Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Olivia held on to her mate as tightly as possible during the long trip. It was definitely stressful, especially since she couldn’t see much of anything. Her vision had deteriorated significantly since she’d approached him a year ago.
At the time, she’d still been able to make out some images. Now, she was reduced mostly to light and dark at any sort of distance. The only way to make out anything specific was to bring it within an inch of her face, and even that was fading.
She was pleased to be able to at least see her mate enough to know his features before she lost all ability to see in the not-too-distant future. She knew his skin was a shade lighter than hers, his hair was brown and thick. His eyes were also brown.
And his smile… She wanted to memorize that smile and hoped she would never forget it.
“We’re home, Baby girl,” he finally declared as he stepped onto a different surface. She recognized the sound of wooden planks against his shoes and assumed they were on a porch. The darker shadow in front of her would be the house.
Nerves climbed up her spine. She wasn’t certain how much Damon had been told about her limitations. She worried he didn’t understand how much of a burden she was going to be. She would try her best to learn her way around his home and become helpful, and she prayed he would be patient with her in the meantime.
Damon shifted her weight to one side and opened the door. The weather outside had been perfectly pleasant, but she immediately noticed the warmth of his home.
As soon as he shut the door, she wiggled in his arms, trying to free herself.
Damon held her closer. “Where are you going, Baby girl?”
“It will be easier for me to learn my way around your home on my own,” she informed him.
“Daddy will help you. There’s no rush.”
She held on tighter when he bent at the waist, not realizing he was lowering himself onto a chair.
He flattened his palm on her back. “Don’t worry, Baby girl. Daddy will not drop you.” He settled on what she realized was an armchair when her ankles brushed against the upholstered arm.
Damon arranged her so she sat sideways on his lap. It was so familiar and intimate, two things she was not used to. She felt awkward and nervous propped on his lap. Bending her knees, she turned to fully face him.
He rubbed her back. “Take a breath, Olivia. I know you’re stressed. I’m going to do everything in my power to make this transition easy for you. I’m sure stepping into an environment you’re not familiar with and can’t see is difficult.”
“I will learn,” she assured him. “I promise. I will figure out your space and do what you expect of me.”
“Olivia… Listen to Daddy. What I expect is for you to be happy. That’s it. Did you believe as my mate I would require you to take care of me in some way?”
“Well…yes. Isn’t that what normal mates do? The ones who can see?” Her fear—a fear she’d carried with her most of her life—had always been that whoever her mate ended up being would grow tired of her neediness. She’d braced herself to adjust as quickly as possible so she could prove her worth.
“In the valley, perhaps, but not among my people, Baby girl.” His hand felt so soothing, rubbing up and down her back. “Like I said earlier, Olivia, the mates of Alpha Protectors do not serve us. We serve them .”
“I don’t understand.” She furrowed her brow in confusion.
“I will take care of you in every way, Baby girl. Not the other way around.”
He wasn’t making any sense. “You can’t do that forever. It would be exhausting.” She twisted to free herself. She needed to get off his lap and explore the room.
He gripped her hips and kept her on his thighs.
She blew out an exasperated breath. “I’m trained to learn my surroundings by feel, Sir.”
“Daddy.”
She licked her lips. “Daddy,” she murmured. “Is there anything I might break if I bump into it?”
“No, Baby girl. But I wouldn’t care if you broke anything as long as you didn’t get injured. Your safety is my primary concern. I spent the last several weeks arranging furniture to make it easier for you to get around without obstacles. If there’s anything you find that doesn’t work for you, tell me, and we’ll change it.”
Her breath hitched. “You did that…for me?”
He cupped her face. “Olivia, I would do anything for you.” He lifted her right hand and pushed the delicate sleeve of her dress up her arm, exposing the mark on her wrist. When he lifted it to his lips and kissed the spot that had determined her destiny since birth, she gasped.
“Mmm.” He kissed her there again before setting her hand on her lap. “Let me roll my sleeve up. I’ve heard the first time we flatten our marks together is so powerful that no one can describe the sensation.”
She trembled as the sound of wrestling fabric indicated he was doing what was needed to expose the mark on his left wrist. Fate had determined centuries ago that Alpha Protectors would all be born with a distinct mark on their left wrist. Their intended mate would be born with a matching mark on her right wrist. She hadn’t considered the logistics of that fact, but now she realized that if they were facing each other, the marks would easily line up.
“Are you ready, Little rebel?” He asked as he lifted her hand again.
She nodded, uncertain what to expect but sensing already it would be powerful.
Damon threaded their fingers together and slowly lowered his wrist until the mark that would be a mirror image of hers landed against her skin.
Olivia flinched. For a moment, she thought something was terribly wrong. The shock that rushed through her felt like an electrical jolt. When she tried to pull away, Damon wrapped the fingers of his other hand around both their wrists and prevented her from breaking the connection.
