Chance Lost (19 page)

Chapter 34

Chance was still awake when she felt Sylas crawl into bed with her. She was facing him when he pulled her close and she opened her eyes to look into his. He was humming to the radio he turned on before closing the door and coming to bed. He held her face gently with his hands and sang to her along with the music.

It was a popular Bruno Mars song and the words and his voice stroked her in ways hands could not.

“I’m not Bruno Mars, but the words mean the same. I love you, Chance Cadens.”

“I have the person I want, Sylas Taiken. I love only you, forever and a day.”

He pulled her in closer, brushing his lips to hers. It was feather light and the kiss made her melt. Something was different with him tonight. It was as if this was their last time together and he was expressing how he felt through this one kiss. It wasn’t desperation, just love. Chance wrapped her arms around his neck and moved as close as she could, molding her body to every inch of his. Closing her eyes, she let her mind feel every breath, heartbeat, and muscle that was Sylas. Their heartbeats and breathing synchronized as they lay there holding each other.

Chance had no idea if it would work, but she projected her thoughts at him. She concentrated on the dream they both shared in the past. She put all her love into it and knew she was successful when she felt his breath hitch with a small gasp. She wrapped a leg over his and held him tighter, not wanting him to distract her.

Chance pictured them in cat form in the forest and she rubbed her muzzle and body down his. She manipulated the dream to fast forward to where they shifted back to human and made love amongst the trees. He was behind her, holding her breasts and entering her with his hard shaft. As they mated, he reached down and bit into her shoulder. Her dream self looked over as if looking into a camera and mouthed “I love you, Sylas.” just before they both climaxed.

Just as in the dream, Sylas leaned down and bit her in the same spot. They climaxed at the same time as their dream selves and they never moved other than the bite. They both lay on the bed quivering from the mutual orgasm and power behind the dream she sent him. It was the strongest orgasm yet and she nearly fainted.

“Holy fuck, baby! I’m not sure what you just did, but I’m… speechless.”

When Chance finally regained some semblance of control, she asked, “Sylas, can mated pairs talk to each other in their minds? I mean the paranormal romance novels all say they can but those are just made up stories, right?”

“I have no idea, love, but you just talked to me. I was there with you Chance. I love you too.”

Sylas kissed her on the nose and smiled. “You know once we mate the bite mark won’t disappear like it does now. It’s a way of marking your other half as taken and our scents will mix. Other shifters can see and smell mated pairs. The only difference with us over other shifters is we don’t emit a scent, at least I think it will work the same. Since I can shift into many animals, I don’t carry a scent that shifters can identify. The same should go for you as well and the difference between our dream and reality is we will need to mark each other for the mating to be official.”

“Sylas, you do have a scent. It’s very unique and I’ve always loved it. It’s a cross between dark spices and a pine forest. If I can smell your scent, why can’t others?”

“Maybe it’s the mate thing, Chance. You have a distinct scent to me as well. You smell and taste like honey and wine mixed with a hint of summer flowers. I bet if we asked Jack, he wouldn’t know what we were talking about.”

Chance watched as he got up to get a warm wash cloth to clean up. He carefully washed her down before cleaning himself. He crawled back under the covers with her and this time he turned her and pulled her back to his chest. His hands roamed her body absentmindedly as they both recalled the power of the dream. Her curiosity was in full bloom and was laden with lots of questions.

“What if I hurt you with my bite? I won’t know what I’m doing and it scares me a little, Sylas.”

“Trust me love, you will know when the time comes. It’s instinctual and natural. It will be the first of many such bites. Only the first one will scar. The rest will fade like they do now.”

Chance could feel his arousal poking into her back. She took a fistful of hair and reached back to rub him with it. She heard his sharp intake of breath when the silken strands brushed his body.

“You really don’t play fair, woman. Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?”

Chance had only one thought on her mind now.
Fuck the questions
. “Show me.”

Sylas growled before he got up and pulled her to her hands and knees. He moved behind her and grabbed on to a thick strand of her locks, effectively keeping her still by pulling her head back, taking advantage of her exposed neck, His free hand played with her breasts for a moment before moving down her back to her sweet spot. She was dripping with need and she heard him growl again as she grew wetter in anticipation. He eased her down on her stomach and pulled her to the end of the bed. He slid down to the floor on his knees still behind her. “I want to be right here buried so deep it makes you scream my name.” She felt his tongue lapping up her running juices and moaned, with her leg muscles already starting to quiver. He wrapped both of his arms under and around her legs, trapping her and spreading her wider. His shoulders pushed her ass higher in the air, giving him perfect access to her honey pot.

