Page 50 of Druid Dreams

Living without Sloane in my life was worse than anything else that I went through. I didn’t know how to fix this yet, but the idea of picking a fight to make her confront me had been rolling around my brain for hours. I knew it wasn’t right. I knew I should give her some time. I’m selfish though. I need her. I don’t want to wait days, or weeks, for her to come around and talk about her feelings. I would rather her scream at me and get this over with so we can work on fixing what I broke by not telling her the truth.

I wouldn’t lose her. I knew that. It was irrational of me to think that she’d walk away. Before I was taken, I feared how deeply she loved, how protective she was, how consumed I was with her. Now? I feared losing her and not being by her side. My life without Sloane King in it was no life at all, regardless of my circumstances. Without her my heart wouldn’t beat. The throne that awaited me would be nothing but a burden, a heavy weight on my shoulders that I was too weak to carry alone.

I looked at Atlas and thought of his namesake. Sloane is my strength. With her I could endure the weight of the world in my hands. Just seeing her face woke the long destroyed resolve that I’d always held so near. I knew I had to put the work in. She was mine once, and though I’d have to share her this time around, I refused to lose her. I’ll do whatever it takes to always be with her. I could start with opening our mate bond back up. Maybe then she would be able to feel my determination to mend the fragile heart I knew I broke.

With my path chosen, my purpose was clear. I’d have to talk to Palmer about what I had in mind. I think it will work, but the other guys won’t like it. They wouldn't help me with my idiotic idea, but they wouldn’t stand in my way either. I scanned my eyes from face to face, happy to be with my friends again. I spotted Stone in the passenger seat staring out the window, showing that he was deep in thought. I’d bet everything that’s running through his mind right now revolves around Sloane too.

* * *

Stone

My demon was taking a life of his own around Sloane, urging me to take her as my mate and stop waiting. This bonding business is tricky. I didn’t want to jump into it days after I’d met her. I wanted to know her, her likes and dislikes, all the faces she made, the goals she hadn’t reached yet.

I also knew that holding my demon at bay was getting really fucking hard. Especially after last night. One would think such murderous tendencies in a mate would be frowned upon, but not to a demon. Everything about her drew me in, like a moth to a flame. I’ve never been the moth before. I wanted to enjoy my wings before I flew too close. The heat of that flame was enticing though. I didn’t notice how cold I’d been until I thought about stepping away. The idea of moving further, not closer, made me feel a physical chill.

She was more than any of us deserved, yet here she was. She held a strength that each of us lacked. We all had something to offer in return. I couldn’t be the things that the other guys would be for her, and I saw now that that was okay. I could be her quiet place. The person that understood her without a single word. I could stand by her side and be the other half of the Devil Spawn that the Underworld needed.

I wasn’t the kind of demon that would want to own and possess her. I take that back. The possession part sounds like fun. It was only a matter of time before my demon got a voice of his own. Then I wouldn’t be arguing with just myself. He wanted her. The moment her demon form began to pierce her human flesh I knew that was it for me. I spent the entire time I was in that cell with her struggling to remain in control.

Her ivory horns were magnificent. The way her tail looked made my imagination ramp up with thoughts of what her full form would be. She’s no ordinary succubus, I know that. I’ve never seen another demon with a tail made of hellfire and bone, nor have I seen one command hellhounds. No other demon had ever made me lose my grip like she did.

It may be the bond hurtling my emotions through fast forward, but the more I learned about her the deeper I fell. I can’t be the only one. I didn’t have the slightest clue how they were fairing. I wondered if the others were fighting against her as hard as Briggs was. I don’t blame him. He falls in love quicker than any of us. Soon he’ll be so smitten that he’ll follow her around like a pup with hearts in his eyes.

I peeked behind Novak to see if Briggs was asleep. He had his head leaned against the window and hellhound feet in his lap. He liked the monsters, even if he tried not to, just like Sloane. His tension free face spoke volumes about his state of mind. If I had to guess, I’d say that he’s been thinking of our mate too.

* * *

Briggs

I was gonna fall in love with her, godsdamnit. No matter how hard I tried to fight this mating shit, it was going to happen. My wolf chose her the first time he scented her aroma floating across her yard. She hadn’t even spoken yet, and I already knew. I’m fucked, plain and simple.

It would’ve been easier to hold off the itch to mate with her if she wouldn’t have beat me in an alpha challenge. Now he’s ready, but I can’t wrap my head around it so fast. I hated that I missed her fighting last night. I was also thrilled that I did. I wouldn’t have been able to hold back the wolf’s demand while not in my skin. He would’ve taken her right then and there. Dead bodies littering the ground or not. Neither of us gave two fucks about an audience, living or dead.

