Chapter 30
Rani
Warm rays of sunshine swept across the bed, finding my bare skin and soaking beneath it to the sore muscles waiting there. My back bowed in a lazy stretch as flashes of the night before came back to me in a slow reel.
Ezra.
His hands on me and the tender but brazen way they drew pleasure from what felt like a never-ending well. The way his lips sipped from me; his tongue plundered; his fingers—fuck, there weren’t enough words to describe what he did. My drowsy grin blazed with satisfaction.
Inside my chest, my heart skipped, and another presence leaped with it, then matched its tempo at a steady beat.
Ezra and I separated some time while we were asleep, but our bodies refused to move too far.
One of my legs draped over his, and his hand lay slack on the curve of my breast. I knew he was still asleep without looking; knew he was at peace, content, because he was a part of me now.
It was like my soul shuffled around to make room for his.
Where before it was only empty space and rage, now it was a perfectly cut, missing puzzle piece.
Feeling whole wasn’t something I could fully wrap my head around yet.
For too long, I’d been functioning with failing patches and barely sealed cracks, but I didn’t have to scramble to seal them off anymore, and that relief was foreign to me.
I felt different but the same. Definitely sore. And also a little unbalanced.
Ezra and I were like a small, floating island made up of only the two of us.
Wherever the waves rocked me, he came too, and when his side went under, I spun off kilter.
Being tied to someone like that was a lot, even if it was what I wanted.
Just the thought of having to learn how to control this new connection brought on a little bit of anxiety—okay, some panic too—enough to increase my heart rate and reach Ezra in his slumber.
Pale blue eyes blinked open and sharpened to a concerned gaze that met the restless turmoil in mine.
I’m sorry. My tone was low and flustered. I couldn’t figure out how to shut it off.
Yet another difference with the bond. Before, I could concentrate and block him out. How did one still do that when the person they were trying to hide from was already behind their walls?
Is everything okay?
He glanced around the room, searching for threats, and I felt even more stupid.
I’m thinking too much, that’s all.
By the way my residual panic probably echoed in his chest, he knew that was an understatement, but I didn’t want to worry him. I didn’t want him to think I had any regrets. My body and how I understood it changed yet again, and I was dealing with it. I asked for it.
“You can still block me out with practice,” he finally said, after a long period of silence where I was pretty sure he spied on my inner freak out. “Do you want to try?”
“How did you—” I sighed in relief. Never mind. “ Yes .”
His hands slowly lifted from my chest to brush the hair out of my face. I rolled onto my side so I wouldn’t get a crick in my neck, and now our faces were perfectly lined up.
“It’s just like before, where you built a wall to keep me out, only this time you need to put that wall around yourself and your emotions. Keep them contained to only you.”
To only me? But he was in here, too! Wait.
I knew exactly where he was, what parts of me his soul liked to hang out in.
So, technically, I should be able to put a wall in front of those places.
It actually reminded me of what Eryn taught me about keeping the djinn out of my head; similar concepts at least. Ugh, this was starting to feel like more magick homework.
“Put up your wall and we can test it. I’ll knock before I speak. If you can’t hear me, then it worked. Okay?”
I nodded and tried to focus. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought, since I already had practice when our bond was more of a bridge, but it definitely required a little more finesse. Once the walls were between me and all the places I felt Ezra, I gave him a thumbs-up. Here went nothing.
Good morning …
Dammit. My wall crumbled in one section, right where he knocked. I hastily tried to refortify my defenses. Not that hearing Ezra greet me in that low, rumbling tone was something I wanted to get away from.
… my little sea slug.
Annnnnnnd I was done.
“Did you just call me a slug?”
There wasn’t even mischievous mirth coming from him. It wasn’t a joke. He was serious.
“A sea slug,” he restated. “They’re majestic and brightly colored.”
I knew exactly what they were. Hello, marine biology major. But still.
“A damn slug, Ezra?” With a huff, I rolled out of his arms and off the bed, then walked… well, kind of limped… to the bathroom and shut the door.