Every one of her senses heightened, except for the one that mattered most. She’d secretly prayed for many years that some aspect of this mating might improve her vision. After all, female wolves developed heightened senses after their mating. That knowledge had given her hope.
She blinked her eyes and turned her head in every direction as electricity seemed to pulse through them, wrapping itself around them in an odd way that gave her the sensation they were in a bubble or a cocoon. No one and nothing else mattered but the two of them.
The connection grew by the moment, but it did not improve her eyesight. It was frustrating, but there were still other parts of their union that had not taken place—the physical part of the claiming, for example. They would not be fully united until they had sex.
And then there was the shift. Olivia would experience her first shift at some point after her mate claimed her in every intimate way. There was still hope that one of those two acts would give her something she’d longed for.
When Damon set his palm on her chest between her breasts, she realized she was breathing heavily. He was, too. Their hearts were beating in sync with each other. Their bodies were melding into one in an odd way she couldn’t fully wrap her head around.
Damon’s hand was shaking as he cupped her face. “Feel the bond, Little rebel. Let it draw you in. Don’t fight it. We’re connected in a way most shifters never get to experience in their lifetime.” He stroked her lower lip with his thumb.
Olivia parted for him, struggling to catch her breath as she squirmed on his lap. A restlessness consumed her. Something inside her belly was fluttering around as though she’d swallowed a jar of moths.
“Damon…” She pulled on her arm, but he refused to free her.
“Daddy, Little rebel.”
She was panting as the bonding grew in intensity. Her body responded to his, making her feel too warm. She squeezed her thighs together, which only made the feeling grow. Her sex was pulsing between her legs, and her nipples felt hard, her breasts heavy.
“Daddy…” The endearment came out easier this time. It felt more natural.
When he finally released her wrist and let the two marks part a fraction, she shuddered. They were both panting.
“Ohh…” she breathed out.
“Yeah. Ohh…” he agreed as he lifted her arm to wrap it around his neck and pulled her closer. He kissed her again, this time with more urgency and desperation. His lips consumed her, while his tongue demanded entrance.
She felt the same urgency, the driving need, and she grabbed his shoulders with both hands and held on to keep from experiencing vertigo. Sometimes she grew confused about up and down now that her vision left her with so few distinct shapes. The intensity of their connection was giving her that same dizzy sensation, causing her to want to hold on to something tangible. Some one tangible. Her Daddy.
Daddy moaned into her mouth, devouring her as though she were his last meal and he needed to eat it quickly before it was taken away.
When he released her lips, she tipped her head back and whimpered, her face toward the ceiling. She found herself wishing for things that embarrassed her to the core.
Her face flushed, but so did her chest. Luckily that was covered by her dress. Daddy couldn’t see it.
He grabbed her with both hands that were so large he could hold her neck and support her head at the same time. “It’s powerful,” he growled.
She nodded, whimpering. Her skin was crawling as if something needed to get out of her. Her wolf?
Seconds ticked by before Damon let out a long breath. “I’m going to set you on your feet and show you around the house before I lose my head and take things too far.”
“What things?” she asked, still panting.
He kissed her forehead. “I want you naked beneath me on my bed, Little rebel. Those things.”
She shuddered. “Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”
She reached for his face and felt as he smiled. “Yes, but I intend to give you time to adjust before I ravage you with my mouth.”
She trembled. “You already did ravage me, Daddy.”
“Oh, Little rebel, that was nothing. When I take this dress off you, I’m going to lick every inch of your body.”
She gasped. Was he serious?
He turned his lips into her palm and kissed her there. “Every inch.”
The air left her lungs when he suddenly stood her on her feet. A moment later, she found herself flat against him, her back plastered to his chest. He had his arms around her chest. “I’m giving you a tour,” he declared.
She bit into her lip, trying to shake off the need consuming her. She was worried she wouldn’t be able to pay close enough attention to anything he showed her or said with her heart racing out of control and her body longing to be beneath him in the manner he’d described.
He walked her forward, keeping his legs outside of hers. It was silly and awkward, but it lightened the thickness in the air and made her smile.
She couldn’t focus on anything except the feel of him wrapped around her. As he took a step forward, his muscular chest pressed into her back, his huge hands slid down her arms until he threaded their fingers together, and he leaned over so she could feel the puffs of air against her neck every time he breathed.
Panting, she stopped moving her feet. “You have to let me go, Daddy.”
He stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“Let me explore on my own. It’s the only way I’ll learn.”
She felt his emotions strongly. He wasn’t fond of the idea of releasing her. She turned in his arms and tipped her head back even though she could make out very little. She didn’t need to see to know his brow was furrowed. “Where did you put my backpack?”
“It’s by the door, Baby girl. I’ll get it.”
