Chapter 25 - Rhys
Bright sunlight dapples down through the leaves of the trees, heralding the soft breeze that cools the sweat across my brow.
The smell of smoky barbecue sauce and sizzling beef ribs wafts up from the skillet in front of me, and I take a deep breath, relishing the scent and the low growl in my stomach.
“Are they ready, Daddy?” Cassie asks, bouncing up and down next to me.
“Not yet, sweetheart,” I say. “Do you want a hot dog instead?”
“Sure,” she says, grinning up at me. I quickly heat up a bun and fill it with sausage, sauce, and just a little mustard.
“Thank you,” she says as I hand it to her. “I still want ribs, though. And chips.”
“Are you a bottomless pit?” I ask, laughing as I tickle her. “I know you’re growing fast, but where do you put all that food?”
“Mommy says it’s my magic,” Cassie says, giggling as she avoids my tickles. “When we use magic, we use more energy, and we need more food.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
“We especially need sugar,” Cassie says, very seriously. “Like cookies and cake.”
“I think Mommy may be working an angle here,” I say, raising an eyebrow.
“No way,” Cassie says, winking. “It’s honestly the truth!”
I reach out to tickle her again, but she bounces away, eating her hot dog as she joins up with the other kids. I shake my head as I turn back to tend to the grill, marveling at how much my daughter has grown in a few short months.
Since the spell, Cassie has seemed far more mature, and after celebrating her fourth birthday a couple of weeks ago, her intelligence made a massive jump. Suddenly, the games Jean runs for the other kids were too easy for her, and it looks like she’s ready for “big school.”
Jean warned us that we’d have to be very careful because a child prodigy like Cassie would attract attention in the human world, and we’d have to decide very carefully if the benefit outweighed the risk.
At least we don’t have to worry about that right now, I think to myself, looking up into the trees again.
I close my eyes, feeling the heat of the sun rippling on my face as the cool breeze rustles the leaves again.
All around me are sounds of laughter and contentment, and I literally can’t believe how lucky I am.
“Hey, you,” Sadie’s lips brush against my neck as she whispers in my ear, and I feel her arms link around my waist. “Are you daydreaming over the grill again? If you burn those ribs, Rafe will never forgive you.”
“I’m not burning them,” I protest. “They just need to be properly caramelized.”
“You said that last Sunday, and they ended up black.”
“Not my fault!” I protest. “It’s you, woman, showing up like this and distracting me. I will not be blamed.”
Sadie presses herself up against my back, running her hands up my belly as she rests her chin on my shoulder.
“Hmm. I guess I'd better stop, then.”
“Don’t you dare,” I laugh.
For a few moments, we stand quietly together, enjoying the closeness as we look out across the park. The children are happily playing. Even the older folk of the pack are moving around freely, enjoying a new vitality that surpasses the energy levels they had before the sickness struck.
“Even before the disease, we were sick,” I say softly. “We just didn’t know it.”
“It’s wonderful to see everyone doing so well,” Sadie says.
Even though she’s come so far, I know she still carries the weight of Rachel’s death and the others who died before we could break the curse. Every day that goes by, she heals a little more, but she may never forgive herself for not being able to save her friend.
“Alright, you two,” Rafe says, walking up to us and taking the tongs out of my hand. “I’m not having a repeat of last weekend. You two, get out of here, and I’ll take control of the grill.”
“Mighty generous of you,” I reply, laughing. “I happily concede control.”
“You’d better,” Rafe says, waving the tongs.
“I’m sorry to ask, Rafe,” Sadie says. “But have you heard from the others?”
Rafe looks down, sighing as he shakes his head. “The news isn’t good.”
“Tell me,” Sadie demands.
“The council members from the other packs have not improved,” Rafe says. “Only Faye and I got better, and the cure has only worked for our pack.”
“Owen and Shane told me the same,” I say. “The potion Sadie came up with before the cure slows it down, but none of them were affected by the spell we cast.”
“I have to go back to the books,” Sadie says. “There has to be something we can do.”
“It has to do with love,” I say firmly. “And forgiveness.”
“When did you become a sage?” Sadie asks.
I shrug. “It’s just what I know. I felt it in the circle. The others will have to find their mates, just like I did.”
Rafe turns away to poke the ribs, and Sadie just puts an arm around my waist. Whether I’m right or not remains to be seen, and it’s up to the other packs to make the final decision.
Sadie tugs on my waist lightly, and we start to walk around the edge of the park, greeting people as we go. It warms my heart to see how many people want to talk to Sadie, and how much they love her.
We’ve come a long way from our old prejudice. Even the other packs have respect for Sadie now. No one would dare speak against her.
As we reach the edge of the forest, Sadie steps away from me, tugging on my hand as she turns to run into the woods. I follow her, rushing through the trees, only to find that she’s vanished.
“Sadie?” I ask, turning around in a small circle.
She doesn’t respond, and even though I stretch out my senses, I can’t hear or smell any sign of her. A flicker of worry lashes my chest, and my heart speeds up a little.
“Ha!” Sadie yells, bursting out from behind a nearby tree. She tackles me, her arms going around my waist and her body slamming into mine. We both go down, tumbling over each other in the long grass.
“It’s so weird how you can do that,” I say as we roll to a stop with Sadie on top.
“Sneak up on you, or knock you on your ass?” she giggles.
“Both!” I reply, and she laughs even harder as she runs her hands across my chest.
