Forgotten Visions (The Divinities Book 1) Page 13

  Kalissa was alive, but so was her lover.

  With two failed kidnapping attempts and one near miss on her life, Liam decided to take matters into his own hands. It was time to reclaim what was his.

  Chapter 18

  “You know, that really is a scary thought,” Khloe said as they took form in the backyard of the Bradenton farm.

  Kalissa had to agree. Knowing that demons could follow them was scary. She already knew that they could pick up on their magical signature, but not the fact that they could track them at any moment. “How many other demons can trace us?” Kalissa asked.

  “There are many that can trace us, but they would need to pick up your scent first. Teddy-Bear doesn’t need our scent because they’re connected to us through the Sinew,” Melaina said as they walked to the old barn about fifteen feet from the main house.

  Khloe relaxed her shoulders. “Oh. That’s good.

  Zach and Ayden took Jacen inside the house, with a sobbing Lydia trailing behind. Kalissa and the others went to check out the barn.

  “How is he?” Kalissa asked when Ayden returned a few minutes later.

  With a grave expression, he shook his head. “He’s weak. He won’t make it through the night.”

  Her chest tightened as unwanted sorrow crept in. “Is there anything you can do? I mean, Lydia is a healer.”

  He shook his head. “I offered, but she refused. Said it would be a waste of energy.”

  Her vision blurred, her nose tingled, and she blinked away tears. There was only one reason why Lydia would refuse the burst in healing power. Jacen was far worse than Kalissa had suspected. She’d hoped that his sister could heal him, but now, that hope was gone, replaced with sadness and grief.

  “Hey, Ayd, what about your Jeep?” Khloe asked, trying to change the subject. Death had fallen upon them again, and it had brought painful memories for them all.

  Ayden shrugged. “I’ll send Zach up to get it.”

  Kalissa smiled. “Does he know this?”

  Smiling back, he said, “Nope.”

  “Oh, can I tell him?” Khloe asked. Ayden shook his head. Khloe made a face at him and said, “Fine. You’re a fun sucker.”

  Kalissa and Khloe opened the double doors of the barn. Teddy-Bear immediately trotted inside. “It needs some work. It hasn’t been used in years,” Kalissa said as she did a quick walk-through and manifested a notepad and pen that floated in the air, making notes as she spoke. “We’ll need fresh hay. And check the roof for leaks. Teddy-Bear, is there anything you need?”

  The hounds shook their heads. “Nope. It’s perfect.”

  “All right, then. Just let us know if you need anything,” Kalissa said as she walked back to the door where the others still stood.

  Kalissa and Mel conjured some chairs for everyone to sit in while they told Teddy-Bear about Demetrius’s message. “He’s not getting the Sinew, so we have to fight.”

  “That won’t be easy,” Teddy said.

  Bear nodded in agreement. “There are some nasty demons out there. Many are far more powerful than you, and some make people do things….” He winced at the thought.

  “So we’ll take a stand,” Kalissa announced. Everyone turned to look at her like she had grown a second head. “We can’t give him the Sinew. I’m not going to sit here while Demetrius bullies his way into our lives. We’re the only things standing in his way. We have to stop him.”

  “We defeat Demetrius, Khan will send others,” Melaina said.

  Kalissa crossed her arms over her chest. “And I’ll be there to stop them, too.” No one said anything, so Kalissa continued. “We are the Divinities. In a way, we are the protectors of all magickin. That is what I intend to do.”

  One by one, the rest of the group threw in their bids to defend magickin and the Sinew. Kalissa wasn’t surprised that Ayden was the first to say he was in, but it did surprise her that Zach also piped up with an offer of his help as he walked across the yard toward them. He wasn’t a Divinity, yet he was willing to put his life on the line to help them. Then again, he did carry the gene. That made him one of them.

  “Look, I know that I’m a mortal witch, and I understand your concern to keep me out of harm’s way, but I can be a liaison for other covens and set up a network to share information. I think they should be aware that the Divinities have reunited and are taking a stand in this war,” Zach said with a look that said, Don’t shut me out of this.

