Final Extraction by Julie Trettel

Vada

Chapter 22

 

 

 

I stood in the hallway swiping the card and letting myself in over and over again. I wondered if I could get out of the building entirely and if this key would let me back in there too. I had to try.

I knew it sounded stupid. I suspected Silas had no idea how much that small piece of plastic truly meant to me. I’d tried to explain it, but he’d been free to wander the world, and do as he pleased pretty much his entire life from what he’d told me. I’d never had that.

I’d been locked away all of mine, until now.

I traced our steps back and easily found the exit we’d come in through. I wanted to squeal with excitement. I practically danced right there in the parking lot after swiping the card again and seeing that green light that allowed me back inside on my terms.

I could come and go as I pleased.

Feeling high on life, I decided to go back inside and wait for Silas. I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. With that one small gift everything for me clicked into place and I couldn’t wait to tell him.

He had told me I wasn’t going to be a prisoner with him, but I wasn’t sure I fully believed it until he showed me in the best way possible.

With my mind made up, I clicked the door one more time.

Suddenly there was a loud screech. I turned to see this woman running across the parking lot right towards me. Her arms were in the air, and she yelled my name. “Vada!”

Before I even had time to react, arms were thrown around my neck as they squeezed me tightly.

I sniffed the air and awareness struck me. “Sahara?” I whispered. I knew that wasn’t her real name, but it had never been safe to use any other. “Is that really you?”

The woman pulled back to look at me with a huge smile on her face. “Emma,” she corrected as she nodded.

“Oh my gosh. Look at you!”

Where I had always stayed in my human form, Emma had refused to shift from her gorilla. I had never seen her in her skin before. She was beautiful and radiant. She looked healthy and happy.

“What are you doing here? Is the team back already? I hadn’t heard. They left so quickly I don’t even know why. Did they rescue you?”

I nodded in shock to be standing here and having her talk to me. I had spent hours talking to her, but aside from some grunts, head nods, and the occasional word written in dust, I’d never gotten to really see her or hear her voice.

I started to cry.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Did something bad happen?”

“No, not at all. I’m just so happy you’re here and you’re you.”

I had whispered to Emma late one night confessing my animal spirit to her. Gorillas were rare and had meant a lot to me having her there even if I had tried hard to deny that side of me.

Our kind weren’t meant to live alone. We needed a band to feed our animal souls. Now here she was, and I had Silas, too. I couldn’t be happier.

“Did you meet Painter?” she asked me.

“Silas’s Painter?” I asked as I shook my head letting her know I hadn’t.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, but he’s my Painter too. That’s my mate.”

“Your mate is here too?”

Emma smiled proudly and nodded. “We live on a lake nearby. All the team lives out there now, well, except for Silas.”

“He’s talking about maybe building us a house there,” I said imagining a future such as that and still coming up short, but the picture was starting to take shape.

“Us?” she asked.

I blushed. “He’s my mate.”

Emma burst out laughing. “Sorry, but Silas Granger finally took a mate? Never thought that would happen.”

“Why?” I asked, now curious.

She shrugged. “He’s a bit of a loaner. He’s gruff and often moody, terrifying even at times. He’s so hard and distant. For a while now he’s been a bit depressed and just in a really bad place.”

I shook my head. None of that could be true, though I had seen his sterner side. “He’s actually very sweet and kind. He’s like a big teddy bear and you should see him with his cat. He turns to complete mush.”

Emma stared at me. “Silas has a cat? Are we talking about the same man here?”

“How many Silas Granger’s do you have around here?”

“The one and only.”

“Then yes, we’re talking about the same man.”

We both burst out laughing.

“When did you get back?”

“Just a little while ago. He had to go to a meeting.”

“Sounds right. Did the others come back too?”

“No, they stayed behind to help.”

Emma’s face dropped. “How many did they get out this time?” she asked quietly.

“All of them.”

