He stopped and cocked his head. "Did I really die?"
"You did." I shuddered a little at the memory. "And then the Moon Witches dragged me away and I didn't know if I would be able to save you."
"But you did."
"With Selene's help. I prayed to her when it seemed like my healing wasn't working. She's the one who really saved you."
He cupped my cheek and gazed into my eyes. "Because of you. When I was...dead...all I saw was darkness. No light coming for me. Nothing. But then I heard you say my name and I found my way back to you."
He bent down and kissed me softly, and I slid my hands across the hard planes of his chest. I was exhausted, but I wanted him too. I'd been craving the touch of his skin for what felt like years. I needed to feel him inside me to know this was real.
He pushed me away when my hands slid down to his jeans. "No, you need to rest." When I opened my mouth to protest, he raised a hand. “I will make you sleep if I have to.”
“Your alpha command won't work on me,” I said, giving him a wry smile. “You can try, of course, but you'll just look dumb.”
“I'll have to bite you instead,” he said, nuzzling my neck. “Knock you out like we did with Jordan.”
Jordan's name was the last thing I wanted to hear right now, but the thought of Kaden sinking his teeth into the soft flesh that joined my shoulder to my neck made my breath catch. I remembered all too well how that felt, and one day I wanted to mark him as my own too.
Kaden breathed in my scent with a dark chuckle. "No, I can tell you'd like that too much."
I sighed and fell back on the bed, and caught a whiff of the smoke that still wafted off of me in waves. There was no way I could go to sleep smelling like a forest fire. I looked down at my hands, which still had streaks of blood and ash across the backs of them. Yeah, there was no way I was going to bed like this. "Fine, but I need a shower at least."
“You'll fall over if you shower, but I can give you a bath,” Kaden said.
"Yes please." I perked up at the idea of Kaden giving me a bath. I started to stand up, but before I could, Kaden was there. He scooped me up into his arms and carried me into the bathroom, ignoring my protests. He set me down on the counter beside the sink and went to turn the water on.
When he turned around, he eyed me closely. “You're going to have to tell me more about these clothes you're wearing and how you got them."
I look down at my dress and winced. I hoped I could get all the blood out—I'd come to really like the Moon Witch attire. “Lunatera, the Moon Witch's realm, was like being stuck in the past. They all wore handmade clothes like this, though sometimes they supplemented with things bought on quick trips back to Earth."
"I want to hear all about it later," Kaden said, as he tested the water again. Then he came toward me and slowly slid the cloak off my shoulders, making my pulse race. His touch was so gentle as he removed my shoes and socks, and then finally began unlacing the back of my dress. Each touch sent a shiver of desire through me.
"I have so much to tell you," I said, leaning back into his arms.
He pushed the dress down, baring my naked flesh, his soft touch across my skin driving me mad. "I want to hear about your mother. The High Priestess, you said?"
"Yes. I think you'd like her. I was angry with her at first for leaving me with the Cancer pack as a baby, but when she told me the full story, I understood why. She went to such great lengths to protect me from the Sun Witches—she even magically dyed my hair red.”
Kaden's eyebrows raised as he finished sliding the dress off my body. “You're saying you're not naturally a red-head?”
“Nope, my hair should be white like hers. She asked if I wanted to change it back to its original color, but I told her no."
Kaden fingered a strand of my fiery hair. "Good. I like it red. It was one of the first things I noticed about you,” he murmured, his lips brushing my ear.
I wanted to pull him closer, but then he picked me up and gently put me into the tub. Warm water sloshed around me as I settled into the tub and immediately relaxed. Oh yes, this was exactly what I'd needed.
It got even better when Kaden grabbed the pitcher sitting on the side of the tub. He filled it up and poured water over my head. I closed my eyes as the warmth washed away some of the horrors of the last few hours. Then he got some shampoo and began working it through my hair with infinite patience. I relaxed back into him as his fingers worked at my scalp. It felt amazing, and I let out a small groan. He lingered on my head for a few more minutes, letting me tilt my head to encourage him to reach the different parts, and then his fingers lifted.
I opened my eyes to find him reaching for the sponge. He dipped it into the water and then picked up one of my arms. I let myself relax back against the side of the tub as he ran the sponge over my arm and then continued across my chest to my other arm. He washed my entire body with a gentleness that made my heart ache. Even my legs and my thighs.
“You're dirty, too,” I murmured as he finished with my left leg. “You should get in. Save water.”
Kaden gave me a look, but then stood up and took his pants off as well. I had seen him on the battlefield, but I hadn't given myself permission to really look at him. He was whole, alive and well, his body just as beautiful as ever. He climbed into the tub, and I reached up for him as he sank down. Immediately, it became clear that there wasn't enough room for us, and I climbed on top of him, straddling his legs. I leaned in and kissed him, running my hands along his body. I trembled as I did so, so happy to finally be doing this after wishing for it during the entire time I'd been in Lunatera. Kaden was very real under my hands, solid and warm, and sexy as sin.
“I was devastated when you died,” I whispered. “My mom wouldn't let me come back here, even though I begged her to let me go. Every moment of the next few months that I spent training, I missed you so much I could hardly breathe.” A few tears slipped down my face as I thought about the pain I'd felt, not knowing whether I'd ever see Kaden alive again. This felt almost too good to be true, to finally have him back in front of me in the flesh. “But it helped me learn the magic faster. You were my biggest motivator, and the reason I can do everything I can today."
“You're incredible,” Kaden said, pressing another kiss to my neck, right where my pulse point was picking up at the light touches. I could feel his cock stirring, pressed against my thighs, and wondered if maybe he'd changed his mind after all. “I can't believe I have you as my alpha female.”
I thought the exact same thing every single time I set eyes on him. I leaned in close again and pressed another kiss to his lips. Kaden shifted me slightly in his lap, hands cupping around my ass to pull me closer to him. I gasped against his lips, letting him slip his tongue into my mouth. He reached between us and stroked my slit. I was already wet, so ready for him, and he let out an appreciative noise as he slid his fingers inside of me. He drew them out just as quickly and guided his now rock-hard cock into me.
I broke the kiss to look down between us and watch his cock disappear inside of me. I shifted my legs a bit so I could help, and together we set a low, lazy rhythm, meeting each other halfway. The water steamed all around us, splashing up against the sides of the tub. I traced a droplet of water with my finger as it cascaded down Kaden's chest. I watched in wonder as his muscles clenched in response, tensing and releasing to follow the line of my finger.