To Have And To Hold

In The Heat Of The Night...Part II

Chapter Twenty-Four: In The Heat Of The Night...Part II

LORENZO

After receiving so many kind compliments from everyone, Priscilla continued to be in a wonderful mood following dinner. She also appeared to be full of energy, asking Beast if she and I might take a walk to look at the garden that he continued to maintain at his old childhood home to which he graciously gave permission. I questioned her timing, as it was something I felt she would enjoy more in the daylight, but Priscilla stated the moonlight would still reflect the beauty that was always found among Larissa’s vast collection of flowers...

As we strolled around the garden, I enjoyed looking at all the color that still brightly shone beneath the moonlight, while also continuing to glance over at Priscilla, enjoying the view of her beneath the soft glow of the dimly lit sky. Doing as I had done all evening, I was admiring how stunning she looked, affectionately relaying again, “That is truly the most exquisite way to wear your hair, Priscilla. It’s so unique and elegant—it’s very becoming on you. I hope you will have Anabelle style it that way often, especially as it seemed to bring you so much happiness this evening.”

“Thank you, Lorenzo,” Priscilla thoughtfully replied, squeezing my arm, “And I fear Anabelle may tire of all us ladies requesting her to utilize her talent, though I hope that isn’t the case. It did make me immensely happy to feel so pretty this evening. In fact, I’m thinking about discussing with Aruna, Alta, Loa, Tati, and Anabelle about gathering several mornings a week or so to chat and have our hair done after you and I share our morning coffee.”

Finding myself not only hoping that they would agree with Priscilla’s request but wanting to have the opportunity to see her afterwards, I suggested, “I like that idea a great deal. In fact, if they all agree, maybe I can switch our coffee time with my morning meetings with Devlin. I’m sure he won’t mind—I would enjoy seeing you afterwards to admire your beauty and sharing in your effervescent mood.”

“You would change your schedule to see my hair?” Priscilla disbelievingly guffawed, softly laughing out afterwards, “Like, Alta, I’m suddenly finding myself wishing Anabelle had mated with someone from our pack.”

Grinning, I amorously retorted, “It’s not just your hair that I want to see—though I must admit, it is something I would look forward to—it’s this, Priscilla. Your lighthearted mood and high spirits. I would enjoy seeing you so happy and animated like this during our morning coffee. So, yes, I would change my schedule to have that opportunity. Not to mention, it won’t be long before my schedule will be wide open to do as we both please in my retirement.”

“You have truly softened with age, especially as of late, Lorenzo,” Priscilla lovingly returned, “I’m loving this side of you and very much looking forward to doing as we please with our time. I will talk with the girls in the morning, see if I can’t enable us both to enjoy more animated morning coffee time.”

We continued to gaze upon the flowers for quite some time, enjoying our stroll a great deal. Once we returned to our room, Priscilla sat down at the small dressing table, gazing into the mirror as she took off her jewelry, turning her head side to side, still besotted with her hair.

Watching as she slowly ran her fingers over the outer braid of her bun, Priscilla appeared reluctant to take it down, leading me to come up behind her to gently place my hands on her shoulders...

Leaning down, I amorously whispered in her ear, “Do you have any idea how much I love you, Priscilla? From the day the Moon Goddess gifted you as my mate, you have always been the most beautiful thing in my life. In fact, if you will allow me to carry you to our bed, I would love to show you exactly how much I love and worship you.”

Turning around to face me, Priscilla reached up to place her hand on my cheek, thickly replying, “You continue to touch me in so many ways with your sweet sentiments tonight, Lorenzo. And just so you know, there will never be a time where I won’t want to make love to you—something I’m rather looking forward to showing you in our retirement!”

************

GUNTUR

After safely bringing Ayla to our room, Celimine and I decided to do a little sneaking out of our own, going for a walk down to Auntie’s bench.

Holding her hand in mine, my beautiful black-haired beauty amusingly asked, “So, are you nervous about tomorrow? Working with my dad and brothers? Tarkik promised to try to keep my brothers at bay, but I’m afraid nothing can be done about Father.”

“Nah, I’ll have Unc with me,” I laughingly assured her, “Hopefully he won’t throw me to the wolves.”

Playfully bumping her shoulder against mine, Celimine quietly encouraged, “You know, displaying your vast talents tomorrow may prove to be beneficial to us both for the plans I have when you return.”