Her head shot up in surprise. “All?”

“Hundreds, maybe even a thousand. Trevor pulled us all together this time, and they were able to take it down and rescue everyone. Emma, they’re sending everyone home. Isn’t that fantastic? Those that don’t have a place to go are coming back here.”

Tears pricked her eyes as she hugged me again.

“It’s really over?”

“It really is.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know, but for now I’m here.”

“With Silas?”

A smiled washed over my face. “With Silas,” I confirmed, and I truly meant it.

“I am so happy for you. I do miss that man of mine though, and can’t wait to see him home again too. I was just coming up to visit the nests. Do you want to join me?”

“You have nests? Here? Is it safe?”

“Very. I promise. Painter and Silas built them. His smell is so strong there that I like to come down here and stretch out my gorilla surrounded by his scent, especially when he’s away.”

“I don’t want to disturb that.”

“You wouldn’t, really. Join me. I mean when was the last time you let your gorilla out?”

I was so shocked that she had said that aloud that I start looking around for any signs that someone was nearby and heard her.

“Relax, Vada. You’re safe here. You protected me all those years. I would never betray that.”

“Thanks,” was all I could say. Some habits were going to be hard to break.

“So are you coming?”

I looked back up to the building. “I should probably wait for Silas.”

“He could be busy for hours. Come on.”

I was afraid he wouldn’t take it well if he came back and found I had left. I knew he had said it was fine, but it felt like a test, and I’d just broken his trust that I would stay.

Emma grabbed my arm and started dragging me along with her as if I had no choice at all. I shuddered to think of the consequences when he found out, but with the choice already made for me, I would have to deal with that later.

We wound around to the woods. Aside from that day I helped Jake bury those bodies, I couldn’t remember the last time I was in the woods. It had never been a big part of my life to begin with, but the few times I’d gotten to experience it had been magical.

We chatted casually as she caught me up on her life while we walked. Then suddenly I saw one of the nests.

“Is that it?” I asked pointing to one on the ground.

“Yes. Isn’t it beautiful? That’s one of Silas’s. You can use any of them, but some smell more like my mate. I prefer those.”

“So this one smells like mine?”

“Exactly!” she squealed. “I’m so excited you’re here. We’re truly going to be like sisters now. And you have to meet the other ladies. Oh, oh, oh! Tonight’s ladies’ night at Shelby’s, that’s Ben’s mate. You have to come with me. Except for Taylor who travels with the team, all the Bravo mate’s will be there along with some of our friends from Westin Pack. I know living with a bunch of wolves sounds weird, but it’s really not. They’re great.”

“Wait, what do you mean living with a bunch of wolves?”

“He didn’t tell you? Westin Force is run by Westin Pack, as in a pack of wolves. The Lodge is just outside pack territory lines. I actually live in their area. It’s fine. They’re the best. You’re going to love them.”

“So we’re the only ones that aren’t wolves?” I thought back to those few I had met. Had they been wolves too? I’d lived with so many types of shifters that it honestly didn’t bother me any, I was just curious now that she’d mentioned it.

“Of course the entire pack is, so there’s a lot of them around here, but not all. Let’s see on Bravo company you have Silas and Painter—our mates. There there’s Ben, Grant, and Taylor and they are all wolves, but Baine is a bear shifter, and Tarron’s a fox shifter. They all live here too with their families.”

The most interesting fact I gathered was that Emma talked a lot. For a girl who stayed locked away in her animal for so many years, I supposed she was just making up for lost time. It was cute and I felt comfortable and at home being there in the woods.

I had never really embraced my gorilla before. I didn’t hate her in the way Silas had explained he did, but I wasn’t comfortable with her either.

“Well, I’m going to shift for a bit. You’re coming tonight, right? Of course you are. How about I pick you up around seven.”

“Uh, okay.”

She shrieked again. “This is so awesome.”

