Nature is not a place to visit 18

Chapter 18
*“There’s always something in a first kiss.”*
*K. Bromberg*
His kiss consumed me.
His hands settled around my waist as if they belonged there. They did belong there. There was a pleasurable tingle in my
lower stomach as his full lips moved against mine, and I had to physically stop myself from moaning when his tongue
swiped against my lower lip.
*Holy shit*.
This felt like a movie kiss. A sparks-flying-panties-dropping-whatever-adjective-you-want-to-use movie kiss. Everything
about it felt right – like the puzzle pieces had clicked into place as soon as our lips touched. My wolf purred deep inside
my head at the contact, and frankly, I wanted to purr too.
This was not some casual hookup between friends who’d had too much to drink – no, this was the real deal. This was…it.
I didn’t even have to think about responding to the kiss. My body responded as if it had a mind of its own, my hands
curling into his thick brown hair. I tugged him closer by the hair, and he answered with a growl deep in his chest, pushing
back into the bark of the tree.
*If I died now, I’d be happy.*
*Pretty sure I’ve peaked in life.*
His hands began roaming my lower back and hips, leaving nothing but that pleasurable tingle behind. I was starting to
feel something in my lower stomach too, a kind of warmth I was used to only feeling at night when I was alone in the
camper and I let my hands stray.
*How is it that I feel this way and he’s not even really touching me?*
As everything else began to fade away, I heard a familiar voice echo distantly through my mind: *Ollie!*
The voice sounded suspiciously like Luke, but I barely registered it. I was too caught up the physical sensations of my mate. I must’ve imagined Luke’s voice.
*Ollie!* His voice rang through my mind again, and this time, I knew I hadn’t imagined it. He’d really mind-linked me.
*Oh, God. I’ve been making out with this guy while Luke is probably bleeding out somewhere.*
I tried not to think about what kind of a terrible person I was to be making out with a shirtless man in the woods while I
let an injured friend just fend for himself.
*Luke? Are you okay?*
*Ollie! You’re okay! That guy just chased after you, and I was worried that something might’ve happened.*
There was relief in his voice.
*I’m okay! Are you okay?*
*It’s not me*, he answered, *It’s the pack. Marcus mind-linked me…the Blood Moons are holding them all hostage. Rae, Marcus…all of them. Everyone who went ahead of us while we went to the crypt*.
My stomach dropped and I froze.
My mate must’ve felt me stiffen because he pulled back immediately, his multi-colored eyes narrowed.
*Oh, God. They’re going to die*.
*Marcus might’ve been able to contact Luke, but if the Blood Moons have really caught them…*
Large fingers tilted my head up until I came face to face with narrowed eyes. “Mate,” he rasped, “What is wrong?”
Although he’d pulled back from the kiss, his other hand was still resting on the tree beside my head and his sculpted
chest practically covered mine. I wondered if he realized that he was practically caging me in with his body.
I still had to crane my head up just to look at him. My mouth was dry as I tried to find the right words to say. How could I
have let myself get carried away while my pack went off to fight? While Luke was still injured?
*If there was a list of the top ten terrible people in the world, I’m pretty sure I would be on it.*
“It’s my pack,” I finally managed to say, “We were going into war and those who went ahead of us….they got captured. I
need to go. I need to help them.”
As I made a move to leave, the hand that had been grasping my chin moved to my shoulder – and suddenly, I might as well have been trying to walk through a brick wall. He wasn’t even pushing me against the tree, just holding me in place.
*He’s like an unmovable force…I’ve never felt strength like this.*
“You need to let me go,” I told him firmly, “I need to help my pack. I need to find Luke. We need to figure out what we’re
going to do.”
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The blank expression on his face was unreadable. He cocked his head to the side and studied me like I was some sort of
specimen he’d placed under a microscope.
Silence hung through the forest and I tried again. I needed him to know how urgent this was – every minute that I didn’t
find Luke and figure out how we were going to help our pack was another minute their lives were at-risk with the Blood Moons.
“These people are my friends, my family,” I said, “I need to help them. That’s why I need to find Luke. God, I have no idea
what we’re going to do…we can’t go in alone. We’ll have to contact Hudson, come up with some sort of game plan
ASAP and –”
He cut off my rambling.
“Mate,” he said, and his fingers were suddenly brushing against my cheek, “I will take care of it.” There wasn’t an ounce
of worry on his face as he said it – like he was agreeing to take out the trash or buy ice cream.
“You don’t understand,” I said, “My pack has been captured by the Blood Moons. They’re the most dangerous pack
around…and your powers seem cool, but I don’t think a little blue light or thunder is going to scare them off.”
My wolf whimpered at the thought of this man – who I didn’t even have a real name for – getting hurt. My friends’ lives were already on the line, I didn’t think I could handle my mate’s too.
“Besides,” I added, “It’s not your fight. It wasn’t your friends who got captured, it was mine. This is my fight.”
His fingers cupped my cheek.
“Mate,” he said, “Your fight is my fight. I said I would take care of it and I mean it.”
I opened my mouth to argue but the words caught in my throat when his thumb brushed against my lips. And I definitely
didn’t blush when I felt the soft pad of his finger thumbing my top lip.
“Besides,” he murmured, his mouth curving into a small smirk, “The blue light and thunder are just parlor tricks…you
haven’t seen my true power yet.”