Guardian Of Fate (Fate Series) (16 page)

"Okay," I said. She turned to go, but I called her back, "Nora, thanks... for everything."

She smiled back at me. "Together, Cassie. No thanks needed." She turned back, walked into her room, and shut the door.

I sat on the couch for a while, going over everything we had just talked about, my feelings for Hunter front and center in my mind. I was driving myself crazy with all of my mixed emotions. I knew there was not much time left before I'd have to leave for the Elders. I knew I wanted Hunter with us, to keep watching over us. And to be honest, I wanted just to be near him.

I needed to do something normal, like Nora said. Wipe the slate clean and start with a fresh mind. The shower would be a great start. I felt dirty from Caleb's touch.

In my room, I started to pull clothing out when I saw my jogging shorts and tank from the other day lying in a heap on my floor. The idea of a run compelled me. Something about the fresh air and the real world around me convinced me that a jog would be the most normal and refreshing thing for me. I knew that Nora and Hunter would kill me for going out on my own, but I decided I'd make it quick and be back before they'd even know I was gone. It was dangerous, but I desperately needed to feel some semblance of normalcy to keep my sanity. I pulled on a new pair of running clothes, stopped to write Nora a quick note, and went out to the park.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The run was as refreshing as I thought it would be. I felt free of all the burdens I had to bear, if only for those few moments. I imagined myself to be someone normal running down the path; no powers, no demons chasing me to Hell, no angel bloodlines. I was just an average college girl out enjoying the invigorating elements around her.

My average Jane Doe persona was mentally knocked on her ass as I neared the turn where I'd run into Hunter the day before. The memory of his kiss burned into my mind, slashing through the nothingness I'd accomplished when I first started my run. My eyes instinctively went to the bench where we sat so close together, the waves of electricity pulsing between us.

I tried to shake off the reverie and sped up on the path, determined to bring myself back to the comfort zone I had been in. I'd just run past a big bush on the side of the path when I was suddenly grabbed from behind, my mouth covered by a large hand holding back my screams. I was lifted through the air, before being pushed into a large tree, pinned between it and the hard body behind me. I struggled to free myself, but the strong arms around me were solid and locked.

Anger fused with regret as I thought about the chance I'd taken coming out alone. I wondered if there were anywhere I could go that Caleb wouldn't hunt me down. Would the Elders even be able to protect my mom, Nora, and me? The question was moot now. I had no idea how I was getting out of this one, and it was my own fault.

The hand over my mouth relaxed only enough to allow me to breathe through my nose, and when I did, I smelled him. There was no mistaking the scent of lavender and musk that I'd become familiar with when I was close to him. It was intoxicating. My chest rose and fell in fast gasps against the tree, every inhalation bringing with it the sweet scent.

His other hand yanked my ponytail to the side, forcing one cheek into the tree, his hand only partially shielding me from the bark. Within a second his lips brushed my ear.

"Is this what you want, Cassandra?" he asked in a throaty whisper as his tongue flicked over my lobe. "Tell me. Can you not wait to get to Hell? Can you not wait to feel Caleb use your body for the rest of eternity there?"

The hand covering my mouth slid down my chest and roughly squeezed one of my breasts. The aggressiveness made my breath catch, but the energy that flowed from it was surprisingly erotic.

"Hunter, let me go!" I struggled with less force than I should have, caught up in the sensual feelings he was igniting in me.

He released his hold on me, but only enough to spin me around so that I was facing him; my hands held above my head against the tree, his body pressed against mine. I could feel his hardness through the thin material of my shorts and there was a tightening inside where it made contact. My breathing grew heavy, causing my chest to pulsate against his.

"Isn't this how he held you?" he taunted. The anger in his eyes cut into mine accusingly. "Did you enjoy him pressed against you like this? How about his kiss?" His lips were hard on my own, as his tongue forced its way into my mouth.

Just as quickly as he'd started the kiss, he pulled his mouth away. "Was it like that? Maybe you didn't want me to rescue you, after all, in the hospital, is that it? Is that why you snuck out here on your own? So that he could find you again?" He was breathing just as heavily as I was. I didn't know if it were from his rage against me, or the way our bodies were responding to each other on their own.

"No!" I shouted at him. "God no! How could you even think that! I
hated
it! I hate
him
!"

