20. Amethyst
Twenty
Amethyst
T he thrumming of the tires against the pavement is the only sound for several long moments. I’d suggested we talk in the car to be able to make it to Vrynthis on time. Amethyst, you are not human. Skyler’s statement rings in my ears. Finally, I break the silence.
“You knew?”
Of course he did, you fool. “You know?” Skyler asks, shock evident in his tone.
“My mother graciously told me today... When I confessed the strange dreams I’d been having.” I make sure to leave out the part about what that particular dream had been about. “I guess you’ve known all along?” A lump forms in my throat.
“Not in the beginning.” Skyler admits. The emerald lights from the dash illuminate inside the car just enough to see the uncertainty in his eyes. “You call yourself human and I also believed that. Until you ran into me when leaving for your lunch that first day.”
His hand settles on my thigh, “With that touch, I knew you weren’t human because...” He trails off but I push the subject. I want to know everything. “Because?” I ask, tilting my head to look into his eyes.
Skyler inhales deeply as if he’s afraid of what he has to say. “Because that’s when your wolf must have awoken. That’s when I felt the fiery warmth in my left hand for the first time. The warmth of a bond — our bond.” I raise a brow, silently urging him to continue.
“Our mate bond.”
Oh! Creators... Skyler and I are mates? I’ve heard of the sacred bonds between shifters. Between all paranormal, really. Although it’s different for every species.
“I know this is all new to you. I can explain everything to you and answer any questions you might have. I’d also understand if you want to… reject the bond.” He winces at the words, and I clutch my chest. Just the thought of rejection is like twisting a knife in my heart.
“No!” I shake my head fiercely, reinforcing, “No, I don’t want that at all.” The inkling of pain I had felt over finding out he knew about me resurfaces. “It’s just... Why didn’t you tell me before now?” My fingers trace the knuckles of his hand still resting on my thigh.
Skyler glances my way, offering me a half smile.
“All of the reasons are drenched in stupidity. The truth is, I should have told you when I realized it. Alas, I did not. And for that, I apologize, Amethyst.” He clicks on the blinker, easing into the left lane to pass some slower traffic. We’re well outside of Tarot Lake now.
“There were three reasons. First, the selfish part of me that didn’t want to lose you if you chose to,” he grits his teeth, “reject me.
“For a time, I was confused as to what you were. Then I started seeing you. The wolf you. You always just... disappeared. I thought I was losing my mind. I see now that was your affinity — even if I don’t know exactly what that entails.”
He traces gentle circles on my thigh. “Most importantly, I didn’t want to push you into something you weren’t ready for.” His lips turn down. “Even before you opened up to me, I could sense your pain, your troubled thoughts. I wanted you to come to me when you felt it was right.
“But it became increasingly clearer to me that you were unaware of your lineage. I knew I needed to tell you, and on the Goddess herself, I promise I was going to tell you today. I had decided you deserved to know the truth, no matter what that meant for me.”
Sliding my hand under his, I weave our fingers together. I believe him. I know there was no ulterior motive for keeping quiet about what I was. What I am. Skyler has never given me a reason to question how he feels about me.
Has he fallen as completely as I have?
My heart is beating too fast; my mind racing with all of this new information. Me and my family are inhuman. All along I had the power to save myself from Enzo. Skyler is my mate.
It’s too much and I can’t breathe.
Gasping for air, tears make their way down my cheeks. I hold onto Skyler’s hand like my life depends on it. In this moment, it might. That touch is the only thing holding me here. If I break the tether, I’ll float away, lost to my messy mind.
Wiping a stray tear I notice Skyler preparing to take an exit. “I’m okay.” The words are a whisper, hardly convincing. “Don’t stop.” I say with more conviction. He looks tormented but turns the blinker off as he picks up speed again.
“I just don’t know what to do with all of this.” With a deep, steadying breath, the words pour out. “My world was forever altered today. My mom is a witch apparently. What a great job she’s done hiding that fun fact for twenty-four years.”
“My dad’s the shifter, which made me one too. Which means I could’ve eaten that fucking vampire’s heart out. But no one deigned to tell me that tidbit.”
My free hand runs through my hair, wavey strands twisting around my finger, while the other continues holding tight to his. “And after harboring indifference for the paranormal all this time, after thinking of them as monsters, now I am one. My entire life has been a lie. What do I do now?”
