Chapter Twenty-Three
Byron
“Dang, boy, what the hell happened to you?” Vee called out to Wilder as he joined us in one of the white rooms in the basement. “You look like you were mauled by a bear.”
Damyr had a few tiled rooms in the basement of the Morozov Mansion for the ‘wet work’ and Wilder and I were definitely making use of one of those today.
Hopefully the guy wouldn’t die, and Wilder could just get in tune with his magic and whatever this life force manipulation was.
He was worried about it and I didn’t like that.
I wanted him to feel confident in his abilities when he faced his father and this was the best solution I could come up with.
“Not a bear, just Byron,” Wilder replied, a flush creeping up his neck.
He did look like he’d been ravaged. That bruise under his cheek was impressive. It surrounded the bottom of his eye and was coloured in shades of black, purple and red.
“Huh?” Vee said, his mouth dropped in confusion. His eyes widened as the penny dropped. “Oh, shit. You guys like it rough.”
“Rough?” Wilder huffed. “This guy’s an animal.”
I winked at Wilder. “And you wouldn’t have it any other way, baby.”
Vee rolled his bottom lip between his teeth. “Don’t suppose you guys ever live stream that shit?”
I dropped the guy I was holding and threw a deadly look at the wendigo. “No. Wilder is mine.”
There was no way I was letting anyone else see Wilder like that. Maybe Bishop, but that was only if Wilder was comfortable with that.
Vee threw his hands up. “Okay, jeez. I was only asking.”
“I think I preferred you when you were emaciated.” He was getting mouthier the healthier he was getting.
“Rude,” Vee said as he bent down to grab the legs of the guy I’d found for Wilder.
“Are you sure this guy is a bad guy?” Wilder asked as I dumped the man in the chair, securing his wrists and ankles in the manacles.
When I’d made sure he wasn’t going anywhere, I walked over to Wilder and took his hands in mine.
He’d been tugging at the frayed hem of his jumper like he was determined to pull it apart.
“Yes. I have a wonderful file full of shitty people and known associates of targets I’ve already taken down.
This man is part of a trafficking ring, and no one will miss him. ”
His violet eyes held mine, full of trust and belief. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
“Wait, explain to me why I’m here,” Vee piped up from the back of the room.
I chucked him a smirk over my shoulder. “It’s not exactly on the books so I’m not sure if Damyr will be happy about his whole thing. So, if this goes horribly wrong, you can have a feast.”
“Cool, I’m good with that,” he replied and leaned himself casually against the wall to watch the show.
I turned away from the wendigo and back to our victim.
He really was a piece of shit. He helped move trafficked girls around the country and held their passports hostage so they couldn’t escape.
I’d taken out a few of the key players in the trafficking ring already and it had collapsed last year but there were still a few names left on the list to take down. Cameron Crawley was one of them.
I settled into a chair and pulled Wilder in between my legs, settling his back against my chest. “Now, open the tether and let your magic flow.”
Wilder pulled my hand and settled it onto his chest. His heart beat a little fast beneath my fingers, and I pushed some calm through our bond.
“How are you so good at this?” Wilder huffed.
I kissed the soft spot behind his ear. “I know what you need, and I understand trial and error. I know that I can calm you down through the tether and that’s my focus right now.
I know I can keep you grounded so the first thing we should do is set the tether so you can let your magic fly.
After that, it’s purely theoretical but I believe that the tether will let me know what you need when.
It works both ways, baby. I feel you through the tether.
Your magic, your fear and your joy. I feel everything. ”
He nodded along with my words, digesting them slowly. I felt the moment he pushed his magic into the tether to strengthen it. Wilder’s emotions of dread and worry flurried through my mind like a shard of ice, and I conjured up the image of the beach that he’d found soothing previously.
Wilder released a soft hum and settled his weight more firmly into my embrace. He was ready.
“Now, just reach out with your magic and see what you can find. Just remember, this is about trying. Not succeeding.”
“Is it weird that I’m finding the way you're talking really hot?”
I nipped his earlobe and sucked it into my mouth. “No. I find everything about you hot.”
“Ew, you guys are too much,” Vee groaned from behind us.
I threw him a death stare over my shoulder. “You don’t need to watch. I could always deliver your snack to your room.”
His pale eyebrow arched dangerously. “But where’s the fun in that?”
