Makara Ch. 03

Next time you...present...yourself to me, I don't know that I'll be able to control myself."

I took a deep breath and scurried out the door.

•°~~****~~°•

After my confrontation with Silas, I had marched directly to my room, promptly arming myself with my cell phone. I immediately typed out my demand to know why training had been cancelled and sent the message to Cade.

As expected, he ignored me. I sent him multiple follow up messages. Both, accusing him of being immature with how he handled the situation, and explaining that a person can't control what pops into their mind while unconscious.

With no response, yet again, I gave up trying to get an answer from him and, after enough time had passed that my earlier embarrassment with Silas was forgotten, I spent the rest of my day in the library, and my night in a dream filled slumber.

Cade had me in the familiar position of his chest against my back, his fingers once again threaded through my hair. His deep voice whispered sweetly in my ear, between feather light kisses he placed on my exposed neck.

I melted into him, allowing his lips to ignite the skin under them, and his hands to roam where they pleased.

He pulled away and I caught a glimpse of his scar as he moved toward a couch I had been too preoccupied to notice. My gaze dropped lower and I was once again disappointed that my view was obscured by a pair of boxers.

Sitting on the edge of the couch, he leaned back, beckoning me towards him. As though I didn't have a choice, I obeyed, setting my knees onto the cushions as he guided me to straddle him. I gasped as he lowered me into his lap, feeling his excitement as he aligned himself along the length of my naked core.

A soft, involuntary moan escaped me as I rolled my hips forward. He smiled and placed his hands on my hips, encouraging me to continue my movements. I didn't need encouragement. The heat that tore through my body was enough to force my hips to rock, the promise of ecstacy drawing them forward and backward.

After only a few seconds I noticed how easily I was gliding as the thin layer of fabric separating our sexes become soaked with my juices and the air filled with almost desperate panting. Cade gave a series of soft grunts and I grinned, pleased that I wasn't the only one affected.

I hunched forward, closing my eyes and buried my face in his neck, my movements becoming erratic as I drew close.

"Look at me." I heard and a hand circled my neck, squeezing carefully, but aggressively.

I pulled back, instinct and excitement driving me to do exactly as he told me. I opened my eyes as the first wave of my orgasm washed over me, undeterred that it was no longer Cade who looked back at me.

Rodan grunted and held me in place as he bucked forward, adding his own release to the mixture between us. I squirmed beneath his grip, still enjoying the pleasure that rolled through me with each movement.

As the feeling became too much, I stilled myself. I panted hard, trying to fill my lungs as my efforts had forced my breath from me.

I noticed how Rodan lifted his hands behind his head and stared at me casually, his lip turned up in a satisfied smirk and sweat glistened on his bare chest.

I looked down to the mess we made, and made a slow ascent with my eyes, enjoying the sight in front of me. As I looked back to his face, I saw Silas standing behind the couch. I hadn't noticed him earlier but I wondered if he had been there the whole time. Suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable as both men watched me, I shrank back, attempting to shift out of Rodan's lap. Disinclined to allow me my freedom, he pulled me back down onto him, covering my lips with his. He kissed me passionately, his powerful tongue invading my mouth with ease.

That was when I woke up, the slickness between my legs forcing be to acknowledge that I had, more or less, just grinded on my brother until I came in his lap.

"At least most of it was Cade." I thought, easily deciding which of the two I would consciously choose.

Annoyed with the whole thing, I went for a shower, ignoring Silas in the living room as Emery curled up against him, happy that he had managed to keep his pants on this morning. I showered quickly, not wasting any time, and dressed in my training clothes, hoping Cade wasn't serious.

Picking up my phone, I sent him another message, hoping to convince him to reply.

"Seriously, Cade, you can't ignore me forever. You still haven't given me the details of Tal and Bash's party."

"Suite 1034. 5PM," his response was almost immediate. Encouraged by his reply, I pushed further.

"Oh, so you're talking to me again? Does this mean training's back on?"

I waited impatiently for a few minutes before deciding he had gone back to ignoring me.

I went to the training room anyway, hoping that he would be there and we could continue like nothing had happened. I was the one who should be embarrassed, having Cade know that I dreamt about him, so why was he the one freaking out?

I earned the attention of a few curious stares as I pushed through the door, unfortunately none of them were Cade's. I wasn't surprised that he wasn't there, but disappointment flared deep in my chest anyway.

•°~~****~~°•

I followed the cacophony down the hall, easily locating the correct suite. Wolves spilled from the doorway, overflowing from the crowded living space into the brightly lit corridor. Pushing past them, through the threshold, I gazed around the room.

Tables lined the walls, various covered trays on display, promising a wide arrangement of delicious food. I tried to listen to the conversations that drifted around me, too loud to ignore, but too quiet to catch anything that was said.