“You are no monster, Sunlight.” Skyler’s answer sinks in, wrapping itself around my heart. His certainty makes me believe it too. “What one is does not determine its wickedness. Only actions can deem one a monster. Yours are the farthest from malicious.”
My vision is locked on him, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest, but I release the words anyway. “You had already changed my mind. You had made me see that just because someone was other, it didn’t mean they were hard wired to be vile.
“You make me see the light in this world, make me believe in dreams. Skyler, I’ve fallen for you. Even before I knew how intricately entwined our souls were, I fell.”
Skyler groans. The warmth from where our hands touch spreads through my body; every nerve set on fire by the longing hazel gaze now locked on me. His eyes devour me, and that warmth settles in my chest. An almost unbearable plead — touch me, kiss me, claim me.
With a strength that I clearly do not possess, Skyler keeps the car straight, steering us toward the correct exit according to the GPS.
With a soft exhale comes his response, “Sunlight, from the moment you first stepped into Burrow’s I was drawn to you.
I couldn’t make sense of it I just knew I was yours in every sense of the word.
“Getting to know you was like opening the door to a piece of my soul I didn’t realize was missing. Each day I fell deeper and deeper until I was hopelessly lost in you.” Even though we’re in a heavy spot of traffic, he sends a quick grin my way.
“The bond is just a bonus. With or without it I would’ve thrown myself at your feet and begged for even a drop of your radiance.” He gently squeezes my hand. “I am completely fucking gone for you, Amethyst.”
The blinker clicking is the only sound for a few heartbeats. I let his words settle into me and tuck them away into a secret corner of my mind. To keep them safe and remembered.
Skyler Ashford... is mine.
The thought was meant as a question but came across as certainty from a part of me I’ve never felt before — the wolf in me. Any response is chased away by the familiar red light of the Burrow’s sign leaking through the windows, reality drenching me in icy water.
Skyler Ashford may be mine but in this moment, he is still my boss. We are still in Vrynthis on business. And I still need to figure out how to get out of my commitment to Burrow’s.
“At least for tonight let’s keep our semi-professional relationship?
” My voice cracks at the end, a joyful laugh slipping out.
Skyler tilts his head with a playful grin tugging at his lips.
“We have a relationship? No take backs!” He reaches out, taking my cheek in his hand.
With a brush of his thumb, he closes the distance.
Sparks explode behind my eyelids. Fire dances through my body. I feel his kiss everywhere. It’s too much. Not enough.
Nothing has ever felt this right . His lips pressed against mine. Entirely perfect. Every choice has led to this moment. It was always meant to be this way. Any path would have led me back home.
To him.
My hands thread into his hair. I need him closer. I need more of him.
Somehow, I manage to formulate a thought.
You’re at work.
“Skyler,” I breathe against his lips, “I said semi-professional.” Without pulling back, he answers, “Exactly, semi -professional. We aren’t inside the store and no one’s here to witness.” On a soft exhale, I melt into him.
He deepens the kiss, pulling my bottom lip between his teeth. A deep need stirs within me. My hand moves on instinct, sliding down Skyler’s chest. I clutch his black polo to pull him closer to me. More than happy to oblige, his free hand finds my waist.
I have never felt this way before. The world has blurred and dissolved away. Every inch of my body hums with desire. Allowing my hands to explore him, letting my tongue dance with his, this is all that matters.
Skyler is all that matters.
His fingers barely dip under my sweater and brush the bare skin of my side.
The electric contact pulls a gasp from me.
Breaking the kiss, I drown in the hazy longing in his eyes.
As I try to catch my breath, the warmth in my chest is like gravity.
Pulling me toward him; planting the thought that I need his mouth on me there.
Mustering every ounce of my willpower, I try to steer us back on track.
“Shall we finish this shift?” I ask, breath still shaky from our kiss.
Skyler’s eyes tell a different story, but reluctantly, he agrees.
“If you say so, Boss.” He winks and I feel it between my legs.
I grab my phone and slip it in my pocket.
Reaching for the door handle, my thoughts wander.
Do I say so? Because at this point, I’d rather climb in his lap and continue exploring his body.
“You’re torturing me with those eyes, Sunlight. My professionalism is hanging on by a very fragile thread.”
Skyler’s voice breaks through my internal monologue. Clearing my throat, I try my best to calm the desire buzzing through my veins. “Right. Let’s do this.”