Chapter 10
The small mountain town had a whopping two bars total. William had assured everyone that bars were the place to start their search. Magni had recommended that they split up in shifts, and watch both bars simultaneously and hope that they could come across one of the shifters they were looking for. Given that William would be immediately recognized by his brother, and Riley would be immediately recognized by Blake, they were going to rotate the two of them between both bars, hoping that they could identify someone without being noticed.
Magni handed both Will and Riley a ball cap and a hooded sweat shirt. Both put on their “disguises” in compliance. Will would blend in well enough in a bar crowd, but Mari was convinced that Riley would never be able to blend in with a crowd. He was simply too tall, too handsome, and too muscular to not gain notice.
“I’m sorry. A hat just isn’t going to cut it. He’s going to stick out like a sore thumb…or a hunk of meat,” Mari argued with her brothers, “I don’t know how you expect him to be in there and them not sense each other and make them bolt.” She was convinced that would be all it would take before everything was blown and they ended up back at square one. She caught the cocky grin that spread across Riley’s face and her eyes involuntarily rolled skyward.
“Even if they show and bolt, we’ll keep Val in the car ready to follow,” Magni explained. He was supposed to pair off with Riley; Mari was supposed to go with Will. Magni’s tone had an undercurrent of finality in it. He had his mind made up, and once that happened there was very little use in trying to convince him of anything otherwise.
“You are just jealous that you don’t get to go with me, aren’t you?” Riley joked at Mari.
Mari was too busy silently fuming at being disregarded by her older brother to be bothered by Riley’s teasing. She felt like Magni always did that when there was strategy involved in how they were approaching a situation. He always just assumed his way was the best option, and that Mari was just a silly, little girl. It rankled something deep within her that she was trusted enough to decide guilt or innocence of someone, but not enough to consult when it came to the actual execution of a plan.
Mari glanced up at Riley with an odd look in her eye. She couldn’t explain what it was, but she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she just couldn’t shake. She grabbed Riley and Val’s wrists as they were turning to leave, looking back and forth between them.
“Please, be careful. I can’t explain it, but please, just watch your backs. Something isn’t right with all of this,” she cautioned before releasing them. She felt an odd sensation burning in her throat, and she wanted nothing more than for all of them to get back in the car and leave this place as soon as they could.
Magni gave her a small shove in the direction Will had started walking. Mari turned back to glance at him over her shoulder and was met with a stern look and Magni waving her on. He climbed back in the vehicle and shut the door.
Mari inhaled a deep steadying breath to steady and ground herself. She was not happy about any part of this situation. She ran a few paces to close the distance between her and Will, whose long stride was carrying him down the street much faster than her own short legs.
“Slow down, will ya?” she asked as she struggled to fall into step with Will. He wasn’t nearly as tall as the others, but he was still quite a bit taller than Mari, at her whopping four-foot-nine inches tall. She inhaled another deep breath to offset the additional energy she had spent jogging to keep up with Will for a few paces before he slowed down.
“We should probably split up when we’re in there. If you’re with me, my brother won’t come within 100 feet. He knows I wouldn’t be out with someone as gorgeous as you, so he’d know something was up,” Will explained as they drew up to the block the bar was located on.
Mari felt her previous animosity for Will and his thoughts about her melting slightly. She knew he was worried about his brother, she could feel that much as plain as day. She felt like his description of her was entirely inaccurate, and she brushed it off with a scoff. She was not gorgeous. She had a mass of frizzy, blonde curls that were unruly after the long car ride that they had endured to bring them here. She was wearing a plain, black, tank top and jeans. She didn’t wear make-up, and was in no way what people would normally consider beautiful in her mind.
“If you say so,” Mari agreed, “You know your brother better than I do. I’ll just head in behind you, then you don’t have to worry about walking slower on my account.”
Will chuckled kindly at her comment and gave her a quick nod before resuming his prior, determined pace that was driving him closer to the bar much faster than hers.
Mari paused, placing her hand on her hips for a moment and working to regain some control of her breathing. She wanted to make sure she was well-grounded before walking into the bar. If she was letting her guard down to attempt to find Will’s brother, she wanted to make sure she had a clean foundation to start working with.
Mari was standing, inhaling deeply in the night air that was barely biting at her skin on her arms when she heard footsteps behind her. She moved to step aside to let the stranger pass her on the narrow sidewalk. As she stepped aside, her eyes glanced up to see the man coming to a faltering stop right as she turned.
Their eyes were locked for what seemed like an eternity but must have only been seconds. Mari’s lips parted slightly as her mind flashed through a dozen images of her and the man before her in all manner of positions. She hadn’t sensed him approaching, her guard being up as much as she could manage, but as soon as recognition set in, her mental wards were stripped away in an instant.
Mari was rushed with the onslaught of his emotions pouring out to her. Her violet eyes were still locked on his deep-brown eyes. His eyes were like pools of earth, deep and churning beneath the surface. Mari’s breath caught in her throat as she felt the purest passion and warmth coming from the stranger before her she knew so well.
The onslaught of emotion was overwhelming her without her realizing it. Mari swayed forward. Her hands ended up flat against his chest, and his hands had quickly encircled her waist steadying her. It was so familiar, and the look on his face was one of such pure bewilderment and tenderness. It pulled at the very center of her being, that she knew this had to be him.
