Awakening The Goddess

CHAPTER 14

Eriana 

As we walked out of the private room, we held hands and it was like touching a live wire. The electricity danced across my hand at every slight movement. The sensation danced up and down my body, filling me with a foreign feeling. I must remember to investigate that earlier. 

As we walked down the stairs Darius blocked our path, walking towards us. He tried to push past Derion to get to me, but Derion stood tall and strong like a cement wall, standing between me and Darius. 

“Move,” Derion commanded. Darius scoffed and glared up at him as if he could ever challenge and stand a chance against my mate. I sneered at the thought. Like I said, if he has nothing else he will always have the audacity. Darius is only about 5’8, and I’m sure Derion is at least 6’5. I laughed at the scene and Derion smirked, almost like he knew what I was thinking. 

“Move or I'll move you. I ain't gone repeat myself again,” Derion threatened. His deep voice oozed with power and it made me want him even more. He was so sexy when he displayed his power. Derion stared at him, daring him to make any move, other than a sidestep out of our way. Darius stood his ground for another moment before moving to the side. We walked by and Darius grabbed my arm, trying to pull me to him. Derion turned and moved so fast if I blinked I would have missed it. He grabbed Darius by his throat and lifted him from the ground. My heartbeat quickened as I watched the life drain from his face. 

“Do not touch my mate,” Derion snarled, his eyes flashing gold as his wolf threatened to erupt from his body. His enormous hands squeezed against Darius’ throat as he struggled to draw in his next breath. I stepped forward and put my hand on his shoulder, willing him to look at me. As much as I hated Darius, I didn’t want Bria to grow up without him, but Derion would probably make a much better father to her. Derion looked at me, eyes bright gold, but never once did he slacken his hold.

"Let him go, Derion. He's not worth it," I declared, as I glared at Darius' nearly unconscious body hanging limp from the wall. Derion looked at me for a moment and dropped Darius into a heap on the floor. I grabbed Derion's hand and brought it to my face, feeling the sparks shoot through me. I rested my face in his hands and kissed his palm. 

"Hi, I'm Eriana," I said to the pair of golden eyes staring at me. "What's your name?" I smiled at him and his eyes softened. Suddenly, his eyes clouded over and he looked like he was in a trance. I tried to shake him, but he was a giant and as solid as a sequoia.  

"I don't want to just call you Derion's wolf and I would like to get to know you, too." I tried to get him to talk to me, but he wouldn't and that made me sad. What if he didn't want me? I panicked a little and dropped his hand. The look of hurt on his face made my heart ache. 

"My name is Jordan," he finally said. "I'm sorry, I was having an incredibly annoying conversation with Derion," he continued as he reached for my hand again. I took his hand, and he pulled me into his arms and he inhaled against my hair. I felt the tension in his body dissipate and he relaxed. We stayed like that for a few minutes until he pulled away and Derion's brilliant brown eyes stared back at me. I caressed his face and pulled him in for a slow, passionate kiss. 

"Wow, it's been like two days and you're already swapping spit with some dog," Darius said from behind me, causing me to break our kiss and turn towards him. "You're a f*****g w***e. I'm taking my daughter. I refuse to let her become a c*m-guzzling w***e like you," he spat at us. I felt Derion shake with rage behind me, and I did the only thing my body and brain would agree on. I laughed. I released a deep and ugly cackle from my belly as tears streamed down my face. I laughed until I doubled over and fell to my knees. I really couldn't believe he had the arrogance to stand his cheating ass in my face and call me a w***e. Derion looked at me and the confusion on his face made me laugh even harder. 

"What the f**k is so funny?!" Darius half growled and half whined. How is it possible that I've never realized how much of a b***h he is? The sudden realization made me start a whole new fit of laughter. I tried to catch my breath as I felt the fury seething inside of me. I rose to my feet, still chuckling as I tried to settle myself. I sighed a rich, amused sigh as I finally regained my composure. I see now that these last five years, I have not been myself, but finding Derion has awakened the person I once was. I knew he had my back, and I knew he wouldn't allow Darius to leave this hallway if that's what I wanted.

