Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Staring up at the ceiling, I sink further into the way-too-comfortable bed in my new room at the Pack Crowley estate.
I should get up and start my day. Check on Skye. Call the label to make sure there won’t be any issues with me joining Shattered Horizons. Go to the gym.
Anything but lying here doing nothing.
But I can’t make myself move. My body feels heavy; the dark thoughts crowding my mind digging their claws in and slowly tearing strips off me.
It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this. So hopeless that I can barely find the energy to get up to take a piss, let alone leave my room.
Someone knocks softly on the door, but I can’t make my voice work to answer it. Not that I want to, I don’t want Skye or her mates to see me like this.
It clicks open, the worried scent of moonflower trickling through the gap. Skye’s gorgeous green eyes peek around the edge, meeting mine with a whirlwind of emotion that knocks the breath from my lungs.
“Oh, Caleb,” she whispers, shutting the door behind her and padding over to me.
I clear my throat awkwardly, trying to hide how miserable I am, but I forgot she can probably feel it. Through our Fated connection. The one I left her to suffer from for the last eight years.
Fates, I’m a piece of shit.
She climbs onto my bed and lies down beside me, her head coming to rest on my chest. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”
Tears well in my eyes as the softest purr rumbles through her chest. She’s soothing me when all this is my fault. It’s too much to bear, and I lose the fight to keep the tears at bay. Skye doesn’t comment on them; she just holds me as I fall apart, humming soothing songs and continuing to purr.
“I’m sorry,” I choke out, wiping my face and twisting to my side so she’s buried against my chest.
Fingers press against my lips, silencing my apology. “None of that. What’s happening to us is just a bad twist of Fate. You aren’t to blame, neither am I.”
Jerking my head, I pinch my eyes closed, trying to hide my doubt. No matter how many times they remind me, I can’t force myself to believe it. I was the one who left. Who let my fear of not belonging to her push us apart.
Her fingers crawl up my cheek and into my hair, carefully digging into the messy curls. Feather-soft kisses ghost along my jaw, forehead, eyes, anywhere she can reach.
When she tugs hard on my hair, angling my head so she can continue her path down over the tattoo on my throat, I finally look down at her. She’s watching me, longing and concern evident in her bright eyes.
I release a long breath, muscles melting as I feel the clutches of the dark spiral loosen, slipping away with each swipe of her lips and flick of her tongue.
Skye must see the change in me, or she feels it through our connection, because she melts in relief. Her kisses don’t stop, turning hurried as she tracks over the ink marking my skin. Her tongue is rough as she licks across my nipple, and my cock goes from semi to rock hard in an instant.
My chest is heaving when she reaches the top of my boxers and dips her fingers beneath the band. “You don’t have to…” I trail off when one of her brows raises as she peeks up at me.
“I want to.”
She slowly pushes the fabric down my legs, lips parting softly as she tracks the tattoos covering every inch of me, including the thick, thorny vines inked around my cock. One finger reaches out to trace their path, ending at the metal pierced through my tip.
“I need this,” she whispers reverently, her skin flushing a gorgeous shade of pink. “We both do.”
A groan smothers my response when her mouth wraps around me. The wet heat sends jolts up my spine as I fight against the need to come at just the feel of her touching me again.
“S-Skye.” Digging my fingers into the bedding, my eyes widen as she takes more of me, inching my length into her throat.
I curse when she swallows, losing the fight to keep my hands to myself.
One of my hands flies to her head, tangling in her hair to hold her steady as my hips jerk.
She moans, shuddering as I use her mouth.
“Shit,” I curse, fighting to get control of myself. I should be taking care of her, bringing her pleasure, but it’s been so damn long since someone else has touched me like this.
Feeling her fingers rolling my balls, her throat constricting as I push deeper, is too much. I swear, body tensing as I spill over her tongue. She laps at my tip, shaking my body with aftershocks before she pops off me with a grin.
“Fuck, bunny,” I groan, pulling her into my arms and burying my head into the curve of her throat.
“I forgot how good you taste,” she admits, and I squeeze her tighter.
A squeak fills the air as I flip her onto her back and slam my lips to hers, tasting myself in the kiss. “You’re killing me,” I grumble, hand slipping beneath her sleep shirt to splay against her ribs.
