A Lost Kitten (28 page)

Rocket snorted at John, then raced off. John heard a different kind of snort. He glanced at Rau. The man had his lips pressed tightly together as he struggled to stay serious.

Rau passed a hand over his mouth. “He did not like the way you waved your arms at him.”

John rolled his eye while he shook his head. “It figures.” He walked toward Jasira’s home. Rau’s laughter followed him.

Arriving at Jasira’s house, John reached for the door handle. It was locked, so he knocked on the door. No answer. He scanned the interior with his preternatural senses. No one was home. He checked the time. It was almost eight in the evening. Maybe Jasira was still at the school. He left his bag on the doorstep and went to the schoolhouse to find out.

John paused by the window and peeked inside. Spotting Dena, his heart began to beat faster. She had her back to him. He immediately reached out with his senses. As he feared, there were two life forces inside. Since he could only see Dena, he figured the second, somewhat familiar energy force must be Jasira.

Why was Dena speaking to Jasira? Yudit had ordered Dena to stay away. John phased through the wall to listen in on the one-sided conversation.

“Why are you doing this to him? You cannot give him the youngsters he wants. You cannot be the woomuhn he needs.”

John’s anger rose quickly. He gritted his teeth.

“He deserves better. You are holding him back. Can you not see you are causing him unnecessary pain and confusion?”

John’s gaze narrowed. His fingers curved into fists.

“Do not do this to him. Do not be selfish. If you care anything about him, then leave this world and leave John to me.”

“No!” Startled, Dena turned around as John hurried forward. “Jasira!” He stopped in front of the energy force. “I want to see you. Let me see you.”

Mist formed and gathered into a swirling funnel. From the small tornado materialized Jasira, two steps in front of John. Her form was denser, less translucent. John’s rapid breathing snagged. Jasira looked solid.

“John?”

Dena’s voice drew John out of his shock. He moved closer to Jasira. “Don’t you dare leave me. You hear me? Don’t you dare.”

Jasira’s dark eyes searched his.

“Did you hear me?” he yelled.

Jasira nodded.

“John, I—”

“No!” John whirled about and stomped in Dena’s direction. “How dare you tell her to leave me? Who the bloody hell do you think you are? You have no right telling her to leave her husband!”

Dena’s eyes grew wide. “Husband?”

John sneered. “Permanent mate.” He swiftly opened his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt halfway. “Jasira is legally my wife.” He parted the material to one side. Dena’s gaze dropped to the scars on his right chest muscle. “This is a soulscar. A matrimonial scar given to me by my soulmate.”

He stepped forward, forcing Dena back. “Her place is by my side. I don’t want you. No one can take Jasira’s place in my heart or in my bed. I won’t allow her to leave this world—not until I’m ready to go with her.”

Dena bumped into the closed doors.

“I want you out of our lives. Don’t come near either of us again, Dena, or so help me, you would regret ever meeting me.”

John yanked Dena to one side and opened the door. He shoved her out of the classroom, then slammed the door in her face. He turned around and Jasira unexpectedly slammed into him, causing him to bump into the closed door.

Her kiss was urgent and demanding. John instinctively reached out to embrace her. His arms hit his stomach. He growled his anger and frustration, but continued to answer Jasira’s hungry kiss.

Jasira peeled her lips from his, and John watched her head dip to his chest. She pulled his shirt to one side. Her tongue traced his scars, one by one. Her actions erased John’s frustration and filled him with love and devotion.

Jasira’s head shifted over his areola. She licked, then pulled the hardened nipple into her mouth. John closed his eyes. Jasira could easily ignite a fire in his core. Her lips traveled across his chest to the other side while her small hands caressed the bulge in his pants. John purred, pressing into her hand.

Jasira finished unbuttoning his shirt so she could rub her breasts down his body. She stopped at his stomach. John’s heart pounded. Her tongue traced each muscle with the lightest touch. Currents of electricity raced along John’s spine as her mouth crept lower.