His long tongue and fingers tortured her by bringing her close and then backing off. Her virginity was more important to both of them than him getting his rocks off, so he stayed clear, careful not to break her hymen.

“What do you want baby?” He whispered to her. She begged him to let her come.

“Then come for me Chance, I need to taste more of you.” She felt him lick higher as his fingers played with her clit. Just as she was ready, she felt him insert a wet finger carefully in her ass. That did it. She stiffened and cried out his name as promised. He continued to move his fingers in both spots as she rode the magical high. She heard him moan and growl as her juices flowed. Sylas didn’t let her up until he made her scream his name again.

Sylas wasn’t finished with her yet. He got up and straddled her, pulling her higher onto the bed and turning her over onto her back.

“I love your breasts, baby. They are more than a handful and perfect.” 

Reaching down, Sylas took hold of his cock and rubbed himself between her breasts. Chance caught on to what he was doing and moved her hands to press her flesh together over his now rock hard cock. He moaned when she reached her tongue out to lick him as he rocked back and forth over her. She wanted more than just a taste and pushed him back on the bed to finish what he started. He was still straddling her legs but she didn’t care. She wanted to satisfy her man the only way available to her for the moment. When he came, Chance fell back on the bed, worn out but at least they both were satisfied.

Sylas rolled them both over, spooning her again. This time they left the mess, too tired to wash.

“Bite me again, Sylas, before you sleep. It comforts me.” His hands cupped and massaged her breasts as he complied, biting her shoulder and sucking the tender skin. Unexpectedly, she came again with the pleasure of his simple but loving movements.

“I love you, Sylas.” She fell asleep almost as soon as the words left her lips.

They awoke the next morning starving and in a new campground. After a much-needed shower, and more steamy shower fun, they joined Jack to eat the breakfast he cooked while they were playing. Thoughts of the night before played havoc in Chance’s brain. She started twenty questions with the both of them over some hot coffee.

“Jack, do Sylas or I have a scent that you’ve noticed? Sylas said other shifters can’t smell his scent, but I can.”

“Now that you mention it, no, you don’t have any scent other than that perfume that I caught wind of in the bar. I’ve never been able to catch a scent on Sy either.”

Chance remembered the dream and that brought up the next question. “I don’t want to bring up a bad memory, but when you were with your mate could you to speak to each other with your minds?”

“First, there is only one bad memory of her, sweetness. The rest are beautiful thoughts that I will cherish until my time is done here. Sy showed me the reality of our life together and that is how he kept me sane after her loss. There was only the one bad one, to the millions of good, and the good were what he kept me focused on. To answer your question, no, we were never able to speak to each other in our heads. Why?”

Chance let Sylas tell him what she had been able to do. She watched Jack’s eyes widen as he told the story. He kept looking back and forth between them in disbelief. She just blushed and smiled.

“Chance, when was the last time Sylas bit you?” She glanced at Sylas and shrugged. He didn’t bite her in the shower this morning and she hadn’t looked in the mirror. Sylas was looking at her strangely now and it was making her nervous.

“Maybe an hour or so after Sylas came to bed? Why? Do I have a wart on my face or something? You two are scaring me, so spill it.”

It was Sylas who answered her after glancing at his watch. “It was about midnight when I went to bed last night baby. I bit you around one. It’s about noon now. Usually, your eyes glow bright for the first hour and then they noticeably fade over time until there is just a small spark of light that eventually disappears. Right now, your eyes are as bright as mine and they are showing no sign of fading after approximately… um, 11 hours.”

Sylas held her hand while relaying the news and now she had a very tight grip on his.

“Do you think…?” Chance was at a loss. She was excited and scared all at the same time. She sure as hell didn’t want to jinx it. Sylas squeezed her hand, watching as the emotions warred over her face. She looked down, afraid to see what he was feeling and finally whispered her thoughts out loud.

“Could it have been the dream? Did I change things with it? Sylas, could it really be happening this time?”

“The only way to be sure is to wait until later to see if anything has changed. In the meantime, we need to train more. Jack and I also want to walk you through the shift process. Even though you still are technically human, you need to know what to do when the time comes in case I’m not with you.”

Chance gasped at his words.

“What do you mean if you’re not with me?” She was getting upset now and she stood to pace. It was Jack who stopped her this time.

