Burdened by desire, p.21
Burdened by Desire, page 21
Jocelyn stirred, beads of sweat on her forehead and chest. He ripped his shirt and used it to dry her. He sensed somebody nearing and he glanced behind him, stunned to find Marisa.
“Marisa, please get me a wash cloth with some water,” he asked her, not bothering to glance in her direction again.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
He heard her mumble but didn’t turn to face her. Then pain ripped through him, and he feared for Jocelyn. Was he feeling more of her pain? No! It can’t be. Her eyes lids flipped open, and she attempted to sit up as he felt liquid pooling down his back.
He turned, found Marisa with another knife in her hand ready to strike him again, but before he could disarm her, flames ignited around her body. She crumbled to the floor disintegrating before his very eyes. Sweat beaded across his brow as pain radiated through his chest. He turned to see Jocelyn perched on the bed, her eyes aflame, engulfed in red rage.
His female had saved him. With difficulty, he pulled out the knife protruding from his back.
Jocelyn mumbled, barely audible, “Shift. Please…you promised…last…time…”
“Shhh!” he silenced her then quickly shifted, tearing his jeans into shreds and replacing his muscular manly build into that of a seven-foot wolf, fur covering every inch of him. His eyes blazed with yellow fury, guilt, fear, and concern. He strode toward Jocelyn and licked her wounded arm again just as her eyes fluttered open then closed. He shifted again, grabbed a pair of shorts, donned them, then sat next to her.
He leaned into her, wiping sweat off of her once again and whispered, “Don’t worry, baby. I’m fine, and you are going to be fine, too.”
He studied her face, as pale as the clouds, and dread claimed him again as he wondered what if? What would he do without her? Surely, he wouldn’t survive an hour without her. He would follow her to Heaven, he decided.
Panicked and grieving, the thought occurred to him. What if he gave her some of his blood? Werewolves saliva had healing abilities as did their blood. He opened a drawer in his bedside table and pulled out a switchblade knife then pierced his skin. Blood oozed from his wound, and he immediately placed it over her wound, letting his blood pour into her.
“Landon.”
He quickly turned to gaze at a demon standing near the door.
“What took you so long?” he yelled.
“You called me less than five minutes ago,” Matthew explained as he rushed to the bedside avoiding the remnants of Marisa’s ashes.
He considered his words. “I’m sorry. It just seems like it’s been years since—”
“I understand,” he said already examining Jocelyn.
Landon watched anxiously as distress claimed him again, torturing himself with his wandering mind. What if? He waited as patiently as possible as he watched Matthew hook her up to an IV. He waited and waited; soon enough Jenna barged through his bedroom door.
“How is she?” Jenna asked.
Landon shook his head, signaling he didn’t know as he paced relentlessly, his eyes fixed on Jocelyn. Her eyelids briefly fluttered open, her gaze on Matthew.
She sat up suddenly. “Landon…Landon,” she called as her panic-shrieked eyes searched the room.
Landon was beside her a moment later soothing her worries. “I’m here, baby. I’m fine. You are going to be fine.”
“Jocelyn, please, you need your rest. He will not leave your side,” Matthew assured her.
“Check on him…Marisa stabbed him…” she said as her eyes drifted closed.
“I’m fine, baby. Remember, I shifted,” he reminded her.
“It doesn’t matter…Matthew, check on him…I won’t rest until…”
“Shh, baby. Don’t worry. He will as soon as he’s done with you. I promise,” he said then helped her lay down again.
Moments later, she was asleep. Landon reached for her hand and firmly grasped it in his, then softly kissed her forehead.
Lucas and Cain entered their bedroom, concern for Jocelyn apparent in their expressions.
“How is she?” Lucas asked.
Matthew turned his attention to Lucas then Landon. “She was poisoned. What struck her?”
“It was an arrow,” Landon replied.
“Made from?” Lucas asked.
“I’m not sure…I removed it and dropped it on the stage,” Landon said.
