Taken Over (Book 2 The Ravening Series) (31 page)

   I
ts thumbs stroked over my cheeks as its hands rested against the tender hollow of my throat.
It was going to choke the life from me
instead of draining it from me
, I
realized
dimly and yet I felt no fear. I didn’t think there was much fear left in me
right now. I was too broken
for that
now
.

   Then its words
sank
in
and something strange began to happen.
Words actual
words
.
Those
things
did not speak, they never had.
But we were learning new things about them every day. And they were learning new things about us every day
.
T
hings that
only
aided in their
attempt and
desire to destroy us.  

   But m
y body
was beginning to react to this thing in a way that it had only reacted to Cade
. My mouth began to warm, and
then my throat and face
.
H
eat seep
ed
slowly through my whole body
. My chest expanded, air burst into my stricken lungs. My heart exploded with
the
blood
that had seemed so restricted before. I
t pulsed violently through my veins again
, rushing through my nerve endings as my body was set ablaze
.

   Every cell within me came to life; all of them seemed to be screaming forward, rushing to the place where
my
lips met
the thing kissing me
. The
cells
seemed to swell at the touch of this thing, seemed to refill with life as its hot lips moved over mine in a gentle caress that left me aching
and trembling for more
.
The aliens could mimic us, but could they mimic these sensations, these emotions?
I hadn’t felt this right, this wonderful and whole in so long. I hadn’t felt this since…

   “Cade,” I breathed against the mouth
poss
essing mine.

   And then he was pushing me back, bringing me down beneath him. I was stunned, confused adrift in the emotions and disbelief pulsating through me. It
was
Cade, but it couldn’t be. He was dead. I had given up hope, I
was
griev
ing
, and I had
been trying
to salvage the broken bits of me
and
slowly putting some of those broken bits back together again.

  
And
now
he was here. And none of it mattered anymore. The agony and pain were forgotten as his searing touch burned the lingering ache from every fiber of my being.

   His hands were hard upon my throat
.
F
or a moment I thought that he might kill me in his desire to touch me, to be near me, to feel me again. And I found that I didn’t care as he
pressed me into
the ground. His body was hot against mine
, hard
as he pressed closer.
I had never felt something so unbelievably wonderful.
His kiss became more ferocious, greedier with its need.
His
need.

   I reacted to it, breaking free of the
lingering
chains of shock that confined me. My hands dug into his back. I was sobbing
;
I couldn’t get enough of him as I
grasp
ed
desperately at
him
. M
y mouth parted to the fiery invasion of his tongue. I arched beneath him, clinging tighter as his pelvis rocked against mine. His desperate need was overwhelming my senses, overwhelming my mind. The world was spinning rapidly
;
I was entrenched in the desire,
relief
, and love
that filled me. There had never been anyt
hing as wonderful as his hands s
earing over me, touching me, grasping eagerly at me.
Unable to get enough of me.

   The depth of his hung
er was shocking in its passion
. It overwhelmed me. I had felt his longing for me before, his
desire
, but it had never been this extreme, never been this overpowering before. It was almost animalistic, almost savage. I thought I should fear
the overwhelming intensity
but I couldn’t, not when he was touching me again, not when I was holding him
, not when he was here with me.

   Not when he was
alive
.

   I didn’t care what happened now, didn’t care that this was spiraling far beyond my control. Far beyond his
,
even.
That this was spinning into places I had never been before.
Nothing mattered except for
this
moment, and the two of us.

   His arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me sharply against his pelvis as he ground against me. I gasped as fire shot through me
. The motion jarred my wounded shoulder, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about that even
. I certainly wasn’t going to tell him to stop, he could do whatever he wanted just as long as he was still holding me, and remained alive.
His mouth broke away from mine, his lips
moved
over my neck leaving a trail of
flames across my skin. I was breathing rapidly, my chest heaving against him as my fingers dug tighter into his back. I had to cling to him
;
he was the only thing stable in this tumultuous sea of love, need, and growing
desire
.

   I knew where this was heading and I yearned for it. I craved it like a thirsty man craves water, craved it like a prisoner crave
s
freedom. He was my water, he was my freedom; he was the only one that could
sate
the needs of my body. Needs that I’d never known
until
him
,
needs that I’d
forgotten since he’d been taken
from me
.

   He pulled at my shirt, tugging the buttons eagerly open. I gasped as the cool air hit my overheated, over sensitized skin. I expected to feel the hard press of his lips again, but they did not come. I opened my eyes slowly, aching for him to come back to me, but he was unmoving as he kneeled above me. His hair was tussled
from what had just passed between us
; his expression hard as his
swollen
lips pinched tight.

   At first I didn’t understand what had happened, what was wrong, and then I realized that his dark eyes were locked upon my shoulder. I winced slightly, I wanted to cov
er the wound marring me
, wanted to hide
the ugliness
from him. He was still perfect,
or at least he appeared to be,
and I was even more flawed
and ugly
than when he had last seen me.
My body was marred by scars
,
burns
, and brands of horses
.
I wanted to hide it,
but I couldn’t bring myself to release him.
Not yet, possibly not ever again.

  
His eyes came slowly back to me, and though I hadn’t thought it was possible, they appeared even darker. They were chips of black ice, brutal and cold, and filled with an anger I had never thought to see in him. Filled with a smoldering rage that caused my knees to shake slightly against his sides.
The desire that had just been burning in his gaze
was
drenched beneath
his growing fury
.

   “They did that to you?” he grated through clenched teeth.

   I swallowed heavily. He seized hold of my hand
, stopping me
as
I
reached to pull my shirt over
the healing blister
. “I don’t want you to see it!” I cried, feeling an irrational urge to cry as I tried to tug my hand and shirt free of his grasp. He was
flawless
, everything about him was perfect, and I
was
u
nbelievably flawed in so many ways
.
N
ow I had th
at
awful wound
, and rearing horse,
to constantly remind me
of that fact
. He seemed confused by my outburst, but he
gently released my hand and allowed me to cover it back up
.

   “What happened?” he asked quietly.

   “I don’t want to…” My voice broke off. I blinked back tears as I gazed at him. “I don’t want to talk about bad things. Not right now. Not with you here. Oh God you’re
here
. I’d thought you were dead!”

   Tears burst free of me as I threw my arms around him. Ther
e was no desire bet
ween us this time;
no lustful need as I clung to him, crying out the misery of the past month. Crying
for the blessed
joy of our reunion. There was no
hun
ger in his hands as they ran over me, clinging to me, soothing me with love and wonder.

   “My Bethany, my beautiful Bethany.”

   I sobbed harder, burying my face in his neck, grasping franticly at him. I was never going to let him go, never going to release him again. I was whole once more, I was
truly
alive, and he was here.
He was
here
.

   “I thought you were dead. I had given up hope o
f
ever finding you again, ever
seeing
you again.”

   “I know.
”
H
is hand wrapp
ed
around my head as his fingers threaded through my hair.

   “I shouldn’t have given up, I should have known. Maybe I could have found you sooner…”