22. Ledger
Chapter 22
Ledger
“ T hat’s it, beautiful. Deep breath.”
Sliding my hand up, I settle my palm at the top of her stomach, thumb teasing the band of her bra beneath her soaking wet shirt. She sucks in a sharp breath and squirms, torturing me as her ass brushes against my aching cock. It doesn’t matter that we’re both fully dressed. Her soaking wet body pressed against mine, clothes plastered to her body and leaving little to the imagination? I’d think I died and went to heaven, but the things I plan to do to this woman are downright sinful.
“I don’t feel anything,” she huffs.
While I love having her body against mine as I coach her through the next set of potential abilities, the cherry on the top is the murderous look on Arson’s face. There’s just something about riling up the demon that I can’t resist. He’s arguably the only person in this town that could give me a real challenge, and my wolf is itching to find out which of us would come out on top.
I hold his gaze while stroking my thumb languidly just beneath her breasts. “Right about here. That’s where most shifters feel the core of their power resting.”
Ever growls in frustration. “I’m still not feeling anything.”
It’s been like this for an hour as we run down the list of common abilities, weeding out options of what she might be. Everything water related was a bust, and I would normally feel bad for being an idiot and starting there, since now she’s stuck soaking wet for the rest of our trials.
But Ever so wet she’s dripping, clothes plastered to her body and practically begging me to peel them off, is something straight out of my wildest dreams.
“We just need to accept it; I'm a supernatural dud," she says with a heavy sigh, slumping back against my chest.
My heart clenches for her. It is possible, but I can feel the yearning coming off of her in waves and until we know without a shadow of a doubt, I’m not accepting defeat.
“Figuring out what you aren’t is pivotal to discovering what you are . Don’t quit on me yet, beautiful.”
Myles chimes in from his seat on one of the boulders framing the river. “It’s far from an exact science. In recent generations we’ve seen an influx of abilities morphing as well. An ice elemental and a dragon shifter may produce offspring that carries only one of its parents’ abilities, a weak dragon unable to breathe fire and is extremely sensitive to the heat, a child that can communicate with wild beasts due to its strong connection to the earth, or even just a person that doesn’t get cold easily.” He shrugs with a grimace. “It really is a gamble.”
Arson scratches his jaw, musing, “Plenty of abilities are triggered on instinct for the first time.” He turns to Ever. “Are you afraid of heights?”
“We are not chucking her off a cliff to see if she can fly,” I snarl.
Myles glowers at him. “Or scaring her.”
“You put her in a dangerous situation as an experiment, I’ll tear your throat out myself,” I vow, my hands partially shifting into claws as my blood heats.
I’ve been trying to hold back so I don’t scare her off, but kissing Ever yesterday only flared up my instincts instead of soothing them. Tasting her, branding her scent in my lungs; it’s not enough. She still isn’t mine. Damn near everyone in town knows about her now, and the vultures are circling to catch her alone, too afraid of Arson and me to make a move while we’re around.
She can’t protect herself. Hell, she nearly took herself out with a cup of coffee yesterday; she’s practically human. Vulnerable. And the shadow demon wants to put her in danger on the off chance it might jumpstart an ability?
Over my dead fucking body.
Arson grins. “I’d like to see you try, mutt.”
“Enough!” Ever wiggles out of my arms. “If you guys are just going to fight, we might as well call it quits for the day.” Pinching the hem of her shirt, she pulls it away from her body with a grimace. “Dry clothes sound better than an afternoon of being a constant disappointment anyway.”
I narrow my eyes. “You’re the farthest thing from a disappointment.”
Arson uses his shadows to snatch her away before I can get to her, pulling her into his embrace and nuzzling her cheek. “The wolf’s just a terrible teacher. Don’t quit on us now, pretty girl.”
“Don’t you think I want a cool power?” she fires back. “I’m not quitting, I’m being realistic.”
Ever puts her hands on Arson’s chest and pries her way free of the clingy demon. “I’d love nothing more than to go all shadow daddy like you can, but life’s not fair. It sucks, but still better than the life I left behind to come here. The supernatural exists and I not only get a front row seat, but some fated mates that have amazing powers. Most people would kill to be in my shoes.” She hops up on the rocks, focusing on walking the line beside the river as an excuse to avoid our eyes.
Most people. But not her.
I clench my fists. I want to fix this for her but I can’t and it’s killing me to watch her misery. What good am I as a mate if I can’t solve her problems and make her life easier? Every time I shift, is it going to feel like I’m rubbing it in her face? Fuck, I’d give her my wolf if I could. But then I wouldn’t be able to protect her.
Maybe I can commission a witch to make a potion that’ll give Ever a little boost? Even if all she can do is light a candle with a snap of her fingers, it’d be something …
Myles clears his throat. “Power isn't everything, but I understand how you must feel. If you’d like, you can help me in the shop and we’ll make a gadget so you can have a special ability of your own.”
Fuck, why didn’t I think of that? I could kiss that man for the smile he just put on our mate’s face.
She whirls around on the rock, surprised, but there’s a hopeful glimmer in her violet eyes again. “You’d Ironman me? Seriously? Fuck, Myles, I could kiss you right now,” she says, echoing my thoughts.
Color blooms across his cheeks, spreading to the tips of his ears. But much to my surprise, Myles doesn’t glance away or make some excuse to run off. He holds Ever’s gaze and dips his head. “Then it’s a date. Start thinking about what you’d like to be able to do, and I’ll find a way to make it happen.”
“Can I see that list of ab-” With a squeak, her foot slips, head on track to crash into the rocks instead of the water. All three of us lunge forward simultaneously, but even Arson isn’t quick enough to reach her this time.
Except, the audible crack of her skull on the rocks never comes. A split second before impact, Ever simply… vanishes. Disappears without a trace.
Heart frozen in my chest, I stare at the spot my mate blinked out of existence, shock rendering me mute. After several stunned seconds, Arson shatters it with a furious snarl that sends birds flying from the surrounding trees.
“Find her. Now .”