Chapter 5Harbor
Chapter 5
HARBOR
Sending the message off, I consider the past week. Luckily, my life has settled down, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still struggling. I miss Bethany every day, and it’s hard getting through my classes, knowing she’s not going to be on the other end of a message or phone call. The Bethany-sized hole in my heart is aching, but yet I feel the healing that’s already begun.
I climb out of bed, noticing the position of the suns in the sky. It’s late in the morning, maybe even past lunchtime. It’s the first day off this week, and I decided a good sleep in would do me good. I stretch my arms, and then my back, and then allow myself a yawn in order to fully wake up. I’m not sure what I want to do for the day, but moving around and getting ready sounds like a good idea.
As I clean up, I feel like a swim would be nice. I wish I could shift, as that would relieve a ton of stress for me at the moment. Being in my other form would allow me to release the tension that my syren form builds up while I’m in my human form. It’s been since that night I was beaten up that I’ve been able to shift, but I don’t allow myself to hope for the chance. Letting the hope build up only digs a hole in my heart when I don’t get the opportunity to shift.
Considering I’m thinking about swimming, I decide I’ll try to stop by the pool after I grab some food. I pack a water bottle and head out, determined to make today a good day.
Walking around, everything seems to remind me of Bethany. Immediately upon exiting the building, the place where she was murdered remains untouched. Maybe I should build some sort of memorial? I’ll have to check with the school to see if that would be possible. I turn down the path toward the café, and when I pass the coffee shop, I think of Talon.
He’s been the sweetest and kindest friend since I first met Bethany all those years ago. More recently, he’s been really attentive, watching over me and being overall protective. When Colette approached me earlier this week, Talon basically stood guard for me, willing to attack her in defense of me. I had to hold him back, metaphorically, but still. The feelings this man elicits in me range from clingy to downright dirty. I didn’t realize just how fit he was until like two weeks ago, and I think he must find me somewhat attractive if I felt what I thought was his hard dick grinding against me.
Talon is awkward, but I understand the awkwardness. He is just that type of person, the kind that I get. He’s hesitant to say certain things, especially when he’s already nervous. When he’s confident about his feelings, though, he will make sure he’s understood. I swear, the protective side of him is fucking hot, and while I can handle myself, I’m thankful to see the extent he would protect me. The power he exuded with the dark magic that day we faced off with Colette was unbelievable. I had to hold myself back from jumping him right then and there.
On the other side of the coin, Kane has been just as attentive. He was there when I needed him the most, immediately after the attack and during the funeral. Looking back, the part I most remember was him being by my side the entire time. I couldn’t say a proper goodbye, since Silas was standing guard by his mother. I was still able to be there, though, and Kane stayed at my elbow through it all. His protectiveness was palpable; knowing he was there only to make sure I was okay allowed me the emotional security to say goodbye to my friend.
I swear, my stepbrother has been anything but since that trip to town to go shopping. Fuck, when he walked into my dressing room and got me off right there… I almost spontaneously combusted. He built me up so fast, and I couldn’t even believe I allowed him to touch me. But I did, and he did, and… I never thought I could react like that to someone, but he had no issue learning and working my body. The last time he had that kind of control over me, he insisted the day was about me; he refused me to help him to get off, and that confused the hells out of me. What guy refused to allow a woman to touch him?
Just as I’m thinking of the particular demon, he shows up, appearing by my side as I walk to the café. What else could be more awkward than thinking about your stepbrother’s dick that he wouldn’t allow you to see or touch?
“Ah, Kaia,” he says as he matches my stride, “how have you been this week?”
I side eye him, wary of the sweet act he’s been portraying recently. He seems so genuine, but the fact that a guy is this attractive and this available to me is practically insane. But, I have to remember–he’s also unattainable. He’s my stepbrother, and that would not work for my father. He’d throw a fit and completely marry me off to some stranger in order to avoid the relationship. Father would do anything to bypass any controversy.
“I’m…okay. It’s been a long week, but I’m getting through it.” He nods in understanding, but doesn’t say a word. I continue walking toward the café, and strangely, Kane remains by my side. I glance at the tall man, wondering what’s going on in his head. It’s then that the message he sent last week replays in my mind. Him dancing, but then the hashtag… Wish you were here.
“So, it looked like you had a good time the other week at the club.” When I notice my nonchalant comment stops Kane in his tracks, I pause and turn back to him. He looks confused, and maybe…worried?
