“The wolf dances?” I stroke a small scar on the top of her arm, then walk my fingers across her chest. “When I turned twenty.” Catching her face and turning it to mine, I kiss her softly. “You saved me,” I whisper. “I’d heard them talking about selling me in an auction. For my virginity.”
Nova presses her forehead to mine. She moves her lips to my neck then down to my collar bone, her tongue tracing the contours of my past. Then she shifts so she’s sitting sideways on my lap, her warm naked body pressed up against me, arms looped around my neck. I part her folds with my fingers and take my time exploring her pussy. She moans quietly as I try to memorize the feel of her. She is warm and wet and takes my finger with ease. I slide in another, then another, pressing my palm to her core as I fuck her languidly with my fingers.
“Sam…” She reaches for my erection, but I stop her.
“No, just you,” I mutter. “I want to see my supernova spark.”
She starts to rock forward onto my fingers, clinging onto my neck as she hovers on the edge of her orgasm. When she comes, it is slow and shuddering. Her body melts into my arms. She sighs and quivers as she presses herself against me.
I’m used to feeling unsatisfied. More times than I can count, I’ve watched strangers fucking in the darkness and had to swallow down my own arousal. Ignore it. Dampen it. I’ve already come once this evening; I don’t deserve more than that.
I hug Nova close, expecting her to fall asleep in my arms. Instead, she pivots, straddles me, and slides onto my aching shaft. Having her like this is a new kind of pleasure. With her back pressed to my chest, my hands are able to cup her breasts, travel over her stomach, play with her clit. Moving away from the mooring, I lay flat on my back, expecting her to turn around so she’s facing me. Instead, she braces her hands on my thighs and folds herself over, giving me a mouth-watering view of my cock moving in and out of her cunt.
I spread her cheeks and groan loudly as I thrust up into her. Reaching between my legs, she starts to play with my balls, and strokes the velvety skin behind them. My eyes roll back in my head. I grab her hips, pinch her gorgeously soft skin between my fingers, then release my thick, hot liquid inside her for the second time tonight.
When she stands, the cold is unbearable. Reaching for my hand, she tugs me to my feet. I grab the blanket and wrap it around her shoulders, then pick up our clothes. “I think we need a hot shower,” she says, kissing my chest.
“I think you’re right.”
* * *
After our shower,we climb into bed with the others. I position myself on the edge. Now Luther’s here too, it’s a tight squeeze. I wait until Nova’s breathing changes, and her face becomes smooth with the peace of sleep. Then I unfold myself from the mattress, pick up my clothes, and head downstairs.
In the darkness of the living room, I tug on my sweatpants, t-shirt, and a navy sweater I borrowed from Tanner. I take one last look around the cabin, at the remnants of the strange life we’ve shared here, then I walk out of the door.
I’m standing at the foot of the steps, ready to shift and become the wolf version of myself, when I hear footsteps behind me. I turn to find Kole and Tanner staring down at me from the veranda.
“Midnight run?” Kole asks darkly.
Tanner takes the steps quickly and comes to a stop in front of me. “You’re leaving?” he asks, searching my face. “Where are you going?”
“To The Hollow.” I put my hands into my pockets.
“For Nico?” Tanner’s face contorts into a frown.
“For Nova,” I reply. “They’ll let me in. Ragnor has no idea I’ve met the five of you. If I tell him I’ve tracked him down, he’ll let me in. I can help cause a distraction and give you a chance.”
“Have you spoken to Nova?” Kole appears at Tanner’s side.
I shake my head. “She’d say no.”
A trembling silence hangs in the air.
“I have to do this, Tanner.” I meet his eyes. “I left her alone. For years, something in my gut told me she was out there, and I ignored it. I didn’t try to find her. I didn’t protect her. But she found me, and she saved me, and now it’s my turn to try and save her.”
Tanner’s about to speak when Kole puts a heavy hand on my shoulder and says, “Good luck, brother.”
Tears bite at my throat. I pat Kole’s hand. “Thank you, brother.”
“You’re okay with this?” Tanner looks at Kole. “You think this is a good idea?”
Kole presses his lips together, then suddenly I get it; he knows this has to happen. He’s seen something. Whatever his vision showed him in the forest, and whatever he said to his mother in private, he knows I have to leave.
Somehow, knowing my decision is something to do with fate makes me feel braver.
Tanner pulls me into a fierce embrace. “Take care of yourself,” he says. “If she loses you again, it’ll break her.”
“I will.” I stand back and grip his upper arms. “I’ll get past the barrier and do my best to distract them when the time comes.” I laugh a little and shake my head. As I walk away from them, I call back, “Might even get close enough to kill Ragnor myself.”