Makara Ch. 05

I could tell they were talking, but I was too far to hear anything. Cade had his feet apart, his hands tensed by his side. I knew that look. He was prepared for a fight. My heart began to race with adrenaline, he was outnumbered and I was terrified to think of what truly little help I would be if he needed it.

I knew what he was thinking, we had talked about it before. If you were ever outnumbered, a good way to gain an advantage, however small, was to surprise them and attack first. You might get a few good hits in before they realize what's happening. I silently begged him not to do it. Vampires were strong and fast and Cade was by himself out there.

I started towards them, willing to offer whatever help I could. Cade glanced in my direction and each of the vampires moved to see what he was looking at. I knew that to have his opponents look away like that was an opportunity Cade wouldn't miss and I called out for him as he launched himself towards the closest one.

"Cade!"

With my blood pounding in my veins, I ran towards them, hoping to make it there before I was too late. In a second, everything changed as there was a blur in front of me. Everyone froze as they took in the scene. A fifth vampire had appeared, intercepting Cade's lunge at his brethren. I stopped just outside the semi circle of vampires and could clearly see that the newcomer had Cade pinned against the wall of the building, his big hand positioned on Cade's shoulder, his thumb fingering the soft skin of his neck.

The strange vampire was larger than the others, larger than Cade, although not by much. His black hair stood in contrast, even against the darkness of the night.

There wasn't much keeping Cade still, in terms of restraints. Only the pressure from the vampire's single handed grip held him in place, his other hand extended behind him in a signal for the other vampires to back off.

Cade's chest heaved as we all waited, wondering what would happen with morbid curiosity. He stared at the vampire in front of him openly, and I watched for any hint of what we should do. There was an expression on his face I couldn't place, surprising me that I couldn't immediately attribute his twisted features to fear.

He gulped as the vampire removed his hand, eliminating the intimidating skin to skin contact he had on his throat. Cade didn't move, still frozen by the larger man's proximity.

"Get in the van, boys." The man spoke, his deep voice cutting through the night air. Although he never looked away from Cade, it was obvious his words were meant for the four other vampires.

He hissed as one of them began to protest, turning to face the offender without stepping back from Cade.

"I said, get in the fucking van."

They skulked off into the parking lot with mumbled complaints.

"Cade?" I called to him again, still not exactly sure what was happening.

The vampire turned his gaze to me and this time I could place his expression quite easily, confusion. I was baffled. Having never met him before, I could see no reason for his reaction.

He turned back to Cade, leaning in close to whisper something in his ear. Cade listened, but didn't reply and after a few moments the vampire backed away and was gone.

Cade groaned in frustration, running his hands over his face and through his hair. His anger overwhelmed him and bubbled over, manifesting in the swing he took at the wall. I knew from the sickening crunch that he had broken his hand, but it would heal quickly enough.

"Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" I asked, still confused as to how things had gotten so out of control in the short time I had been in the bathroom.

"No." He started marching toward the SUV, clearly done with the night, and I ran to keep up with him.

"I was being polite by phrasing it as a question." He ignored me, back to his usual charming self. I reached out to grab his arm, he shrugged me off but still stopped to look at me. "Cade, what the hell happened?"

"Exactly what it looked like. They wanted to take turns with you and when they found out that wasn't going to happen, they wanted a fight."

"Are you saying they were going to rape me?" I asked, surprised by the crassness of it.

"They explained it as 'aggressively suggesting' that you service them, but, yes, basically." He continued his march to the vehicle and I followed quietly behind him, an uneasy feeling pitting my stomach.

"They're vampires, Makara," he started when he noticed me. "They do whatever they want. Try to avoid them whenever possible."

I nodded as I got in the vehicle, but had a hard time believing all vampires were like that.

"What about the one who wasn't in the bar? What was that about?"

"Can we just drop it?" He sighed. "You're fine, I'm fine, they're gone. Do we need to keep talking about it?"

He pulled out of the parking lot, glancing between me and the road, waiting for my answer. I didn't know why he was defensive about it, but I ended up deciding he was right. There was nothing to worry about now, and he had had a hard enough time already. I wouldn't make him talk about it if he didn't want to. Resolving not to bring it up again, I hoped he would come to me when he was ready.