“Oh?” I curiously exhaled out, “And what plans are those?”

Halting her step, I was a half-step ahead of her when Celimine pulled on my hand to have me face her, finding an enamored grin on her face, “To spend the first night in your new suite at Howling Wind with you. In hopes that we will wake the next morning having completed our connection with new marks on our skin—and I’m not talking about the tattoo kind.”

“I’m sorry—what?” I gasped out in awe.

Her free hand coming up to run her fingers along my chest, Celimine mischievously grinned, “If all goes well tomorrow, they may not want to kill you, Guntur.”

“Not that I’m saying I don’t want—you know, that,” I dryly returned, swallowing hard, “But I don’t think there will ever be a time they won’t want to kill me for that, Celimine.”

“I don’t know about that,” she temptingly drawled out, pressing her body against mine, “Regardless, we are of age and are mates. And there is nothing I want more than to have your mark upon my neck, Guntur, to cement our connection and our love and devotion to one another.”

“There’s nothing I want more, Celimine,” I whispered out in amorous delight, my arm snaking around her waist, “I love you—more than you will ever know. My heart and my life are yours—forever. I need you more than I’ve ever needed anything in my life.”

Pushing up on her tiptoes, Celimine pressed her lips against mine—an action that would always send me over the moon with exhilaration and bliss no matter the circumstance. In her, I found my center, my focus, my drive, and my deepest desires, something that would always be the case—something I would always fight for and fight to come home to—and something I was more than ready to reflect on her beautiful neck...

**********

IGOR

After our plans were completed, I found myself anxiously anticipating tomorrow’s events, needing a distraction to bide the time and knowing there was no better way to do that than to enjoy the spoils of having a beautiful companion. I was thrilled when Oralia felt the same, embarking on a glorious evening of several rounds of raucous and lust-filled love-making...

Lying together in my bed, basking in the afterglow of our very dirty play, I was distractedly running my fingers up and down Oralia’s silky arms that were leisurely laid across my torso. Her head was on my chest, mussed dark hair covering both her bare shoulders as I envisioned the outcome I hoped for tomorrow—dealing blows of a Beta’s death to not only Moon Stone, but Spirit Walker and Howling Wind as well—three out of the four Council armies devastated at the hands of Mahan’s own men...

I was pulled away from my thoughts of victory as Oralia quietly thought out loud, “I know you’re furious at him, Igor, and I’m angry and hurt as well, but in my heart, Maxim is still my son. And if I’m truthful, I would have felt betrayed as well, especially hearing that I was a bastard child from someone who is practically a stranger. Maybe had I been honest with Maxim—telling him about his rogue mother being abandoned by his father and her death after his birth—I could have avoided all of this, helped him to understand that Kristoff and I rescued him from a horrible life of misery as an orphaned rogue.”

It didn’t come as a surprise to hear Oralia wavering from my desired reaction to Maxim’s escape, especially after her impassioned plea in the clearing, deciding to go with a little honesty in my reply, “It still doesn’t excuse Maxim’s vicious betrayal of us both, running away like a spoiled little brat instead of confronting you about it and discussing it rationally with the selfless, beautiful woman who chose to raise him as her own.”

“I will agree with you on that point, but I also don’t want him hurt,” Oralia unevenly returned, “I still want a chance to make things right between us and try to find a way to have things as they were—with both of us.”

It took all I had to hold in the fury I still felt regarding Maxim, forcing my gentle reply, “What if Maxim’s mind is already too poisoned, especially now that he is residing at Crescent Moon with Alpha Nicholas and undoubtedly being influenced by both him and The Council? Not to mention, as Lucious’ words come to mind, what if our life isn’t what he wants?”

Oralia’s tone changed slightly, leading me to believe I struck a nerve and still had a chance to shift her loyalty to the wretched boy, as she hesitantly stated in a harsher tone, “I can’t give you an answer to that—at least not yet. There is a part of me that is still holding out hope that Maxim’s betrayal doesn’t run that deep—that his thinking can be reversed. Can you allow me that for now? Promise that no harm will be inflicted upon him?”

Taking the small victory, I placed my finger under Oralia’s chin, tilting her head up to place an impassioned kiss on her lips, murmuring out after, “My love for you knows no bounds, Oralia, so I will make that promise to you. Unless I am left with no choice, no harm will come to Maxim.”

