Roses at Dawn
“Always.” That one word played on instant repeat in my head as we kissed. I would have been content to stay there, glued to Mikael, but my parents returned. We heard them coming in the front door, and I moved off his lap, and into my own chair before they hit the kitchen. As they entered the room and started moving about, my eyes never left Mikael’s. They were vividly green and shining brightly as he smiled, his dimples just barely visible. I was mesmerized by that look, enough that my father had to clear his throat and repeat himself again.
“For Christ’s sake, can we put the lovey-dovey stuff on hold for a minute, and discuss the state of things?” My dad’s gruff voice was drowned out by my mom laughing as I turned narrowed eyes back on my dad.
“What would you like to know? Antoine is still pushing to get us bonded before the solstice. He claims it’s because he has to get back to his estate. He is allowing Ashley to finish out her degree, since she only has a semester left, but I have to drop out of college, and no other wolves will be allowed to attend human-run schools.”
“Damn it!” My father threw the hand towel he’d picked up across the room. “I was afraid something like this would happen while he’s here. He told me about the schools, but I was hoping it was just a bluff to get your cooperation.”
“It’s my fault, I’m sorry. I pissed him off, and he used Ashley against me.”
“He may have used Ashley against you, but believe me when I say, he was going to do something like this anyway.” Mikael spoke with authority on the subject. “He can’t exactly be seen as a ruler if he’s not actually making rules. If it weren’t the school thing, it would have been something else. It may still be something else, so keep your secrets close, and make sure the rest of your pack understands that as well.”
My father nodded to him, then turned to me. “We still need to discuss the latest dream you had, Jess.” He looked back and forth between Mikael and I. “We can do it now, or later.”
“Now’s good. I was just going to tell Mikael about it anyway.” My mom handed me a cup of coffee and I took a sip before I started. “There was a tall man, he’s bigger than Jack by a few inches at least. He had blond, longish hair.” I pointed to my shoulders to indicate the length. “Brown eyes. Oh, and there was a tattoo on his left arm. It was a wolf’s face, mouth open, teeth bared, ready to chomp down on a long stemmed bit of purple flowers.”
“That’s Avery Daniels. The wolf eating the wolf’s bane is his own personal ‘no fear’ symbol.” My dad seemed amused by the idea, as did Mikael. Must have been a guy thing. Having been on the wrong end of wolf’s bane when I was kidnapped and tortured by Marcus.
“Anyway, he was there, and he was talking to Jack and Andy. I didn’t see Tom, but there were others gathered too. They looked like they were going out for a hunt, because Avery was giving direction.”
“Well, what was he saying?” Mikael asked.
“I have no clue. My visions don’t come with audio. The only time I hear anything is when the wolves are speaking to me, or when the witch broke into my dream that one time.” I looked down at the hands I had wrapped around the coffee mug, stealing its warmth for myself. “I’m trying to figure out how to turn the volume on, or up, or whatever. So far, no luck though. When I asked the wolves about it, they told me everything comes as needed.” I huffed in frustration then. “I’m beginning to think that’s their shady way of saying, ‘who knows.’”
“Well let’s try to figure out what’s going on with Daniels’ pack, and go from there. I’ll give him a call.” My dad left the kitchen, and headed back to the study that was tucked into his master suite.
“Jess,” my mom called out to me as she noticed the bowl and spoon on the counter where I’d left them. “Were you going to make something?”
“Pancakes.” I laughed when I turned to look at Mikael. “I got distracted with everything else going on.”
“Yes, I see how that could happen,” she gave me a knowing look then pulled the mix out of the cabinet above her, and sat it down on the counter next to the bowl. “I’m heading into town to do some shopping. Try not to burn my kitchen down while I’m gone.”
Mikael laughed, “oh no, you didn’t tell me you were a horrible cook. Maybe I should rethink some things.”
“You’re both horrible people. I can make pancakes! It’s not like they’re difficult.”
My mom grabbed her purse, and stopped on her way out of the kitchen to lean down near Mikael, “the fire extinguisher is under the sink.”
“Good to know.” He answered back.
“I can still hear you!” I called out as I started putting ingredients together. “Jerks!”
A moment later, my mom was gone, and Mikael was standing right behind me. He leaned over by my ear as he wrapped an arm around me, and grabbed the spoon. “You know, I am a fantastic cook. I can help you out, if you want.”
