17. Elara
Chapter 17
Elara
K ato’s bare chest pressed into my back is too delightful. I ache for him, in my breasts, between my legs, and in every cell in my body. I haven’t spent one night in the guest bedroom. How could I when Kato lays in the room next door?
His breath against the back of my neck sends shivers down my spine and I can’t help myself but arch my back, pressing into him. His arms tighten against my stomach, a hand gently caressing its way up toward my breast.
He was waiting for this. Waiting for me to show him that I want him, oh Goddess how I want him. How I’ve wanted him and indulged with him every night we’ve spent in this bed together. How I want him beyond these nights…
Heat swells between my legs as Kato’s fingertips caress the bottom curve of my breast. His other arm pulls me further into him, letting me feel his cock fully erect and pulsing against me. A soft moan escapes my lips, Goddess.
Grinding myself into him he lets out a moan of his own, palming my bare breast beneath the oversized t-shirt of his I’ve been wearing to bed. Craning my neck back and turning toward his face his lips meet mine and electricity shoots through my body like bolts of lightning waking my every desire.
His lips move slowly, deliberately, and he savors every moment of this contact just as I do. There’s a melding of our bodies, flesh heated with wanting, pressed so close together we could be one — I never want this to end.
I nearly explode the moment Kato slips his fingers beneath the waistband of my underwear and dips between my legs, his fingers sliding into me easily, moist by my arousal. The pressure from his long fingers pumping in and out of me builds and I can’t help but growl against his mouth nipping his bottom lip.
Ecstasy washes over me as he expertly slides aside the crotch of my underwear and presses the bare head of his throbbing cock against my entrance. The anticipation nearly kills me as he stays there for a moment, slipping his tongue into my mouth.
“Please,” I manage to gasp when our lips part, “I need to feel you inside of me.”
And with that Kato’s thick cock slides into me, stretching me out and the intensity overwhelms me, my body spasming with pleasure. Kato does not stop; he continues to fill me up and stretch me out as my walls tighten and clamp around him.
His breath hot against my cheek as he groans into my ear. His own throbbing intensifying inside of me until, “Oh Goddess,” he cums and our bodies slicked with sweat, muscles trembling, remain entwined on the softness of the mattress.
Kato paces near the door, the ease and calm of the early morning hours spent together in bed replaced by tension rolling off him like a thundercloud about to burst.
His eyes flicker between me and the hallway, his body poised as if he could be in two places simultaneously. With each passing second, his brow furrowed, worry etches deeper into his features.
“I’m not leaving you here alone,” he says, his voice sharp with the kind of authority that quickly makes others tremble in fear but makes me tremble for another reason altogether— need. “Not with him still out there.”
He glances at the security panel on the wall, the flashing green light indicating the house is locked down tight. The alarm system is a beast—state-of-the-art technology backed up with layers of magic enchantments. But Kato still looks unconvinced.
I sigh, stepping closer to him, close enough that I feel the heat of his body and smell the familiar scent of leather and rain clinging to him.
“Kato, I’ll be fine,” I say, firm but calm. “You need to be with your team, your whole team. This case isn’t going to solve itself. You can’t keep leaving a vital team member here with me. I’ll be fine without any agents, but I’m double-fine with the agents you post here.”
His jaw remains clenched, a war raging inside of him. He hates this. He hates being pulled between his duty and his instincts to protect me. As an Alpha, my mate, those two things should be naturally aligned, but now, the world is a different place, and duty extends beyond our animalistic needs.
“Elara, he knows you survived,” Kato says, his voice low, eyes darkening with that fierce determination. “He’s unraveling. The last thing he’ll do is let you slip away again. I can’t risk?—”
“I know. I know what’s at stake,” I interrupt, reaching out to place a hand on his arm. His muscles tense under my touch, but he doesn’t pull away. “But you’ve already assigned agents to the perimeter. The house is warded. The alarm system is connected directly to your command center. Between the spells and the technology, I’m practically untouchable here.”
He narrows his eyes, scanning my face as if searching for any trace of doubt. I don’t let any show. I won’t let him even guess what I’m planning. It’s a good thing we learned to shield our minds from one another long ago, or I’d be completely screwed right now.
