Page 34 of Crossing Between
My tongue came out to lick my upper lip as I burned under his gaze. What would it feel like to have this oni just ruin me? His grin turned feral as his right hand came up to cup my cheek and his lips met mine in a surprisingly gentle and simple kiss.
It was beautiful. Sweet.
I wanted more than that.
My arms snaked around his neck as I kissed him with a furious, demanding passion that he matched instantly, a low, primal growl rumbling through his chest and vibrating against my lips. Our tongues clashed rather than caressed at first, hot and slick, fighting for dominance in a way thatmade my core clench with need. The rigid length of him swelled against my stomach, his arousal unmistakable and thrilling.
I gasped out a surprised squeak when his large hands moved decisively to my ass, gripping the flesh possessively before I found myself effortlessly lifted. My legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, thighs clenching against his sides as I tightened my hold on him, fingers digging into his broad shoulders for purchase.
The world beyond us dissolved into meaningless background noise, there was only his mouth, his hands, his body against mine. His fingers kneaded my ass through my clothes, the heat of his touch searing through the fabric like brands marking me as his. I arched against him, frustrated by the barriers between us, wanting, no,needing, him to just tear everything off of me
Chapter 24: Zoey
A loud, blaring ring echoed around us. Kenji looked over at Varon who had moved across the room and pressed a button on the wall.
"Asshole," Kenji grunted as he met my gaze with a smirk. "We'll pick this up where we left off later, sugar." He winked as Elias and Varon moved over to us again.
"As much as I'd like to see where all of this leads, we have an impatient dragon upstairs waiting for us to continue." Varon held out his hand to me. "Feeling a little bit more relaxed, Zoey?"
I took stock, pausing a moment before answering.
"Actually," I looked at my hands before looking up at them. "Yeah. I feel relaxed and not stressed anymore." I grinned. "Maybe we could continue what we were doing, you know, to help me get even more relaxed?" I gave all of them a smirk as I felt their gazes heat at the implication I was giving.
"Oh no, no no." Quilith appeared at the door to the room. "We have more training to do, missy, but you're injustthe right mood to unlock your powers. Come with me." They wiggled their fingers at me and led me back to the room we'dbeen in before. "Your hunky boys can go do something else." They glared at the men behind us and closed the door in their faces with a snick.
I laughed in a sputter. "Quilith, what was that about?"
"I could taste the lust and arousal from across the house, my dear. I do not want to be here when you finally let them dive into the wonderland that is between your legs." Quilith teased me with a wicked grin as they settled us back on the floor with our knees touching again as we faced each other.
I sputtered out a laugh as I wheezed. "I love you!"
They tossed their hair prettily before their face changed from a mischievous smirk to a serious blank. "Alright, sweetie. I can feel your power here." They put their right palm flat on the middle of my stomach. "It's brewing here. It's just waiting for you to unlock it. Close your eyes. Communicate with your magic just like you have in the past, but instead of holding it in, let it free. Does that make better sense?"
I nodded. "Yeah, actually, it does." I closed my eyes and let my body relax. "I got this."
"Yes, sweetie, you do." Quilith's voice was soft as I sank into a meditative state.
My mind raced, but not in a bad way. Flashes of the vision Quilith showed me of the last Soulbinder, Shanna. How she effortlessly let her magic do what she needed to change that man into a shifter and bring him back to life. There was no malice.
I let my power go from my grip. It was easier said than done, but as I began to believe in myself, it felt like a boulder on my chest was lifted suddenly. I let it go, all of it. Instead of flowing around, searching for souls to bind to me, it floated around me as if it was dancing in happiness.
I could feel something different as I dove into the weaves of power, light, and something new. It feltwarm, like a puppy curling on your chest or a hug from a loved one after being apart. It was love. It was life.
Life. It was beautiful to feel and to see.
Just as I was on the cusp of realizing the connection to my magic, something went wrong.
Sharp burning pain stabbed through my center and my mouth opened in a silent scream and my back arched. My eyes flew open and I was no longer in Varon's home, I was somewhere dark, and ominous. The feeling of never-ending hunger slammed into me, overloading my senses. Needles and pinpricks of pain rained down on my body.
"Zoey!" Voices that I recognized were far off as I swam in an endless sea of darkness laced with pain that was becoming excruciating.
"Well, well." A dark voice whispered in my ear and it sounded like nails on a chalkboard. "How interesting. I tasted your magic the other night. It was such a tease. I couldn't believe a Soulbinder was here. I thought they were gone. Extinct." The voice laughed; it made my eyes want to bleed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. My kind was supposed to be extinct as well."
"You..." I couldn't speak out loud, but I could hear myself in my head respond. "You're evil."
"Yes. Evil. I've heard that before, but guess what, my dear?" The Essencefeaster growled, sounding as if he were right at my side. "Evil does not exist in a vacuum, it's born from goodness twisted and corrupted. What you see in the mirror in the morning is what I see when I do, but you look at yourself differently than I do."
The feeling of someone running their hand along my shoulder made me hold back a sob of terror and pain as their nails dug into my skin.