“Chance, he is only talking about the worst case scenario. If this goes bad, we need to know you will be okay. Both of us agreed on this. We can’t let you go through this blind, especially if neither of us can be with you. Please relax little Thomasina. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

Chance collapsed in her chair and then giggled, her nerves getting the best of her. “You just called me Thomasina. I really feel like I’m part of a family now.”

Sylas kissed her and Jack chuckled at her confession. “You’ve been part of us since the day we met you, Sugar. You’ll always have a family, if you can stand us that long.”

Sylas huffed.

“Speak for yourself, Jack. Now let’s change and go train, baby. I've got plans for us later.” He winked and they left to change, leaving Jack still laughing at their backs.

Chapter 35

Dakota watched in the distance as the other wolf was tranquilized and carted off. He recognized the Beta's voice among those taking him away. He followed at a distance in the chance they would take him to the wolf den. When they arrived at what appeared to be a cabin and Craven joined them, he knew this was where he needed to be for now. It bothered him that they were so close to the build site. He backed off a few miles and made a quick call.

With his arrangements made, Dakota settled in to keep watch. The plans he made previously had to be modified. The man he spoke to on the other end of his call would guard her property. He would stay here between the two, so he could be at either within minutes. He wanted to avoid patrols, so he shifted and shimmied up a tall tree to wait.

Morning rolled around without much excitement. He saw a patrol off in the distance, but they never came close enough to catch his scent. Dakota decided to use the daylight to catch a quick nap up in his tree. After a couple of hours he heard talking off in the distance. It was two patrols passing by each other. It was another close call but neither of them came near his spot. He made another call to check in and settled in for more waiting.

* * * *

Jack couldn't believe Chance's eyes were still glowing. It was up to 18 hours now and they were just as bright as when she woke up at noon. He was waiting on them to get out of the shower from their workout so they could talk her through the art of shifting. He hoped they would be around for her first shift, but after what he'd been through, he wasn't taking anything for granted. She would be the first human in their long history to change into an immortal. It was instinctual with born shifters and Sylas was made as a full grown adult. Chance needed all the instruction she could get before the time came.

Chance was already showing abilities that other shifters didn't have. She could project her thoughts to Sylas and she could smell his scent. She could match Sylas blow for blow in training, and that was something even Jack couldn’t claim. In all the years together, he never could keep up with the man, but that's as it should be. Jack was never jealous of Sylas. He respected him and loved him as a brother. There was nothing he wouldn't do for him, including keeping his future mate safe.

Sylas and Chance finally joined him at the table and he fed them a quick meal. Jack wanted a beer but he needed to be sober for this. They didn't need for her to get misinformation or get any more confused than she already was. He also needed to make a quick trip into town once they were finished. He needed clothes and a few other items that Chance didn't have available.

Chance spoke up first. “Sylas said earlier you two want to train me in the basics of shifting. How can you do it without my change in place?”

“We can help you visualize the change and what should happen when the time comes. By the way Chance, your eyes have not dimmed and it’s been over 18 hours. The sooner the better for this talk.”

Sylas spoke next, “Baby, you will have many animal choices to pick and choose from. I want your promise you will stick to four feet until I can coach you through the flying process, okay, love?”

Chance nodded and he gave the same to Jack so he could begin.

“Chance, I want you to close your eyes and see your inner cat. You will not feel her presence until you're immortal, but Sy told me you've dreamed about her on many occasions.”

When her eyes closed, he continued. “It's not painful to shift. It can be uncomfortable the first time, but not painful. You’ll need to allow your cat to take over your mind and body. Giving control of your mind can make you anxious. Now I want you to relax. Breathe in and out slowly. Let every muscle go slack and clear your mind.”

Jack waited until he saw her shoulders slump a little. When she was almost in a trance like state, he continued again, “Visualize your cat, Chance. Feel her muscles and her heartbeat. She will speak to you and ask permission to take over. When the time comes, you will feel your consciousness being nudged aside. You'll still be there and will know all that is happening around you. Just know that she has as much invested in you as you do. If she loses you, she loses herself. Trust in her and you'll be able to give her control.”

Chance suddenly gasped and turned pale. Sylas jumped to her side within seconds.

“What is it, baby?”

She stayed silent and unmoving, but as they watched, Chance started to smile and her skin turned a healthy color again.

“Chance, I need for you to let me know what's happening. Please, baby, talk to me.”

