Chapter 20
***COOPER***
Cooper rolled over in the sleeping bag, expecting to find Stephanie sleeping beside him, but all he found was cold air and an empty pillow.
Sitting up, he looked around the room and then saw a tiny shaft of light coming from the open door to the crypt, and he wasn’t all that surprised to find that’s where she’d gone.
He knew that she was still trying to come to grips with everything she’d learned over the last few days, and having to protect the secrets in the crypt on top of that had put a heavy load on her.
Slipping out of the sleeping bag, he saw her coat in the corner and grabbed it after putting on his own, then headed down the stone steps to find her and bring her back to bed.
When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he saw her right where he thought she’d be, standing in front of the mural, her arms wrapped around herself, staring up at the vivid paintings.
There was a smile on her face, and he wondered what she was thinking as he walked up behind her, but didn’t want to interrupt, happy just to be close to her.
After draping her coat over her shoulders, he put his arms around Stephanie and pulled her up against his chest, and nuzzled her neck, enjoying her unique smell. She turned in his arms, stretched up on her tip-toes, and gave him a kiss, then turned back to the mural with a contented sigh.
“I’m sorry if I woke you. I was worried the light might bother you,” she said, looking up at him over her shoulder. “I couldn’t sleep, so I’ve been down here memorizing as much as I can of the mural just in case, we’re the last people to ever see it.”
“Don’t talk like that, we’ll figure something out, I know we will,” he said, turning her in his arms again. “This place is too special to be forgotten again; fate wouldn’t do that to us. I just haven’t figured out what the solution is yet.”
“Sometimes I wish we’d never found this place,” Stephanie said, laying her head on his chest and wrapping her arms around him. “But then I wouldn’t have found you, and you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
He reached down and tipped her chin up, “No matter what happens to the crypt, we’ll still have each other,” he said, looking into her eyes and seeing the love she felt reflected there.
“Maybe this was what was meant to be, maybe we were supposed to find this place to bring us together, but give it up to stay together. Does that make any sense?”
“I don’t know, I’m new to all this,” Stephanie said, gesturing to the crypt. “I did find something interesting in the mural, something I never noticed before. In fact, I’m not sure that it was there before.”
“Now you’re not making any sense,” he said, smiling down at her. “Do you want to try that again?”
“It might be easier if I showed you,” she said, tugging him over to the mural and pointing to an especially colorful section.
“Look there, right next to that lake, there are two figures, one is a human and the other is a dragon. They look very familiar to me, but maybe I’m just tired or imagining things. ”
It only took a second to see that she was right, and he stepped back, a bit shocked, then turned to Stephanie, who was watching him closely. “What does it mean?” she asked. “That’s us, I just know it is.”
“Look, we’re standing in front of the entrance to the cave,” he said, stepping back over to the painting. “You’re wearing a crown of flowers on your head and a white dress. I think we both know what that means.”
He turned to look over at her, and there was a blush slowly creeping up her cheeks. “I’m marrying the dragon,” she said. “It’s a sign that I accept you, all of you, but who did this? Where did it come from?”
Her question made the air in the crypt begin to hum, and Stephanie gasped. “Cooper, what is that?” she asked, a look of astonishment on her face. “It feels like someone turned on the electricity.”
That’s kind of true. You’re feeling the magic this place holds. I think someone is trying to answer your question, he said. It’s okay, there’s nothing to be afraid of. It's what gives me my power. It's what makes me a shifter. You're feeling it because of the connection between us.
“Oh, it feels a little strange, but now that I’m getting used to it, it might not be so bad,” she said, then turned back to the mural. “We’ve become part of the story of this place. Someone has added us to the history. I think that means we’ll be able to save it.”
“I think so too,” he said. “I’ve thought that all along.”
“Okay then, Mr. Smarty pants, how are we going to do it?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips. “Just answer me that, because I’ve been thinking about it for hours, and I can still only come up with one option.”
She looked so serious with her forehead furrowed in annoyance, her glasses slipping down her nose, her mouth turned down in frustration, that he should have been thinking anything but what he was as he stood there watching her.
Taking a step toward her, he felt desire building inside him and decided it might be just the distraction they both needed.
“Maybe we’ve been thinking about this too much,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “Maybe we need to take a break and think about something else.”
“Cooper, this isn’t the place…” Stephanie tried to protest, but he silenced her with a kiss that made his intention completely clear and before he let her come up for air, she was completely on board with his idea of a distraction.
***Stephanie***
“I think we should go back upstairs,” Stephanie said, her voice husky from the raw need that had begun to throb deep inside her, a need so powerful it felt like it was going to overwhelm her. “Everything feels too intense in here, and it wouldn’t be respectful.”
“Say no more, princess,” Cooper said, sweeping her up into his arms and heading for the stone steps. “I don’t like having an audience either.”
She snuggled deeper into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder, ridiculously pleased he could carry her with so little effort, and realized that it was nice to feel so protected.