I watched as she took off her clothes and shifted. I considered trying to find my way back to the Lodge and letting her have her space, but I had not seen a nest since I was a child watching my parents build one in the zoo. I’d personally never gotten to experience that or be in one while in my fur.

I was so nervous I was shaking as I took off my clothes and folded them into a neat pile. I looked around one more time and then shifted. It was freeing as if I was breaking the bonds of my past.

My gorilla was very curious as we checked out the nest, first the one on the ground and then another we found higher up. It was amazing. From that one I could see out into a valley. It was beautiful and the most amazing thing I’d ever experienced.

I knew I could spend days up there and hoped I’d get the chance to do it again.

Afraid I would fall asleep in the nest, I gave one big stretch and climbed down. After I threw on my clothes, I hooted to let Emma know I was leaving, but I was pretty certain she was fast asleep.

I made my way back to the Lodge slowly enjoying the noises of the forest. I was alone and doing this on my own. It was both frightening and thrilling. I tried to commit every second of the experience to memory.

When I got back to the Lodge, I had no issues letting myself in and finding my way back up to Silas’s small apartment.

It might have been small, but from what I had seen it had everything we could possibly want there, and from the experiences I’d had thus far in my life, it looked like the finest castle to me.

When I opened the door to the room and walked in, I found Silas already back. He was holding the cat and pacing the room.

My stomach dropped as I braced for the wrath I was surely about to incur.

He stopped walking and set the cat down on a chair. He didn’t approach me or yell. His face was neutral, and it unnerved me not to be able to predict what he would do or say. He sniffed the air and smiled.

“You found my nest.”

I could feel him relaxing. “Emma showed me. Is that okay?” I asked hesitantly.

“You met Emma?”

I nodded stiffly. “Emma and I go way back. It was nice to see her. I mean actually see her, I’d only interacted with her gorilla before.”

He laughed and the tension started to ease across my shoulders.

“Even after coming here it took her a while to come out of her shell. She certainly gives Painter a run for his money.”

“She loves him,” I blurted out. She hadn’t told me that in so many words, but I could tell by the way she spoke of him and her desire to be near him through the nests while he was away.

“Yes. He loves her very much too.”

I stood there waiting for him to say or do something, but all I received was an awkward silence between us.

“Did you have fun exploring?” he finally asked to break the silence.

“Very much. And the key card works on the outside building too.”

He smiled. “Yes, it does.”

“Thank you,” I said softly.

I wanted him to close the gap between us and kiss me as he had before, though that was the only intimacy he’d ever shown me.

I realized in the gorilla communities it was customary for females to initiate mating, I thought perhaps it was similar for human gorillas too.

I stepped closer to him and placed my hands against his hard chest. I was mesmerized by the rigid planes of his torso I had seen when he was naked before me. I needed to touch him, needed to feel him.

I gasped and started to back away when I realized what I was doing. I didn’t exactly have much experience with men.

He grabbed my hands and pulled me back to him, crushing my body against his in a tight embrace as he kissed me.

I moaned against his lips. We were alone, really for the first time and I was free—free to explore all the wonderful sensations shooting through my body whenever he was near.

But first, I pulled away.

“Are you mad that I left?”

“What? No.”

“But you were pacing when I returned. I thought you would yell at me.”

“For going for a walk? Never.”

“But you were agitated.”

“Nervous,” he corrected.

“Huh?”

“My gorilla gets anxious when you’re out of our sight. I’m told it’s a perfectly normal reaction when mating. They say it will ease a bit if we were to bond. My meeting broke early because I was too agitated with you out of my sight. I’m sorry. I want to give you your freedom and space, but I also just want to be with you. It’s proving to be a difficult balance.”

Joy filled my heart as I stared at the man before me. He wasn’t gruff and hard like Emma said, he was soft and sweet, and he was mine.

“Mine,” I said aloud as I launched myself into his arms to kiss him again.