She grabbed his forearms and squeezed. “No, Daddy. I will. Sit in the chair. Let me explore.”
His breath hitched. “I’d like to help.”
She planted her palms on his chest. “I know. But I need to do this on my own. I learn better that way, and I can’t focus when you’re touching me.”
He chuckled lightly. “That part I can understand.”
“Will you let me?”
“I’ll try, but the thought of you bumping into anything or getting hurt makes my heart race.”
“Sometimes I will run into things, Damon. It happens. You can’t protect me every moment of every day.”
“I can certainly try.”
She smoothed her palms up his dress shirt until she reached his tie. He had on a suit jacket, too. She knew it was dark and the shirt was probably white. The tie was dark, too. She slid her fingers over the silky length of it.
He slid his hands up her biceps. “I need you to understand something about Alpha Protectors. My overprotectiveness isn’t unique to me. All of the Alpha males are like this. We wait our entire lives to finally have our mates in our arms, and we’re extremely cautious when it comes to their safety and wellbeing. I doubt my brother Arion let his mate’s feet hit the floor for days after he claimed her. We don’t like to be separated. The bond is strong. It’s not just your vision that makes me overprotective, Little rebel.”
She giggled. “Surely you’re exaggerating.”
“Not a bit, but I love that sound. Do it again.” He kissed her forehead.
She gently pushed away from him. “Let me explore,” she insisted.
He sighed but released her. “I’ll lose years off my life if you get injured, Olivia. If I think you’re going to get hurt, I will be on you in a heartbeat.”
“I’ll be fine.” She turned around. “Am I facing my bag?”
“Yes.”
“How far away is it?”
“Eight feet.”
“Is there anything in my way?”
“No. There is nothing in the middle of the floor in the entire house. Except your backpack.”
“Thank you, Daddy.” She knew he softened when she called him Daddy. She could feel it in the air. She would do so often to help calm him.
Holding out her hands, she took several steps forward. She wasn’t overly tentative. There was no way he’d lied to her. When her fingers hit the front door, she knew she’d reached her first destination, and she squatted down to feel for her bag.
When she unzipped it, it tipped over. The two largest items fell out onto her feet: her cane and her stuffed eagle. Her face heated. She hoped Damon wouldn’t think she was weird for bringing a stuffie with her.
“Who’s your friend?” he asked gently.
Olivia quickly unfolded her cane and popped all the sections into place before rising with her cane in one hand and her eagle in the other. She easily returned to her Daddy and held out the eagle. “This is Ava. Would you like to hold her while I explore?”
“I’d love to, Baby girl.” He took her out of Olivia’s hand. “Why an eagle?”
“They have the best vision of all the animals. She sleeps with me. I know I can trust her to alert me if there is ever danger.” It was silly, but for some reason, Olivia didn’t feel like Damon was going to judge her.
“That’s really smart. Has she ever needed to alert you?”
“Not yet. No one has ever snuck up on me, at least not that I was aware of.”
“And no one ever will. You will always be safe with me, Little rebel. Between Ava and me, you will rest easy.” His voice was serious. She detected not a hint of teasing.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Now give me some guidance. Tell me what’s around me.”
“This room is an open floor plan. To your right is a sofa. It’s at an angle with this armchair. There’s an end table between them.”
She turned around and tapped the sofa with her cane before swinging it slowly through the air around the sofa. “No coffee table?”
“I got rid of it.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“I didn’t think it was safe, Baby girl. It had sharp edges and was so low to the floor I was afraid you might trip over it.”
She drew in a breath. His intentions were thoughtful, but how much of his home did he alter because of her? “Tell me more.”
“Directly across from the sofa on the wall is an entertainment center. Behind me is the kitchen. There’s a table that seats eight and an island with four bar stools.”
She turned that direction, holding her cane out in front of her so she could let the little ball roll across the hardwood as she moved toward the kitchen area. “Are there any rugs?”
“I got rid of those, too. There are no mats either. Just hardwood.”
She pursed her lips. Part of her was grateful he had so thoughtfully made his home easier for her. Part of her felt like he was babying her. The doctors had always told her parents not to coddle her. She needed to figure things out on her own.
When her cane hit what she assumed was the leg of a stool or chair, Damon spoke again. “You’re at the island. There’s one chair in front of you, one to the left, and two to the right.”
“They’re all on the same side then?”
“Yes. The other side has the sink and work space.”
She nodded and headed left. When her cane hit something metal, she reached out her hand.
“Refrigerator.”
She continued along, trailing her fingers past the cool metal to the counter, keeping track in her mind of where the stove, oven, and dishwasher were located.
“The stove has the knobs up along the back so you can’t accidentally bump into them and turn on the gas.”
She cringed and turned around swiftly. “Damon, I’m not that helpless. You can’t baby me.”