If I could just tighten my leash on him until the full moon. Two weeks, that’s all I need. Then we could make the smartest move, and that would bring both of our wolves to full power. I didn’t even know what it would do to our power in skin. That’s something I’d have to research on my own. If I ever get time to do it.

I wasn’t sure I was ready to jump into a new relationship after the way my last relationship ended. It’d been a couple months, but the wounds she inflicted were deep. I didn’t want to jump into this as a broken male. The time it took to heal from the things that bitch put me through were in an unknown territory for me. The cheating and verbal abuse barely skimmed the surface of her controlling behavior. If it hadn’t been for the guys… I might still be with her. Thinking about her now made a shudder ripple through my chest. How would Sloane handle the retelling of my past? Probably not well. I hoped real fucking hard that she’d never meet any of my exs, the last especially.

I needed to get back in my rhythm. Find my happy place again. The longer I spent with Sloane the more I realized that she could easily become a part of that place for me. It terrified and ignited me all at once. How much of this is the mate bond and how much of it is my own feelings though? I fell in love so fast it was like jumping out of a plane. There was no parachute for me though. When I reached the end of my free-fall it always got nasty. I didn’t want that this time.

Fuck. I needed to get out of my head. I’d wound myself so tight that I didn’t know how to untwist the thoughts anymore. I needed to be in a kitchen somewhere. Anywhere. Creating something delicious would occupy my mind and keep me busy. Taking care of everyone had always brought me solace. Being a guardian. Providing safety. Those were the things my wolf and I both needed. Palmer and I were similar on that front. He was a shoulder to lean on and filled with wise advice that he gave freely. What kind of words of wisdom would Palmer offer us all about our mate right now?

* * *

Palmer

This had been the most intense three days of my life. It felt like weeks had passed us by, not mere days. I spent two weeks in Belfast with my family and that strung on forever. Every day I was ready to come home. The hours ticked by agonisingly slow. All that time bled together, making me miserable. This weekend has been different. I still couldn’t believe all the things that had happened so quickly. Wednesday night I had an odd niggling that made me want to speed home. I booked the first available flight, kissed my ma on the cheek, and went to the airport three hours early so I wouldn’t be late. Here we are on Monday morning, and everything has changed.

I still can’t figure out why we all felt that same need to be home. I hadn’t heard from Briggs in a month, but he was in the apartment when I walked in. Novak flew back from spending time with his sister in France, arriving a couple hours after I did. Stone left a work convention in California. We met in the lobby of our building and came in together. We all got home within hours of each other on Friday night. Then Vaughn comes in on Saturday morning to tell us he’s met his mate. Our mate. I didn’t know what drew us in. We all had the same urge, but felt it at different times. I wondered when we would’ve had the feeling if we’d been home. Were the Fates at work or was it a coincidence?

For the first time in a long while, I didn’t piece the puzzle together as efficiently as Novak did. Seeing Sloane on Saturday morning was like a gust of wind knocking me off kilter. I’ve never wanted something so badly in my life. It was an animalistic response that I wasn’t used to. She made power crackle at my fingertips. Electricity flowed through my veins when she was near. This trip home was giving me enough space to think, but I already missed her. It was an insane thought. I just met her.

There was no doubt though, this was it for me. She’s it. I knew Saturday. I definitely know today. My feelings hadn’t changed despite the things I’d seen and done. She wasn’t who I pictured myself with. She’s better. My imagination had really let me down. The real thing happened to be so much more. In every way. It was hard to wrap my head around how perfect we all fit with her.

She offered us all the things we needed. Each of us had qualities the others didn’t. As a unit we covered all the bases, and then some. It was more than that though. It’s more than power. The aspects of a relationship that I sought weren’t the same as what the guys wanted, yet somehow she excelled in all of it. I’d always looked for intelligence first and foremost, but also someone I could contemplate the universe with. I needed a mental equal, and I got one. I enjoyed bedroom activities that some would frown on. She seemed enraptured by the prospects. I'm enthralled by her mind games. The thought of having her presence in my head, or mine in hers, made me ecstatic. I wanted our bond to be sealed at an organic pace, but I sincerely hoped that a mental connection flowed through us sooner.

My thoughts were in a twisted web now, but I knew as soon as I saw her this evening they’d untangle, and my body would become a traitorous bastard once again. One smile or wink and my heart would beat wildly out of control for her. Laughter and a sassy remark would have my intelligence bested and my tongue malfunctioning. My coherent thoughts would eventually turn back into a garbled mess that made it hard to communicate how this whole situation made me feel. It was hard to be consistent when she was so predictably unpredictable. We’re all thinking about it. I know we are. Novak would be the only one with the balls to say it out loud though.

* * *