"Makara! So glad you could make it!" Tal reached out to grab and gently squeeze my hand, darting off from one guest to another before I could thank her.

I watched as she bounded happily over to Bash leaning in to whisper something in his ear. He nodded and pulled her closer, placing a kiss on top of her head, causing me to smile at their sweetness.

I was almost too distracted to notice Cade sliding away from them, giving them their space. Marching up to him, I jammed my finger into his chest, pretending the action was not akin to poking a brick wall. He batted my finger, rolled his eyes and stepped away.

"Don't you dare," I barked at him, following closely behind as he fled. "You can't shut down training, ignore me all day, and then avoid me too."

"Sure I can." He continued moving, weaving through the crowd.

"Cade," I tried to get in front of him, finding the task impossible. "Just because I dreamt of having s-"

"Don't." I nearly walked right into him as he stopped abruptly, finally turning to face me.

"Don't what?" I asked defiantly. "Explain to you how you're being an immature little pup and give you shit for leaving me high and dry for training today, and yesterday for that matter?"

"Yeah. Now, go away." He spun on his heel and continued away from me.

I blinked, surprise at his flat response nailing me to the floor. Shaking my head and regaining control over my limbs, I raced to catch up with him, grabbing at the back of his arm to convince him to stop.

"I won't go away! Look, I'm sorry if I somehow made you uncomfortable, it wasn't my intention, but I hardly think that warrants...THIS. But the joke's on you, I still trained this morning, all by myself."

"I know. I got the pictures." He pulled his arm out of my grip, annoyance coloring his words. Perhaps twelve pictures had been a few too many, but I wanted him to see that I would prosper despite his inane reaction, and that I had control over my own life. I would train, with or without him, and even though I wasn't quite sure how to do that, I would never admit it to him.

"See, I don't need you." I spat at him, trying to get a reaction.

"Yeah, that's why you haven't left me alone since yesterday morning."

"On principle, not necessity."

"Whatever. I don't want you near me. Go away." He backed away from me, his gaze flashing to Tal as she moved to the front of the room.

"Not until you tell me why you're being so weird."

"Hello!" Tal's cheery voice rang out. "If I could have everyone's attention, I would really appreciate it!"

"Go," Cade growled, his frustration evident in his clenched teeth.

"No."

Cade turned, intent on putting distance between us.

"Nobody move!" Tal called, staring daggers into Cade and he reluctantly moved back, earning a small smile of approval. "Thanks for coming everyone, your support means so much to us. We'd like to take this time to announce that Bash and I are expecting our first pup!"

The crowd clapped, but as a whole the reaction was rather subdued compared to what I had been expecting.

"Nobody's surprised," I mumbled, half to myself.

"Of course not. They knew. Everyone can smell it." Cade shot me a sidelong glance. "Almost everyone."

I glared into the side of his face, wondering briefly how hard he'd hit me back if I smacked him, before abandoning the idea.

"To celebrate, we've created a contest for you guys!" Tal walked over to a table, pulling out a large white poster from underneath it.

"Why go through the trouble of announcing it, if everyone already knows?"

I looked to Cade for an answer, but he made a point to ignore me. This was obviously something I should know, something I would know if I were shifted, or if I hadn't been so sheltered.

"Come on Cade, show me how much smarter than me you are."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Respect."

I looked back to Tal, feeling a little silly. Of course it would be disrespectful to discuss a pregnancy before the mother has given her approval. It would be extremely difficult to have everyone know such a personal thing, particularly if the pregnancy was unwanted or inviable. The announcement was Tal's confirmation that she was through the most dangerous times of her pregnancy and that this was something to be celebrated.

Tal moved back to her place in front of the crowd.

"The rules to the contest are simple. You will be put into teams of two, Bash will be pairing you up based on where you're standing." Cade attempted to slip away as Tal spoke.

"Hey, man." Bash appeared in front of him, blocking his escape. "Where ya goin'?" He moved between us, placing an arm around each of our shoulders.

"Bash, don't." Cade took up a warning tone.

"Partners!" Bash announced, smirking as he moved on to the next couple.

Cade thrust his tongue into his cheek, as though he were using a great deal of effort not to lash out. I smiled, he was stuck with me now.

"These are some of the rarest flowers native to this territory," Tal continued, revealing the reverse side of the poster she was holding. "Each one is ranked by their rarity. You will have two hours to bring me a flower, the team who brings me the highest ranked flower will win. I don't care how you get it, but please be safe everybody!" Nobody moved, waiting for the rest of the rules. "That's it! Get going!" She shooed everyone away and the crowd began to bustle.

I craned my neck, trying to get a closer look at the ranking. I recognized one of the images, although it took me a moment to place where I had seen it.