This guy was turning out to be way more fun than I originally thought. But this moment was about Wilder, so I tuned the wendigo out and focussed on him.
It was still strange feeling Wilder’s magic flowing between us like a river and knowing that I was important to the whole process.
I’d never been important to anyone but Bishop, and he’d spent so long running from me, he was having to relearn how to live with me.
But Wilder, he just needed me and that made me feel wanted.
Wilder grunted in frustration. “This is useless. I can’t do it.”
I tucked my chin on his shoulder, moulding as much of my body against his as I could.
It was as close as I could get to him without actually living in his skin.
“Yes, you can. You’ve barely tried and you’re giving up already.
Now, try again, but this time, close your eyes and talk me through what you can feel. ”
I slipped my hand under his jumper and pressed my hand against his skin. He was overthinking everything, as usual, and I knew my touch would get him out of his head. If I happened to enjoy it at the same time… well, that was a bonus.
“I feel you,” he said, his voice tight and raspy.
“Go on,” I said as I slipped my hand higher up his chest.
“And the tether. It’s steady, and it hums softly, like a slow vibration.”
I brushed my finger over his nipple, gently circling it until it became a stiff peak. “Good, now reach your magic out to Cameron and tell me what you feel.”
He gasped as I pinched his nipple sharply. “It’s like a wall or a—a shield. I’m pushing against it but it’s not moving.”
“Hit it harder.” I nipped his earlobe between my teeth and then sucked it into my mouth. Wilder wiggled his ass against my crotch. “Sit still, baby. Concentrate on the shield.”
He huffed a frustrated breath. “Fine. I’ll try hitting it harder.”
There was a slow draw on the tether that felt like a large wave rolling between the two of us. I maintained the serenity of the beach in my mind, even though it was difficult to concentrate with Wilder rolling his ass on my dick. I clamped my arm around his waist and held him firmly. “Sit. Still.”
“Sorry,” he grumbled.
I nipped the side of his neck. “No, you’re not, but keep going. You don’t have to break the shield; just find a crack you can sneak into.”
The wave rolled down the tether again, but bigger this time as Wilder hit Cameron with more magic.
Wilder gasped. “I did it.”
Cameron’s eyes flew open. They darted around the room taking everything in.
Well, that was an interesting development. I guess you could feel when someone was breaking into your life force.
Cameron started to thrash wildly in the chair, but he wasn’t going anywhere. Those cuffs were tight. Eventually, he stopped and stared at the pair of his with narrowed eyes, growling behind the gag.
“Byron?” Wilder said, his voice a little fearful.
I swiped my tongue up the length of his neck. Fuck, I’d never get bored with the taste of him. “Keep going. He can’t hurt you.”
Wilder nodded absently and stood up. He grabbed my hand in one of his and then extended his other towards Cameron. “I think I feel it.”
He stepped closer, his eyes focussed on something only he could see.
Cameron’s eyes were wide now. As if he could sense whatever it was that Wilder was doing.
“It’s so beautiful, Byron. Fragile and delicate,” Wilder said but his voice was off. He sounded entranced. “Breakable.”
Wilder extended his fingers and then snapped them into a fist.
Cameron immediately started seizing in the chair, his body jerking and spasming under Wilder’s grip.
The tether strained and tightened as Wilder’s magic drew on it. My chest tightened as if it were being crushed. Fuck.
“Wilder,” I gasped, squeezing his hand to grab his attention, but he was too far lost in his magic to hear me.
Wind howled around us as Wilder’s power grew, intensifying to beyond anything I’d seen him do. It was breathtaking. Literally and figuratively.
The tether tightened like a noose around my neck and darkness started to dance at the edge of my vision.
“Baby, let go,” I managed to say as my knees buckled. I pushed everything I could down the tether, hoping it reached him where my words didn’t.
Hear me, baby. Come back to me… Wilder, please…
Just as the world started to fade, hands gripped under my arms, holding me steady, and Wilder’s face filled my vision.
His eyes were full of tears. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
I dragged some air into my lungs and pulled him to me. “I’m fine, baby.”
The scent of him filled my lungs as I pressed my nose into his hair and I let myself just breathe him in.
His hands fisted in my shirt as he held onto me like I was his lifeline.
Nobody had ever held me like that. Like they needed me to survive.
I was always so wrapped up in death and destruction, that saving someone felt both alien and… beautiful.