  Once a cop, always a cop, Kalissa thought. “Melaina, it’s your call.”

  Melaina nodded. “Very well, Zach, set up your network. With the Sinew here and with its own protectors—” She cut off briefly to look around the room. Teddy-Bear straightened and puffed out their chest in complete agreement with Melaina. “The demons can’t touch it.”

  “Khloe, can you work on a security system for the house and the property?” Kalissa saw Khloe’s face light up. She’d love an opportunity to show off her techie skills.

  The next morning, Kalissa woke early, showered, and dressed in a lavender sundress that made her violet eyes stand out. She left her long, dark blond hair down to cascade over her shoulders and down her back. When she was pleased with how she looked, she headed downstairs.

  In the kitchen, she started a pot of coffee and made cranberry orange muffins.

  She had just pulled the muffins from the oven and set them on the stovetop when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind. A smile spread across her face. She took off the oven mitts. She’d known he was there, smelled his aftershave as he came into the kitchen, and felt his presence. The bond was stronger. She wasn’t sure of the hows or whys, but it was growing, making his rose on her arm darken.

  Ayden placed a kiss on her cheek, brushed her hair from her neck, and kissed the tender spot just below her earlobe. “Morning, beautiful,” he whispered in her ear.

  Kalissa turned to face him, leaned into his body, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She looked into his baby blue eyes and the swirls of silver in them danced. “Morning.”

  “Hope I’m not interrupting,” Melaina said in an amused voice as she went for the coffee pot.

  Ayden gave Kalissa a quick kiss on the lips, reached around her, and grabbed a muffin before turning to sit at the kitchen table. Kalissa stood there for a few seconds, trying to slow her heartbeat. She wanted to drag Ayden off somewhere so they could be alone. That brought a smile to her face. It was amazing to feel so at ease with him. With no fear or panic—like they belonged together.

  When she was able to breathe normally again, she placed the muffins on a serving tray, carried them to the table, and took the chair between Ayden and Melaina.

  “Is something wrong?” Kalissa asked Ayden after a few seconds of silence.

  He frowned and then quickly replaced it with a smile as if the question had thrown him off at first. “No. I just thought I would stop by on my way to the station.”

  Kalissa smiled and glanced at Mel. Mel looked briefly at Kalissa’s arm before meeting her eyes. “You can see it?” Kalissa asked, talking about her new rose.

  Mel nodded. “I didn’t want to say anything.” She paused before asking, “The memory spell is broken?”

  “Not completely,” Kalissa answered sadly. “But, I am starting to remember a little each day.” She felt guilty about what she had done to Ayden. They’d been so in love, even at the young age of seventeen, that she wasn’t sure how he was able to forgive her, let alone stand the sight of her. As if feeling her mood shift, Ayden reached over, took her hand, and brought it to his lips to place a soft kiss on the backs of her fingers.

  “I have you now and forever,” he said with a smile.

  Khloe and Lydia came in, fully dressed and looking like they were ready to take on the world. “We’re going to the coven,” Khloe announced, reaching over to grab two muffins and handing one to Lydia.

  A wave of grief fell over Kalissa like a heavy blanket. Jacen had passed on sometime during the night. Lydia’s eyes w
ere still swollen and red from crying. Khloe was taking her to the coven to meet Noah and Vanessa so they could make arrangements for the funeral.

  After a moment of sorrow-filled silence, Melaina stood up. “Let me get my purse and I’ll go, too.”

  About five minutes later, the three women left, yelling their goodbyes as they walked out the front of the house.

  Ayden stood up. “I should be going, too.”

  Already? Kalissa thought and stood up to follow Ayden to the door. She watched his backside as he walked, and couldn’t help but notice how his form-fitting uniform pants hugged his ass. Her eyes traveled up his back to his broad, muscular shoulders, and then she roamed her gaze down his arms to his hands. Oh gods, what those hands could do to her…

  Ayden turned to face her when they reached the door and gave a smirk that told her he knew where her mind had wandered off to. She met his gaze and smiled. He stepped into her, circled his arms around her waist, and kissed her deeply.