"Okay."

His shoulders relaxed visibly as he let go of his tension. I watched him. He never looked, but I knew he saw me, I didn't care. If what he said was true, and I had no reason to believe it wasn't, he had nearly gotten himself killed to protect me.

I reached out to grasp his hand, sitting lazily on the center console. He flinched at the surprise contact, but didn't pull his hand away.

"Thank you," I told him sincerely, truly appreciating that he would go to such lengths for me.

He looked over, eyeing me before giving me an almost imperceptible head nod of acknowledgement.

The rest of the drive and the walk into the hotel had been almost completely silent. But not like the silence from earlier in the night. Where that silence had been awkward, and created pits of desperation driving you to search for the next topic of conversation, this silence was easy and comfortable.

We walked into the elevator and I pressed the button for each of our floors. I barely noticed as Cade sniffed the air, used to his nose picking up things mine couldn't.

"Can I give you some advice?" He questioned before stepping through the, now open, elevator doors.

"Sure,"

"Try not to punch Alphas." He got off and the doors began to close behind him. Just before they sealed shut, he turned and spoke again. "Or fuck them!"

I chuckled. I had noticed that Cade would only joke around if he was comfortable with you, and I was happy that he felt I met that criteria.

I tried to concentrate on the vampire free portions of the evening, finding that I was even less confident in Cade's fantastical safety. I thought back to whether or not we decided to call it a date. Although we hadn't outright labeled it, it had all the makings of one. All, that is, except for the goodnight kiss. I closed my eyes and pictured what it might have been like. Would it be like in my dreams? Or would kissing him be something different altogether?

I startled and threw my eyes open when the elevator dinged, bringing me back to reality. After everything, I had to accept that I was attracted to Cade, but I didn't need to make it any worse by imagining us together.

Training had always been somewhere I didn't have to worry about my traitorous body. How much more difficult would it be to ignore now that my safe haven was gone? Everywhere I went, it seemed that someone would wear down my resistance, picking away at it with every stray thought, dream and flirtatious comment.

Rubbing my face and eyes, I tried to think of anything else as I left the elevator and walked towards Silas' suite. I heard a door open and close in front of me. Had I been paying attention, I might have realized this was odd, considering Silas was the only one on this floor and I was still quite far from our door.

"Makara?"

I recognized the voice and pulled my hand away from my face to see him. A quick look took nearly all the moisture from my mouth as it hung open just slightly. I froze as pieces of my dreams flashed through my mind, a collage of skin and hands and lips. My face instantly flushed and I gawked from the top of his exposed chest to where his swim trunks sat low on his hips, displaying a delicious amount of treasure trail.

He smiled at me knowingly and I knew my scent filled the air.

With a struggle, I reigned in my thoughts. He was the last person I had expected to see at that moment, so I had been unprepared for the onslaught of feelings. I forced them back, which left room for anger, tempered by the sadness that accompanied it.

I immediately understood Cade's advice. He must have caught his scent in the elevator. Don't punch him, don't fuck him, thanks for the warning, Cade.

"Rodan," I managed in a steady voice, in no way betraying my pounding heart. I didn't know what else to say to him, and didn't want to stick around for the awkward silence. I had told him it would take more than an apology to fix things between us and I wasn't willing to act so casually, like nothing had happened. I spun on my heels, marching to Silas' suite without looking back.

I fumbled with the door in my haste to get inside, relieved when it finally swung open. Silas was walking out of his bedroom. His chest was bare and I frustratingly wondered if anyone around here had heard of a shirt. I pushed the sight aside, refusing to be distracted.

"You knew he was here," I accused, standing in front of him, blocking his way to the kitchen.

"Who?"

"Rodan," I answered, even though I was positive he knew exactly who I was talking about.

"Oh, yes, I did. He arrived early. It's not unusual for committee meetings."

"Well thanks for warning me, Silas. I really enjoy being blindsided in the hallway," I threw my sarcasm at him.

Not letting him respond, I moved past him towards my bedroom, noticing for the first time that Emery stood nearby, wrapped in a shirt obviously much too big for her. I rolled my eyes. It would have taken her just as long to put on her own clothes. I reasoned she had only chosen Silas' to mark what she thought was her territory.