A smile spread across her face as she staunchly replied, “Thank you, Igor. I love you—more than I’ve ever loved any man. And I believe, just as we masterfully worked together in planning the attack on Mahan’s search party tomorrow, together, we can figure out a way to open Maxim’s eyes and bring him back where he belongs—by our side.”

***********

BADRU

Luminara’s struggle to get comfortable in bed appeared to be an endless battle as of late. But fortunately, between making sure we had six pillows on hand to place around her helping to cushion the weight of burgeoning belly and the children’s appeasement at my touch on her stomach, we had both managed to find a way to get some much-needed rest—except when my stunning blonde-haired mate got hit with a late-night craving...

My right hand and arm were cradling her stomach when I felt Luminara stir, trying to release herself ever-so-gently from my soft hold as I drowsily exhaled out, “Hungry or thirsty?”

Her tone sorrowful, Luminara turned to face me, running her fingers through my short salt and pepper hair, hesitantly whispering, “I was dreaming about Auntie’s cake—tell me I don’t need it, Badru—then tell your children they don’t need it. I ate more than Beast and Tink combined at dinner!”

Laughing, I kissed the top of her head before turning to get out of bed, “You’re pregnant, love, every whim of you and our children are to be satisfied, especially when it comes to food. Lie here, I’ll go see if there is any cake left in the fridge. And if there’s not, I’ll find something to appease all of you.”

“You are the one who needs sleep, Badru, you have a search party to run tomorrow,” Luminara guiltily protested as I threw on my black t-shirt, “Telling me no is easier. At the rate I’m going, you’ll never find my body attractive again!”

Thrusting myself forward to drop my knee back down on the mattress, I threw my arm back around her, scoffing, “Those words will never, ever be true my stunning, sexy mate. You and your gorgeous body will always bring forth desire that sets every part of me on fire. If you need to be further convinced, I’m more than happy to show you—after your cake, of course!”

“I do love you so, Badru,” Luminara sweetly returned, “Thank you for loving and caring for me like you do.”

After a quick kiss, I quietly, but hurriedly made my way to the kitchen, laughing under my breath when I opened the refrigerator door to find a saran wrapped plate already made with two thick slices of cake—a sweet note on top from Auntie, held in place by a fork...

You never truly understand life until it grows inside you, feeding your heart and soul. The children’s constant craving for sweets is just their way of telling you how sweet life is going to be when they arrive, as they will fill your heart and soul with unconditional love like neither of you has ever known. Love, Auntie, aka, Lovey

Walking back into our room with an overflowing heart thanks to Auntie’s continued cherished presence in our lives, I handed Luminara the plate and note before removing my shirt again to lie down beside her, propping myself up on my elbow while my beautiful wife’s raging hormones had her tearing up at the note, a quivering grin on her face as she unwrapped the plate, murmuring her thoughts to the children, “Your Lovey has placed two pieces of her cake on here, sending her love to each of you. You will quickly realize when you arrive that the affection your Lovey bestows is very special. She is very special, just like your Pop-Pop, your Lolly, and your Aunt M. In fact, you have quite a large family of amazing people waiting for your arrival, little ones.”

I leaned down to place a kiss Luminara’s stomach as she blissfully dove into her late-night snack. We discussed the plans for tomorrow’s search and her excitement about spending the day at Mystic Fire with Madeline before coming back around to a subject that had been a bit complicated—figuring out names for the children.

“What do you think about Bijou?” Luminara thought out loud, pulling her long, blonde hair over to the side, “It was my great grandfather’s name. Father adored him. Plus, I like that it begins with a B and ends with a U, like your name.”

“I do like that—a great deal in fact,” I affectionately thought out loud, “Which leaves us to decide on our beautiful daughter’s name.”

Taking her last bite of cake, Luminara lovingly stated, “A discussion for another time, my love. Right now, I want you to get some sleep so you will be well rested tomorrow. Hopefully you will be able to return home to us quickly. The children and I tend to feel very lost without you by our side.”

Placing her plate on the nightstand, Luminara took my hand, placing it on her stomach, dotingly adding, “They need their father’s calming presence to keep them happy and content—just as I always have—and always will.”

