Beneath a Flaming Sky - Book Three (Moon Child Series)

Chapter Twenty

Mia POV

Something was off today; I didn’t feel right. But I just chalked it down to my lack of sleep and horrid dreams. My body felt warmer than usual, and everything I seemed to touch made my skin prickle as though I had pins and needles. It was uncomfortable, but I just ignored it and went about my day. Until I was standing in the library by the open window trying to not die of heat and reading the same sentence over and over again, when I was slammed into the shelves behind me. Lips attacked mine and I felt hands sliding beneath my shirt, causing an unpleasant fire to burn beneath my skin, as though someone had injected acid into my veins. My body went into defence mode and blasted him backwards with my magic, and the relief was instant. The heat was still simmering beneath my veins and was growing with each second, but it no longer felt like acid beneath my skin. I watched in shock and confusion as Carter rose to his feet, his eyes crazed and full of lust. I’d never seen him this way before and I was confused as to why he was acting so.

All thoughts of Carter and his weird behaviour left me however as a cool breeze blew in through the open doors, carrying with it a familiar scent, a scent I craved more than any other and my body was set alight. I fell to my knees as the fire began to burn inside of me again, ten times more intense than before. The pain soon disappeared as hands grasped at my forearms and helped me to my feet, sending shivers shooting through me until it reached my stomach and became a familiar throb in my groin. His scent surrounded me, fuelling my lust more and as I lifted my eyes to his I wanted to sob with relief that he was here. I’d yearned for him for weeks, been in total agony at his rejection. But he was here now. And I didn’t care why. He was here.

An aroused growl rumbled from my throat as his body pressed against mine, in turn pressing me against the shelves behind me. I wanted him more than I ever had before, I ached for him. And if I didn’t have him, I felt like I would die. A soft moan escaped my mouth as his lips found mine and the sensation that vibrated between us was unlike anything I’d ever felt or experienced before. It was pleasurable but hurt at the same time. I couldn’t get enough of him as my arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer. As his chest pressed against my sensitive breasts I gasped into his mouth and slid my hand into his hair, tugging roughly to pull his mouth how I wanted it. His hands ran hot trails up my body, stroking my ribs, my stomach. When he reached my ass, he gripped it tight in his hands and lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist to accomodate this new position. His arousal pressed against mine and I threw my head back with a moan of pleasure as he peppered my neck with kisses, before latching on to my marking spot with a hot opened mouth kiss. I saw spots behind my eyes as pleasure bolted through me.

Our little make our session was interrupted by the sound of splintering wood and shouting. Xander lowered me to the ground and stepped back ready to defend as Carter burst in, followed by my father, Luca, Viktor, and Seth who were trying to hold him back. I felt myself sober in that moment and it hit me what was happening. I was in heat. That’s why Carter was acting so crazed. And why Xander was so attracted to me. I felt my heart break a little at the realisation. He didn’t want me still; he was just reacting to the pull of my heat. Ignoring all the commotion that the men were making I ran for the open balcony doors. I needed to get away, I needed fresh air to clear my head. The heat was consuming me again now that Xander was no longer touching me, but I didn’t care. I did not want his touch if it was because of my heat. I wanted him to want me for me. Echoes of my name follow me as I leap from the balcony, shifting mid leap and land on the grass below with grace, and then I’m off. I don’t know where I’m running, I just need to get away. The wind against my fur sends prickles across my skin as I run, and I relish in it. It cleared my head, kept the mind clouding lust at bay. I needed a clear mind for this situation. I couldn’t allow Xander to be controlled by my heat, it would just break my heart after the lust had cleared.

I came to a stop in a familiar area. Greenery brushed against my fur as I pushed through the curtain of ivy that hid the secret clearing my father used to take me when I was little, when we would have our daddy daughter dates. We would have picnics and I would tell him what I learned at school that week. Then when I was 16, he and mum showed me the other secret to this place, the hidden cave behind the waterfall. The cave Veritatis. The cave itself was enchanted so those within could only tell the truth, and it is there my mother found her book. I sometimes came to the cave for some alone time, the energy of it almost healing for me. I guess in my time of need, I came to the place where I felt safest and where I could hopefully heal.

I shifted in the tunnel that led to the clearing and pulled a spare black skater dress that I had put there for moments like this, where I found myself unexpectedly at the waterfall and didn’t have any clothes. As I entered the clearing, I slipped the dress on and took a moment to breath in the clean air. My body was drawn towards the lake, and as I stepped in, I felt the flame inside dimmed a little. It still burned through me, but not as intense and I breathed a sigh of relief as I sank into the clear water and leant back until I was floating atop the water.