“What, you don’t remember messaging me the night you partied at the club?” Frantically, he pulls out his phone, searching for our message thread. I can tell when he sees the video—he turns a little pale in his face. “Um, are you okay?”
“I, uh, yeah. I’m alright,” he says, but I’m not convinced.
I raise an eyebrow as I walk back to face him head on. “What, did you forget you were hiding the fact that you’re Khaos? Oh yeah, I remember that night. It was fun,” I say with a smirk. “I just didn’t realize until the other night. Why did you hide it?”
“I’m not sure,” he says, lowering his gaze to his phone again. “I’m not ashamed of what I do. Maybe, I don’t know. I thought you might see me differently.”
Stepping forward, I pull his hands into my own and when he looks at me, I smile, trying to put him at ease. “I’m not mad. I wasn’t even mad that night. Granted, things might have been a bit more awkward had I known. This might have been the best outcome, me actually getting to know you without the cloud of that night fogging my opinion.”
“Kaia,” he begins hesitantly, “my goal was never to mislead you. When you came into the dining room that first night, I didn’t know what to say or do. You were absolutely gorgeous, and I was shocked that the woman from the night before, the one I wanted to claim for my own, was my stepfather’s daughter.”
“You just don’t know what was rushing around my head that night, and I don’t blame you for being wary. I was struggling with whether to say something or not, so I wouldn’t blame you if you felt misled.”
I know he feels so bad, so I lean into him and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. When his arms wrap around me, peace settles over me. His warmth suffuses into me, building a fire within me that heats through to my core. Fuck, why does being near him turn me on? Is that his incubus nature? My syren picking up on something? Whatever it is, I feel like something about this man stokes a desire within me from beyond the stars.
Somehow, my body heats even hotter when Kane begins to run his hands up and down my back. A shiver follows, and I can’t help the pant of breath that escapes me. I twitch slightly within his embrace when I think about his large hands and how they would feel on my ass. What I wouldn’t do to have him grip the flesh hard when lifting me to press against his body?
“Gods, Kaia,” he says, elongating his pet name for me into a moan. “I don’t know what you’re thinking about, but you’ve got to stop. I already want you, and the way you’re practically vibrating with lustful thoughts… I’m struggling.”
I pull back slightly and peer up at him, his eyes alight with a blue fire that does nothing to deny his feelings toward me. My own eyes widen, and before I can think, I say the first words in my head.
“What if I don’t want you to stop?” Gods, no wonder his incubus was salivating; even my words are dripping with lust, and I have no doubt my thighs are, too. But when he drops his head, I can only wonder if I said the right words.
A blur of motion startles me, and suddenly, I find myself nearly twenty feet away, deep within the brush of the forest along the path. Kane’s warm lips descend upon mine within moments of me recognizing what just happened, and it’s then I realize what is going on. Fuck, this is actually happening.
Kane brings his hands up my back and cradles my jaw as his tongue sweeps the seam of my lips. I open for him, and the sensation of his tongue invading my mouth gives me pause. I press against his chest, pushing back to look at him.
“What was that?” Confusion washes over his face at my question. I reach up, swiping my thumb across his lip and pulling his chin down. “Your tongue?”
“Ah, it’s in my nature to have a forked tongue, Kaia,” he says with a smirk. He flicks his tongue out, licking his plump bottom lip. “I hid it last time I kissed you, in the fitting room at that boutique. I was still not sure how you’d react, so I made sure to hide the split. When I want to merge the halves, I can.” He demonstrates as the two halves, one with a piercing, merge to form a whole tongue like what I’m used to. “When I let go, the split occurs.”
This is so weird, but when he leans down and strokes the side of my neck, flicking the two tips across that sensitive spot under my ear, I can’t seem to care. “Fuck,” I pant, unable to control my breathing as he chuckles into my neck.
“Shall I find out what other sensitive spots this works on?”
I nod my head frantically, not caring about anything other than the feel of his tongue on my body. I don’t even notice the wall of foliage he draws together with his magic until he strips off my shirt. Looking over my shoulder, I see that now we are hidden from any students walking by. That puts me more at ease, since I don’t want this indiscretion getting back to our parents.
“Mmm, Kaia, you taste like the sweetest fruit. Fucking hells, you smell like a tropical desert, and every time I lick your skin, the taste matches your scent.” He pulls back only to help me lie down on a pallet of soft moss. “Damn, you look so good, laid out before me.” He eases himself to kneel at my feet before he reaches up to pull my shorts slowly down my hips and legs. “You are a sight, Kaia. Gods, I cannot wait to lick and taste every inch of you.”
