Eli made short work of my panties with one hand, as his other hand worked at my center, stimulating me until my hips were rocking back and forth, up and down along his length, my slick juices drenching him until he couldn't take it anymore. Rolling us both to the edge of the bed, he threw his legs over, moving into a sitting position, he jerked me to the side, so I was kneeling next to him, leaning over his lap. Jerking my hips to his face, I yelped as he swung me upside down, crushing his face to my core, sucking my bundle of nerves into his mouth. Some kind of gutteral animal noise escaped me as Athena purred with pleasure, and I grasped his thighs to steady myself, already shaking as my body wound tighter, ready to explode for him. His arms tightened around my waist and I let go of his thighs, grabbing his hard length with both hands. Even two hands wouldn't cover it, it throbbed and pulsed in my hands as I sucked the tip into my mouth, tasting the precum at the tip, snarling

I had been sending out summons all day, organizing all of the documents I wanted to review with Willow. I had told her we would review them this morning to get her up to speed, but I left before she woke up, choosing cowardice over ...I'm not sure what other choice there was. I was afraid to face her. For her to attempt to break the bond. It would never work without a powerful spell, or my acceptance of the rejection, but the pain it would cause would be very real, and it could weaken me, and the entire pack at a perilous time. I could feel stronger already, and I hated that I took the choice from her, having given too much control to my wolf and my anger, but what's done is done, we were made for each other, so maybe she is the piece that I have been missing to unite the packs against our common enemy. I've been mulling over how to talk to her about this in the back of my mind all day. It hurt to feel her anger and her tears last night, and I didn't want to take anymore from her,

Eli didn't knock, but he did hesitate once inside, before shutting the door and moving towards my spot by the fire. He crouched down beside me, taking in my appearance. My hair was tangled and contained a few pine needles and leaves that I'd need to work out with conditioner, dried mud streaked my feet and calves, and I'm sure the bags under my eyes were big enough to fit all of the luggage we would need when we left to visit Summit Mist. If Eli agreed to it, that is, and if Ransom agreed to a truce for the time being. Eli reached out to me, hesitating when his hand was inches away from my jaw, but I refused to flinch away, refused to give him power over me. When he finally traced his thumb over my cheek, down the line of may jaw, hushed sparks trailed along with him. I closed my eyes and focused on using my magic to cage the mate bond, the feelings it made me feel, and lock it away within myself. After a few minutes of trying, Eli had already taken a seat a few feet away from me, o

My heart thundered in my chest, filling my head with it's rapid fire beat. I gripped Eli's arm so hard that I nearly broke my fingers, until he growled at me, interrupting the buzzing sound filling my ears. "Sorry," I hissed under my breath, trembling before the double doors of the great hall, "I'm just a little scared." Eli moved his hand to the small of my back, pressing a kiss into my temple, and just like that, the doors are open, and we're moving forward. The low hum of chatter comes to a complete halt, even the clink of silverware stops, and everyone watches as we make our way to the kings table, the roaring of my heartbeat filling my ears again, our echoing footsteps a distant echo at the back of my mind. As we reach the kings table, I realize that only one seat is available, and counsil members are seated on the kings right, and left. Scanning the table, my stomach dips, anxiety rushing through me like electricity. No place has been prepared for me next to Eli, but one sea

A long line of black SUV's and vans filled the courtyard and the gravel drive leading up to the Castle, servants bustled about packing suitcases and trunks into some, cases of wine, honey, medical supplies, and who knows what else into others. Giselle and Diana readied our SUV, carrying out soft blankets, pillows, snacks, bottles of water, and glass bottles of iced coffee for the journey. This would be a long working trip, and Eli and I had agreed that strategy was something we needed to focus on. I was surprised, when we loaded up into the van, to find that the back was designed in the same fashion as a limo, with seats lining the walls of the vehicle, fold away lap desks and arm rests sat ready for our documents. "You know, I almost thought we would be traveling by horse and carriage, or some other bizarre method. What with you living in a castle and all." I teased. "I didn't expect to travel like modern humans.""Oh the carriages are in for repair right now, and the horses told