I leaned back, just a little, enough that my back was resting on his chest, and I closed my eyes and just let my other senses take over for a minute. I stood there, appreciating the woodsy, masculine scent that was all Mikael, feeling the warmth coming off of him in waves, and the tiny hairs near the nape of my neck that were tickling me as his breath pushed them around. It was one moment, stolen, and I wished that I could have lived in it forever. There was a sweet, simple kind of bliss involved in that one act of him putting his arm around me to help, and feeling his presence envelop me. “Okay,” I whispered, because I didn’t want him to go anywhere.
“Jess, focus! If you keep purring while you lean into me like that, I’m going to have to take you to another room, and we won’t be having pancakes for breakfast.” I wasn’t even aware that I was moving against him or making any noise at all.
“Um, maybe a little space is a good thing, I said stepping out of his embrace finally.”
Mikael laughed then. “Well, I’m not going to lie and say I’m not a little disappointed. I was kind of hoping for the other room option.” He winked at me, and those adorable dimples took up residency in his cheeks as he smiled playfully.
“Just stir the batter, I’ll get the pan ready.”
We were half way through eating when Mikael got a phone call. “Damn, the contractor needs me on site, apparently there’s a problem with the electrical guy.” He shoveled another bite of pancake in his mouth. “These were really good!”
“Well, you made them.”
“Yeah, but you inspired them. That makes everything better.” He smiled at me and leaned in for a quick kiss. “What do you have planned for today?”
“Just a quiet day. I might go for a swim later at the lake or something.”
“Okay, I’ll come back later and join you, after I get this mess taken care of. I was hoping to be operational by next week, but there’s been one damn thing after another hanging the project up.”
“Go, take care of your stuff. I’ll be around when you get back.”
Once Mikael was gone, I cleaned up, and then went back up to my room to grab my phone. That’s when I found the message from Ashley.
Call me ASAP. What the hell is going on? Asi is leaving.
“Shit!” I swore under my breath as I dialed Ashley. When she picked up, I could tell she had been crying. “Ashley, what’s going on?”
“I was hoping you could tell me,” she sniffled. “First, I get word that attending human colleges is banned now. Then a message was delivered that I would be allowed to finish up my degree since I was so close, and it was in a field that could be useful to the pack.” She huffed, “I don’t even technically belong to a pack, do I? Whose pack? And then, to top all that confusion off, I get a call from Asi this morning telling me that he has to get his shit together and be prepared to join Evan by the end of the week.”
“I got a surprise visit from Antoine this morning.” I told her, and took a breath, because I honestly wasn’t sure where to start. “I made him wait, and pissed him off, about a few things. He was trying to punish and control me with the decree about the schools. He knew I could ignore him and keep going. He used you to make me bow to his will. He told me that if I willingly gave it up, you could continue. So, I did.”
“Jess! You had plans too,” she whispered.
“Plans change, Ashley, and you’re too close to be forced to quit.” I sat on the edge of my bed before I started in on the rest. “Antoine was here to gloat. He thought Evan had just discovered his old love and taken off, out of the country without telling me.”
“Did he?”
“Does it matter? I told Evan he wasn’t my choice. What he decided to do after that was none of my business.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Antoine thought he was hurting me by telling me about it first. That’s when I had to explain to him that no one bothered to let him know I had already made my decision and it wasn’t Evan.”
“I bet that was a bite on the ass for him.”
“It was, and at the same time, he was happy about it, because it meant he got his way about Mikael. Then he tried to insinuate I would be going through this all over again with Mikael and Malachai this time.”
“WHAT? He can’t do that! Mal is bonded already!”
“Yes, well, that’s what I said, but he was quite clear that bonds could be broken. He made the threat in front Annabelle and Malachai. She was devastated, and sick enough, Mal seemed interested. I let him know, there was no way in hell that was going to happen. Ever. He doesn’t have the ability to make do it anymore. Not unless he were to attack my friends or family and try to force it that way. He did, finally, seem content in the fact that I was going to be with Mikael. Although, he wasn’t happy that we were planning on taking our time going about things.”
“Jess, this whole thing is a mess! There’s something fundamentally wrong with that family.”
“Don’t I know it? And look at me, stuck right in the middle of it, because one way or another my wolf and I want one of them.”
“Couldn’t you want someone from a family that raises fluffy bunnies for a living, or volunteers at children’s hospitals for kicks?”
“Or someone who rescues animals? I got that, Ash, he just comes with family baggage.” I thought for a minute about Ashley’s limited choices where Asi and school were concerned. “What are you going to do, Ash?”
