Prophesy 3: His Righteousness by A.E. Via
Adres couldn’t take Macauley staring at him the way he was. He was so lost in the aqua-blue depths of his gaze as his cherished touched him in places that no one had before. Places and parts of him that had repulsed every other lover he tried to have… but not Macauley. He seemed to almost worship them. Perhaps it was because he was a Volkov alpha, but Macauley was not afraid of him and whatever lurked inside. And that was what would make walking away from him that much more difficult. But, gods, how was he going to give him up?
“I know what you’re thinking,” Macauley rumbled, his voice husky and richer than before, “but you are my mate, Adres. We can figure this out. I don’t believe fate put us here in this moment if we couldn’t be together.”
Adres stared at him as if Macauley had hung the moon and stars tonight especially for him. With his shields completely down and his spirit exposed, he trembled at the strangeness. It was as if he’d just stepped out of his cabin naked. No heavy shroud to cover his face, no weapons, no shields, just him and all of his internal chaos.
“There’s more,” Macauley said, glaring at his chest. “I need more.”
Adres’s heart sank, and his stomach soon followed. He wanted to give Macauley so much more—he wanted to give him every fucking thing, but he could not. That was what he’d been trying to explain. But every time he opened his mouth, Macauley would fill him with more goodness, and all that would escape was a moan or a contented sigh.
Without breaking his eye contact, Macauley slid his hand under Adres’s shawl and began to slowly undo the buttons, starting with the clasp over his throat. Once he’d unbuckled the leather straps of his chest armor and opened the vest, there was nothing between Macauley’s skin and his but his silk dress shirt. He thought he’d stop there, but Macauley’s gaze darkened as he undid the top four buttons and slid his hand behind the material, placing his hot palm directly over his heart.
Adres almost shattered. “You won’t feel what it is you search for… you won’t find the one thing that you need from me.”
Războimade a neighing sound in the distance, and Adres knew his companion could sense his distress. It’d be so easy to flash away and jump on Răz’sback and take off into the night. Just ride away from all of his problems. But a shard of hope had splintered in his mind, and two tediously aggravating words began to play on repeat.
What if?
“Then let me feel what I can.” Macauley grazed his cheek again, the ugly cratered side. “I know something is different with our bond. Not wrong or broken or anything else—just different. But I need you to let me see for myself.”
Adres swallowed his anxiety and gave his beloved a jerky nod as he gripped the hand still over his heart, clutching it for support because he didn’t know what he was about to experience. Adres inhaled a deep breath, filling himself with the scent of Macauley’s wholesomeness that smelled of woods, pine, and a hint of something sweet like honeysuckle.
“Close your eyes, mate. And don’t try to fight me.”
This is it.
He felt Macauley’s presence the moment he slid inside him, his power fluid and comforting when Adres wasn’t battling with it. His animal’s spirit was dominant, but most of all confident as it moved through his core to try to connect with his. His wolf was so close now, closer than anyone had ever attempted, and Adres again felt the urge to push him away. For the first time in his life, he was petrified. Scared his beautiful, flawless beloved would take one look at the emptiness of his soul and recoil in disgust.
Adres hissed as Macauley’s beast clawed at the ward of evil surrounding his core that had been held captive for centuries. His lack of a soul had served him well in the field, his brutality becoming infamous amongst every species. But his fighting days were almost over, and he now felt the plague inside him for what it truly was.
Macauley gripped him tight—his hold filled with worry and frustration— as if he was trying to not only penetrate Adres’s mind but his body as well.
“Let. Me. In.” Macauley’s voice was grittier than before, and Adres ground his teeth at the pain searing his chest. He literally felt the claws shredding his insides.
“It is not me,” Adres said around the agony. “It is a sorcerer’s magic. Not mine.”
“I can feel more of you than you think. The curse inside of you is strong.” Macauley’s blunt fingertips dug into the sensitive flesh over his chest before his eyes flashed to his wolf’s, an Arctic blue so brilliant it illuminated the darkness around them. “But not strong enough.”
Adres felt a hard snap that came from deep in his chest almost near his spine that sounded like a rib cracking as Macauley shot his power into him at full force. At least it felt like full strength. A guttural sound escaped the back of Adres’s throat at the shock of his beloved’s wolf in his core fighting the curse that was entangled with his soul.
Another snap, then another, each more destructive than the last. Every time Macauley tore a ward down, he would cover the area with his essence, and it was that much more of his beloved he could feel.
He’d underestimated the young wolf.
Adres drove his hands into Macauley’s thick hair and pressed his cheek against his throat, thankful for the hint of hope he’d been given. It had felt so good having his beloved inside him, to have a reprieve from the isolation, that he barely suppressed his objection when Macauley eased out of him, leaving behind the sensation that he had just made passionate love to his soul.
Adres didn’t think it would hurt to show Macauley the truth—believing he deserved that much—but he hadn’t expected him to take his predicament as a direct challenge. While Adres still couldn’t feel the full extent of their true mate bond, he felt a lot more than he did last week.
“Who did this to you?” Macauley asked, rubbing Adres’s arms, watching him through less intimidating blue eyes, his voice and touch more tender.
“A sorcerer who my brothers and I hunted down and killed generations ago. We assumed the spell would break when I took his head off.” Adres shook his head. “It did not.”
“Have you tried seeing a—?”
“I have traveled the world ten times over searching for a cure, trying to find a sorcerer who was even half as strong as him. But…”
“But you did not try here.”
Adres couldn’t deny that Macauley’s righteous wolf was strong enough to fight that kind of evil, but it had taken a lot of energy out of him, and the curse was still far from broken. But his cherished had punched a decent-sized hole through it. Macauley was quiet, his chin resting on top of Adres’s head as if he were pondering what he’d just experienced. He rubbed his lips across Macauley’s protruding Adam’s apple, his fangs tingling with elixir that he wanted to sink into his veins.
“I need to speak to Taleb about this. He’ll know what to do… and if he doesn’t, he won’t stop until he figures it out. My brothers and sister will be able to help us.”
Adres was willing to accept whatever relief Macauley could give him, but he was not about to let his entire family into his head. Not possible. “I will not allow anyone else inside of me like that. I do not care what other abilities your siblings possess.”
Macauley smirked. “You’re very argumentative.”
“Pardon me?”
“Nothing.” Macauley’s possessive grin made him look like the virile alpha he was. “What I mean is my siblings can figure out an answer. Taleb’s wolf is the bringer of wisdom, and one of my brothers is part demigod. I’m sure we can all put our heads together and think of something.”
“My soul is not—”
Macauley placed his fingertips over his lips, already seeming to understand his objection, his hot gaze lingering on Adres’s mouth. “But none of them have the ability to penetrate a soul. Only my wolf can do that because it detects evil that lurks within.” Macauley began to button Adres’s clothes and right his shawl before he slowly returned his hood over his head. “No one will be inside you ever again… except me.”
“You asked to be able to witness it for yourself, and I allowed it. You have seen inside me and what is not there. If we mate, it could be harmful to your wolf’s sanity if he can never reach my soul, Macauley. I won’t allow it.” Adres frowned. “You are actually considering keeping me as your mate?”
A seductive gleam sparked in Macauley’s eyes. “You can try to run if you want. But I have your scent embedded deep now, mate. There’s nowhere on this earth that you can hide from me.”
Futu-i. Adres knew Macauley was not lying.