Closing the door behind me, I pulled out my phone.

"You could have warned me." I hit send on the message to Cade.

"Didn't I?"

Annoyed, I tossed my phone aside.

Exhausted by everything that had happened today, I wasted no time in stripping off my clothes and climbing into bed, content to pretend I had complete control over everything in my life.

I stood alone in a room. When I looked around, I could clearly see that it was my bedroom at the estate. I could feel my bed against the back of my legs, soft and beckoning.

A figure appeared in front of me. Like so many of my previous dreams, it had no solid form, instead, flowing freely between the forms of Rodan, Silas and Cade with each blink. I watched with curiosity as the most recent shift revealed someone else. I could see him standing clearly in front of me, but to describe what he looked like was an impossible task, each detail of his appearance fleeing my memory almost as soon as I took it in. The most I could say was that he seemed incomplete, as though I knew him, but only as a stranger in passing.

I squeezed my eyes shut and when I opened them, the unknown man was gone, now wearing Cade's face as he stalked towards me with an uncharacteristic, mischievous grin.

Licking my lips in anticipation, I felt the hunger for him build with each step he took. He kissed me greedily and wrapped his arms around me, pressing me tightly against him. When he pulled away, Silas looked back at me, running his hands down to my hips. He lifted me easily and tossed me backwards onto the bed.

Throwing my head back, I remembered the night we met, feeling the similarities as his weight was on top of me again. He ground his hips into mine, kissing my neck and chest. When I finally looked back at him, Rodan smiled, trailing his lips slowly down my body.

The figure continued to fluctuate between the men as he worked his way lower, no longer waiting for me to close my eyes. I watched him intently, nearly shaking with need. He settled between my legs, kissing each of my inner thighs gently. My breath came in panting bursts, and I raised my hips, seeking the contact my body seemed so desperate for.

I wondered briefly about the strength of my desire, strong enough to make me completely indifferent to going from one man to the next. My dream self thought nothing of loyalty, moving easily, and happily between them.

He hooked his arms around each of my legs, holding me in place, exerting his control over me. My heart pounded as he dipped lower, making a teasing swipe of his tongue over my most sensitive area. I whimpered, instantly disappointed with the lack of contact.

He didn't leave me long without the wonderfully foreign feeling of his tongue. He enjoyed himself, taking his time exploring my folds, lavishly licking up my juices. His actions did more to build my desire than it did to help me reach my release, chosen specifically to torture me wonderfully.

Grunting with frustration, I lifted my hips, losing control as my need to cum took over all sane thought. Taking mercy on me, he gave in, sucking my clit into his mouth and teasing it with his tongue. The sudden shock made me arch my back and I rocked my hips into him.

Moving one of his hands, he palmed my chest, pinching my nipple, before reaching down to add a finger to the ministrations between my thighs, sliding it easily inside me. I moaned underneath him, feeling the intensity increase exponentially.

Within minutes, I was at the edge, abandoning any semblance of rhythm as I moved to draw his finger deeper inside, bury his face more completely. He sped his movements, worked more aggressively, sending electric pulses of pleasure through my body, all originating from my core, bursting until I tumbled into orgasmic bliss.

The strength of it sealed my eyes shut and dug my fingers and toes into the soft bed below me. He continued, completely undeterred by my wild bucking, forcing my muscles to tense under the heightened sensitivity of my dripping sex.

He relented, and it took longer than usual for me to come down from the peak. The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was that I was back in my room at the hotel, the dim light from the window casting familiar shadows.

Feeling gentle lips on my inner thigh, I looked to find Rodan still perched between my legs. I thought it was odd, I usually woke up as soon as I came, but I watched him anyway, waiting for the unusually beautiful sight of the figure shifting from one form to the next.

The edges of his shape remained sharp, never blurring or distorting. He stared back at me, smiling deviously. His lips shined with the evidence of my excitement and a satisfied growl rumbled deep in his chest as he licked his finger clean.

This wasn't right. I never got to see the aftermath of my sexual adventures. The longer I looked at him, the more anchored in reality I felt. An uneasiness crept into me and I jumped when Silas came bursting through the door. A panicked thought occurred to me immediately.

I wasn't dreaming.