“I don’t know. If I leave with him, I can kiss my degree goodbye. If I don’t go with him, maybe I’m kissing him goodbye for a piece of paper I won’t ever get to use.” She was crying again, and I couldn’t blame her.
“Talk to him, Ash. Maybe he’ll decide to stay with you, now that you’re bonded, instead of following Evan on his latest run-away adventure.”
“He can’t, Jess. He’s been ordered to go with Evan, and make sure he stays safe.”
“I swear, Antoine’s racking up reasons for me to be less than kind when this white wolf thing finally kicks in.”
“I wish you could jumpstart it so that happens sooner, rather than later.”
“Me too, Ash. We’ll figure things out. Maybe, you can go join Asi as soon as exams are done, and then come back for the last semester. By then, maybe things will be different. It’s not the end of the world, and you don’t have that much longer in school anyway.”
“You’re right. I just worry that once he’s gone, he’ll want to stay gone.”
“Are you kidding, Ash? I’ve seen the way Asi looks at you. I promise, he had to be ordered to go for a reason. That man has an Ashley addiction that only you can fill.”
“You’re ridiculous, but thanks for that.” Ashley actually managed a small laugh, and for that I was thankful. “What are you up to for the rest of the day?”
“I was going to go for a swim or something until Mikael gets done with stuff at the rescue. I can come over instead, if you want me there.”
“No, it’s okay. You go relax. Asi’s coming back in a little while. He only has a week left here, and then he has to go, so I’m going to make sure I give him plenty of reasons to want to come back to me.”
“That’s my girl! You show him what he’s going to be missing! I promise, he’ll be asking for all kinds of time off, until they’re so annoyed with him, that they have to cut him loose.” Ashley laughed again, which was what I had intended. “Hey, I saw Jack in my dream last night.”
“How was he?” A tinge of worry coated her question, and I couldn’t blame her for that.
“He’s good. He looked like he was giving them hell there! My dad is putting in a phone call in to Avery’s pack. I’ll let you know later, as soon as we know how everything’s going.”
“Thanks, Jess. I worry about him too, in the middle of all of this. I really hope he finds Zach, and rips him a new asshole though. That piece of shit still needs to pay for his part in what Marcus did to you.”
“He will, Ash. Go, get ready for your man to come home. I’m going to go work off all the stress the hard way, a run, a swim, and exhaustion.”
“You know, there is a much more fun way to work off your frustrations!”
“So I’ve been told.”
“You would know for yourself, if you’d just give in and follow all the cues your body’s been giving you!”
“Okay, I am totally not talking about it right now. It’ll happen when it’s supposed to. Bye, Ash!” I hung up then to what sounded suspiciously like Ashley calling me a prude. There wasn’t a moment in the past few months that I wasn’t thinking about what it would be like to finally experience having sex. And I certainly didn’t need any reminders or encouragement on that front.
I grabbed the bag I usually used for camping, and without bothering to empty it, I started tossing in my beach towel, some suntan lotion, and a book. The lake was calling my name, and so was a little bit of relaxation and fun in the sun. Once I had everything together, I went to the kitchen to grab some bottles of water, crackers, grapes, and a couple apples. I always got hungry when I was there swimming.
“Heading to the lake?” My mom was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room watching me.
“Yeah, I need some serious downtime after dealing with Antoine this morning.”
“Is Mikael going to be joining you?”
“Probably, later. He had some things to go take care of first.”
“Jess, before you go, I want to talk to you about…” My mom got quiet and looked away. “Well, your father probably won’t agree with what I’m about to say, but to hell with it. You don’t have to wait and do everything formally. I know that you’re trying to make sure it’s right this time, but with your heat cycle having come and gone, and discovering what that means for you as a white wolf, maybe you should just do whatever feels right for you, and not worry about anyone else.”
“Mom, are you telling me to go get this bonding thing over with?” I was laughing at her, but I stopped when I saw she was completely serious.
“I’m just saying that you don’t have to be on anyone else’s time line anymore. Do what feels right, when you decide to, not because you’re forced into it, or because someone wants to be a part of it. It’s your moment. We can have a ceremony later, celebrating the fact that it’s been done.”
I walked over and hugged my mom then. “Why didn’t you say that to me when it was Evan?”
“I don’t know. We’ve all been through a lot since then, and you’ve definitely proven that you know what’s best for you. I’m just saying, that you’ve been right so far. Trust yourself, and go with it.”
“Thanks, mom. I love you.”
“I love you too, Jessica.”