John glimpsed her pale hands reaching for the buttons on his pants. “Jasira, no.”

Jasira paused in her movements to look up at him.

“Not here. You know what happens when we come together. Let’s go back to the house.”

Jasira smiled. She stepped back with a nod. John swiftly opened the door. He was out of the schoolhouse before Jasira could move. John did not see Jasira giggling as she ran to keep up with his long strides. John snatched the bag off the floor. In his excitement, he did not even realize he had phased through the closed door. He threw the bag to one side and stopped in the kitchen. His heart rate accelerated. He felt breathless.

The door’s lock clicked opened from the outside. John watched his beloved wife enter the house like a normal being. He had forgotten. Jasira had been doing so for months for his sake. Her kindness touched him deeply.

Jasira threw the keys onto the rocker. She then closed the curtains to the window. Facing John, she opened the bodice of her dress, pausing to allow it to puddle onto the floor. She walked forward. Neither was aware that the discarded dress dissolved behind her.

John carefully eyed Jasira as she neared him. He was amazed at how clearly he could see her. It was as if she was there in the flesh. His heart pounded harder. His root throbbed painfully as if he had not been with her in years.

Jasira paused in front of him. With a smile, she guided John backward to a chair. Under the pressure of her hands, John sat down. He loved to feel her hands exploring his body. The heat in his core intensified.

He watched Jasira open his pants. She tugged the material apart and his arousal sprung forward. Jasira placed openmouthed kisses along his throbbing length. He clenched his jaw in anticipation.

John raised his hips so she could pull his pants down to his boots. Jasira nudged his knees apart. Her face dipped underneath his sack. John gazed at his wife while she kissed and licked his secret hidden places. When Jasira encased him in her steaming mouth, John’s passions exploded. His eyes ignited at seeing her head bob up and down. He gripped the sides of the chair and lifted his hips to greet her.

Jasira gently tugged while her tongue licked his erection. John groaned. The pleasures she bestowed were unparalleled. He lowered to the seat and reached for the back of Jasira’s head with his right hand. His fingers went through her head and skimmed his pulsating flesh.

His hand tightened to a white-knuckled fist. “Damn it!” he hissed, gripping the chair harder.

Jasira released him and looked up.

John peered deep into her dark eyes. “I’m sorry, but you have no idea how much I need you.”

Jasira climbed over him and positioned herself over his arousal. John swallowed. His sights dropped to watch Jasira sheath him. Her tight warmth surrounded him. As her hips began to move, the light in John’s eyes grew brighter. He leaned his head on Jasira’s chest and purred as he nuzzled her breasts.

Jasira placed her hands on John’s shoulders for support. She deliberately lowered onto him with force. Her speed increased. John tilted his hips forward, wanting, needing Jasira to take more of him.

As he watched his wife ride him, he saw the yearning on her beautiful face. Her round breasts bounced with her movements. She was so dense he could no longer see the flesh on his root stretch and contract. He placed his face between her breasts and inhaled her scent. It was like his wife was real, and everything around them was a dream.

He longed to touch her, to taste her. His lips opened. His tongue darted out, seeking the taste of her skin. Like many times before, it encountered only air. Like before, John pushed out the hurt and focused on Jasira’s hips moving above his.

“Don’t stop.” John lost himself in her lustful gaze. “Take me.” His mouth reached up to hers. “I want you so much.”

Jasira kissed him. She sensually sucked on his tongue, pleasing him, yet causing his heart pain. Tears filled his eyes. If only he could suck on her tongue, her lips, her breasts. Blocking out the pain, John pressed his face in her neck instead. This was not the time to cry over what could have been. This was the time to appreciate what he had.

John inhaled Jasira’s intoxicating scent. “I will always love you,” he said. Jasira’s hips thrust harder and faster in response. Her fingers tweaked his nipples. He leaned forward, burying his face deeper in her hair.

“Harder. Faster.”