  Kalissa returned the kiss, wrapped her arms around his neck, and melted against his body. She wanted him so badly, and decided at that moment, she would stop worrying about the past and start living for the future. Their future. He pressed into her. She sucked in a breath when she felt his arousal against her lower stomach.

  Ayden pulled back to look at her. “You okay?”

  “Yes…Yes, I am.” She pulled his head down for another kiss.

  “You keep that up, and I’ll have to drag you off to your office and have my way with you,” he said against her lips.

  “I thought you said you had to go?” she teased.

  He kissed her again and walked her backwards to the master-bedroom-turned-office. “I can afford to be a little late.”

  Kalissa didn’t need any further enticement. She broke out of his hold and ran the rest of the way to the office. She released a squeak when she entered the room and found Ayden standing in front of her. He’d teleported. “Cheater,” she said, closing the door and then locking it behind her.

  When she reached Ayden, his shirt was pulled out of his waistband, and he had started to unbutton it until it hung open, giving her access to his bare chest where she placed her hands. She pressed a kiss over his heart. “How late can you be, Sheriff?”

  Ayden sucked in a quick breath as Kalissa ran the tip of her tongue up his chest. “As late as I want to be.”

  “Good,” she purred, pressing her hands against his chest while slowly running them up over his pecs to his shoulders to slide his shirt from his arms. She walked him backwards until his legs touched the sofa and gave a little push. Ayden fell into a seated position.

  On her knees in front of him, she slowly unlaced and removed his shoes one at a time. She ran her hand up the inside of his thigh to his cock. His leg muscles twitched under her hands, and she loved the way he reacted to her touch. The way his eyes almost glowed with passion. Her hand cupped him through his pants. Ayden pressed into her palm with a moan. Kalissa removed her hand to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his pants.

  “Wait,” he said, stopping her hands. He took his gun out of its holster and laid it on the table next to the sofa. Then he removed his belt and sat it on the floor beside his shoes. When he’d finished, he rose his hips so Kalissa could slide his pants down his legs.

  Paying him back for the slow torture he’d shown her at the cabin, she ran her tongue up his thigh. Ayden’s soft curse brought a smile to her lips. However, making love to Ayden in an unhurried, sensual way they had at the cabin made her want more. She craved his touch now and loved the feel of him over her, under her, and inside her.

  She grasped his hard length in her hand and stroked him up and down a couple of times before she licked from base to tip and then took him into her mouth.

  His thigh muscles under her hands flexed and then tightened as if he were fighting to gain control. She made slow strokes with her tongue as she sucked him, and knew the moment he teetered on the edge of release. When he reached that point, she freed him from her mouth. Taking him in her hand again, she stroked him gently, teasingly. Their eyes locked. The silver in his baby blues was so defined his irises almost glowed. She had him right where she wanted, and knew she could command anything of him. The satisfaction in knowing that made her giddy.

  Leaning in to take him in her mouth again, he took hold of her arms and pulled her up his chest to capture her lips with his.

  “I wasn’t done,” Kalissa teased.

  “You are,” Ayden replied and pulled her dress over her head.

  Heart pounding with anticipation, Kalissa laughed softly and stood up to remove her panties. She moved closer and straddled his lap, but didn’t sit. She wasn’t done teasing him yet.

  She let out a surprised gasp when Ayden’s mouth covered her left breast. His fingertips raked down her back and over her ass and pulled her closer to him. Fingers sliding around the curve of her rear to her center, he slid his middle and ring fingers inside her. A gasped moan left her as he moved them in and out while rubbing her clit with his index finger. She had lost all her control over him, but she didn’t care. He picked up his pace until an orgasm cascaded over her.

  Ayden captured her mouth, thrusting his tongue inside. Kalissa rubbed her sex on Ayden’s throbbing shaft between them. Aching to have him inside her, she rose up so her entrance was over his head and lowered herself down to take all of him inside.

