Chapter 8
1933 Words
Chapter Eight
Before he’d finished his second fish, Declan’s eyelids were already drooping closed. Sadie noticed, but didn’t say anything. The man needed his rest.
Whatever fight was coming tomorrow, he’d need to be as strong as possible.
His breathing steadied and softened. He looked so peaceful reclined against the curve of the cave wall. Her wounded lion.
She’d only seen him shift once, but the man was amazing in either form. It was crazy how normal it had all become to her. The existence of shifters. Her father’s secret life. A bunch of assholes trying to kill her.
She kept waiting for the freakout to happen. For her to break down and lose her s**t. But it hadn’t come. Either she was stronger than she ever imagined or being with Declan made it all seem less scary. Or maybe all his talk about finding peace in the storm had rubbed off on her.
Or maybe she was just too tired to take it all in.
It had been a long couple of days, taking care of Declan, sleeping on the cold ground, and trying to survive in the woods. She’d been forced to worry about the problems right in front of her, not the problems of the future.
The problem in front of her right now was making sure Declan was strong enough to get through whatever was coming next. She moved the pot of fish away from him. Then she gently pulled him to the ground, stretching him out on the soft bed of leaves that served as his mattress.
His skin was cold to the touch. She could feel him shivering. The medicine was doing its work, but it took a toll on his body.
She stirred the fire and added a few branches. The flickering flames were warm, but they didn’t seem to have any effect on Declan’s chills.
She didn’t dare make the fire any bigger. Not because she was worried about someone seeing it, but because a bigger fire meant more smoke. The cave didn’t have the best ventilation, and more smoke would make the cramped space suffocating.
She turned to look at him, considering her options. The old fashioned way would have to do.
She crawled up next to him, aligning her body with his. The warmth from her body would hopefully keep the chills away.
It wasn’t that she wanted to be close to him. That’s what she told herself anyway. Sadie wasn’t trying to take advantage of a sick man.
But when she felt his arm drape over her, almost on instinct, she let him pull her close to him. Sadie glanced over her shoulder questioningly, but Declan still seemed to be fast asleep. That was good.
She snuggled up against him, nestling her head on his arm. It felt nice to be held like this by him, even if he didn’t know he was doing it. She felt safe in his arms and warm in his embrace.
Whatever growing feelings she had for the man didn’t matter in that moment. Whether it was pure s****l attraction or something deeper, all she knew was that in that moment, she was happy and at peace.
Tomorrow’s problems would still be there tomorrow. For now, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Sometime later, Sadie was awakened by sounds of distress. Declan was shifting restlessly beside her and crying out in a nightmare voice. She couldn’t make out any words, but there was no question he was calling out for help.
She spun around to face him. Her hand reached out to his shoulders, shaking him gently. “Declan,” she said softly. “You have to wake up.”
His eyes flew open, and what she saw there chilled her to her core. His eyes burned golden and they held a fury like she’d never seen before. But he wasn’t looking at her. He seemed to be looking past her, far away.
“Declan, it’s okay. You’re safe. It was a dream.”
His eyes seemed to clear. The rage faded from them, along with the glowing golden shimmer. He blinked a few times and glanced around, as if remembering where he was.
“Sadie,” he said, his voice filled with relief. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s fine. You’re fine.”
“I had a terrible dream.”
“It’s okay. It’s over.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. “It was you. Something happened to you.”
“I’m safe. You’re safe. It was just a dream.” She whispered it into his ear in soothing tones. It seemed to help. She could feel his body relaxing. His breathing slowing.
He let her go just enough so he could look at her. His face was a jumble of shadows in the light of the dying fire, but it was enough to see the concern in his face. “Thank god you’re safe.” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
It sent a warm shiver through her body. His lips were so tender and loving. So different from the tough soldier that he was.
He looked into her eyes again. Their gazes locked, but this time she saw something other than concern. She saw a fire there, a passionate blaze.
He kissed her. This time on the lips. She melted into him. Her tongue probed between his lips, tangling with his, sending jolts of excitement through her body.
Declan slipped his fingers through her hair on either side of her face, holding onto her like he never wanted to let go.
She ran her hands over his chest, the way she’d wanted to do earlier. Her fingers traced the hard lines of his muscles, feeling them tense up at her touch. There was a power thrumming through his body like a bolt of lightning, straining to break free. She could feel it crackling off his skin, sending jolts of arousal through her core.
He felt so good. So strong. The touch of his lips set fire to her skin, and it was a pleasure to burn.
He trailed kisses down her neck while his hands deftly undid the buttons of her shirt. Then he was kissing her collarbone, her shoulder, and then the tops of her breasts. His hands found her n*****s, hard and straining against the fabric of her bra.