It didn’t take long for me to get to the lake from my house, and when I got there it was evident that I was not going to find any peace or relaxation there. The pack’s teens were partying it up, and I wasn’t about to crash it. Instead of going home, I kept walking. It would take a lot longer to get to the caves on foot, but I wanted to check out the space I kept seeing in my dreams anyway. I didn’t want to leave my bag anywhere though, and I couldn’t carry it as a wolf. It looked like I was going to get my exhaustion inducing exercise in after all.
It took a full 45 minutes to walk to the caves, and quite a bit of balance when the terrain became rocky and unstable in spots. It was definitely easier going as a wolf. I stretched out my senses again, and felt to see if anyone else was around before I entered the cave with the geo-thermal pool and hot springs. I didn’t sense anyone, so I went right in, and set my stuff down. When I packed the bag earlier I had thrown everything in on top of what was already there, luckily, so I had a couple flashlights, and a battery operated lantern in the bottom.
I took one of the lights out, turned it on, and started walking the perimeter of the cave to see where all the entrances and crevices were located. I was hoping to find the one from my dream, but apparently that wasn’t to be. It didn’t exist in reality, which just kind of creeped me out a little bit. I wondered why there was a difference between the dream world, and this one. Maybe there was a way to get back to that room, but I had to find another way around. So, I searched down the tunnel to the left, because I had never been down there before. It narrowed out to a very tight fit before I was emptied out into a larger room of stone. Another pool of water sat in the middle of this area, making it a nice little private alcove to come to. I filed that information away for use later on.
I retraced my steps and went back to check down the other tunnel to see where it lead, but about ten feet into that one, there had been a rock slide, and it became impassable. I would have to ask Mikael or someone if it was possible to get it cleared out, because I kept getting a tingly sensation the closer down that particular path that I went. I didn’t have a hope in hell of moving some of those boulders and rocks on my own, without hurting myself or further collapsing the tunnel, so it was going to have to wait.
I went back to the main cavern, and sat there, dipping my feet in the heated water, leaning back, and trying to forget all of today’s troubles. Every time I looked back up at the blocked tunnel I got a tingling sensation, and had to shake it off all over again. So, eventually, I stopped looking.
I stripped out of my clothes, all the way down to the blue and white stripped bikini I had on beneath them, and I sat my butt on one of the shallow cliffs inside the pool. I read a few chapters in my book while I sat there soaking. It was the first time I had let myself truly relax in days, and it was definitely what the doctor ordered. Life was way too stressful, coupled with the visions in my sleep, it meant that rest was a thing of the past. As I sat there reading my book I eventually felt the familiar ripple of power that was unique to Mikael.
I saw his wolf step into the cave and sniff. He had something in his mouth, but I couldn’t tell what it was because he was partially obscured in the shadows. Then his form shifted from wolf to human. As he stood from the crouch he shifted into he called out to me, “Jess?”
“I’m over here.” I leaned back to put my book down far enough away from the water so that it wouldn’t get wet.
“No fair, you’re wearing a bathing suit. How’d you get this stuff here?”
“I walked on two feet instead of four. There were kids all over the place at the lake, so I figured I’d come out here instead.”
“Good call, I prefer the atmosphere in this place.” He hopped into the pool, and held up a rose for me. “This is for you, a little worse for the wear because I had to shift when you weren’t at the lake, to track you here.” He slid across the water in a powerful glide, heading for me while holding the rose between his teeth, and all I could do was stare at his bare ass as he slid across the water. “Like what you see?” Of course Mikael would bust me on staring at his ass, but he did it with so much heat in his eyes, I didn’t feel bad. Not one little bit.
“I do, indeed. I have something to show you though before you get comfortable in here. I found it earlier today.”
Mikael looked worried for a minute. “What is it? Has someone been here?”
“People come here once in a while, which is why what I have to show you is important.” I got out of the water before he could touch me, and make me lose my resolve to show him the other cave. When I stood up, I grabbed my bag, pulled the little lantern out, tucked my book in, and held my towel out for Mikael. He glanced at it, but didn’t move to take it. So, I pulled it apart, and walked right over to him, and wrapped it around his waist, and tucked it into place myself. To my credit, my eyes never left his as I did it.
“I was fine without it.” His gruff voice gave birth to gooseflesh across my skin.
“Now, you’re all wrapped up like a gift that I get to open later.”
His brow kicked up in surprise, and then his soft smile spread into a wide grin. “Well, I like the sound of that. So show me whatever it is you needed to, and then let’s get with the present unwrapping!” He was rubbing his hands together in an anticipatory motion.