His gaze lingers on me, and for a moment, I see the struggle in his eyes. His wolf is pacing, and his protective instincts are at war with the reality that his home is a fortress. I need him to believe that. I need him to focus on what matters most—catching the man who buried me alive and left me to die. The same man that likely has another poor woman in his clutches at this very moment.
“The quicker you catch him, the quicker we can all stop looking over our shoulders. You need the full strength of your team for that,” I add softly.
He exhales sharply, his free hand running through his hair. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Finally, his shoulders sag; I’ve gotten through to him. He closes his eyes for a second, gathering himself, and when they snap open again, he’s sharp and focused. He’s not only my mate but-- the agent, the Alpha.
“You’ll keep your phone on you at all times?” he asks. His tone is softer now but still tinged with concern.
“I will. I promise,” I lie, giving him a reassuring smile. “And if anything feels off, I’ll call you right away. But I doubt it’ll come to that. This house is locked down tighter than Fort Knox.”
He let out a low growl of frustration, but it’s not directed at me. “I still don’t like this.”
“I know,” I whisper, stepping even closer. “But you can’t always protect everyone, Kato. Sometimes, we must trust the people we love to care for themselves.”
That ‘L’ word slips out before I can stop it, and for a split second, his eyes flicker—caught between the agent and the man beneath. He swallows hard, nodding once before turning toward the door.
“All right,” he says, voice rough. “But if anything happens, if you sense even a whisper of danger…”
“I’ll call. I swear.” I squeeze his hand gently before letting go.
Kato hesitates for a moment longer, then with a final nod, he steps out of the door and into the night.
The house is too quiet. The wards hum faintly, and the security system’s green light pulses like a heartbeat, mocking me. Kato is gone. I’ve convinced him to leave, but now, standing here alone, it feels like a mistake.
Not because I’m scared—I’m not. But because I’m tired of waiting. Tired of waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone to make a move. That’s not me. Not anymore.
My hands clench at my sides as I look toward the window. I’ve played the role of the victim long enough. I’ve been buried alive, left for dead, and now what? Sit around in this magically fortified box until Kato saves the day. No. I’m not going to do that. Not tonight.
I move quickly to the spare bedroom, rifling through the bag I packed and grabbing a sleek black slip dress that clings in all the right places. I don’t know what I was thinking when I packed this but thank Goddess I did.
It’s not the most glamorous outfit I’ve ever worn, but it’ll do. I’ve had enough of being scared. Tonight, I’m going to face that damn bar and see if it can jog any memories or if I can hear anyone familiar.
In the bathroom, I quickly swipe concealer under my eyes, hiding the deep purple, dark circles that have been present since my premature burial.
After a few minutes, I step back, taking myself in. There she is, the woman I once knew myself to be—strong, determined, ready to take matters into her own hands.
Now, to get out undetected. It shouldn’t be a problem. That first night, when Kato took me out to the forest behind his home, he inadvertently showed me the best way to sneak out undetected, and I’d made a point of remembering his security code, just in case.
And following the path Kato himself showed me, I’m off toward ‘Nothing Here’ gulping in the night air before anyone realizes I’m gone.
The bar is dim, and a flicker of neon light from the store next door casts shadows on the sidewalk as I slip inside. The low thrum of music rattles through me, my nerves at odds with the quiet, sensual energy of an early night at ‘Nothing Here’.
I hardly draw any attention as I make my way to the bar. A few appraising glances wash over me from tables of businessmen enjoying the tail end of their Happy Hour meetings.
This is reckless.
I know it. Every fiber of me knows it. And worse, if I can’t get it together soon, he will know it.
Kato.
As soon as I stepped out of the house, I felt the pull of the bond between us, the silent awareness that always flared when I was in danger—or doing something I shouldn’t. I’d worked hard to cloak my presence, suppress my emotions just enough to mask my movements, but it’s not perfect.
He’s probably already sensing that something is amiss, especially after I convinced him to remove Bruce, Gun, or whichever member of his team was on Elara duty earlier.
The thought sends a shiver through me, but I push it aside. There’s no turning back now.
I move through the crowded bar. My heart races in my chest. I haven’t been here since before... My breath catches in my throat, anxiety tightening its grip around me.
The room feels too small, the air too thick. I force myself toward the back, toward the bathroom, where the noise is more manageable. I lock myself in a stall, my heart pounding.