Mari slid her hands slowly up to both sides of his face, his face rough with stubble beneath her delicate fingers. She looked up at him with wonder, feeling just how surprised he seemed to be that she was real. She could sense the relief pouring off him at her touch.
“Blake,” she whispered, confident that it was him, but unsure what to do. She was keenly aware that she should be doing something other than standing there in his arms, calling her brothers and the others for back up…anything, but in that moment, all she could think of was how absolutely right it felt to have his hands on her and his skin beneath her touch.
“You’re real?” Blake asked, tightening his arms around her as if he was sure she would disappear if he didn’t hold on tight enough. How could he possibly explain to this woman he’d never met, that she was all that kept him going. She was the only thing that anchored him in his life, his dreams about her were the only reason he hadn’t given up and simply let himself fade into nothingness. His mind was reeling with the dozens of questions that were crashing into him.
Mari stood on her tip-toes to reach her hands up around his neck, feeling the softness of his black curls hanging against her hand. She had been wanting to do nothing but crush his lips with her own and drown in him, but something shifted. In an instant, she felt the shift from Blake being entirely wrapped up in the rightness of the moment with her, to him pulling away both physically and emotionally.
“Kerrigan!”
Mari cringed and closed her eyes in shock, as the feeling of him pulling away from her felt like part of her soul being ripped from her body. Her hand flew to her heart, trying to physically stop the pain in her heart. Her head buzzed with the headiness of what was happening around her.
Her eyes flew open to see Blake backing up, several more steps, his eyes sweeping in disbelief between her and Riley who stopped when he caught up with Mari, putting a steadying arm around her waist as she swayed as the pain of the separation swept at her again.
Before she could say or do anything to stop it, Blake was gone. He had turned and ran off down a side street. She felt the world fading to black around her, and then there was just nothingness. A soul crushing nothingness that seemed like it was going to consume her from the inside out.
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She was so alone in the darkened room. She felt his absence like a knife carved out of her heart. She was laying curled in a ball, up against the headboard of the bed, curtains drawn around the bed shielding her in. Her body shook as she was racked with wave after wave of shivers. She had pulled all the coverings from the bed to wrap up in, but her naked body was still reeling.
Mari was trying to slow her breathing using a counting exercise when she felt the energy in the room shift. She could feel him moving closer outside of the curtains, his large, dark shadow drawing nearer with every hurried step. She watched as he pulled back the curtains with a wave of anxiety washing over her.
His face. She could see his face finally. Her heart was soaring with the sight of him, and was lost in the act of memorizing every aspect of his face as she watched him climb quickly up the length of the bed to where she was laying.
Strong arms encircled her as he shifted her against him, and their legs entwined in a mess as he pulled her closer. He used one finger to trace the curves of Mari’s face. He had waited for so long to see her face. She had always been surrounded by such a brilliant light that he could never make out her features before. He had been like a moth to the flame, drawn in by her light and captured there for so long.
Mari’s body responded eagerly as his finger traced a long line down her neck and collar bone. She let out a soft moan, feeling every inch of her body relaxing under his touch, every bit of fear was washed away as he held her. He had pulled her up on top of his lap, so that they were face-to-face despite their dramatic height difference.
Mari took advantage of the position and shifter her weight so that she was turned, straddling his lap and looking slightly down at him for the first time. She brought her hands up to the sides of his face, mirroring what she had done on the street. She gazed down at his eyes, wishing he knew how badly she needed him in that moment.
Blake placed his hands on top of hers, holding her gaze with his own. He couldn’t express what he was thinking or feeling, though his body was betraying him as she sat straddling him in all her perfection. Her skin was pale, like moonlight with the lightest smattering of freckles covering absolutely every inch of her body. Her breasts were the most perfect thing he’d ever seen, he leaned forward catching one of the hard, pink nipples in his lips, teasing at it as she wound her hands in his hair.
Mari’s head fell back as his tongue swirled around, causing her body to clench and tighten, despite herself. She felt the sheer need for him, and that undeniable closeness building to a fever pitch within her. She leaned down grasping his rock-hard length in her hand and positioning it within her entrance. She sank her hand down and eased down, enveloping him within her as much as she could.
Her body was slick with anticipation and need, but there was simply too much of him for such a small space without some effort. She wound her hips slowly in a circular motion attempting to ease herself down a little bit more each time.
Blake released the captive nub from his mouth as she gripped him and began working herself around him. He was so concerned that he was going to hurt her. He attempted to resist moving, but was finding it more and more difficult as she began to rock her hips back and forth. The friction was building, driving him closer and closer to release. His hands gripped hard at the ample curve of her ass.
His grip was firm and did nothing but drive Mari firmly over the edge of reserve she had. Her head fell back as a cry of pleasure escaped her, crying out his name as she drove him deeper and deeper within her with every thrust of her hips against his. She felt her body clenching around him as her mind faded in a blissful crash, feeling his own release as he tensed and followed her over the edge.
Blake collapsed back on the bed in a heap, pulling her small body along with him so that she was left lying on his chest, their legs an entwined mess. He couldn’t move; he couldn’t think; he was utterly content in that moment. His hand traced through her blonde curls as his eyes opened a crack to gaze at the beautiful woman before him.
Mari folded her arm so that her chin was resting just over her arm, studying his face as her mind fogged over with the need for rest. She was fading off to sleep and could only make out the faintest plea from him before she lost conscious thought again.
“Don’t leave me.”