11. Cherry #2
Maddox appears before me, using his finger to tilt my chin up so I’m looking into his gorgeous green eyes. “I missed this smile,” he says, making my heart leap in my chest. “I still feel like I’ve barely gotten to spend much time with you in your human form.”
I shrug. “Whatever was wrong with me seems to be fixed now.”
“There was never anything wrong with you,” he says with a small frown.
“You know what I mean,” I murmur, my eyes falling to his lips.
“You’re still recovering," he says, making my head pull back a little in surprise. It feels a little like rejection, like a small slap in the face. But then his actions conflict with his words as he steps closer, his hand moving up to cup my cheek.
“But I would be a fool not to take this opportunity to kiss you.” Then he grips the back of my neck and pulls me in, his lips sealing to mine. My fingers dig into his chest as a small gasp escapes me. Not because he kissed me, but because it feels just as powerful as it always has.
My hands move up to wrap around his neck, and he presses his tongue in, caressing mine and reminding me that I’m his.
His hands slowly slide down my body until they’re grasping the bottom of my shirt, then he slowly pulls it up, momentarily breaking the kiss so he can pull it off, leaving me completely naked.
Wanting to even things out, I start to pull at his shirt, and he helps me, undressing as he continues to devour me. Soon we’re completely naked, our bodies tangled together as my core throbs with the need for more.
He lifts me up and steps into the shower, letting the warm water spray down my back as he sets me on my feet. He slows the kiss until he eventually pulls away, cupping my cheeks as he searches my face.
“I’d love to try and bond with you again,” he whispers, making me gasp with a mix of need and hope. “But not yet. You’ve been through a lot, and I think—” He cuts himself off as he licks his lips.
“What?” I urge.
“I think you should bond with Chase and Hunter before we try.”
“Why?” I ask in confusion.
He’s silent for a long moment, making me grow nervous. When he finally speaks, he asks, “Can you trust me when I say I think it’s for the best?”
I frown, considering his words before I nod. I’m not sure why he doesn't want to tell me the reason, but I do trust him. “Okay.”
He smiles, giving me a quick peck before reaching for something off to the side. “Good, now let’s get you cleaned up.”
The next twenty minutes can only be described as agony. Maddox is careful to clean every inch of my body, telling me he needs to erase every trace of what happened. In the end, as I step out of the shower wrapped in the fluffy pink towel, it’s not just my hair that’s drenched.
Silently, Maddox helps dry my hair before braiding it, then he helps me get dressed in sweatpants and a comfortable, fitted T-shirt.
“Hey, are these my clothes?” I ask, realizing they actually fit me properly.
“Yes, everyone’s been adding pieces to your closet.” He stops adjusting the hem of my T-shirt as he glances at my face. “If you don’t like these, there are lots of other options. I just thought you’d like to be comfortable today.”
“This is perfect,” I tell him with a smile.
Although I couldn’t help but think that if I was wearing a dress, there was a better chance at getting one of them to help with the growing need between my thighs.
The entire time Maddox has been helping me, he’s had a towel wrapped around his waist. Leaving his chest bare.
Which just seems cruel to make me stare at that without giving me any relief.
He grabs my hand and leads me down the hall, back to the living room, where the others are all scattered around the couches, except for Gage, who is on his laptop at the kitchen table.
“We’re all going to relax together for the rest of the day,” he tells me. “Go sit with them while I get dressed.” He presses his hand to the small of my back, urging me toward the couch, where Bain snatches me up, nuzzling my neck and making me giggle before he sits me between him and Chase.
I see Maddox disappear down the hall and scrunch my brow. “Why did he walk me down the hall?” I ask in confusion. “Did he think I’d get lost?”
Chase snorts, grabbing my hand and holding it between his. “None of us want to leave you alone for even a second.” I think about how Maddox had me use the bathroom in front of him and realize that’s why he did that. Are they afraid of Blaze snatching me up again?
“Do we know how Blaze got in here and tampered with the systems?” I ask.
Bain and Chase tense beside me, but it’s Gage who answers. “Philip said it was some sort of spell that works on technology, sort of silencing it.”
“And he used a scent blocker so we couldn’t smell him in the house,” Hunter adds.
“His car was invisible,” I tell them. “I couldn’t see it until I was inside it.”
“That spell only works on objects and the things inside them,” Gage reassures me. “Apparently, there is no invisibility spell that works on actual people.”
“What if he used it on some sort of piece of clothing that he wore?” I ask, glancing around the living room. What if he’s here right now?
Gage is silent long enough that I have to look over at him to make sure he heard me. He’s exchanging worried looks with the others, and I realize they’re speaking through the bond.
Tears instantly spring to my eyes, remembering what I’ve lost.
I pull my hand from Bain’s so I can wipe a stray tear away before they notice, but that thought is short-lived.
Bain grabs my wrist, lifting my hand to his mouth as his tongue darts out and touches my finger, where I caught the tear. Suddenly, his hands are on my face, tilting it up so his worried eyes can look into mine.
“Baby, why are you crying?”
“She’s crying?!” Chase asks, sounding just as worried.
I sniffle, telling them, “You were talking through the bond, and it reminded me what I’ve lost.”
Bain’s face crumples as he drags me sideways into his lap and buries his face in my hair, hugging me tightly. “You haven’t lost us, angel. We’re still here.”
“And who knows,” Hunter says, grabbing my foot and giving it a squeeze. “Maybe it will come back.”
“I’ve added infrared sensors to the house,” Gage says, making us turn to look at him. “If it senses anyone's heat signature besides the six of us, I will get an alert.”
That makes me feel a little more relaxed, and Hunter’s next works help even more. “Besides, Erica’s coven shielded our entire house with a protection spell. Nobody should be able to get through it anyway.”
With that thought in mind, I snuggle further into Bain as Chase finds something for us to watch on TV.
“Gage, what are you reading?” I ask, wishing he was also over here relaxing with us. I wouldn’t ask him to join, though. I know if there is something he wants to learn about, he needs to do all the research he can before he can settle.
“I’m trying to see what info I can find on phoenixes."
His answer stuns me into silence. Somehow, I forgot about the fact that I’m not just a wolf shifter.
I’m a hybrid. A phoenix.