Chapter 16

I sat by the phone, eagerly awaiting Layla's call. It was nearly noon, but my nervous stomach wouldn't allow me to eat. James was resting in his room. I'm sure he was just as anxious about the situation and my decision as I was. The clock ticked by slowly, the time easily doubled by my anxiety. The phone rang, but it wasn't Layla's number; I needed to answer regardless.

"Hello.", I said softly. "Kara, listen to me closely. Your mate is on his way; you must choose him. You asked for my advice, and this is it. Distance yourself from the battle that will ensue. Expose yourself only after he is the champion. You must run away as fast as possible if he should fail." Layla hung up the phone immediately afterward, but her words sounded forced.

She didn't even call me by a pet name, which was highly unusual. It sounded like my father was talking to me through her. Had he found out, did she betray my trust? My stomach churned at the thought. 

I replayed her words in my mind. She was brief and didn't give any specific details. I thought to myself, when was my mate supposed to arrive? How would I know when to hide? Then I thought of James; even if I didn't choose him in the end, I still didn't want him to be killed. He was the first person aside from Layla to care for me. He could have lied or withheld the information he found out. Instead, he was honest and forthcoming; he even let me reach out to someone from my past without hesitation.

What was I going to do? I started crying again. Layla wasn't of any help at all with my situation. It was still early for James; he wouldn't be out for several more hours once the sun had set. Yet, all I wanted to do was be next to him, to feel the comfort and protection from his embrace.

My mind was made up, and I stood firmly by my beliefs. I was going to tell James my decision. I walked down the hall to the master bedroom. I knocked softly on the door. I didn't anticipate him opening it, but I longed to be near him. The door opened before I could finish the third knock. He pulled me into the pitch-black room and closed the door. I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face; it was so dark in the room.

He didn't say a word; he just held me close. He laid us on the bed, never letting me go through the process. Was he preparing to say goodbye? "James, I..." He cut me off, not wanting to hear what I had decided, "Shhh, just let me hold you." The request was reasonable, and so I did. We lay there in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company. All my fears and questions about the future melted away, and in that moment, I was at peace. I drifted away into a deep sleep.

...

James woke me up with a kiss on my forehead. As he went to get up, he turned on a small antique lamp sitting on the nightstand by his side of the bed. "I need to shower.", he said. I rubbed my sore eyes and nodded at him. He walked away wearing only his boxers. God, he had a beautiful body. I heard the water start shortly after.

My core awakened upon seeing him. The attraction that I felt was evident to me. The sound of the water dulled as he got in. I should probably shower, too; it might make me feel better. I crawled off of the king-sized bed and headed toward the door. I paused briefly after grabbing the handle to leave, for some reason I was feeling brazen.

I stripped my clothes off right there and headed for the adjoined bathroom. I could see the steam rising from the top of the shower, and the room was already muggy. He must like hot water too, I grinned.

I pulled the shower curtain back slightly, peeking only my head in. I saw him in his full glory—a modern-day Adonis with a substantially larger member. "Care if I join you?", I asked. He opened his red eyes wide, unsuspecting of my presence there. He didn't respond, probably still in shock as I stepped in.

His eyes traced my figure, but for once, I didn't feel ashamed. I let him take everything in. He stepped to the side, allowing the water to flow down my body. It felt amazing; I turned my back to the shower head and drenched my hair. Then, I allowed the water to beat on my tense neck and shoulders.

Opening my eyes again, I saw him examining every inch of my body with his fiery gaze. The water from the shower concealed the fact that my core was dripping. His arousal was not so easily hidden.

I reached for the loofa and soap; lathering it together, I washed his body. I carefully rubbed the loofa over his chest and down his abs, sensually tracing each muscle with appreciation. He stood there and let me have my way with him. He combed his fingers through his wet hair and sighed, letting out a lusty breath. He grabbed my hand as I approached the midway point of his v-cut. "Are you sure you want to start that, love?", he said breathlessly.

I looked up at him longingly with lust-filled eyes. I opened my mouth slightly to respond, but he pressed me up against the shower wall; my breath exited my lungs upon impact. His soapy chest slid up against mine, and my nipples hardened after feeling his skin on mine. His mouth found mine and entered, our tongues fighting for dominance.

Despite the hot shower water beating on us, my skin was filled with goosebumps. My core was drenched, and I could feel the slickness between my thighs. I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding tightly to his hair on the back of his head.

I pulled slightly to force him down. His lips kissed down my neck to my collarbone. I let out a moan as ecstasy filled my body. I pushed him further down, and his tongue traced down my right breast, lingering on my nipple; he teasingly nipped it before leaving a trail of kisses down my stomach as his hands cupped my ass.

He lightly traced his fingers to the curves of my hip bones. I needed to feel a release. He knew and lifted my left leg and rested it on his shoulder. He inhaled deeply, staring up at me. His gaze was filled with passion. "Oh god!", I exclaimed, elongating every vowel.

He kissed and licked my thigh, which was resting on his shoulder. I knew he could taste the juices that flowed freely from my pussy. He slid a finger inside, immediately finding my g-spot, then he lapped and sucked at my clit with his tongue expertly. My eyes rolled back in their sockets as I breathed heavily, feeling numbness starting in my extremities and at the tip of my nose.

He added another finger through my tight lips and continued to massage my core rhythmically. I was going to orgasm at any second. In an intense eruption, juices flowed from my body; my face was fully numb by this point, and I could barely stand. My chest and cheeks were a vibrant red.

He removed his fingers and drank from me as though he had been stranded in a desert, and I was an oasis. This feeling was even better than I dreamed of a few nights ago. Once he got his fill, he began kissing me all over. His lips traced back up my body sensually, causing goosebumps to form a trail following them. 

The water temperature started cooling down; we had been in the shower for longer than I thought. I couldn't hide the gummy grin that had erupted across my face. I stood there for a minute, letting the cool water calm me down.

James just leaned up against the shower wall, looking at me, proud of his accomplishment. He had a devilish grin on his face as he wiped the excess fluids from his lips with his thumb. I was still breathing irregularly, trying to find my usual rhythm.

James stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel lowly around his hips before holding one out for me. I turned off the water and followed him out, wrapping the towel around me. I looked at my reflection in the mirror for a moment.

James was right beside me, yet his reflection was transparent. He looked like an apparition. "My soul hasn't fully been taken over; after this next full moon, you won't see me in the mirror at all.", he said, answering the unasked question as if reading my mind. He wrapped his arms around me and whispered in my ear, "Do you know how hard it is for me to control myself around you?"