"Which do y-, hey!" I called to Cade's back, his feet having already carried him halfway out the door. I dodged through the crowd, squeezing between wolves and running to follow Cade. Lucky for me, his path had been blocked by some of the other contestants trying to pile into the elevator. I caught up to him as he pushed through the door to the stairs.

"Cade," I shouted, promptly following him into the echoing stairwell. "Wh-"

"Stop talking." He whirled on me, his voice shockingly calm, but masking none of his anger, before continuing his descent.

"Why are you so mad at me?" I followed close behind him.

I didn't have to see him to know he rolled his eyes, sighing at my disregard of his order.

"I didn't want to be your partner."

"Yeah, I got that. But what I don't know, is WHY."

"You haven't left me alone in two days."

"That's your fault though." He glared at me over his shoulder, never slowing his pace. "What? It's true. I know I'm being annoying, but you were mad way before I ever sent you a text, and I have no idea why." He ignored me, focusing steadfastly on the steps in front of him. "The least you could do is tell me what I did to piss you off; give me a chance to make up for it, or apologize or something."

There was an almost deafening silence as he refused to respond, only marred by our foot falls echoing off the concrete walls. I let him sulk quietly for a moment, surprised that the numbers on the wall told me we were already halfway to the main floor.

"How are we supposed to win if-"

"Oh, we're going to win." I allowed myself a small grin, amused that his competitive nature had pushed aside whatever offense I had offered him. "I know exactly where to get the Aconithus Daisy."

"Which one is that?" I questioned, shocked that he would know such a specific name.

"The red one."

"Isn't that the second ranked flower?"

"Yes."

"Shouldn't we go after the first one?" I asked the obvious question.

"The first one is the Lechenaria. It's been extinct for over twenty years."

"Really? You're sure?"

He looked back at me, his irritation obvious on his face. He was sure.

Taking the last few steps, we spilled into the main lobby, Cade not losing any speed as he took long strides, each one worth two of my own.

"Stay here," he ordered over his shoulder. I strained to hear him, struggling to keep up with his frantic pace.

"What?" I froze, planting my feet. "Why would I do that?" Surprisingly, Cade turned around.

"Because I'm telling you to."

"But I know wh-"

"I'm going to get the Daisy, and you're just going to get in my way. So stay here, or don't, I don't care. But, you're not coming with me. Just be here before we have to go back upstairs." He spun, stalking off to go flower picking and leaving me alone in the lobby.

•°~~****~~°•

"It's about time you got going, dear," Henry spoke sweetly, checking his watch and bringing his story to a close. "Thanks for chatting with me."

I had found him nestled in a large armchair around the corner from the very lobby Cade had abandoned me in, reading quietly and stealing glances at passers by.

"No, Henry, thank you. I really appreciate it." I smiled, nabbing a quick hug from the chuckling old man.

"Off you go, you don't want to be late."

With a final wave over my shoulder I rounded the corner to meet Cade in the designated area.

"There you are!" Cade rushed up to me, turning me by my shoulder and pushing me along in front of him.

"Why so happy to see me? You said you didn't care if I stayed here."

"I've been waiting for twelve minutes." He jammed his finger into the elevator call button, finally releasing his grip on me and allowing me to turn around.

"So what? We've still got-" I pulled out my phone, checking the time. "-eighteen before we have to be back."

"There were three other sets of partners climbing to get the Daisy." He stepped into the elevator, the sliding doors inviting him quietly.

"Climbing?" I asked, suddenly curious where he had gotten this flower. He glared at me, waiting impatiently until I followed him into the elevator, stabbing at the floor number when I was finally on board.

"Yes, the Daisy only grows at the top of a steep rock wall. But there's lots of hand holds so it's only a matter of time before everyone else gets to it."

"And you don't want to tie?" I guessed. "And you think if we get back to Tal and Bash first then we'll win?"

"That I'll win," He corrected. "It's not like you did anything to help."

I ignored his comment, opting against pointing out that he insisted on climbing the stupid cliff on his own and that I helped much more than he knew, allowing a smug smirk to creep over my face instead.

He was silent the rest of the way back, the only noise coming from his rustling clothes as he moved through the hallway to the suite.

"Cade! Makara!" Tal shouted as we crossed through the doorway, running up to meet us. "I knew you guys would get back first!"

I was surprised to see Cade smile at her as he returned the hug she threw at him, thinking briefly that the gesture suited him.

"Did you bring a flower?" She asked excitedly, throwing her arms around me as Bash came to stand next to her.

"Yes," Cade reached into a large pocket by his knee, moving careful so as not to disturb the delicate petals.

"Right here," I jumped in before Cade could reveal the Daisy.

He looked at me incredulously, his brow furrowed deeply in confusion before his gaze dropped to the flower in my outstretched palm.