Authors: Sarah Brocious
“You shouldn’t have come here alone Nolan,” she sighed. “You are too important now to your people.”
“You are what’s important to me,” he growled. “To hell with everyone else!” His silver eyes glinted sharply.
Raina shook her head at him. “You don’t mean that. You care for so many, so I know that is a lie!”
He sighed audibly. “Yes, but you are what is most important to me.”
She couldn’t help her smile. Nolan wanted her…risked all for her. “Thank you.”
“That smile,” he murmured. “I’d do anything for it.”
Raina shook her head. “I must look awful,” she whispered.
“You are perfect,” he argued. “I am using all my control just to stay where I am!”
She blushed, and he smiled that slow sexy smile of his.
“It’s a shame that even if I could touch you now…the way I want to touch you could harm you.” His eyes softened. He knew it was a lie, but he wasn’t sure if now was a time to reveal all. “It’s torture to me.” He tugged lightly at the cuffs around his wrists.
“I have a theory," she said softly, shyly.
His silvers twinkled. "Your theories never cease to amuse me. Go ahead." He drew in a deep breath.
She bit her lip. "I think you could make love to me without hurting me."
The muscles in his chest and abdomen contracted with his growl. "Aelan!" The word was whispered, but it held great authority. "You know how it is."
She nodded. "Hear me out, please.” She tried to hide her amusement, lest she reveal her little secret.
He sighed. “Fine…continue.”
“I know you have a great gift...a rare gift. Your presence alone can heal things inside me...I didn't know I needed healed. How could any possible harm come from you loving me?"
He pulled in a breath. "Aelan," he moaned. "Do not tempt me."
“We’re chained up Nolan…I think you’re safe.”
He grinned. “Still…”
She nodded sadly. "It is only a theory."
He chuckled. "One I will not test on you."
Raina bit her lip. "You would test it on others?"
His gorgeous frowny face appeared. She hid her smile.
"Never! There will never be anyone else but you Raina. Not for me...ever."
"So you have never..."
"Ever," he whispered.
"How?"
"Self-control."
She nodded. "You are good at that."
He chuckled. "You are the only one who has tested my control...on frequent bases. This is how I know I can't trust myself with you. I've always been able to abstain. I am a man after all...I have urges. I could control them...until you."
“And how do you control yourself now?”
He grinned. “Holding on by the barest thread of my control,” he whispered.
Raina bit her lip, liking that. “And cold showers?”
He barked a laugh. “Yes, Aelan…freezing cold showers. Even they do not always work.”
Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she was happy for the low light.
“Prettiest shade of pink there is,” he murmured.
She opened her mouth in surprise. “How?”
“I love how you so easily forget I am immortal.” His eyes held hers. “I can see everything!” He pulled in a breath, as a desire to kiss her make his pulse leap. “But you just see me don’t you, Aelan?”
She nodded.
He pulled in a breath. He couldn’t believe he was here with her. He had gotten to her! And she could not resist, even in this dire moment to tease him.
“I wish I could touch you,” she whispered. “I need to.”
His gorgeous frowny face appeared, making her tummy take a tumble. “Do not tempt me.”
“Just words,” she sighed. She pulled at her cuffs. “You and your virtue is safe…we are in restraints.”
Nolan’s brow furrowed. “What? These?” He twitched his wrist, and the cuff broke away as if it were a piece of straw.
Raina laughed with surprise, as he sat up in his bunk, and rubbed his wrists. “Why didn’t you do that from the beginning?”
“I was practicing my control.” He slowly stood, testing the strength in his legs. He was whole again. He cleaned the blood from his lip onto the back of his sleeve. He smiled at her, and made his way to her bunk, sitting next to her, as she lie, smiling up at him.
“Undo me,” she pleaded.
Nolan smiled devilishly. “If you behave.” He tapped the tip of her nose. His teeth gleamed white in the dark room. “I should have thought to use those….keep you in one place so I could keep you safe.” He chuckled deeply.
She blushed. “Why did they cuff you if they knew how easily you would break free?”
He shrugged, brushing the hair from her face. “They thought it would hold in my weakened state. Healers have not been tested to know their true strength. Well, tested until now. The beating I received…would have an immortal down for days, not hours.”
She smiled. “See? You are specia,l Nolan.”
He grinned back. He lowered his mouth, brushing it gently over hers. It was torture in its most exquisite form. “I have missed you,” he breathed. “I would have died a thousand deaths to get to you Raina!”
Raina liked the feather light touch of his mouth, but it wasn’t enough. “Undo me, Nolan, please.” Her whisper came out hoarse.
He grinned. “Oh I could undo you,” he growled.
Raina blushed. “My hands you silly man!”
“Maybe later,” he growled. Nolan took her mouth gently with his, liking the soft whimper at the back of her throat. His breath burned in his chest, as he restrained himself from the touch, the kiss he really wanted to give her. He breathed in deeply, as he pulled away. “I feel safer with you tied up.” His silvers danced down on her.