“I’ll get it,” Cain offered and dematerialized quickly.
“Whatever it was, it has poisoned her,” Matthew said. “She will be fine. She needs rest, plenty of it.”
Cain materialized minutes later, an unreadable expression on his face. “It’s gone.”
“That’s a shame. It would provide us with some lingering questions about Elementals,” Matthew said.
“We should keep quiet about this,” Lucas said. “Whoever the culprit was removed the arrow and if they discover it is poisonous to Elementals, we—”
“Of course, it doesn’t leave this room,” Landon affirmed. “Marisa was involved somehow, although I do not know why or what possessed her or if she was working alone.”
“My apologies.” A deep voice drew everyone to the doorway where Kingston stood. “She had mentioned certain concerns to me a few days ago; however, I would have never imagined—”
“No one could have imagined this—” Landon said solemnly as his gaze drifted toward Jocelyn once again.
“We should check Marisa’s belongings,” Cain said. “Does she have a room here?”
Landon shook his head, his gaze still frozen over Jocelyn’s sleeping figure.
“I can take you,” Olivia volunteered. “We should leave quickly before...I mean if someone else is involved then—”
“You are right,” Lucas affirmed. “Take Jacob and Benjamin as well just in case.”
Olivia nodded and they disappeared.
Over the next couple of hours, Landon allowed Matthew to check his injury as he had promised Jocelyn, then he had lain still and immobile watching his female breathe as the pallor on her skin dissolved and her cheeks began to flush. His eyelids grew heavy every so often, exhausted from his fear for his female, from his own injury, and from the day’s events. He shook his head each time hoping to rid his fatigue away.
Jenna’s sudden movement spiked his attention, and he turned toward her remembering how rude he had been to her earlier. “Jenna, I’m sorry, I barked at you earlier. I was—”
Jenna walked toward him and placed her hand on his shoulder comforting him, “I understand, Landon. There is no need—”
“But there is,” he cut her off. “You were worried, too. You didn’t deserve it. I’m sorry.”
Jenna’s eyes widened, then she said, “Apology accepted.”
Lucas lingered in the far corner of the room watching the exchange, then he said, “We didn’t find anything when we searched earlier. Your council may be right about the magic or someone outside the pack being involved somehow.”
“I—” he began, but he was too tired to speak, his eyelids drifted closed briefly. He shook his head again and rubbed his eyes.
“Landon, you should get some rest,” Jenna advised. “Jocelyn will be fine. You need to recuperate from your injury. We will stay here on the lookout in case anything happens.”
With those words, Landon finally lay next to his female, turned toward her, and allowed the weariness he had been fighting off for hours claim him. He slept.
Chapter 26
Landon jolted up in bed the next morning consciously reaching toward Jocelyn, fear prickling through him when he realized she wasn’t where she should be—beside him. He jumped out of bed hastily, dashed into the bathroom. She was nowhere in sight. Fear seeped further into him as he wondered where she was.
Did something happen while I was… I would have known. I would have heard, right?
He ran toward his door and flung it open as he roared, “Jocelyn!” at the top of his lungs. He raced down the stairwell. “Jocelyn,” he shrieked.
When he reached the first floor, he nearly collided with Lucas. “Where is she? What happened?” he yelled. Panic consumed him.
“She’s fine. She woke up a couple of hours ago and didn’t want to wake you. She’s in the garden with her sisters,” Lucas replied calmly.
Landon rushed to the garden desperate to make sure she was okay. As he drew near, a laugh caught his attention.
“Oh gosh! You’re splashing me, Liv,” he heard his female say then giggle.
He rushed toward the sound of her voice then paused when she came into view, wearing a pair of cut-off too-short shorts showing off her lean legs and a pink tube top. The sun beamed against her complexion, not a cloud in the sky. Droves of flowers surrounded her. It was a beautiful sight.
