The Fated Curse

Chapter 12

Valencia

It had been several days since Rick died. I tried to avoid Gideon as much as possible, but he kept seeking me out. Each morning he would find me and kiss me. Each time with increasing passion, it was becoming our new morning ritual. I knew I needed to put a stop to it, but every time I saw him I grew weak.

Thankfully, we had a reprieve from the demon waves and could all get some much needed rest. Gideon spent most of the day with his counselors preparing for upcoming attacks. At night, I felt like a thief in the night sneaking around the castle grounds to avoid running into him. The morning kisses were one thing. But if I was going to put a stop to this, I needed to avoid any late-night rendezvous. s*x alone was uncomplicated. But s*x and feelings was incredibly complicated. He had knocked on my door the other night looking for me and I felt guilty that I had pretended not to be in the room.

I needed to woman up and tell him that I didn't like him like that. That I just saw him as a friend. But I didn't believe it myself. How was I supposed to convince him? Any hope for a future for us was a pipe dream. So far my avoidance was working, but it wouldn't last forever.

Most of the warriors were back on their feet. The long-term care injuries were moved to the hospital. Gertrude and I had finished restocking our medical supplies. We were ready for the next attack, as well as anyone could be ready. A stillness was felt across the castle, the calm before the storm. The waiting was almost as bad as the fighting.

The day came and went with no encounter. Night fell, and we all released a breath no one knew we were holding. I heard some guards talking as I walked along the grounds.

"Maybe they got scared of us. Maybe it is finally over."

"Don't jinx it. Tis' bad luck to think a battle over before you know for certain."

And jinx it he had. At midnight, the warning bells rang. A night raid. Dragons could see well enough in the dark, but for demons it was their natural environment.

I rushed down to the aid tents. The night was pitch black. It was a new moon tonight, so there was no moonlight to light the sky. Even with my wolf vision, I couldn't see a thing happening above. We could hear the fighting echoing in the tree's. The only time we could catch a glimpse was when a dragon breathed fire, and it temporarily lit that part of the sky. It was at this moment that I despised that Gideon's dragon was pitch black. He blended in with the night, which was good for him, but bad for me trying to keep track of him.

We couldn't see when warriors fell and needed help. We had to rely on communication passed to us by the bears. They had night vision scopes and guided us to the wounded. There were so many wounded. This had to have been the worst battle we have had.

"I had never seen so many," a nearby warrior said. "Biggest swarm they have sent yet."

A pit was forming in my stomach. I hadn't heard anything about Gideon. I knew he had recovered from his previous injuries, but I was still concerned about his safety. He had sworn he would fight to make up for Rick's loss. But, I wasn't completely convinced he wouldn't play the martyr and get himself killed.

The night felt infinitely long. Eventually, the sun began to rise in the distance. Light was spreading through the sky. For the first time, I got a glimpse of the swarm, and it was massive. The dragon's seemed to have hardly put a dent in their numbers. Despite their obvious advantage, when the sun rose into the sky, the demons left.

I continued to work on the wounded. I kept an eye out for Gideon but didn't see him come by the tents. I hoped that meant he was unharmed. After everyone was settled and bandaged, I couldn't take it anymore. I had been pacing incessantly. I pulled a warrior aside and asked if he knew where the prince was. He told me he had just gone up to the castle to get cleaned up. He had been covered in the enemy's blood and was in desperate need of a shower. I felt a little better but wouldn't truly calm down until I saw for myself that he was unharmed.

I made my way to the castle and to his bedroom. I didn't knock and let myself in. I heard the shower running. I opened the door to his bathroom and entered. I walked over to the shower and pulled open the curtains. He seemed shocked to see me. He hadn't heard me enter. I looked him up and down and confirmed he was unharmed. My shoulders relaxed, and I let out a sigh of relief.

He didn't say anything. He grabbed me and pulled me under the spray of the water. I was still fully clothed, but I didn't care. He pinned me against the wall and kissed me. There was intense need behind his kiss. His hands trailed up my side and under my wet shirt. The traced circles on my back as he kissed me deeply. He helped me pull my shirt off. He trailed kisses down my neck as he unclasped my bra and threw it out of the shower. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his head back up to my lips.

Our tongues intertwined like they were trying to become one. I tugged on his hair as I pulled his lower lip with my teeth. He grunted in approval. My pants were adhered to me from the water, and he ended up just ripping them off of me. It was easier than trying to pull them down. He tore my underwear off as well.

He pinned me to the wall of the shower and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waste. He lined up at my entrance before easing inside of me. I threw my head back in pleasure. He took the moment to reclaim my lips. He slowly moved in and out of me. This was different from before. He traced his hands all around my body. It was as if he was trying to commit every inch of me to memory. His fingers left gentle touches from my ankle, over my knee, and forward up my thigh. His hand trailed up my body and gave extra attention to my breast, before gliding up my neck to gently caress my cheek. The act was sensual. Pair it with his continued pumping in and out of me, and I was in a new kind of bliss.

There was a desperate need, but a different kind of need than I had ever experienced before. I mimicked his actions, trailing my fingers gently across every contour of his body that I could reach. His biceps, his forearms, his abs. I ran my fingers up the ridges of his spine and across his shoulder blades. He rested his head on my shoulder, breathing heavily. His breath tickled my skin. His hips continued moving. I followed his rhythm, grinding up against him. I needed him deeper, I needed him to consume me. I needed to know he was real. He picked up his momentum, grinding into me harder. I cried out his name. I could feel my climax rising. He weaved his fingers in my hair as he kissed me while increasing the momentum of his thrusts. I dug my fingers into his back as my orgasm tore through me. He thrusted a few more times before spilling inside of me.

He lowered me to the ground and held me close to him. I shouldn't have been here. But at this moment I didn't care.