I smacked his chest with the back of my hand playfully, and then grabbed his hand to pull him along with me. When he realized we were going deeper into the caves he stopped me. “Please, tell me you weren’t exploring deeper in these caves alone, Jess? You don’t know what or who is hiding back in all these little caverns and tunnels.”
“I didn’t go far, just far enough to,” I had been pulling him along again, and now we were at the mouth of the next cavern, “see this. There are no other tunnels leading away from this room, cave, cavern, whatever. But look at that gorgeous pool of water. And I have this lantern to light the area for us. It would be much better with candles, but I didn’t exactly plan to find a private little alcove. I don’t know of anyone who ever comes back here. So, I figure we will have it all to ourselves.”
“And what exactly would we need our own private cave for?” He slipped around in front of me, and put his hands on my hips to pull me close. Before he managed to get us too close, I was tugging at his towel.
“For unwrapping presents, of course.” I teased as I snapped the towel free. Then I ran and jumped into the pool of water before he could catch me, throwing the towel and my bag off to the side as I went. It didn’t take Mikael long to follow me in. This pool was slightly smaller than the one in the first cave, but it seemed deeper towards the center. There was also a slight current to it, which lead me to believe it was fed from an underground stream of some sort.
“Do you always unwrap your presents and run away?” Mikael asked as he moved right up to me. He was only inches away when he leaned in, rubbing his scruffy cheek up against mine. “Just in case you were wondering,” he whispered seductively into my ear, “I enjoy the chase.” And just like that the top strings on my bikini were pulled loose. When I gave him a questioning look he smirked. “It’s only fair, I should get to unwrap something too!” Just like that, I felt like I was burning up from the inside out. My skin flushed, my heart started hammering in my chest, and a lovely dizziness stole through me. I grabbed on to his hip to steady myself as I leaned back against the edge of the pool, only to have him step in even closer. There was nothing between us now, except the bottoms of my bathing suit, which I was suddenly wishing would just disappear. His arms moved possessively around me, eliciting a low moan from somewhere in the back of my throat. That just spurred him on.
Mikael’s mouth trailed down the column of my throat, leaving hot, wet kisses, and nipping playfully as he went. When the nipping started, I was done for. I maneuvered myself into a better position to give him a taste of what he was doing to me. I went to work on his neck with my mouth while running my hands down his chest, and then around and up his back. I let my nails dig in a little as I pulled him closer, and he responded immediately, lifting me out of the water enough to wrap my long legs around his waist. He tugged me as close as he could get me with a quick jerking movement, and then pulled at my hair to tip my head back. Mikael worked his mouth across my collar bone, first one side, then the other, and back up my neck until he was nipping at the lobe of my ear. His hot breaths there were sending waves of heat all through me before he spoke. “Jess, we need to cool it, or…”
I didn’t respond verbally, and I didn’t let him back off when he tried, instead I grabbed his head in my hands, and let my mouth speak for me. Every bit of what I wanted went into that kiss, and apparently that was enough for him, because in the next moment, he was walking us back out of the pool, and managed to kick the towel I’d thrown off to the side into a nice straight line. The whole time, his mouth never left mine, my legs stayed wrapped around him, and everything just managed to get hotter. It seemed like the world was on pause for me. This was my moment, with Mikael, and nothing was interrupting it. I slid my legs down, and stood on my own two feet for a precious few seconds before he swept me up and laid me down gently on the towel. “This isn’t exactly the most comfortable place…” His voice was thick and gruff, and the concern intertwined in it wrapped around me like another embrace.
“I don’t care.” I whispered throatily as I pulled him down to me. “I want this. I want you.” Our lips were joined again then, and his hands were suddenly everywhere. As he leaned over me, his hair falling down along the sides of my face, tickling my cheeks a bit. When I didn’t think I could take the sensation anymore, he moved, dipping his head lower, kissing his way down my body, lips gliding over my skin, and sending shivers through me as he went. Fire bloomed inside me as his hands wrapped around my breasts, squeezing gently, his lips latching onto a nipple, teeth grazing the sensitive flesh there. The moans that escaped my lips then fueled his exploration further. My own body began to ache with wanting so much more as he kissed his way further down the length of me. His thumbs hooked the sides of my bikini bottom and started sliding them off of me. My hips lifted up to make it easier, and when they did his mouth trailed kisses across one, then the other, and finally lingered somewhere in the middle as his hands worked to free the bottoms from my legs. It was an effortless transition, and my mind was definitely not on what his hands were doing, until they were free to help spread my legs further apart.