Jasira complied. John felt the fire in him building, pulsing in rhythm with her movements. He moaned as he swelled in her hot sheath. His fingers grew numb as he clung to the chair’s seat. He felt his claws digging into the wood. Closing his eyes tight, John tried to prepare for what he knew was coming.

His core exploded. The red-hot energy sizzled through his body. His eyes shot open. His head flung back as he roared. Like before, his release was more powerful than the last time. Jasira flew off his lap, hitting the closed door. John was thrust backward in his chair. His body, plus the chair, skidded wildly along the wooden floor. His head crashed into the back wall.

Jasira regained consciousness. She moved her limbs. Pained shot across her back, neck, and head. She groaned. She carefully raised herself into a seated position on the floor. She leaned her back on the door and inhaled deep. Her blurred vision slowly cleared.

She spotted John on the floor opposite her. She felt sorry for him. Even though it bothered him immensely to lose consciousness each time he climaxed, he did not let it keep him from seeking her touch. She was going to miss him terribly when he left for the war. She hoped he did not stay away for too long.

Jasira sat there watching John for several minutes, regaining her strength. She sensed something was amiss. She looked at her legs while she moved them. She gasped. She could not see the floor beneath them. She examined her hands. They looked solid.

Jasira tried to slow her speeding heart. She braced herself on the door while she rose from the floor to stand on wobbly legs. She scanned the floor for her dress. It was gone. Where did it go? She had left it on the floor. Jasira felt something solid beneath her palm. Her sights dropped to her hand. It was on her stomach. She curled her fingers. Her nails dug into flesh. Jasira felt the sharp pain they caused. A cry escaped her.

She glanced at John’s sleeping form. Did he do it? Was she really solid again? She had to find out. Jasira paused above John. She could not leave him sprawled on the ground, legs dangling over the chair, pants lowered to his boots. She grabbed the chair and pulled it from beneath his legs.

Next, she made her way into the bedroom. She had no clothes, so she grabbed a bedsheet from within the trunk and wrapped it around her body. She snatched an extra one and returned to the kitchen. Jasira covered John with the sheet, kissed his forehead, then rushed out of the house.

She ran through the darkened streets to the castle. Upon entering, she spotted a maid. “Where is King Yudit?”

The middle-aged woman gawked at her state of dress. “He…he’s finishing his evening meal.”

“Tell him Jasira needs to speak to him urgently. I’ll wait for him in his office.”

The maid rushed off.

Jasira entered Yudit’s office and began pacing. She prayed she was not imagining it. She hoped her eagerness to become solid was not playing tricks with her mind. She pressed a trembling hand to her forehead, feeling both her hand on her forehead and her forehead on her palm.

The door to the office swung open, banging against the back wall, startling Jasira. King Yudit rushed into the room. His sights landed on Jasira. His steps faltered.

“Jasira?” His eyes grew large as they traveled over Jasira’s form. “Is it really you?”

“Yudit…please tell me what you see.” Jasira bit her bottom lip nervously.

“I see you—covered in a red bedsheet.” Yudit slowly approached her.

“Can you see through me?”

“No.” Yudit reached out with one finger. He touched Jasira’s bare left shoulder.

Jasira’s eyes filled with instant tears. “I feel your touch.”

Yudit poked her again. “I cannot believe it.” He smiled widely. “Jasira, you are solid!”

Jasira cried out, wrapping her arms around Yudit’s neck. Yudit lifted her off the ground, kissed her on the cheek, and spun her in a circle. Their joyous laughter filled the castle.

Jasira’s head popped backward. “Yudit, I must go with him.”

Yudit sobered. “I know.” He lowered Jasira to the floor. “I will miss you.”

“I will miss you, old fend.”

The king released her. “Are you returning to him tonight?”

“No, not yet.”

Yudit’s brows drew together in question. “Jasira, the Guardian fleet is arriving tomorrow.”

“So soon?”

“I fear the war is growing worse. It will not be safe for you to join him.”