“Death by orgasm, what a way to go,” she teases. Her words taper into a moan when my hand slips higher, palming her breast. Peaked nipples scrape against my skin, begging for my tongue, so I push her shirt up, exposing her chest.
So fucking beautiful.
I’m ravenous now; the beast buried inside me awakened now that she is in my bed.
“Caleb,” she whimpers as I tease her with my teeth.
I take my time, cherishing each moan and breathy cry of my name.
Perfume thickens in the room as I kiss between her breasts and down her stomach.
Her scent is so strong that it makes my teeth throb and my dick swell with the need to sink inside her and mark her as mine.
“Please,” she begs, writhing as I slowly peel her thin panties down her legs.
“Hush,” I chastise, nipping her ankle. “Let me worship you.”
She tracks my every move as I kiss my way up one leg, then the other. By the time I reach the apex of her thighs, the bed is drenched in her slick and her chest is flushed with need.
I inhale deeply, groaning at the familiar smell of her honeyed sweetness. “Fucking mine,” I growl, diving in and lapping up as much of her as I can reach.
Skye shouts, back bowing as I devour her.
I remember every spot that makes her breath catch, the speed and pressure she needs to come, and I take advantage of every memory.
Panting moans fill the air as I push two fingers into her core, fucking her fast and hard with them as I suck her clit between my teeth.
“Caleb.” she cries my name, her release soaking my face and chest as she explodes, head thrashing back and forth on the bed. I slow my furious pace, prolonging her orgasm until she collapses, her body loose and exhausted.
Crawling my way up her body, she wraps her legs around my hips, pressing her core to my cock. Fucking hell. I shake my head, slipping us back over so she lies against my chest. “Rest, bunny.”
Her lip juts out, and I can’t resist sinking my teeth into it. “When I take you again, I won’t be able to hold myself back from bonding you.”
Understanding fills her eyes as she presses her cheek against my heart. “And you aren’t ready for that.”
Gripping her chin, I tilt her head back toward me. “I would claim you in a heartbeat, but you deserve proof of my devotion. Especially after the years of hurt you’ve experienced because of me.”
I can tell she wants to protest, so I silence her with a quick kiss. “Rest. It’s early and I know you’re still tired.” Petting her hair, I brush the sweaty strands away from her face and revel in the feel of her skin against mine.
One day soon, I will claim her. There’s no way I can stay here without giving in to my instincts. But I’m going to earn my place in her heart and her pack before I do.
Before Skye left my room yesterday afternoon, I stammered out a request to take her on a date.
We’ve been on hundreds of dates, but planning this one is more difficult than I imagined. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration, like her fame and the instability of our connection.
The media would have a field day if I took her out somewhere and attacked someone for looking at her wrong, which is a real risk until she wears my mark.
I’m scrolling through date ideas when my phone chimes with a text from my group chat with Matt, Joey, and Lee.
Swiping it open, I’m bombarded with several messages begging me to meet up with them at Fairytale tomorrow.
Apparently, the club is having an ‘Across the Universe’ theme night, which will replace their usual enchanted realm aesthetic with something sci-fi-esque.
That’s a great idea. I know from spending time with Bea and Omen that they take their VIP’s safety extremely seriously, and getting the Crowley pack in shouldn’t be an issue.
Leaving my bedroom, I track Quentin down. Before I respond to the guys, I need to talk to him about the logistics, just in case he doesn’t think it would be safe without additional security.
He’s sitting in the small sitting area on the second floor with a book open on his knee.
I take a moment to study Skye’s quiet, studious Alpha.
Dark, ashy brown hair is perfectly styled on his head, matching the perfect press of his brown sweater and slacks.
Thin-framed glasses sit on his straight nose, and light gray eyes pour over the pages.
He hears me approach and slides a bookmark from the back of his book before setting it aside. “Caleb.”
The sharp head bob he greets me with is frosty, but I’ve realized since meeting him that this is just part of his personality. He only ever truly expresses open emotions with Skye.
Something I can’t fault him for because she makes everything easier, even breathing.
“Hey, can I borrow a few moments of your time?” When he gestures to the chair across from him, I take it, leaning forward onto my knees. “Thanks. Uh, so I plan on taking Skye on a date tomorrow.”
“And you’re nervous about her safety?”