"How f*****g dare you stand here in my face and accuse me of being a w***e when just two days ago I walked in on you getting your pathetic ass d**k sucked by my cousin. Meanwhile, my daughter was unattended with a soiled diaper in the middle of the f*****g night," I said calmly, each word pushing me towards Darius with slow deliberate steps. I felt power flowing through my veins and I felt the urge to rip his body in half, sparing us all from ever having to deal with him again. 

"How f*****g dare you threaten to take my daughter from me when I am the one who carried her, who nursed her, who wiped her tears, nose, and ass. You will come nowhere near my child ever again or you won't have to worry about Derion taking your life because I will do it myself. If I ever see you or that lowlife of a cousin of mine again, it will be your last day on this earth. Never threaten me, my mate, or my child ever again in your worthless life," I declared as I backed him into a corner. I felt Derion's presence behind me radiating the same power that nearly brought me to my knees the last time. He grabbed me around my abdomen, pulling me back into him. I relaxed at his touch and took his hand. I turned away from Darius to look at my mate and he was smiling down at me and a sense of pride encircled me. 

"Let's go, beautiful," he whispered as he pulled me gently towards the stairs. We walked down the section and I realized I was completely sober at this point. The loud music surrounded me and my body automatically responded to the beat. Ash saw us walking down the stairs and handed me a cup of god only knows what. I opened my mouth to ask what it was, but decided I didn't care at all. I gulped down the whole cup in a matter of seconds and Ash, Derion and his friend were all staring at me with wide eyes. I smiled and held my cup out to Ash for her to refill it, and I saw her pull out a giant bottle of Hennessy and instantly regretted downing the whole cup. Oh, well. I guess I'm driving the boat tonight. 

Four cups and an infinite number of songs later, Ash and I head back to Derion's section. When we got back upstairs, I laid across his lap and he looked down at me with a sweet smile. He is so handsome, and he has an amazing smile. I love a dark-skinned man with a perfect white smile. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, asking if I was ready to go. I nodded my head, and I turned and asked Ash if she was ready to go. She nodded her head and Derion picked me up and carried me down the stairs and out of the club. The cool night air kissed my skin and brought me back to the world outside of the club. I had such a great time tonight, and I'm so glad Derion followed me here. I laid my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat as my head spun from all the Hennessy I guzzled down. I closed my eyes and let him carry me off to wherever. I couldn't even bring myself to care, but I knew I was and always would be safe with him. 

**********

When I woke up, I felt a pair of powerful arms wrapped around me and a tiny body covering my face. I moved to pull Bria into my arms and the body behind me tensed up, trying to keep me from moving. I patted Derion's arm, and he loosened his grip with a low dissatisfied growl. I pulled Bria from my face and snuggled her against my chest. I grabbed Derion's arm and pulled him closer to me, and he happily obliged. He wrapped Bria and me in his enormous arms and they sandwiched me. I wanted to wake up like this every morning; it was such an amazing feeling, being surrounded by the two people in the world who love me the most. I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep until I felt Derion get up. Bria and I both whined as he deprived us of his inhumane warmth.

"Where are you going?" I said with a pout. He walked over to our side of the bed and kneeled down to look at me and Bria. He kissed me on my forehead and the sparks and warmth spread from that spot all over my body. He caressed my face and looked from me to Bria and smiled. 

"It's almost two, baby, I'm going to get some food. Would you like to join us downstairs or do you want me to bring some food up?" He asked as he rubbed my face. His hands were so soft and the sparks between us made me eager to feel it everywhere. I could feel my kitty purring for him, begging to feel him inside me. He smirked as he inhaled deeply. 

"Such a dirty girl," he whispered and shook his head in mock disapproval. "Food, baby. Focus."  He wanted me to focus, but he kept touching me. The more he did, the harder it was to ignore the growing wetness between my thighs, until Bria shifted in my arms and I could have died from embarrassment. If I wasn't so dark-skinned, I know my face would be red as a tomato. 