Liv was hosing her garden. He watched as Jocelyn rubbed off water sprinkled on her and flicked her wrist controlling the water to spray Liv. They laughed.
Jocelyn sensed him and turned to face him. Her eyes sparkled as they met his, and she ran toward him a wide grin on her face. She jumped, and he caught her mid-air. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck embracing him.
“There you are, sleepy head. How do you feel?” she whispered.
He pulled her away briefly so he could look into her eyes. “Perfect. How are you?”
She smiled. “Perfect.”
He kissed her, fiercely, passionately as he spun then he pulled away from her and admitted, “You scared the shit out of me when you were gone this morning.”
“Oops…I didn’t want to wake you. You needed your rest,” she said then winked.
God! You are beautiful, he thought.
“You aren’t so shabby yourself,” she teased.
****
They ate breakfast, and afterward Landon drove Jocelyn to school where he walked idly for more than an hour until her class was over. As class was dismissed and students began to tumble out of the doorway, he waited patiently for her holding his breath until she came into view. She winked in his direction then launched herself at him wrapping her arms around him. She kissed him briefly then as if embarrassed, she glanced around.
“Ashamed of me?” he whispered in her ear.
“No, you are the hottest guy here. I’m just not too fond of public displays of affection. They embarrass me.”
“Kinda like the mark you’ll be sporting for eternity?” he chided.
“Something like that,” she teased.
****
Over the next week, Jocelyn moved into the estate despite Jenna’s concerns for her safety. Landon had been concerned there would be further threats against Jocelyn considering the search of Marisa’s home had led them nowhere. He’d even considered moving them elsewhere temporarily if not permanently. Jocelyn’s safety after all superseded his own.
In the end, Jocelyn insisted they stay at the estate in spite of her family’s concerns and his own. He had found himself cursing her stubborn behavior in his thoughts overlooking she could hear them as well. It led to fights he would soon not forget, despite enjoying making up.
As the weeks passed, Landon tried to make himself more comfortable with the idea that perhaps Marisa had acted alone although there had been no seemingly reasonable explanation for it besides the fact that Jocelyn was not a wolf as Kingston had later admitted.
Regardless of the false sense of security that now blanketed them, he was sure there was more to the attempts at Jocelyn’s life than met the eye. His two remaining council members as well as Jenna and the demons agreed. It was a constant worry that nagged him even with all else that had occurred.
He couldn’t recall ever being as content, thrilled, and excited in his entire existence. In five hundred and fifteen years, he had never felt this feeling of fulfillment, serenity, passion—all because his female was by his side. Even as they became accustomed to each other’s peculiarities, which often led to fights, he had never been happier.
He loved making love to her, sleeping with her body pressed against his, enjoying every meal with her at his side, chasing her around the estate. It was the smaller things he enjoyed the most—the smallest moments that seemed to make time stand still, just watching her brush her hair, polish her nails, or pick out her clothes in the morning before class. Even her stubborn behavior that often led to fights and later his acceptance of whatever she wanted thrilled him. Everything had meaning with her in it.
Before he realized it, they’d become halves to a whole so comfortable with each other mortals would assume they been married for half a century. Unbeknownst to them, a higher more powerful source had paired them—destiny.
They had a routine. They woke up in the morning and snuggled for a half hour before either wanted to get out of bed. Often making love during those extra minutes alone, then jumping in the shower, eating breakfast, running back upstairs to dress and brush their teeth before Landon would drive Jocelyn to school.
After class he’d often take her out for lunch sometimes surprising her with a shopping trip, and then they’d head home where Cain, Jenna, and Lucas awaited them for training. Afterwards, they’d eat dinner. Sometimes Jenna, Lucas, Cain, and Olivia would join them. Other times, they’d eat on the terrace or in the garden. They made love every chance they got, knowing they could never get enough of each other.
Whenever the fear she would leave him reared its head, he tried his hardest to push the worry aside especially in her presence and enjoy the moments they shared for what they were—glorious moments that seemed to occur in slow motion that then became frozen in time forever.
