Page 11 of Shifters Reckoning

“Fuck, Emma,” I growled before spilling into her once more.

Finally, I lay atop her, trembling. The room had gone still, save for the sound of our breathing and the buzzing lights above us.

A faint glow of light peeked in through the windows. I wasn’t sure if it was moonlight or if we had stayed awake long enough to see the sunrise.

It must have been the latter because the early birds began singing their songs, and somewhere beyond these walls and the trauma we carried, the world was waking up.

Emma rolled out from beneath me. “The sun will be up soon,” she murmured. “There’s so much to do.”

I followed her gaze, studying the window. “But not yet.”

She took a deep breath. “We should shower and get ready…”

Get ready for what, I didn’t know, but there was always something new to face.

It was foolish to think we could simply shower together without our bodies pleading to be connected. As our lips explored each other, I gripped the removable showerhead and began teasing her clit. Emma stroked my cock at the same time. We tantalized each other until the water ran cold, and we had to rush to rinse the soapy suds from each other’s skin.

“This is all your fault,” Emma said, laughing and shivering.

“I believe it was you who said we should shower and you who started nibbling on my shoulder first…”

“That’s only because you gave me that look.”

“And how could I not? Your body’s incredible,” I said, gently slapping her ass.

She shrieked and giggled.

We dressed slowly, wordlessly, helping each other with buttons and sleeves. My fingers clutched her wrists as I handed her a light coat, and even that simple touch sparked my dick to harden once again.

“Why are you handing me my jacket? Trying to get rid of me?” she asked.

I chuckled. “You know better than that. The sun isn’t completely up yet, but I thought we could have a peaceful walk around the grounds for once.”

Emma winked. “I could use more peaceful activities.”

I liked her this way. Carefree. Happy. I didn’t know how long our reprieve would last before the worries pressed in from all sides, but maybe we could avoid our responsibilities for a little while longer. The problems would find us soon enough.

I left a note for Olivia to let her know where we’d gone, and we left the manor.

Outside, the air was cool and clean. The temperature had dropped, and the storm had cleared. The trees waited beyond the edge of the clearing, dark silhouettes against the rising light. We walked together, our hands intertwined. Together. One. The quiet between us was gentle and easy. There was something powerful about being surrounded by the wild of the forest. I swear the trees knew our secrets, and most days, they had a way of making us feel seen, safe, and protected.

When we reached the clearing, Emma stopped. The forest floor was damp and smelled of pine and soil. She turned to face me, her rainbow hair catching the sunrise, always reflecting back light.

She gave me the look she had accused me of giving her.

Was she not tired? Of course, she wasn’t, though. She was insatiable, and so was I. We were fate bonded.

“Here? Where the pack can find us?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

She nodded. There was a steadiness to her now that hadn’t been there before, as if the primal part of her was taking over. I touched her face, tracing the outline of her lips with my thumb. Muted light filtered through the branches and danced across her skin.

“We can breathe now,” she explained, “and I want to enjoy every fucking minute of it. We don’t owe the world anything right now. Just us. Just now. Just this.”

“Well, we are everything, aren’t we?” I asked.

“That was kinda cheesy.” Her nose scrunched.

“No,” I said firmly, pulling her close to me. “It was true.”