He stood staring at me for what felt like hours, searching my face for truth. I couldn't speak. I felt hypnotized by the glow of his eyes on me. He finally spoke in a hesitant whisper, "Like you hate me, Cassandra?"

Defensively, I rambled, "No! I don't hate you, Hunter! I lo—" My eyes widened as I caught the words that came out of my mouth of their own free will, not even sure why I would have said such a thing.

His eyes glazed over with passion, and a slow, steady breath came from his lips, as he lowered his head towards mine.

"No, wait... Hunter... wait... I didn't mea—" but my words were never spoken. This time his lips were soft against mine, caressing them tenderly. His hand released my arms and he gently cupped the back of my neck. His tongue tickled my lips, as if requesting permission to go in. I opened my mouth willingly and met his tongue with my own. The sexual current the contact sent through my body was overwhelming and my legs gave out, forcing me to lean into him, my palms pressed lightly against his strong chest.

I felt the rumble of his deep growl in my mouth before he tore his away to send trails of ecstasy over my jaw and down my neck. Making his way to the sensitive spots below my ear, shivers ran down the side of my body, where they met with shock waves of pleasure, when he rubbed his hardness between my thighs. He pulled my leg up to rest on the back of his thigh before his hand found its way inside the back of my shorts and gently molded the tender skin there. I let out an audible groan of pleasure as I let him take advantage of my body.

His hot breath caressed my ear as his lips lingered just outside of it, the anticipation of them causing my skin to tingle uncontrollably, until I almost screamed at him to continue. Through my haze of euphoria I heard him whisper, "I'll never let him have you, Cassandra. I'm going to make you mine, right here. There will be no turning back."

I tried to comprehend the meaning of his words, but his touch melted away any source of interpretation. The sensations he was causing throughout my body were the only things my mind could realize. I was beyond any control over it; my body was a slave to his.

Hunter continued to make love to my mouth as he lifted me up into his arms and carried me. I was oblivious to where he was taking me, until I felt the soft grass beneath me. He put me down gently, and lay on his side next to me, half of his body covering mine. His thigh moved to open my legs, rubbing the very core of my sexuality, making me wet with desire for him.

He started to suckle my neck again, as his hand caressed my bare shoulder, playing with the strap of my tank top. As I felt him start to peel the strap down, reality hit me. He was really going to make love to me here and now. I fought with myself to regain my composure.

"Hunter," I gasped. "We can't... not here... there's too many peop—"

He gently placed his finger over my lips, cutting off my protests. "There's no one. There will be no one; no one but you and me."

I looked into his determined eyes. They held no doubt.

He kept his gaze on mine, his finger lightly stroking my lips, as he quietly asked, "You want it to be me, don't you, Cassandra?"

I was so scared. Being so caught up in the feelings of his touch, I hadn't been able to think about any consequences of what we were doing, of what we might do. I wanted time to make sense of it all, but his eyes were promising me so much more than just sensual pleasure. It was as if that magnetic connection were about to be bonded. But then what? Would it be a good bond, or a bond with dire consequences?

"Say yes, Cassandra," he whispered as his finger lightly traced a path down my neck.

Quite certain I would hyperventilate if I didn't give in and let him ravish me I slowly nodded.

"No! I want to hear you say the words. Tell me it's me you want." He moved over me and held my head still, his face inches from mine, his hardness against my belly as he straddled me.

"Yes, Hunter. It's you I want. It's always been you."

His lips came down with urgency and pure desire. I met his force with my own need for him, and we became one as our tongues fought desperately with each other. His hand slid down my body, and then back up, teasing the places that begged to be touched, causing me to grab at his hair. Instinctively, I pulled harder when he tickled past my nipple with his fingers. Lightly caressing the skin just below my tank top, he pulled up from our kiss and looked me in the eyes once more. The lids of his eyes appeared lower, barely covering the sleepy passion that twinkled from the blues behind them.

He sat up, still straddling me, and his hand slowly lifted up my top. I pushed forward and raised my arms, allowing him to take it off completely. He watched as I lay back down, his eyes darting back and forth from my eyes to my breasts. The wind against my skin caused my nipples to tighten even more than they had been and he placed his hands around the fullness of my breasts, lifting them up as he lowered his mouth onto them. I raised my chest, wanting to somehow get even closer than we were. I heard his groans mixing with my own sighs of pleasure as I felt him devouring me. A twinge of pain came as I felt his teeth pulling at my nipple, only to lavish it away with his tongue. He took his time on both of my breasts, making sure that they were both equally consumed.