They were about halfway up the stairs when a cold breeze came sweeping up behind them, making her shiver even with Cooper’s warmth wrapped around her, and she braced herself for the next one, but he was already climbing the last step.
“It must be cold outside, that breeze was freezing,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck when he set her down. “Good thing I have you to keep me warm.”
“And the heater I brought doesn’t hurt either,” Cooper said, pushing her away just a little and helping her take off her jacket. “It’s nice and warm in here, but I think I can make things a little hotter.”
“Oh, you think so…” she said, then trailed off on a sigh when his hands slipped up under her shirt and cupped her breasts.
“Are you feeling the heat yet?” Cooper asked, then began to tease her nipples when she shook her head. “Is that better?”
She shook her head again, but her breath was coming in short gasps, and words would have been impossible even if she’d tried. “Then I’ll just have to try harder,” Cooper said, an evil smile on his face. “But just remember, you asked for it.”
Her heart fluttered with excitement, she knew deep down that he would never hurt her, that he would never push things too far, and decided to keep the game going. “You don’t scare me, Mr. McFarland,” she said. “I think you’re bluffing, and if you’re not, then I still win.”
He laughed, pulled her shirt over her head, unhooked her bra, then slid it off her shoulders, exposing her already sensitive breasts, and a hungry look appeared on his face.
Her body was already throbbing with need, and she reached for him, but he stepped back a step, shaking his head, then reached for the button on her pants and slowly slipped it free.
He took his time unzipping them and easing them off, his fingers brushing against the sensitive skin of her legs as he worked, making her gasp with each touch.
When he finally stood up, he stepped in front of her so there was only an inch of space between them, and growled at her again when she reached for him. “You’re not allowed to touch me,” he said, a grin of triumph on his face. “No matter what I do to you.”
Unable to resist the challenge in his eyes, she lifted her chin in the air. “Bring it on,” she said. “I can handle anything you throw at me.”
“Oh, I won’t be throwing anything at you, sweetheart,” he purred into her ear, his fingers slipping into the front of her panties. “But you’d better brace yourself, you’re in for a wild ride.”
Before she could say another word, he slipped a finger between her folds and began to stroke her swollen nub, making her gasp and nearly topple to the floor when her knees went weak.
All too soon, Cooper pulled away, making her whimper for more, and he gave a low chuckle before tearing off her panties and stepping back to let his eyes roam over her naked body.
His eyes drank her in as he slowly removed his clothes and threw them to the side, and that special spot deep inside her began to throb with need.
When he was as naked as she was, he walked over to her, threaded his fingers into her hair, and pulled her head back, then kissed her until she was breathless.
He let her go, but before she could catch her breath, his mouth clamped down on one of her hard nipples, while his hands began to roam over her body in a possessive way that made the ache inside her for him almost painful.
Sure, that her legs would no longer hold her, she reached out for him, but he grabbed her wrists and gently forced her down onto her knees. “You can touch me now,” he whispered, running his fingers through her hair and making goosebumps break out all over her body.
She reached out and wrapped her trembling hands around his swollen manhood, making him gasp with pleasure, and a thrill shot through her.
Emboldened by his reaction, she began to stroke him, enjoying the low rumble that came from deep in his chest as her body responded to his pleasure by releasing a burst of moisture between her legs.
Letting instinct take over, she leaned forward and sucked Cooper’s throbbing manhood into her mouth, thrills rushing through her when his fingers twisted in her hair and he thrust his hips forward.
Only a few seconds later, Cooper let out a moan, then pulled her to her feet, his breath coming in short gasps, his eyes glowing a little in the dark.
He threw her down onto the sleeping bag, then dropped down between her legs, shoved them apart with a growl of need, then dipped his head, and before she understood what he was doing, his tongue was sliding over her slick nub, sending wave after wave of pleasure rushing through her.
She climaxed only seconds later, crying out his name, her body bucking, the sensations only growing stronger as he lapped at her until she couldn’t catch her breath or think of anything but what he was doing to her.
When he finally let her come floating slowly back down to earth, she opened her eyes and looked down at him, still kneeling between her legs.
“You win,” she panted. “Now finish this before I lose my mind. I need you, Cooper, I need you inside me.”
When he drove himself into her a second later, she opened herself willingly to him, taking him deeper inside than she ever had before, each thrust of his hips driving her higher and higher.
The world around her faded until all she was aware of was the man above her, the man she was falling in love with, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
They went tumbling into oblivion together, Cooper’s body buried deeply inside hers, and as he emptied himself inside her, she felt a tingling in her belly, then a rush of heat.
Above them, the room filled with pinpricks of light and down in the crypt, the mural changed again, then time adding a tiny figure between them.
By the time Cooper collapsed next to her on the sleeping bag, the lights were gone, but Stephanie still felt the little flutter deep in her belly.
Closing her eyes, she let out a long sigh, then snuggled up next to Cooper and was instantly asleep, the warmth of their connection making her feel safe and protected.