Page 39 of Loving Nightmares
I thoughtI’d felt Ashur’s magic before, but it was clear in that moment that I hadn’t experienced even a small amount of it, not even an inkling. The ground shook underneath us as his power surrounded me in a darkened bubble that expanded over us like a dome. It blocked out everything except the two of us, and as I looked around, left to right, I noticed that much like his eyes, lightning bolts ran across its surface like a beautiful pattern.
“Ashur, this is beautiful,” I said breathlessly.
“You need to be sure about this, my moon.” Ashur gently turned my chin so that I stared into his gaze, my heart nearly stuttering at the way it captured me. Literally physically captured me, the dome around us fading into nothing as I just stared up at him. The man was captivating normally, but right now…right now he was something else.
“I’m sure,” I whispered.
His jaw clenched as he ran his fingers over my cheek and spoke in a rough voice. “And what have I done to deserve that? I haven’t earned the right to claim you as much as I want to.”
I could tell how much it pained him to say that, and I was more than happy to tell him how wrong he was.
“You’re wrong, Ashur. You’ve given up everything to be with me—literally left your home for me.”
“That isn’t enough,” he gritted out. I could see the animal under his skin threatening to break out, but I could also see the deadlock control he had over himself. I had a feeling words weren’t going to help explain what I needed from him and what I knew he needed from me.
“You are more than enough,” I responded softly before pressing a hand against his chest. “Let me up.”
“No.” His voice was sharp and hard.
“Yes,” I countered, leaning up and pressing my lips against his in a quick brush. “Let me up. I need you to give into this—to give into us.”
“Not here, not now—fuck.”
I had no idea how I did it, but in a quick movement, I slid out from underneath him and the dome shattered, allowing me to back up quickly in the sand. The blast of magic caused my skin to shiver, and Ashur’s breathing was rough as he went up on his knees, watching my movement in a predatory light. That animalistic, primal need was right there, and while I was doing most of this on instinct, I was willing to bet that his control was closer to breaking than he realized.
“Come back here.”
His demand nearly had me doing exactly that, but instead I shook my head and backed up, my lips pressing up into a teasing smile. “I don’t know…seems like you don’t really want me.” I knew it was bullshit, and the way his jaw clenched nearly caused my smile to grow.
“That is far from the case, my moon.”
In an easy movement, I stood and took a step back, the massive nightmare standing and holding my gaze. “Don’t, Arabella. If you run, I will catch you.”
That’s exactly what I was betting on.
I nibbled my lip and took another step back. “What if I want you to chase me? And to catch me?”
A groan left his throat, and I knew in that moment my instincts were completely right—this was exactly what my mate needed.
So I turned and ran.
I had never been a particularly fast runner, but my mating had come with fringe benefits. I was at the jungle’s edge and entering it before a growl could even leave Ashur’s lips. The sound vibrated through the trees and caused my skin to break out into shivers. The canopy of tropical foliage created a shadowy atmosphere, and when his magic began to creep over it, I pushed faster.
I didn’t feel fear, but there was a high that I felt—excitement mixed with adrenaline—that ran through my entire system in an addictive way. One that nearly had me turning back to him, knowing he was stalking me—hunting me. I could hear him calling my name, and my heart began to beat loudly in my ears, my breathing rough and uneven as I continued to push, making my way over fallen trees and narrowly avoiding the reach of his magic.
It was over if his magic touched me.
Pushing faster, I cursed as I was suddenly blocked by the base of a massive stone structure. Turning, my eyes widened at the wave of dark magic coming towards me, causing my legs to turn to jelly and heat to pulse in my center. Running my hand along the stone structure, I moved along the right as quickly as I could—
Everything went dark at once, and I froze.
I didn’t want to freeze, but my joints were no longer cooperating, and the inertia of my movement had me nearly falling forward. Ashur’s magic swarmed me, and the sound of adeep rattling, so much more primal than even a growl, had my head snapping around, my loud breathing the only other sound.
“Ashur—oh.” My words caught as a hand wrapped around my throat from behind. The rough texture of his skin against mine caused me to nearly melt as his pine scent invaded my senses. His other hand wrapped around my hip in a hard hold, his rigid cock against my ass telling me just how much this turned him on.
“You can’t run from me, my moon.”
His voice. That was not Ashur’s voice, but at the same time it was. It had a layered effect to it, and I could feel the very ground around us reacting to it. I knew he had a natural connection to the earth itself, but until that moment I hadn’t realized what exactly that meant.
