Chapter 24
Amara
Being with Eric at the library was the last thing I remembered before I somehow blacked out. We were planning how to go about our project when two huge people approached us. I didn’t know exactly what happened in the next several minutes after that, but I felt a sting on my right shoulder, and everything had turned bizarre. It was like we were walking but being dragged out, but neither I nor Eric protested. When we were finally outside the library, we were tossed inside a certain van, and everything suddenly went pitch black. I couldn’t remember much about who took us or why we were taken; all I knew was that Storm would come for me and would find me no matter what.
When I gained consciousness, I realized that my hands and feet were tied, and I was lying on the cold floor of a certain cell, while Eric was in another cell right in front of mine. He was trying to say something to me, but everything sounded muffled and gibberish, and then I lost consciousness again. I didn’t know what was going on, but I’ve had glimpses of certain events that took place. It was like I was coming in and out of deep sleep for a really long time. I felt cold, and every part of my body was aching.
At times, I’d hear Storm calling out to me, but whenever I tried doing the same thing, my mind shut down instantly. I wanted to push myself up, and I willed myself to shift, but none of my body parts wanted to listen. It was as if I was paralyzed and couldn’t do anything. I was also not sure if I was imagining things, but I believed I saw Eric kick the cell door open like it was nothing. A few wolves, which I was guessing were rogues, went after him, and he ran off and disappeared somewhere.
I was afraid for him because I thought he was going to die, but he showed up again, and I was relieved until a larger wolf came charging at him. I watched in horror as the lone wolf came snapping at him, but he started moving at lightning speed, and at the last minute, he ripped its heart out with his own bare hands. Perhaps it was the shock I felt that knocked me out once more.
The next episode I remember was me dangling on Eric’s shoulder as he carried me caveman-style up a steel ladder. I thought he was muttering stuff to me when I tried to lift my head up, but I couldn’t tell if those words were good ones or bad ones. It took some time before we got to the top, and I didn’t bother to open my eyes once I felt the cold air hit my entire body. I just knew that we were outdoors somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Personally, even if we were not a hundred percent safe yet, at least we were no longer trapped, and there was a higher chance of us surviving out here than down there.
Eric had placed me on the ground for a few minutes before lifting me up again, bridal style this time. I was endlessly lolling, unable to get my motor skills running. Whatever they gave me did a number on me. I had never been drugged before, but it felt like a bitch. The only thing I noticed was why I was the only one in this state while my companion here was as mobile and healthy as a horse. I had so many unanswered questions.
“Eric?” I mumbled, or at least I tried.
And when he answered, I fell right back to sleep. I didn’t know how long I was out, but my eyes carefully opened when I heard a loud growl.
“Careful alpha, we don’t want your mate to get hurt now, do we?” Eric called out, and I felt so many emotions rush through me.
He’s here; my mate is here—these were my exact thoughts. I didn’t need to physically see him because the shift in the atmosphere told me that he was near. Storm came for me like I knew he would. I was going to be with him again, and that was the most important thing. The two had spoken to each other a few more times, and judging from their tone alone, both of them were a bit threatening towards each other. The absolute last thing I heard was Eric telling Storm things about me that no one knew.
I woke up jolting upright with my heart pounding madly in my chest. I slapped a hand on my forehead because I felt like my head was going to split in two. I was disoriented for a while, wondering if all the things I saw were just a dream, but I knew in my heart that everything was real. I took in shallow breaths and shut my eyes tight because I was afraid of what I might see if I opened them and looked around.
“Easy,” Storm whispered as he pulled me back down beside him.
Instantly, I tucked my head under his chin and buried my face in his chest. I felt both relieved and unbelievably vulnerable, and before I could get myself in check, tears started running down my cheeks. I was overwhelmed by both being scared and feeling safe. I wasn’t particularly hurt, but I didn’t know for sure if the wolves who took us had allies that could come back for me.
I felt Storm’s hold tighten around me, and he kept kissing the top of my head. I could sense anger and worry from him, but I couldn’t stop myself from crying some more. Everything was just too overwhelming to comprehend at that point.
“Shhh. You’re okay now. You’re safe. I’m here,” Storm reassured me as he rubbed his hands up and down my back.
I lifted my head up to look at him, and I saw the uncertainty in his eyes.
“What happened?” I croaked.
“Baby, you need to rest. I promise to tell you all about it tomorrow,” Storm said.
But the funny thing was, I didn’t feel tired anymore. All I wanted to do was glue myself to him and cling to him more than I possibly could right now. There was this sudden urge for me to feel more connected to him, and the only way I could think of was to become more intimate. I get that it was such a weird thing to think about that right now, knowing that I almost lost him or that he almost lost me, but I didn’t care at all. The need for him to reach the deepest part of me, both physically and mentally, grew each time I inhaled his scent. In the end, I couldn’t stop my hands from reaching under his shirt, running them up from his washboard abs to his muscular chest over and over. But I wanted more than to just do that. I wanted to feel him all over me, so I grazed my lips on his jaw down to his neck and nipped at the mark I left on him.
“What are you doing?” He groaned.
“I don’t know. I just... I guess I want to feel you,” I explained, and he pulled one of my hands up to his lips and kissed it before lowering his head to find mine.
“As much as I want you now, you really need to go back to sleep,” he sighed, breaking free from our kiss.
“But I need you. I think I need this, Storm. Please?” I desperately begged, and he looked at me with a conflicting gaze.
“What you need is to recover,” he finally stated.
“How would you know?” I argued like a petulant child.
“You’ve been through a lot,” he answered.
“And that’s exactly why I need you now. Can’t you just accept that maybe this is going to help?” I whined.
The look he gave me almost made me laugh because I knew then that he wanted to do this as much as I did, but he was also worried that things could get out of hand. When he froze and just stared at me, I then continued trailing down my hands until I was able to rub his growing erection.
“You’re going to be the death of me, woman,” he chuckled, and that was all it took for me to climb on top of him.
“At least you’ll die a happy man, no?” I teased before slowly lowering myself down and taking him in, relishing the feel of his fullness inside me.