*************

MADELINE

I was standing in the pavilion at Mystic Fire, surrounded by a sea of deadly red. Peering around, every chair—every person—people I didn’t recognize or know—were covered in blood. Looking down at my beautiful wedding dress, it too was soaked, completely saturated in bright red, even Aruna’s lace—

My family! My eyes darting up to frantically look all around, the chairs once holding strangers now held my several of my family in them, who appeared to be barely breathing—or worse—Jace, Constance, Aruna, Aunt Ro, and Aunt Persephone appeared to be faintly breathing. Quickly scanning the other chairs, I found Alastor slumped over Vivian, who was sprawled across his lap, like he was trying to protect her, their faces ghostly white and their chests stilled.

My own breath left me, all-consuming fear flowing through my veins as thirteen more appeared before me—Lorenzo, Soren, Guntur, Mahan, Loa, Badru, Luminiara, Auntie, Tink, Beast, Spiros, Anabelle, and Maxim—all their lifeless bodies scattered along what was once a long white wedding rug that now held splatters of red stains as blood spilled out of their bodies. A rug that led to where I stood at the altar. Where I was supposed to be standing with Nicholas—

MY ALPHA! My wide, horrified eyes darting around the pavilion, I was overcome with anxiousness and fear—terrifying, panic-driven fear! Nicholas was nowhere to be found and as I looked back out at what appeared to be a deadly m******e. And I couldn’t find the rest of my family! Where were they? What happened? Had Igor made his retaliatory attack at my wedding? My panic attack went into full force then, I couldn’t breathe—my eyes closed tight in a futile effort to regain my senses—I needed to find him—I needed—

“NICHOLAS!” I screamed out, jerking straight up, my chest heaving as my eyes popped open, wildly peering around, unable to see anything—everything had gone dark, bringing with it intense distress and trepidation...

I felt arms being thrown around me, instinctively jerking hard trying to pull myself out the beneath the firm grasp as I heard his voice—Nicholas’ voice—calling out to me sounding frighteningly alarmed, “Madeline? Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

It was then that I realized Nicholas was holding me, but I was still fighting to breathe, my lungs feeling completely constricted making it increasingly difficult, rendering me unable to speak. Suddenly, his touch disappeared from my waist before a bright white light made everything in my sight clear again. I was in our bedroom—in our bed—at Crescent Moon...

Whipping my head to the side, I finally saw him—my Alpha—whose heavy gaze was on me, filled with concern as he pushed himself forward to close the distance between us, cupping my face and peering deep into my eyes before comfortingly urging in a soft, calming tone, “Keep your eyes on me, my Alpha, and listen to my words. It was only a dream. I’m right here beside you. You’re safe. I need you to try and relax for me. Everything is alright. I’m here—I’m right here, Madeline.”

Throwing my arms around his neck just like the night I first came to him in this room, I clung to him for dear life, gasping for air, heavily heaving out in a choked, hoarse whisper, “T-Trouble—t-trouble’s c-coming. B-blood. E-every-where.”

His arms wrapped around me tight, Nicholas’ tone reflected the same worry, love, and devotion it had when he brought me out of my other panic-stricken bouts, “Don’t try to talk right now, my Alpha. Just keep working on calming down and breathing, alright? I’ve got you, Madeline. Just keep holding on to me. Whatever this is, we’ll face it together.”

*********

It took a while to regain my ability to breathe normally. When he was satisfied that I was calming down, Nicholas laid us back down on the bed, his large, brawny arms keeping me pressed close to him, resting his chin on top of my head as he continued to softly soothe me with words of encouraging comfort.

“Alright, my Alpha,” Nicholas slowly drawled out, “Let’s try a little rapid-fire. Where were you in this nightmare of yours?”

Taking in a deep breath, I exhaled out, “Mystic Fire. Our wedding day.”

“Okay,” Nicholas calmly said, “You said there was blood everywhere. Were we attacked?”

“I think so,” I quietly answered, replaying the dream in my mind, “There were bodies in the chairs—and on the aisle.”

Nicholas continued his rapid-fire questioning, making sure I kept my answers short until my dream was fully explained. Afterwards, he let out a long, heavy sigh, downheartedly stating, “The attack by Igor yesterday and the upcoming search endeavor seems to have several people on edge. You haven’t had a panic attack like this in some time.”

“I know,” I exasperated out, “And I have no doubt in my mind—there’s trouble coming, Nicholas.”

“Unfortunately, based on the last time your sixth sense came into play,” Nicholas reluctantly admitted, “I can’t help but feel that you’re right, which means depending on what happens tomorrow—we may need to think about postponing our wedding until Igor is found.”