"We'll come down," I said as I removed his hand from me. I sat up and pulled Bria up with me, earning me a small whimper from my lovebug. Derion stood and reached for Bria. I shook my head no, because I knew she would not enjoy waking up to a strange man. I tickled under her chin and she turned away from me with a smile. I tickled the other side of her neck and she giggled and turned away. She squeezed her eyes shut, and I knew she was awake, but we played this game every morning. I would tickle her until she couldn't dare pretend to still be asleep. I laid her on the bed and she rolled over onto her stomach and squeezed her arms under her to stop the oncoming tickle attack.  I slipped my fingers under her little arms and tickled her armpits until she shrieked and giggled loudly. Derion stood and watched the entire show, smiling the entire time. I stopped tickling her, and she sat up and looked at him. 

"Dada," she squealed and reached for Derion without even sparing me a second glance. I couldn't believe it. He stole my baby from me. I sat on the bed and my mouth hung open in surprise. She didn't even get that excited for Darius! Derion hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, and she kissed him back. What in the hell happened last night? Derion looked at me and read the confusion on my face. He laughed and just kissed me on the cheek. 

"Give your mama a hug, little one," he said as he handed her back to me. She grabbed my neck and gave me the biggest hug her little body could muster. I hugged her back, and she kissed my cheek. 

"Alright,  little one, let's give mama a little privacy so she can get dressed," he hoisted Bria onto his shoulders and she squealed with happiness being so high. It made my heart soar seeing her so happy and comfortable with him. "The bathroom is through that middle door, babe, and the far left door is a closet. You brought a bag, but I can have everything moved here today, I mean, if you want." He looked at me nervously and I felt bad because I didn't want to break his heart, but I can't just move in yet. I have my own life and I refuse to just drop everything for a man and move, again. 

"Mm, not today, but soon," I said as I watched his face drop as Bria drummed on his head. "I can't just up and leave. I have a job and friends, well, a friend. Where's Ashlynn? What happened last night after we saw Darius? My stomach feels like I drank an entire bottle of Hennessey. Why can't I remember anything?" 

"Check your Snapchat, you basically filmed everything after you drank more than half a bottle of Hennessey," he replied with a lifted eyebrow. "Your friend is in the room a few floors down. You wouldn't come without her, so we all drove back early this morning. She's probably still asleep. She was just as drunk as you were. We can talk about ya'll moving up here later. I'm going to go feed the munchkin. She gets aggressive when she's hungry," He said as he carefully pulled Bria from his shoulders and cradled her. She clearly didn't enjoy the change of scenery and threw a tantrum. I reached for her and Derion shook his head and whispered something to her and she giggled. 

"Bye ma ma!" She said while she waved at me as Derion carried her out of the room. I waved bye to my baby and Derion, and he blew me a kiss. I grabbed my phone and opened my Snapchat and immediately heard myself screaming "ayyyyyyeeee" in the video as I twerked on Derion. I groaned and ran my hand down my face in utter embarrassment. I looked at my views and it looked like the entire town of Lamister had seen my videos - Darius included. I skipped through like twenty of the world's most embarrassing videos of Drunk E and Drunk Ash being the most shameful drunks in the history of drunks. I came across a video of Derion and me making out and dry humping in the back of a car. I didn't recognize it as Ash's or mine, so I figured it must be his. I watched the video again, and I had to admit that it turned me on a little. We were a really attractive couple, and I loved the fact that he wasn't camera shy. Darius barely wanted to hold my hand in public, but that was probably because he had been cheating the entire time. I watched more embarrassing drunk memories until I came upon a video of Derion meeting Bria. 

***Eight hours ago***

I held Derion's hand as we stepped into the elevator of my apartment complex. As soon as we all filed in and the door closed, I grabbed him and pulled him into a lust-filled kiss and he picked me up and pinned me to the elevator wall. My free hand roamed up his arm, feeling his hard biceps under his t-shirt. I could still smell me on him and it turned me on even more remembering our earlier sexcapades. I wrapped my other hand wrapped around the back of his neck and my legs around his waist. I could feel his hardness pressing against me, and the only thing I wanted right now was him inside of me.

"My God, E, this man has really turned you into a s*x fiend," Ash said as she laughed. I forgot they were even in here. I didn't care though. Ash was my best friend and Derion was my mate. What's embarrassing about wanting him? He broke our kiss, and I looked up at him and I saw Jordan fighting to come out. 

“I know,” I whimpered as I caught my breath. “He’s so sexy, I can’t help myself.” I looked him in his eyes as they flashed between brown and gold.  

