Chapter 26
Aiden
The madness of a heat isn’t in the ramped-up desires. It’s in the way the body manifests those desires, and how quickly. There’s no warning, even when you are painfully aware of the fact that you’re in heat.
It’s swift, unexplainable, and completely uncontrollable.
I hum in delight as Julian’s fingers dig into my hair and tug my head back so he can deepen our kiss. Happily his, I let him take what he wants while my hands travel up his shirt. He’s whimpering before I’ve even touched his nipples, and my already hard cock twitches in response.
“I’m just going to say it—” a distant, unwelcome voice comes through the haze, “—they’re hot together.”
I try to ignore the interruption, but then a new voice groans, “Isabel, we’re supposed to be breaking this apart, not watching it.”
Julian pulls away to growl at the intruders, but I catch his chin, drawing his attention back where it should be.
The anger in his eyes fades the second he meets mine, and then he’s grinding against my crotch again.
I catch a smile on his lips before the friction paired with his confidence makes my eyes roll.
“Hot.”
This time, I’m the one to pull back as I glare up at the trio loitering a few feet away.
While Emitt and Beckett keep their gazes averted, Isabel stares openly at us with far too much interest in those watchful eyes.
It’s that—the blatant interest and curiosity—that forces the oddness of this to register.
It seems to hit Julian at the same time because the grinding immediately stops.
“What are you doing here?” I demand as Julian shoves my hands away so he can stand. I stare after him with a frown, but follow him up. “And why are you still here when we’re—”
“‘If we start acting weird with others around, get rid of the crowd and bring us back to reality,’” Emitt recites with a deep voice I think is meant to be mine. “Well, you started acting weird.”
“Shit,” I groan as the morning starts to filter back in.
We’d been on our way back from a training session when Julian sprinted ahead and away from the others, goading me until I gave chase. Next thing I knew, we were shifted and kneeling in the grass with him sucking on my ear.
“Thank you,” Julian says, face void of the embarrassment I can feel killing him on the inside. “We’ll be alright now.”
“You sure?” Beckett asks doubtfully.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Julian replies with a pointed look. “Just stick to the plan.”
“The plan?” I ask, but the others are already retreating.
“Call if you need anything,” Emitt says, already running away.
“Be safe,” Beckett adds as he drags Isabel with him.
I turn to my mate. “Be safe? Remember the plan?” I echo as my frown deepens. “What’s going on?”
Instead of answering, Julian lifts his hand between us. An offering. I eye it and then him. Eventually, I take it, as I always will, and let him lead me to Goddess knows where. It turns out to be the edge of the packlands, near the East Gate … where my car is parked?
“Jewels,” I murmur, as he plucks my keys from their hiding place by the front wheel. “What’s going on?”
“It’s a surprise.”
My eyebrows shoot up. He means to take us beyond the packlands. Is my Jewels starting to break his own rules?
An exciting prospect, Max admits as we watch Julian open the driver’s seat. Only he’s not being chivalrous.
“Now wait a minute,” I say, stopping him just before he can sink inside. “I’m all in for a surprise, but can I make sure we get there?”
Offence tugs Julian’s golden brows in tight. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, to be honest, I don’t like how you drive.” I hadn’t said anything at the start when we were still volatile, but we’ve been together long enough for me to tell certain truths now.
“And I don’t like your breath in the morning, but here we are,” he snaps back without missing a beat.
“Damn,” I mumble, circling to the passenger’s seat. “Take that back or I’m going to put your pants in your sock drawer and fuck up your colour-coded bookshelf, Julian.”
“I dare you, Aiden Calderon,” he growls over the car’s roof. “Touch one of my books. I. Dare. You.”
I ignore the real fear that rattles through me, and pop the door open. “Fine,” I mutter. “Kill us both. See if I care.”
Smiling victoriously, Julian slips into the car, and I do the same with my favourite finger leading the way.
“Assuming we actually make it, where are we going?” I ask while he adjusts my seat and mirrors. “You’re taking us out of the pack? You?”
“It’s a surprise,” he repeats, then tugs a long scrap of black cloth from his pocket and holds it up between us.
I look from him to the fabric. “What?”
“I want to blindfold you.”
My lips pull into a smile. “I didn’t know you were so kinky, Jewels.”
Julian’s eyes bulge, and he shakes his head. “It’s not like that,” he protests while his cheeks tinge pink. I raise a brow. “It’s not!”
