrows. “Okay? That’s good, right?”
Aiden shakes his head. “I don’t know what’ll happen. If they vote me out of the position of the clan leader, I’ll have to leave the Lodge.”
I sit up straight at his words. “What?”
Sighing, he leans against the shut door. “It’s the only place with an office that could serve as clan headquarters. And I guess whoever comes after me will want to move in with their family or whatever.”
Jack puts down his empty bowl. “That’s ridiculous. Your dad built this place, it’s yours.”
Aiden shrugs. “Actually, only half of it is mine. The other half belongs to the clan. I have no idea why they did this, but it only occurred to me now that it could be a problem.”
“Do you think it’s likely?” I ask. My appetite is gone. “That they’ll vote you out?”
“No,” Ty says.
But Aiden hangs his head. “I don’t know. I’ve made mistakes lately that a leader shouldn’t.”
“You mean you brought me here.” I stand, startling Princess Penny, who darts under the countertop. “You might lose your home because of me.”
“No,” Aiden says. “None of this is your fault.”