Raina stared up at him, eyes still dazed from his kiss. “Scardy Cat,” she goaded him
He felt a pull of desire, and sighed, snapping the cuffs with his hands.
Raina was up and in his arms, as though she were the one with immortal strength. Her arms wrapped about his neck, her fingers deep in his hair, and her mouth stealing away his breath, his senses.
Nolan breathed in her scent…gloried in her touch. He himself could not keep from touching her, tugging her closer. He laid her back on the bunk, and took over, covering her face with kisses, caressing her, loving her.
Raina arched below him, wanting every bit of her to be touching him. She loved the rough calloused hands on her, the warm mouth over her own, the masculine scent of him, and the heaviness of his muscled form pinning her down. This was not where she imagined her reunion, but it was as close to heaven as she could imagine at this moment! “Nolan, please,” she whispered.
He sighed, shifting her beneath him, and taking her mouth possessively. He loved her mouth, until he had to come up for air. Her breaths mingled with his. “I’ve learned,” he whispered. “There are others like us.” He nipped at her ear, as he lowered her mouth to it. ”Mortal and immortal.” He set a kiss against that ear. “A Healer can be with a mortal…and...”
“Not hurt them,” she whispered. “Just like my theory.”
“Not just theories,” he whispered.
Raina nodded. “I know.”
He pulled back to look down into her eyes. “How do you know?”
She smiled. Her fingers trailed through his beautiful hair, then down his jaw, until they brushed over his mouth. “Michael and his wife.”
He frowned. “How do you know of them?”
She smiled. “Michael never told you?”
Nolan shook his head.
“He and Melinda are from our town, Nolan. Melinda is a teacher at my school. Michael too…up until he had to leave. I…it took me awhile to figure it all out.” She smiled. “It is wonderful news for us, isn’t it?”
Nolan smiled. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew?”
Raina reached up to tug his hair. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew? You just let me go on about my theory…which by the way was my theory before I found out!”
He brushed his nose against hers. “I know….a theory I chose to not believe. It gave me hope…and a looser grip on my control.
Raina pulled his face to hers, using a firm grip on his hair. “How is your control now Mr. Gregor?” She kissed his chin, the corner of his mouth.
“Virtually non-existent,” he growled.
“Can we test our theory?” Her voice was low and husky with desire. “Please?”
He pulled in a breath. “Aelan.”
“Yes?” She blinked up with innocence.
He sighed, and dipped his face to set kisses along the column of her throat. “We must figure out how to get out of here,” he breathed against her neck. “We’re in danger my love. As much as I would love to…”
“You talk too much,” she protested, and pulled him to herself once more.
Nolan melted into her, letting go, and letting the kiss have its way. He wrapped his arms around her, and they were formed together… as close as two people could get. And her hands were all over him, making him lose all train of thought. Her hands slid beneath his shirt, touching his too warm skin, causing fire trails with her fingers.
Raina felt consumed by the big body surrounding her, the muscled arms that trapped her. She was dragging in each breath, but still needed him closer. She wrapped her legs around the lean hips, and arched her body into his.
“Not here,” he barked suddenly. His eyes were black as coal….his chest heaved with every breath, but he was holding fast against the desire.
“Nolan,” she protested.
“I won’t make love to you here,” he whispered gruffly.
“But if not now….”
He drew in a deep breath, and groaned, when she shifted against him. “Stop tempting me Raina,” he growled.
“But you may change your mind,” she pouted.
He snorted. “That is not likely to happen.”
Raina smiled up at him. “Not here then?”
He shook his head, nipped at her lower lip and smiled. “Though I’ve never…and I’ve said this before, but it’s more true now than ever…I have NEVER been more tempted.”
Raina nodded solemnly, believing him. She saw the desire heavy and raw in his eyes. “Me either.”
He chuckled, pushing away on shaky arms.
“At least you didn’t tell me to wake up,” she jabbed.
Nolan did laugh at this, and tugged her into his lap. He rewarded her with a soft kiss…short but sweet. “Could you imagine…if we had known then what we know now? How different things would have ended up?”
She nodded sadly.” I think about it all the time. We would have made love…and you would have never belonged to her.”
He tugged gently on a strand of her hair. ”I’ve only ever belonged to you, Aelan…that is the truth.” His eyes softened on her. “Now let’s figure out how we are going to get out of here.”
She nodded.
“Tell me all you’ve learned the days you’ve been here! How do they feed you? Give you restroom breaks, and the like.”
She tucked her head under his jaw, cuddled against his chest and began pouring out her entire experience up until now.
Chapter 13 Wake Up…Again
Voicemail again!!
Thanatos growled and threw his phone into the console. His fingers gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. He had been trying for days to get a hold of Nolan and nothing! He couldn't get through and it always went directly to voicemail, which meant the battery was probably dead. This worried him greatly since it was his only contact with his best friend.