“Shame,” I mumble, before I put Jewels out of his misery, closing my eyes and offering myself up for whatever crazy plan he’s trying to pull off.
He gently ties the fabric over my eyes, but it’s still tight.
Tight enough that I can’t open my eyes more than a sliver, and when I do, only darkness greets me.
My heart plummets as the darkness swallows the world whole.
I close my eyes, trying to find comfort in the darkness of my own making, rather than the one that transported me back to the last time I’d been forced into the dark.
It doesn’t work. I try deep breaths, but those are just as useless at ushering out the panic clogging my chest. Eyes opened or closed, darkness waits for me now like it did when I was seven and on that fucking table.
“Are you okay?”
Julian’s voice cuts in like a blade through butter, and when his hand slides over my shoulder, the pressure on my chest immediately unravels.
“Fine,” I rasp as I try for a smile, but my stiff lips strain it. “I’m fine, just not the biggest fan of the dark.”
It’s more honest than I mean to be and more honest than I’ve ever been, so maybe that’s why I jolt slightly when Julian slides the hand on my shoulder down to my chest, right over my heart.
He keeps it there, firm and strong, until my racing heart slows and my breathing follows suit. I focus on his hand and try to keep my expression plain. I know he’s watching me in that quiet, critical way he watches everything. I only hope that just this once, he doesn’t see it all.
“I’m taking your hand,” he warns gently before his free hand wraps around mine and carries it over the armrest. “You can keep it here,” he says as he settles it on his knee. “That way, you know I’m right here, okay?”
I nod stiffly, and I can picture his small smile even without seeing it.
My chest fills against Julian’s palm before he slides it back up, gliding over my collarbone and throat.
I’m leaning into the touch long before he tilts my face towards him, and by the time those lips press against mine, I almost whimper with relief.
This kiss is nothing driven by lust. It’s pure comfort, and I relish every second of it. I squeeze Julian’s knee as he slides his hand around my neck, bringing me closer to him until there’s nothing but him.
“Better?” he asks as he draws back.
My skin tingles where his breath brushes against me. I nod.
“Good,” he says with a final peck before he pulls away completely and starts the car.
I sit back, sinking into my seat while I keep my focus on the hand I have on him, the only anchor I have in the dark.
If not for the bone-deep knowledge that the man beside me is my mate, I’d be out of the car and rolling down the highway to get away from his clone.
We haven’t been driving for long, but it’s farther than school, and farther than anywhere I’d ever been with or without Julian. At the start, I tried to track our route, but after the first few familiar turns that led us onto the highway, I was utterly lost. That was almost an hour ago.
The only reason I’m not freaking out is because I know Julian would never do anything he wasn’t a million per cent sure was safe, and I don’t want to put a wedge between Julian and him doing something “wrong” once in a while, but a man can only be patient for so long.
“Where are we going?” I whine, squeezing his knee. “I’ve been blind for hours.”
“We’ve been on the road for less than one, Aiden.”
“It feels like five!”
“We’ll be there soon,” he replies, but he says it slowly, which tells me that he’s trying to stall.
“What is soon to you?” I ask as I turn, glaring at him through the blindfold. “’Cause you said we’d be there soon an hour ago!”
“Again, we haven’t been out for more than an hour, and look—we’re here!”
“Look? I can’t see—”
“Shut up, Aiden,” Julian snipes, but the car is slowing, so maybe he’s not lying.
“Julian, I don’t know if you know this, but your social skills really are on the floor,” I whisper conspiratorially. Even behind my blindfold, I can tell he’s glaring at me. I grin with all my teeth.
Cursing under his breath, Julian eases the car to a full stop before I hear his window rolling down. My straining ears twitch with interest as I hear footsteps approach.
“Hello, and welcome—”
“No!” Julian yelps, cutting off the stranger. I sniff, going still when I scent an incubus. “Sorry. This is a surprise.”
“Oh,” they reply, and I get that distinct feeling of someone looking at me.
“SAVE ME,” I mouth to them before a swift smack atop my head has me ducking for cover.
“Ignore him,” Julian begs while I snort.
“I’ll need a name at least,” the guy says.
“Heil. Julian Heil.”
There’s some shuffling before the guy returns. “Got it. Have a wonderful—” He cuts himself off with a laugh. “Time. Have a wonderful time.”
“Thank you,” Julian says.
I yell, “CALL THE POLICE!”
“Aiden!” he groans, pulling away as the man’s laughter fades behind us. “Why are you like this?”