Mikael surprised me and instead of diving right in between them he started kissing down my thighs, nipping with his teeth as he went. The sensation was otherworldly and had me dripping wet with anticipation. As he slid further down my left leg, he sensed me watching him, and tipped his head up to smile at me, “I can’t even think of truly getting started until I’ve tasted every inch of you.” He emphasized the remark with a few more bites on his way down my calf muscles.
“You missed a spot,” My whispered words were followed by a deep growl.
“Uh uh, I just save the best for last.” I am not ashamed to say that elicited a whimper from me. My nerve endings were on fire, and I was already coming apart at the seams just from the anticipation of what was to come.
By the time Mikael made his way back up my right leg, and to my middle, every little touch was sending me into sensory overload. My eyes were closed, head back, enjoying every sensation. The minute his tongue slid between the folds of my womanhood, I was completely undone. My hips thrust upward to meet him, and then he gripped a hold of me, to keep me right where he wanted as he lapped at my sex, sending shockwaves rippling through my entire body. Time stood still as he expertly worked my body until my muscles began to spasm and clench, and I was calling out his name in breathy pants. Pure pleasure coursed through every limb, and pulsated in the deepest parts of me as Mikael finally moved to position himself over me. It was a slow, torturous process as he slid up, inch by inch, dragging sweet, hot kisses all along my body.
Once our bodies aligned perfectly, and I could feel the head of him pressed against me, begging entry, Mikael dropped a sultry kiss upon my lips before he made sure this was what I really wanted. “Are you sure, Jess?”
“Yes, Mikael, I’m sure.” The words were foggy to my own ears, as if I were dreaming this instead of it happening. A low, base rumble of a growl came from Mikael then as he rubbed his face against mine, claiming me first with his scent.
“Mine, Jess, only mine.” And then he pushed forward gently. A tearing pain gripped me as he tore through the barrier that marked my virginity. He leaned in closer, shoulder near my mouth as he slowly buried himself completely inside me. My teeth found his shoulder, and bit down as Mikael threw his head back and let out a mighty growl, and then he was moving inside me, the pain lessening, and the heat growing between us again. I understood now, the aching need I’d felt so many times. Mikael filled me, warmed me, and made me feel completely whole and wonderful in that moment.
As another climax built, something else built inside too, and I knew in an instant what Ashley had tried to describe me. There was a flood of emotion and desperate need to claim this man as my own. If I let the wall down, and allowed it all to spill out right now, we would bond. There was no doubt in my mind.
“Jess?” Mikael questioned thickly. He felt it too. My name was a question, and one I couldn’t answer for him as the climax that had been building slammed into me. All options were gone, I lost myself in the moment, and I took Mikael with me as he too reached the point of no return.
Every nerve ending in my body fired off all at once. Warm waves of pleasure crashed through me until pure contentment settled in and made itself at home. Mikael was mine. There was no going back now. My heart felt as though it would burst, and when he lifted his head up again to look in my eyes, we connected in a way I had never known possible before. It was as if I could see into his very soul, and he into mine. I hadn’t realized tears were leaking down my cheeks until he reached up to wipe them away. “Mine,” he whispered, and then leaned in to place a gentle kiss upon my lips. I was overfilled with emotion, and with finding my other half, the part that had been missing for so long. I finally felt complete.
A warmth began to spread through my body then, and Mikael pulled back, away from me, putting a little space between us, and I could smell the concern flooding free of his pores. That wasn’t right, how could I smell concern? Warmth turned to heat. Light consumed me, it ate away at me, body and soul, and then it pulsed forward coming from inside of me and bleeding out to light the entire cave we occupied. Brilliant white light.
“Oh my God! Jessica!” Mikael’s voice held nothing but awe when he spoke. I couldn’t focus on him at all though. My body seemed weightless, the sensation of floating and becoming lighter than air filled me, then pulsed forward one more time spilling out of me and into Mikael. His eyes grew far too large, and then the same other-worldly contentment settled in his features as the light and warmth built in him and transferred back into me. The light that had bloomed between the two of us dimmed from there, but left behind traces of a soft glow. At least, I thought it did. I was beginning to think some strange euphoria had settled in and induced hallucinations. “What in the hell was that?” Mikael asked.
“That couldn’t have been the bond. Ashley never described that light thing happening.”
“I’ve been to true bonding ceremonies before, Jess. What came before, that was the bond. I’m not sure what just happened, but that something more, something else altogether.”