****
“Joce!” a voice called her as she stood in her huge walk-in closet. She turned to glance in Landon’s direction making sure he had dressed after their sex-capade that morning then yelped, “Yeah.”
“You are coming over tonight, right?”
“Jenna?” she asked as her sister’s head peered through the door. “Yes! Gosh, I already told you yesterday. I’m going to class then Landon and I will head there,” she said flustered.
“Don’t!” Jenna said. “I’m just making sure. Not like I would take offense if you didn’t show up. I know you just got together. I wouldn’t take offense if you’d rather stay in.”
“What?” Jocelyn asked as her cheeks grew flushed.
“O-M-G Joce! Seriously, I mated Lucas less than a half a year ago. I know what it’s like.”
She turned briefly, aware Landon heard their conversation, then disregarded him considering she couldn’t care less if her male was listening.
“I’m saying, if you and Landon want to stay home instead, it’s okay with us. I wanted to double check because I know you’ll never say it to my face that you rather stay home and do—” She held up her fingers in quotations. “—other stuff.”
Jocelyn glanced in Landon’s direction and noticed he was no longer in his spot—the place where he sat stoically everyday watching her as she spent at least a half an hour picking out her clothes for the day. She sighed, then escorted Jenna out while explaining to her again that their plans had yet to change.
During her first week at Landon’s, she had become accustomed to picking out overly revealing clothing partly because she had strived to get a reaction from him. His eyes had practically bulged from their sockets the first day she had walked out in the shortest shorts she could find and a cut off shirt baring her midriff.
Landon had lost all semblance of himself when she’d revealed herself. He’d roared and fumed, and she had played along insisting she could wear whatever pleased her because she “felt like it.” Landon, after over an hour, gave in, accepting she could leave the estate in “her state” as he referred to it. Jocelyn simply smiled and headed toward their room to change. She was sure that was when he realized, she would eventually get her way whether he agreed or not, after that battle he gave in much faster.
She’d walked down calmly ten minutes later wearing the same shorts but a longer shirt concealing her midriff yet revealing some of her bare shoulders.
He admitted to her later, after he had driven her to school, that he didn’t want her wearing the ensemble she had ended up wearing, then acknowledged it was better than what she had been wearing originally. He told her he considered the way he had easily given in, afraid to lose her if he had placed any restrictions to her lifestyle. He then admitted she had been slick to deceive him.
She smiled knowing it had struck him like fire that she was testing him. He was right. He had taken the bait, and yelped and roared, even begged her, to change at one point. She had roared back, kicking and screaming the entire way. Nothing could, in fact, sway her. In the end, it had all been nothing but a test. She knew Landon, till this day, didn’t know if he had passed or failed. But he had won, in the end, they both had won. They were together.
In a month period they both knew, she was in fact still testing him, and he didn’t seem to care. She was his female after all. She could drag him through anything, She could test him all she wanted; he would never give up and that thought alone completed her.
“Baby!” she called out to him.
He ran toward her, a big grin splattered across his handsome face as his eyes bore into her amorously making her feel loved.
Self-consciously she asked, “What?” He shook his head, unwilling to tell her. “Oh, Landon, tell me!” she said.
“You called me ‘baby,’” he said.
“And?” she prodded.
And you’ve never called me that before, his mind whispered.
She paused considering his statement. It was in fact true. She had never used any form of endearment toward him or any other man for that matter, but with him it felt right. He was hers, and after the past several weeks, she now felt his. She felt she truly belonged beside him despite fate and everything else. They complemented each other, cared for each other, loved each other.
She shrugged her shoulders, then asked, “You don’t like it?” knowing the answer because of the pride she felt now running through her. It was not her emotion, but his.
He narrowed his eyes playfully. “You know how long I’ve waited for you to call me any sort of endearment? Because you know ‘wolf’ and ‘arrogant’ aren’t endearments.”