She slowly lifted her hand and touched Sylas' face, but didn't open her eyes or speak.

Jack turned to Sylas with a question on the tip of his tongue when he saw his eyes glass over. “Okay, both of you are starting to spook this old man. Someone please tell me what the hell is going on!”

Sylas must have heard him because he shook his head before looking up at Jack.

“Jack, you're not going to believe this. Hell, I don't believe it and I just saw it. Chance is communing with her cat. She can see and talk to her. Her cat is in control for the moment. She's been talking to me through Chance. She touched my face just now. She told me she has waited centuries to tell me she loves me. She wanted me to know that the change would happen very soon. It was her love for my cat and I that led her to pick Chance as my mate. She collaborated with my mother when they chose Chance, as a team.”

Chance came out of her trance and looked up at Sylas with tears in her eyes.

“She may have chosen me as your mate, but she's not the reason I fell in love with you. I did that all on my own.  She never influenced my feelings for you, and I do love you, Sylas, with all my heart. Our leopards are soul mates that have waited hundreds of years for each other. Now our human halves have found each other, making our combined souls complete.”

Jack cleared his throat to remind them that he was still sitting there.

“I see this lesson's over now.” He chuckled and shook his head.

“You never cease to amaze me, Chance. I don't think you'll have any problems relinquishing control since you’ve already done so, and while you are still human-ish!” They all started laughing, effectively releasing the tension permeating the air.

Jack finally remembered his chores and asked, “I need to make a store run. You two need anything while I'm out?”

Jack heard Chance clear her throat and he turned to look at her.

“I have one last confession to make before you go, Jack. I wanted to talk about this the other night, but it seems I was distracted.” Chance giggled and looked sideways at Sylas.

“This is probably not news to either of you, but do you remember when I said I was permanently unemployed?” She waited until they both nodded.

“I am unemployed because I will never need to work, and that is because I am apparently very lucky and not just in my choice of friends.”

They looked at her with confusion. Sylas piped up first, “What are you trying to tell us exactly?”

“You remember that rather large lotto from a few months back that had only one winner and topped nearly $400 million?”

Chance grinned and pointed towards herself, then reached in her pocket and handed Jack her black American Express card. “Whatever you need… just get it, okay?”

Jack whistled and looked at her, stunned. Sylas could only chuckle. “We knew you were spending a lot of cash, babe, but now everything makes more sense. Jack and I are not exactly poor either. Since we’ve both lived over 500 years, we’ve built up really nice bank accounts ourselves.”

In synchronized fashion, they both reached into their wallets and showed her their own black cards.

Jack handed her card back, laughing at the shocked expression on her face. “Actually, I built my account up. Your man over there gets an allowance from his parents, but he never spends any of it.”

“Never had a reason until lately,” Sylas said winking and reaching over to hug Chance.

“Time to get my show on the road. Have fun while I am out!” Jack said still laughing.

“Jack, can you hold up a minute? I want to talk to you first.” Sylas squeezed the hand of the woman he loved and then walked with Jack outside.

* * * *

Sylas waited until he knew they were out of earshot of the motor home. He turned to Jack with a grin from ear to ear. “She is ready Jack. Something rotten is in the air and I don’t want her first time to be rushed or ruined by this madman. She deserves her first time to be filled with love and not anger. Do you mind staying here and keeping the place on lockdown while I take her away from here, some place special to create a good memory?”

Jack’s face was plastered with that crooked smile he used when he was in conspirator mode. “You go get the two of you dressed for hiking. I will hide the necessities in the Jeep. Tell her I decided to wait until later and I suggested you show her Cloudland Canyon since we are here.”

“Thanks a million, Jack. Owe you big time for this!” Sylas felt like he was walking a tightrope with the bad guys on both sides trying to push him off, but for once he didn’t care. This was for his girl and he was going to do at least one thing right for her.

He walked inside and took Chance by the hand, guiding her to their room in the back. When they got there, he pulled her to him and breathed her in.

“Jack changed his mind about making a store run, baby. How would you like to do a small side trip with me to see the canyon? I’ve never been but Jack has and he said it is something we should see. Besides, I think we both could use the break to get away from all this, even if it is only for a few hours.”

Chance smiled and nodded. “I think it’ll be fun, Sylas. Do we need to change?”

“Maybe some sensible shoes, babe. Your boots are not the best for climbing.” He swatted her behind when she turned to find her tennis shoes and she gave him a proper squeal for his efforts.