I force myself to slow my breathing, but each forced breath is jagged, and my heart rate doesn’t slow.
What are you doing? I ask myself. You should be back at the house, safe.
But I can’t. I can’t just sit and wait for Kato to save me. I need to do something—anything—to regain control.
My phone buzzes, and Kato texts me, “Where the hell are you?” He’d tried calling, but all calls had been forwarded to my voicemail.
I close my eyes, steadying my breath, shit, but then I smell something familiar an almost medicinal licorice scent. Waves of nausea washing over me. Then.
A voice.
Low, gravelly, and too familiar. The one that haunts my nightmares.
It’s him.
My blood runs cold, freezing my movements for a moment before I can come to my senses. I carefully creep out of the stall and toward the bathroom door.
I press my ear to the door, listening to the sound of his voice as he talks casually just outside in the hallway. Be strong, Elara. My heart skips a beat. I need to see him.
My hand reaches for the door handle, and as slowly and steadily as I can, I pull the door open a sliver, just enough to press my eye up to it and see out into the hallway.
My stomach churned as my eyes adjust; the man is laughing with someone, a security guard. It’s him, I know it is, the man who buried me alive.
He turns his head toward the bar at the other end of the hallway. Holy shit, he works here. Now, seeing him in this context, I can remember him; he’s another security guard who usually silently checks IDs later in the evening before people can enter.
My hand shakes as I reach for my phone. I need to tell Kato. I’ve already felt his anxiety buzzing in the back of my mind, like static, faint but there.
“It’s him. The bouncer. He’s here. What do I do?”
His reply is instant.
“Where are you?!”
A chill runs through me. He doesn’t know I left the house. My fingers tremble as I type.
“The bar. ‘Nothing Here’.”
The response is immediate, his anger palpable through the screen. I’d feel it even if it wasn’t raging through our bond.
“Elara, what the hell are you doing there? Don’t move. I’m coming. Stay hidden.”
I breathe in sharply. He can feel me now, and I know it. I let whatever shields I’d mustered up before drop, including the shield I’d wielded into place all those years ago.
I’m sorry, I say down the bond.
I can feel Kato’s shock, surprise, and something like pleasure at having been let back into my mind.
Don’t think you’re getting off that easy, his voice fills my head, my wolf shivering with excitement to have him back.
My pulse quickens, and just as I press myself against the closed door again, I realize?—
He’s gone. The killer is gone. The thought slides down the bond without my permission. I’m going to have to get used to that again.
“I said to stay hidden.” Kato growls back. “I’m almost there.”
I don’t listen, a specialty of mine, and I burst out of the bathroom, scanning the hallway. Nothing. Panic claws at me as I rush back to the bar, searching for the bouncer. He was right here. Where the hell did he go?
When Kato storms through the door moments later, his eyes flash with fury. “You left the house,” he growls, his voice low and dangerous.
“I had to—” I start, but he’s already scanning the room, his gaze sharp and predatory. He wasn’t just angry—he was scared.
“He was here,” I whisper, my voice shaky. “I saw him—he’s a security guard. He checked my ID countless times.”
“A great way to get your address,” he says, and my blood chills again. Kato’s nostrils flare, his fists clenching at his sides. “Where did he go? The security guard.”
The bartender glances at us, recognizing the tension, and steps forward. “ He’s right there.”
“Not him, the other one.”
“Richard?” The bartender is unsettled. I can tell he recognizes Kato and knows exactly who he is. “He was just here to pick up his check. He left a few minutes ago.”
Kato curses under his breath, and I see the struggle in his eyes. He wants to tear into me and demand answers, but there’s no time for that now.
“We’ve got his address,” the bartender adds, handing over a slip of paper he’d just scribbled on.
“Don’t call him and warn him,” Kato says as he takes it, his grip tight. The bartender swallows and nods, looking at a pair of servers near the drink well who have been listening intently.
His eyes meet mine, blazing with anger and something else—something protective, raw, and primal. “We’ll talk about this later,” he says, voice thick with emotion. “Right now, we’re going after him.”
“I’m coming with you. We can’t waste another second.” I nod, swallowing the guilt, knowing I’ve crossed a line. But there’s no turning back now. We’re in this together, and the hunt is on.