ELRETH

Elreth knew she was being crazy, but when she'd woken without Aaryn next to her, it had hit her. What if that was her future? What if they were walking into wara€”and not just any war. Not just the ugly brutality of tribe against tribe, but this impossible collision of worlds and technology anda€|

How could she face that without him?

She been so frightened, convinced just like when she was a cub, that the darkness hid death. She'd raced naked out into the Great Room, only barely catching sight of the note he'd left on the table from the corner of her eye.

And as she'd turned, midstride, slipping and scrambling to change direction and get to those words on a page, her mind had spun with images of the notes his parents had written.

What if he'd finally snapped? What if he'd decided he couldn't handle all of this? That getting the Protector Tribe established was the last of what he was needed fora€”just the way his mother had felt when he walked the Flames and Smoke with her?

Images of him broken and dead, of him somehow shifting into a wolf and running away, of him throwing himself off a cliffa€| they were so vivid and flashed through her head in the split second between seeing the note and getting her body to cooperate to move to the table and pick it up, devouring the words, her heart hammering in her chesta€|

And then it said he'd gone to the traverse. Without her.

Then a whole new set of nightmares plagued hera€”Aaryn never returning from the traverse because he gave in to the voices and no one ever found him. Aaryn being killed by the voices. Aaryn being captured in the human world on the other side.

Aaryn dead. Aaryn dead. Aaryn dead. Aaryn gone.

She'd been so terrified, she'd had to sit down, her entire body trembling. She had no idea what time it was when that happened, or how long she'd sat there when she was supposed to be getting ready, eating, traininga€| All she knew was that somehow, at some point, she'd become convinced that if she left that letter, something would happen to him. That she'd had to sit there, frozen, until he returned.

And when the cave door creaked open, she'd almost sobbed.

But she was too fucking angry.

Nowa€| now she'd gotten through to him. He saw what he'd done to her, and he hated her pain. But he still wasn't submitting. He still insisted he'd done the right thing.

How could she trust him, how could she feel safe that he'd be there if he still thought it was the right thing to have walked away, to put himself at risk like that? Without her?!

She stared into his eyes, embarrassed by her tears, but unable to do anything about them except scrub her face with her hands and breathe.

"Aaryn, Ia€”"

"El, look at me."

She looked up at him again reluctantly, but his face was calm and warm. "I love you so much it hurts," he murmured. "I'm never, under any circumstances going to choose to put you in a place where you have to be alone. Ever." He leaned down closer, so they were almost nose-to-nose. "I'm never going to take a risk that could hurt you unless it's absolutely necessarya€”and this one was. But you know I don't usually do that. This was unique, and the Creator used it. Now we don't have to cross again, El. They're coming to youa€”that's how important this all is. We can shift our focus now. Focus on keeping our people safe, and keeping the enemy out. You're going to get your answers. So pleasea€| right now I'm safe, and your safe. And this isa€| this is our time, El. Please. Please don't be angry. Please don't be scared. Please justa€| be here with me."

He stared at her, searching her eyes, until she gave a little, broken moan and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss, deep and desperate, whispering her love against his lips, and pleading with him never to leave her like that again.

Pleasea€| pleasea€|

*****

AARYN

Aaryn's breath sucked in and he took her kiss, returning it, tilting his head and clasping her to him, his arms iron bars at her back.historical

She clawed her hands into his hair and when he growled, dropped her head back with a long sigh to give him access to her throat.

She whimpered, her skin pebbling under his lips as he slid his hands up her sides, then to her breasts, his body driving him forward, forward, to take her, to claim her, to own hera€”to make sure she was still his.

He walked her back into the table until she bumped against it, and their hips were pressed together by the jolt.

They both groaned.

Elreth's fingers started on his shirt buttons, while he dropped his hands from her to snatch at the fly of his leathers and get those buttons free. Then, as she opened his shirt, he yanked at the sides, tearing it off his shoulders and throwing it aside while Elreth popped the last of his buttons and pulled him into her hands.

Aaryn's breath shuddered when she stroked him and he had to lean on the table for one moment, bending her backwards onto it, barely leaving room for her hands between them. But she had other ideas anyway, letting go of him long enough to push the leathers off his hips so they slid down his legs. And while he kicked them off, she pulled herself backwards onto the table, scrambling to grab his shoulders and pull him down after her as she lay down, pulling her legs up to wrap around his waist.

"Holy fuck, El," Aaryn gasped into her neck when she ground against him, arching, whimpering.

"Please, Aaryn, I need you. I need to be close to you. Please."

She clutched at his shoulders and his back, frantic. He was about to straighten, to force them both to slow down, but then she tilted her hips and with the force of his lean, he slid into her in a shocking, shuddering shower of delight that almost tipped him immediately over the edge into his release.