"Jordan," I whispered in his ear. "Please let Derion stay in control, you and I will have our time. I promise." He rested his forehead on mine as I rubbed the back of his head and placed soft kisses onto his face. Derion opened his eyes and returned my kiss again. The elevator dinged and he carefully put me back down as he groaned. I grabbed his hand, and we all walked out of the elevator and headed into my apartment. 

I loudly unlocked the door and walked inside. It was about five in the morning and I was drunk and starving. Ash walked in behind me and went straight to the kitchen with the other guy who’s name I couldn’t remember.

“Make bacon!” I yelled into the kitchen. 

“Yes, Luna,” the man replied. I walked into the living room singing Beyonce’s ‘Brown-Skinned Girl’, flawlessly, and I saw Derion sitting on the couch, recording me. I danced as I sang to him until I heard Bria crying. I walked into her bedroom and picked her up. Liz was stirring, but I shushed her back to sleep as I picked Bria up, taking her back into the living room. I kept humming the song, trying to get her to settle, but she kept fussing. 

“Hey, pumpkin, what’s the matter?” I cooed. “Hey, look who it is, it’s your new daddy,” I said as I pointed to Derion. He smiled so hard I thought his cheeks would cramp up. Bria reached out for him as she whined, and he took her in his arms. I took the phone and posted a video of them to Snapchat with the caption #StepdaddySeason since I knew Darius was watching. He cradled her and rocked her in his arms, and she fell asleep. I put the phone down and joined them on the couch. She looked so content and peaceful in his arms. 

Ash walked in with a plate full of bacon while the guy came in with several cheeseburgers and barbecue sauce. My favorite drunk food. Derion took Bria into her bedroom and put her back on the bed. I made barbecue bacon cheeseburgers for each of us while he was gone. When he sat back down on the couch, he took a big bite of his burger and scarfed it down. 

“When do you want to leave?” Derion asked, looking at me. “I don’t mind staying the night, but I can smell him all over the place.” There was no way I wanted him to sleep in the same bed that Darius and I f****d in. I barely wanted to sleep in that bed. 

“No, we can leave after we all get done eating,” I said as I took another bite of my sandwich. I stole three more pieces of bacon and devoured them between bites of my burger. He looked at me and a small smile crept onto his face. I looked over at Ash and her face was downcast and I knew she didn’t want me to leave, but she didn’t want to come between me and my mate. 

“One condition, though,” I said after finishing my burger. I leaned back and everyone looked at me. “Ash has to come too. I want her in our pack. If she’ll have us.” I looked between Derion and Ash and they looked at each other, both expecting the other to accept first. 

“Of course, baby, whatever you want,” Derion said as he leaned back and looked at Ash. Tears filled her eyes and she wiped them away quickly. She hadn’t been a part of a pack since she was a kid, and I knew she missed it. I loved Ash. She’s the first and only real friend I’ve made since I moved here. She hugged me and cried into my dress and I rubbed her back. 

“Of course I’ll join your pack. I’ll miss my family, but I’d miss you more,” she said through sniffles. 

“How many of your relatives are here?” Derion asked.

“There are 13 of us.”

“Eh, you can all come. We have plenty of room for everyone. Ori, make the preparations.”

“Yep, on it,” Orion said as his eyes clouded over. 

“I’ll go pack a bag then and you should probably take Liz home,” I said as I got up to head to my room. Derion watched me stretch and his eyes roamed over my body and I knew he was picturing me naked. I shook my head at him and laughed. I walked to my bedroom and Derion followed me a few minutes later. I heard the front door close, and I knew Ash left. 

I stripped down out of my dress and heels and changed into a pair of black biker shorts and a bright yellow hoodie with a pair of slides. I packed a bag for a few days. I didn’t have to be back at work until Tuesday evening, so I only packed enough clothes until then with a work t-shirt. Derion sat on the bed, watching me float around the room, offering to help. I handed him another bag and asked him to pack a bag for Bria, and he didn’t hesitate. 

30 minutes later we were all packed up and ready to go. We packed Bria in her car seat and Ash had her bag packed ready to go. She said she’d tell her family later tomorrow since it was about five in the morning. We loaded up in a black SUV that definitely wasn’t here before and headed out.

****End Flashback****