The Lunar Destiny Series

Chapter 15

Lio took me back home so that I could get what I needed for the beach. He was already wearing his swim trunks, no shirt, and black sandals. His swim trunks were red and black with a fox logo on the bottom of the left side. I put on one of my favorite bikinis which was turquoise & white. The top was made with a built in bra and tied around my neck, with strings crisscrossing down my back. The bottom looked like a frilly mini skirt; it was both elegant and cute. I got a jaw-dropping reaction from Lio so I knew he approved. Whether I was single or not I always kept a few little sexy things in my drawers just in case.

The Briss county beach was a nice long drive from Delwyn, but it was definitely worth it on those unbearably hot days. Everyone followed Lio and I in their own cars. We claimed ten parking spaces when we arrived. We got out of our cars with our beach towels, coolers and whatever else we needed before heading down towards the shore. The sands were pretty white and the ocean was a bright, crystal blue. I hadn’t been here in almost two years; I had almost forgotten how beautiful it was.

Everyone started choosing a spot on the sand to lay their towels; I took a moment to look around. There were a lot of people here, but not to the point of being over crowded.

A little girl and boy were making a sand castle with their dad, while a mom laid on her beach towel getting a nice tan not far away. Standing in a shallow part of the water some feet away from the happy family was a pregnant woman with long black hair. A man who I assumed to be her husband held her from behind. He was whispering in her ear and whatever he was saying made her smile and blush profusely. While I watched them, I wondered if I could ever have that with Lio. Could I choose that life without putting his life at risk? Without putting the lives of our future children at risk?

I felt someone’s hand touch my shoulder and it startled me a little. I turned around to see Lio. I looked up at him and smiled warmly.

”Is everything okay?” He asked. I nodded.

Someone walked past Lio and bumped into him. We both turned around to see Lisette walking by with a mischievous smirk on her face. She was wearing a hot pink one piece that was pretty much all strings except for the cloth parts covering her n*****s and crotch area. I didn’t know if those types of swimsuits were allowed at this beach, but I’m pretty sure she didn’t give a damn. She turned her head towards the water and continued walking until the water came up just below her buttocks. Lio shook his head and looked back at me.

“Don’t let her ruin this day, she isn’t worth it. Come on, swim with me.” He said before taking my hand in his.

We walked slowly into the water and it wasn’t as warm as I had hoped it would be. I shivered a little as the water got higher and higher up my legs. The sand was soft and squishy under my feet; I could also feel the occasional seaweed caress my leg which was a disturbing feeling. I almost wanted to look down to make sure it wasn’t some type of creature instead.

Kyra came running past us with Baltasar right behind her, followed by Priam. I had never seen people actually run in water without taking large steps or scooting forward; but then again they weren’t normal people. Priam had recovered really well since the wereleopards had kidnapped him.

He still would look troubled at times but thankfully he didn’t have scars from getting beaten. I had apologized to him more than once after that day because I still felt like I was to blame. He was one of the few that didn’t blame me. He’d said, ‘if they hadn’t taken him it would’ve been someone else. I’m glad I could take the place of someone who probably wouldn’t have come out sane.’ His courage was admirable; he was tough for a nineteen year old.

Priam was a redhead but it wasn’t natural. His hair was more of an orange red unlike the flame red color of Naremi’s hair. I watched him dive towards Kyra trying to tackle her but she was out of the way before he could touch her.

“Nice try kid, but I’m faster than you!” She said with her hand on her hip.

Baltasar was suddenly sweeping her legs out from under her and she fell backwards into the water. Baltasar started laughing and pointing at her, before Kyra pulled him down with her as she came up for air. Priam was sitting up in the water laughing at the scene. Lio started walking further into the water, pulling me past the water fight. I was glad to see everyone enjoying themselves instead of fighting or feeling awkward around me. We walked out far enough that the water rose above my breasts. Since Lio was much taller the water came up just below his pectorals.

He looked down at me with such admiration it made my heart start racing. Lio gave me a smooth, masculine laugh.

“Am I making you nervous?” He asked.

I shook my head no. “Why do you ask?”

He moved his hand up out of the water and placed it on my chest. The heat from his hand felt so good, it was much warmer than the water surrounding us.

“Your heartbeat sped up, I heard it.” He said with a smile.

My eyes widened with amazement.

“Wow, you can actually hear that?”

He nodded.

I watched him slowly lean back and let himself sink into the cool waters. I smiled before taking a deep breath and going underwater myself. That whooshing sound of the water flooded my ears and I opened my eyes to see him smiling slightly. His eyes shined like new coins at the bottom of a fountain, from the sun shining down into the water and hitting them just right.

I swam up to him and he held his arms out to me. When I got close enough to him, his arms wrapped around me and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I moved in towards his face and claimed his lips, closing my eyes. Our bodies swayed back and forth with the gentle waves of the ocean. It was perfect. I could have stayed like this forever but I needed air. I broke the kiss and opened my eyes; Lio was already pushing us upward towards the surface.

I gasped the moment my mouth came above the water. Lio kept me in his arms and I was the one looking down at him now, my arms were still around his neck. He didn’t gasp as loudly as I did but I could see that he had needed to come up too. I was impressed because he had been underwater longer than I was.

“Astraia, I want every day that you are with me to be like this.” He said.

I tilted my head slightly to the left looking at him curiously. I had no idea what made him say that all of a sudden but it made me want to hear more.

“Me too, Lio.”

I felt his fingertips gently rubbing my sides and it slightly tickled.

“I’m glad we could all relax today. It feels like we’re always waiting for things to go wrong.”

His smile wilted at the edges as he said this.

“That’s because something usually does go wrong.” I said jokingly in an attempt to lighten the mood again, His smile came back almost immediately.

As I looked into his eyes seeing all of the joy that I had put into them, I could see us together. I could also see more than a werewolf. Lio was a man wanting a woman he could trust and love completely. I still hadn’t decided yet but I felt like I could be that woman for him.