  She moved her hips in a slow rhythm, riding him to release. And loved the way he made her feel, his energy and power when it merged with hers. They were one, connected like two perfectly fitted puzzle pieces. The air filled with their magic, and it only got more intense as they moved closer to their climaxes.

  Kalissa rode him, slowly at first. She wanted it to last as long as it possibly could. It felt too good to be loved the way Ayden loved her. He didn’t have to say the words for her to know it. Their growing connection broadcasted their feelings to each other. They were bonding. Each time they touched, kissed, and made love, their link strengthened.

  She figured Ayden had had enough of her slow movements because he took hold of her hips and picked up the pace. Kalissa matched his thrusts until they both cried out in release.

  Kalissa collapsed against Ayden’s chest. He encased her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “I love you.”

  She lifted her head to look at him with a wide smile. Her heart swelled. “I know,” she teased and kissed his lips. “I love you, too,” she said against his lips.

  “I should be going,” he said, sounding like he didn’t want to go.

  “So should I,” she said back with a grin. She gave him one last quick kiss on the lips and climbed off his lap. Giving him a devilish grin, she asked, “Shower first?”

  “You keep that up, and I’ll have to move in just so I can get enough of you,” Ayden said, and then frowned at her hesitation.

  Kalissa looked him full in the face and thought, Why not? Ayden reached out and took her hand. He was about to apologize for saying it, she just knew it, so she cut him off before he had the chance. With a quick kiss, she said, “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  Kalissa nodded and held up her left arm with her newly paired roses facing him. “All right. Move in. These tell me we’re stuck with one another.”

  “You do have a choice,” he said.

  “And I choose you. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you.” Naked and in your bed—no, our bed, she left unspoken. She was sure he’d picked up on that. They were still connected from the sex.

  “Okay,” he said, smiling like he had just won the lottery. He gave her another quick kiss and asked, “How about that shower?”

  Chapter 19

  After the shower with Ayden, Kalissa went to her office and sat behind her desk. Earlier scenes of them together on the sofa made her smile. It also made her want to chase down his police cruiser for a replay. Then there was the shower. Ayden had taken her two more times. Damn, that man sent her sex drive throug
h the roof.

  And he was moving in, tonight. What was she thinking? Right, she wasn’t. Looking down at her left forearm, Ayden’s rose was as vivid as the one she’d been born with, proving they were magical partners. In the eyes of magickin they were married, just short of a hand fastening.

  She loved him. Truly, with all her heart, she knew they belonged together. With a sigh, she pushed her thoughts to the side and got to work.

  The smell of espresso and pastries welcomed her as she walked through the door of Coffee Café. The lingering aromas reminded her of her father, and the warmth, strength, and love he’d given to their family. Loss and grief tried to reawaken her sorrow, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and focused on the positive. And revenge on the demon that had taken her parents from her.

  Kalissa placed the payroll checks inside the safe, grabbed an apron, and put it on. Walking out from her small office, she made her way to the bar where Zach’s sisters, Bethany and Annemarie, sat enjoying iced lattes. Bethany perked up with a bright smile and a knowing gleam in her eyes. It would surprise Kalissa if Ayden’s name didn’t show up in their conversation.

  “Good morning, Lis.” Bethany Manus sounded way too chipper. “How are you?”

  “Good, and you?”

  “Oh, I can’t complain.” The smile faded, replaced by sadness. “I met Lydia as we were leaving. It’s so horrible what happen to her brother.”

  A wave of guilt washed over Kalissa. “Yes.” It was all she could say. A mixture of emotions whirled around inside her. She was saddened by Lydia’s loss, yet happily falling in love with Ayden. Deeply. She felt she didn’t have the right to be so happy when Lydia was in so much pain.

  Bethany covered her hand with one of her own, bringing Kalissa’s gaze to hers. “She’s in good hands. Papa and Grams will put together the most beautiful ritual for his passing to the Afterworld.”

  Kalissa smiled. Beth was right. “She is. And Khloe seems to have developed a quick friendship with her.”