I wrap my hands around myself since he’s just sitting back on his heels, staring at my body. Even though it’s the simplest of movements, he pounces, grabbing my hands and stretching them over my head.
“Don’t you dare try to hide yourself from me. You are a goddess.” His words whispered into my ear are only fuel for the inferno in my body. And when he grinds his obvious erection that I remember quite clearly, he groans into my hair. “Does it feel like I have any issues with your body?”
“I wasn’t hiding,” I whimper. “I just didn’t know what to do with my hands.”
“Run your fingers through my hair, Kaia. Guide me to where you want my tongue.” With those words, he releases my hands, and I move them to grasp his luscious ebony locks. I whine into his mouth as he claims mine once more. His piercing flicks over my tongue, the hard metal stirring something inside me.
Yanking on his hair, I gasp for a breath as I pull him down to my tits. Kane groans, more than happy to shower my cleavage and nipples with attention. He places trailing kisses from my collarbone down the center of my chest. I’m holding on tight to his hair as he collects the heavy weight of my breasts and nuzzles them. It’s when he leans over, taking one nipple into his mouth and wrapping his tongue around it that I moan out loud.
“Shhh, Kaia. I’ve hidden us from view, but you’re going to have to be a good girl and stay quiet for me so no one comes looking.” I nod at his words, biting my lip hard to remind myself not to let go. “Oh, what part of that did you like? Me calling you a good girl? Or someone finding us? Are you a dirty girl who wants to be watched?”
I squirm as he returns his attention to my nipple, slowing down the licks until he looks up at me. “I asked you a question.” His growled words send a delicious wave of heat down my body, and I can feel the evidence of my arousal gush from between my thighs. “Answer me, Kaia. You’re trying to kill me, so at least answer my question.”
Still biting my lip, I nod emphatically to try to convey what I like. I like it all. I love the praise, but also, yes please to someone watching Kane worship my body. I’ll take it all.
“Oh, I see. You’re trying to be good, but you really are a dirty whore for me, aren’t you? You want all the attention?”
“Fuck.” The word slips out, I can’t take it anymore. I need more from him, and I’m about to make it happen on my own if he doesn’t shut the fuck up.
“Ah, that’s my good little whore. All for me, give it to me.” I go to drag Kane lower, but he resists, nipping at one nipple, and then the other, before relenting. I push him farther down my body, and now he goes willingly, burying his nose in the apex of my thick thighs. “Exquisite,” he rumbles, causing my legs to quiver. “I’ve never smelled the scent of a woman that drives me this feral. Spread your legs, my goddess, and let me worship at your altar.”
I obey, and he rewards me with a swipe of his tongue through my center. That’s all it takes–one taste–for him to devour me. Licking, sucking, flicking his tongue. It’s all so intense, my climax comes out of nowhere. My breath stalls as electricity shoots through my body. Kane doesn’t relent, though, spurred on by his achievement.
He continues his assault on my pussy, sucking on my clit as I attempt to come down from this orgasm. He doesn’t back down, drawing out the pleasure as much as he can before releasing me and letting me fall back to earth. My relief barely lasts seconds, though, as he thrusts his forked tongue deep inside me. He hits a spot that makes me see stars, building me back up at a pace I’ve never endured.
Suddenly, I feel a sharp pinch explode around my clit, and then I’m gone. Whatever he did, I’m now under the influence of the waves of euphoria washing over my body. Never-ending, it’s like the tide, continuing to baptize me in pleasure. It goes on and on, warmth and bliss wrapping me up in a blanket of ecstasy I’m never going to forget.
I’m not sure how long it’s been, but when I finally regain consciousness, I open my eyes to find Kane lying beside me, stroking my body. His feathered touches slowly bring me back, and as I bask in the post-orgasmic glow, I turn to snuggle into him.
It’s then I realize he is still clothed. In all that time, it never dawned on me that he hadn’t undressed. I go to reach for his pants, but Kane stops me.
“No, Kaia. This was me honoring and worshiping you. I have a feeling that you are going to change everything, and I want you to know I’m here for you.”
With his kind words, I relax into his arms once more. At this point, I’ll take the change my life has taken and accept it with open arms. I’ll never turn down someone who’s got my back. Except, in Kane’s case, it might come with extra benefits. Who am I to argue?