I sat up slowly, my eyes in line with the sculpted chest that I knew lay underneath the shirt he wore. Frantically, I scrambled to release the shirt from his pants, desperate to feel his skin against mine. Once his shirt was off, I watched my hands as I slid them over his chest and down his stomach, following the smooth valleys of toned muscle. I did it once again, tracing the path with my mouth. His head went back as he let out a breathless moan. I brushed the top of his jeans with my hand and let it linger there, my boldness surprising both him and me. His hand went behind my head, grabbing my hair, and forcing me to look up at his face.

"Cassandra, if you continue, I won't be able to stop myself from being inside of you." He kissed me, his lips bruising mine with the pressure of it. Pulling my head back again, he said in a deep voice, "And I want to taste all of you before that happens."

Before I could say anything his body pressed against mine, pushing it back into the grass as he laid over me. His kisses left my lips and quickly moved to my breasts again, sending me back into a whirlwind of indulgent satisfaction. Slowly, he moved his mouth lower down my stomach. His hands skimmed up my thighs, resting his thumbs on the inside of them, teasing my most sensitive area with their mere presence.

With one swift movement, Hunter made quick work of my shorts, ripping them down the length of my legs. He spread my legs with his hands, slowly making his way between my thighs. He looked up at me, blue eyes glowing back at me with the promise of sheer sexual pleasure. The smile he gave, before lowering his head to the center of my desire, told me he was planning to enjoy every minute.

His tongue gently lapped at the sensitive bud before his mouth suckled it. Back and forth he tormented it, sending waves of pure pleasure up and down my entire body. The tightening sensation growing inside felt like it could only explode if the pressure didn't release soon. I cried out in an almost painful ecstasy as I rose and tried to pull him up by his shoulders. He looked at me expectantly.

"Now, Hunter!" I panted. He sat between my legs and I quickly reached for the button on his pants, but he stilled my hand with his.

"Cassandra..." he said with a warning tone to his voice.

"I want you inside of me now! Please," I begged.

"No," he said with finality. "Not until I hear you scream from the pleasure I'm giving you."

He began the sweet torture all over again, taking me to a level of bliss that I never imagined possible in my best fantasies. I pulled at the grass in an effort to get a grip on something in order to control my writhing body. Finally, release came as explosions erupted within me, sending wave after wave of sexual delirium through my entire body. Unconsciously, I screamed his name over and over again until the waves subsided and left a dull throb in their wake.

When I opened my eyes, he was leaning over me, his eyes clouded over with desire.

"God, Cassandra," he whispered. "Do you know how good you taste?"

He kissed me again as he pushed his hardness between my thighs, causing the throbbing to burn again in anticipation of him.

"This is what you do to me. I want you to feel me."

Grabbing my hand, he placed it over the large swell in his pants. I gripped him and heard his breath release with a moan. In a sudden motion, I felt his hand quickly moving over the button and zipper of his jeans.

"I need you now, Cassandra. I can't wait any longer."

It seemed as if his pants disappeared in one fluid motion from his legs. With a thrust of his hips, he was inside of me, filling me up, as we both cried out from the pleasure of it. I felt his lips press up against my ear as he said in a labored breath, "You're mine now, Cassandra."

Kissing my neck tenderly, he slowly started to pull out of me, only to slide right back in, creating shocks of pleasure deep within me. His thrusting hips became a steady rhythm as our bodies melded together as one. Cries of ecstasy became our verbal communication, while our bodies moved perfectly together speaking their own language, as if they'd done so a million times before.

Hunter's drives came faster and harder as his breathing grew heavier against my neck.

"Tell me your mine!" he demanded, looking me in the eyes as he kept gaining speed.

The build-up of intensity started to grow again as I felt him become even harder inside of me with each wonderful push. "I'm yours, Hunter, I'm all yours," I told him breathlessly. I felt him tense with one last powerful thrust as he arched his back and let out a growl. The sensation so deep and strong inside of me put me over the edge. I climaxed with him, my inner walls clenching against his hardness, with a pleasure that encompassed not only my body, but my mind as well. I no longer cared that I didn't know who Hunter was, or what his ultimate goal was with me. There was only this; him and me, right here. I wasn't sure of what my future held, or how much of one I even had. All I knew was that I wanted him to be there with me for it.