“But… but… the prettiest one I’ve ever seen!” Ezra wailed from the other side.
Bonded or not, he had to work on his wooing compliments, because absolutely not. The sound of the rain shower covered his attempts to backtrack, and I patiently waited for steam to build behind the glass before stepping inside.
I focused on maintaining my freshly rebuilt walls; there was no need for Ezra to know I wasn’t really mad. Although, if my walls still sucked he already did. Scalding water fell over the knot on the top of my shoulder, and I groaned in bliss. I was so fucking sore, but in the most pleasant way.
Inside and out. Like I’d been well used.
I smirked at that thought. We hadn’t held back last night, that was for sure.
The sound of Ezra’s phone ringing and him answering told me he wasn’t going to follow me in here with more slug nonsense.
Taking advantage of his distraction, I used the shower to its full potential.
When the water ran cool and the lingering soreness in my muscles demanded a soft bed, I toweled off and aimed for an afternoon spent snacking and napping.
Excitement lingered just outside my mental walls, scratching like a wriggling puppy.
Whatever happened on that phone call, Ezra was eager about it.
He waited for me, sitting on the side of the bed, as I came out of the bathroom with a damp towel around my hair. I felt him knock, and smiled when my wall didn’t crumble this time. It took focus to pull it back long enough to answer, but I was getting the hang of it.
Yes?
The gleam in his eye was from anticipation.
Kai and Eryn were successful.
My mouth dropped. That was fast. I was worried it would take them weeks to track down Frederick. We were mid-summer now, and I’d already resigned myself to having to miss the fall semester, but maybe there was hope that I didn’t have to delay returning to school.
Things are going to move fast, Ezra continued, pulling his shoes on. We need to figure out how we’re doing this before Soloman catches wind that his nephew is here.
I didn’t bother rushing to get dressed; that wasn’t an invitation.
He was going to work, and I wasn’t anywhere near trained enough to join him.
With the towel still wrapped around my body, I followed dutifully as Ezra headed to his truck.
Before climbing in, he spun around and cupped my face, taking a moment to search my gaze.
If he thought I’d be upset about being left at home, he was wrong. I knew the difference between helping and hindering, and I had no misconceived notions about my abilities.
“Stay and rest,” he whispered, then left a sweet kiss on my lips. “Hopefully, this will be quick, and when I come back we can…play.”
My body knew exactly what he meant, and it shivered with impatience. Another quick kiss and a saucy wink, and Ezra was pulling down the dirt road and on his way to set me free. Passing time when you knew something big was going down was kind of a mind fuck.
I had to trick myself into doing small, menial things like eating and cleaning the kitchen. Eventually, my body had had enough. My earlier shower eased the stiffness from my body, but it couldn’t take my pains away completely or curb the headache growing over my left eye.
No, only saltwater could do that.
Not even fifteen minutes later, I was in my bikini and at the pond, floating on my back through the crystal water. It was a bright, clear day and exactly what I needed. My body healed, and my magick replenished, fueled by the little bit of ocean that made it all the way out here.
Little whirlpools spun in the shallows beneath the willow tree.
I fueled their rotation and held on as I reached back out to call even more water to my bidding.
Bubbles. That’s what was needed. They couldn’t float on their own, but I used more magick to hold them aloft.
The sun retracted through their curved surface and sent a mirage of rainbows dancing around me like a spinning disco ball.
Power swirled in my gut until I felt gorged on it.
There was so much, more than I’d ever had room for before.
Was this another side effect of bonding?
I knew Ezra and I were stronger together, but no one told me it would be like this .
I didn’t even break a sweat. It was literally nothing to freeze those bubbles and drop them back into the pond like ice in a glass of sweet tea.
I wasn’t sure how long I played, but I never grew tired, and the sun had already begun its descent.
Ezra was going to be so fucking proud. I’d drag him down here as soon as he got back, I didn’t care if it was midnight by then.
I’d show him what I could do, how my control had grown, bask in his pride, and then celebrate with round after round of toe-curling sex.