His hands caressed her, tracing spiraling circles around her n*****s. She reached behind herself to unclasp the bra, almost angry at the thin layer of cotton separating her flesh from his.
Her breasts sprang free and he took her hard n****e into his hot mouth. His tongue swirled around, making her moan at the sensation. He kneaded her other breast with his hand, scraping his rough palm over the sensitive point of her n****e.
A raging fire blazed in her core. Her hips shifted against him, desperate and hungry. He pressed against her, pushing his bulging length between her legs. She could feel the heat radiating from it, matching the heat inside her.
He reached down between them to unbuckle her belt. Then he unfastened her pants and pushed them down her hips. His hand found the damp patch between her legs. He stroked her through her panties, following the line of her slit until he found her hard clit.
She ground herself against his stroking hand, needing more, needing to fill the empty ache inside her. He slid his hand into her panties, parting her silky folds with his thick finger.
The feeling was electric. She moaned into his shoulder. Her heartbeat filled her ears and liquid fire filled her veins. He stroked her with his fingers while his palm pressed against her sensitive clit, stoking the flames inside her until she thought they would consume her.
He continued to lick and suck at her breasts. The combination was a symphony of pleasure vibrating through her entire being. She could feel herself swelling upwards, building to the crescendo.
Her excitement peaked, and she felt pleasure roll over her like a wave. Her entire body tensed up with the feeling, and her moans of pleasure were so loud they echoed in the cave.
Declan held her close as she rode out wave after wave of satisfaction. Time seemed to stop, freezing her in that perfect moment, filled with bliss.
When she could think again, she kissed him hard. He met her eagerly, his passion still running high. She wanted to make him feel as good as he’d made her feel. Her hands reached down to unfasten his pants.
She shoved the pants down his hips and grasped his hot, hard length in both hands. He grunted at the feeling of her. He seemed to swell even bigger at her touch.
Sadie stroked him gently at first, savoring the feeling of his throbbing length.
Declan kissed her as she pleasured him. One hand found her breast while the other slid between her legs again. He caressed her in rhythm with her own strokes, matching her pace. She felt the fires rising inside her again at his touch.
He groaned with pleasure while she stroked him. The sound was like an intoxicating drug. Just knowing she was making him feel good and turning him on excited her. She moved her hands faster, more boldly. She felt his hips pumping in time with her hands, like he couldn’t control himself.
She was feeling the same way. The intensity of his caresses had risen too. The feeling of him in her hands, the sound of his ragged breathing, and the expert touch between her legs had her soaring with delight.
She could feel herself getting close again, but she wanted to make sure he came, too. She stroked him harder, faster. Beads of precum slicked his length, smoothing out her strokes.
“f**k,” Declan groaned. “Sadie, that feels amazing. I think I’m gonna—”
His words cut off as his c**k twitched in her hand. The feeling of it sent her hurtling over the delicious edge. Pleasure flooded through her like a crash of thunder. She could feel him coming, his hot seed spilling out of him.
They came together in the darkness, the fires of their passion burning brighter than the fire beside them. They leaned against each other as satisfaction rippled through them. The sounds of their breathing mingling together. Their slick, sweaty skin pressed against one another.
Declan wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close, planting a sweet kiss on her lips. She loved how close she felt to him, not just physically, but close in a deeper way.
Whatever problems were waiting for them didn’t matter in that moment. Those were things that existed in another world, a world that couldn’t touch them out there in the woods, safe in their cave.
“You are amazing,” Declan whispered.
“So are you,” she sighed.
“I’m so happy I found you.”
The emotion in his voice sent another warm ripple of pleasure through her. “You’re just saying that because I saved your life.”
He looked down into her eyes. “You did save my life. Maybe in more ways than one.”
“What do you mean?”
He laid on his back and looked up at the firelight dancing on the cave ceiling. Sadie curled up against him, resting her head on his chest.
“It’s hard to explain,” he said, his voice a low rumble in her ear. “It’s like, I’ve been wandering around since I came home, with no real purpose. No direction. Like if I died it wouldn’t really matter. That’s why I came out here in the first place. I figured if I could help my friend, my life would have meaning. But now, with you, I feel a sense of purpose. A reason to keep going. I’m sure that sounds crazy.”
“No,” Sadie whispered. “That doesn’t sound crazy at all.”
Declan’s hand stroked her back in lazy circles. “The good thing is that I know we’re going to make it through this whole mess.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because it took me my whole life to find you. And there’s no way in hell I’m ever letting you go.”
- Writer