I held nothing back. I just felt as I kissed him hard allowing my tongue to explore his mouth. When I pulled back I was gasping for breath but it wasn’t enough.

My hands roamed down to his stomach eliciting small moans of approval that only encouraged me to keep going.

I shed light kisses across the stubble along his jaw and up to his ear to suck the lobe between my teeth. His sharp intake of breath made me smile as I moved down the column of his neck. As I approached that point between his shoulder and neck, I found just the perfect spot. Images of biting him there ran through my mind making me moist between my legs.

I didn’t take that leap, but I sucked at the skin leaving a red spot there to mark the spot I’d chosen for later.

“Vada,” he groaned in a deep sexy voice as he tried to slow things down. “I am still just a man. I’m not going to be able to hold back for long if you keep that up.”

I knew it was a warning, but I was thrilled by the uninhibited look in his eyes. It was wild and I wanted to see more of it.

“Touch me,” I said. “Please, touch me, Silas.”

A guttural growl erupted from him as he took control. He brought my lips back to his and kissed me until the room was spinning out of control. His hand slid from the small of my back up my sides to cup my breasts. I jumped, overwhelmed by the new sensation of his touch. It was glorious.

I suddenly needed to feel his flesh against my skin. He pulled back long enough for me to remove his shirt as he fumbled for the hem of mine. With expert hands, he undid the clasp of my bra

“So beautiful,” he whispered reverently as his mouth closed around my nipple.

I cried out. I had never felt anything so glorious and couldn’t imagine ever feeling greater than this moment, but then his hand slipped down to remove my pants.

I wasn’t nervous or shy despite my shaking hands as I fumbled to remove his pants as well. I had seen him once, but I wanted to feel him too. He was long, thick, and hard as a steel pole.

“Vada, oh God, Vada. You keep that up and I won’t be able to hold back long.”

My eyes widened. “I don’t want you to hold back anything.”

He groaned and I could still feel his restraint. He kissed me again.

“First, I need you to come for me, sweetheart.”

I had no idea what that meant but his hand and mouth were everywhere as he touched me in the most intimate places. My muscles were strung tight, and I thought I might explode.

“That’s my girl. Open your eyes. I want to see you.”

I did and one more stroke of his finger triggered something so powerful within me that I screamed as it released.

I was panting and a light sweat had broken out across my body.

“Amazing,” he said.

“What just happened?” I asked.

“You’ve never been with a man before?”

I shook my head. My heart was beating so fast and all I knew was that I wanted to feel more of that. I could easily find myself addicted to his touch if that’s what it did to me.

He growled again as he lifted me into his arms. I wasn’t sure I could have walked anyway. My legs naturally wrapped around him, and I could feel his hard rod pressing against me where he’d just set off every nerve imaginable.

It caused a different but even better sensation, and I could feel my muscles beginning to tighten again as I rubbed against him. It felt so right, and I wanted more.

“I need,” I said. “I need…” I didn’t know how to finish the statement. I didn’t know what I needed.

“I know what you need, sweetheart,” he said as he nuzzled into a sensitive spot on my neck.

He gently laid me on the bed and then pressed against me, inside me.

I cried out. “Yes! More of that.” That’s what I needed, what I’d been searching for.

When he moved inside of me something snapped and I growled in pleasure.

“More,” I begged. “More.”

He moved faster in a steady rhythm at first, but as his muscles knotted beneath my hands, his actions because more sporadic, wilder. I loved it

“Vada, open your eyes,” he told me again.

I did. I didn’t want to miss a thing as I watched so many emotions swirling in his eyes. My body tightened again to almost unbearable proportions. He cried out and jerked within me and my body exploded. After the first bomb within, my body was still shaking. His hips lurched towards me one more time setting off another explosion that had me gasping for air and crying out his name.

We laid there just breathing in each other’s space. His body was shaking too. He rolled to his side and carried me with him.

I snuggled against his chest and drifted off to sleep.