“I don’t think you mind that much,” she says, her voice low and deep. She tightens her grip on me with both her hands and knees, keeping me still as she leans down.
“Not that much,” I whisper just before her lips touch mine.
Sadie kisses me deeply, her tongue sweeping into my mouth and teasing my own. She tightens her grip with her knees, her hands gripping my shoulders as she rocks back and forth. I try to reach up and grab her, but she giggles through the kiss, pinning me to the ground.
“Not fair,” I say before her lips lock on mine again. I relax under her, letting the sensations sweep through me and giving up control as she loses herself in the kiss. When I can feel her relaxing against my body, I run my hands up her arms gently, then grab her and flip us over.
“That’s not fair!” she laughs, wriggling under me. I grab her hands and pin them above her head.
“Hmm, seems fair to me,” I reply, kissing her.
I take my time, gently kneading her lips with mine, pulling back with light touches, then leaning down to kiss her deeply, feeling her open up to me and relax into the ground.
My hands roam up and down her sides, and I start to slide down her body, teasing her through the soft fabric of her dress.
Slowly, I push the skirt up her thighs, savoring the moment as she opens her legs.
“You’re not wearing panties,” I chuckle. “I’m starting to feel this might have been a set-up.”
Sadie blinks innocently and bites her lip. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I bet you don’t,” I say wryly, putting one hand behind her knee so I can kiss the soft skin of her inner thigh. Slowly, I make wet patterns with my lips and tongue, teasing her as I make my way slowly down to her pussy.
I pause for a moment, and Sadie puts her hands on my head, thrusting her hips towards me. I chuckle as I wrap my arms around her thighs and then dive straight in, plunging my tongue into the warm, slick folds to find her throbbing clit.
Sadie moans, her hand tightening on my head as she thrusts her hips towards me. I use the tip of my tongue to trace a trail all the way down to her slit, groaning as I bury my mouth deep in her pussy, lapping into her as she squirms and writhes under me.
I tighten my grip on her thighs, holding her tightly against my mouth. Her hand disappears from my head, and I can feel her bucking up and down as pleasure ripples through her. When I can feel her trembling, right on the edge, I run my tongue back up to her clit and suck on it as hard as I can.
Sadie screams, just once, her hips bucking up and down. I hold her thighs tightly, lapping at her clit with the flat of my tongue until another orgasm rushes through her. Groaning in ecstasy, I eat my way downwards again, licking up her sweet juices as she comes again.
I feel her hand on my head, and I look up to see her panting, her whole body shivering as she looks down at me.
“I can’t…” she breathes. “Please. I need your cock.”
I let go of her thighs, crawling my way up her body and brushing her hair from her cheek.
“What my lady wants, she gets,” I tease.
She smiles, rocking her hips towards me as she wraps her legs around my waist. “Good to know,” she whispers, kissing me gently.
I slide my hands down her sides, wrapping my arms under hers to pin us together. I thrust forward until I can feel her slick, throbbing pussy against the head of my cock, and I tease up and down, almost but not quite entering her.
Sadie growls, her hands clawing my back as she digs her heels into me, thrusting her hips wildly.
I hold myself still, laughing a little, then relax my arms, lowering my hips enough for her next thrust to fully connect.
Sadie gasps, her heels digging into my ass as she thrusts her hips towards me, burying my cock inside her as deeply as it can possibly go.
She rocks her head back, her hands clinging to my back as her legs grip my sides. I feel a shudder move through her, and she relaxes a little, holding me gently as she curls her body around mine.
I tighten my grip on her a little and start to move in long, incredibly slow strokes, treating her to the full length of my cock before slowly thrusting back into the deepest part of her.
As she begins to gasp and writhe, I keep up my slow, steady pace, waiting for another orgasm to flood through her.
When she suddenly yells and clings to me, thrusting desperately as her inner muscles clench and spasm, I stay still, keeping my cock thrust deeply inside until the orgasm subsides.
Sadie’s cheek rests against mine, and I can hear her murmuring under her breath as her arms and legs cling loosely to me. I kiss her gently, feeling her tongue flickering against mine as I take my time on a long, deep kiss. Her body spasms around me again, and I’ve finally reached my limit.
I brace my knees on the ground, grabbing her shoulders tightly as I thrust into her, hard and deep.
Sadie throws her head back, her body wrapped around mine as I thrust into her hard and fast, over and over again.
Chills rush across her skin, and I feel her deepest muscles wrapping around my cock again as a massive orgasm explodes through her, timing perfectly with mine as my last hard, deep stroke triggers my own climax.
Sadie relaxes against me, and I put my cheek against her shoulder, feeling her heart drumming crazily against mine. As my breathing slows, I slide down beside her, wrapping her in my arms. Sadie snuggles against my chest, the warmth of her pleasure still rising from her skin.
The wind rattles by above our heads, making the leaves flicker sunlight down on us. A small spray of flower petals dances through the air above us, as if drawn by Sadie’s power. I feel the harmony in the air, and I know I’ve never been so happy or full of hope.
“I love you,” Sadie whispers, and I tighten my arms around her, my heart feeling so full, it could almost break my chest.
“I love you, too,” I reply.
Sadie’s love is a palpable force, something I can feel on my skin and breathe in with her sweet scent.
And this isn’t just witch magic… this is the power of love. This is the force that healed us—and can heal us all.
*****
THE END