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  “Damn,” I muttered, completely at a loss of what to say or how to respond. Then it dawned on me… this was Ella’s story—injured, needed blood, blood drove one mad, mad person was executed.

  “Ella, what does this story mean exactly? Is Jesse worried you’ll follow in her grandfather’s footsteps?” I asked with worry making my voice crack.

  “I spoke to her about that. Her grandfather went over the edge rather quickly—within two weeks of his hunting accident. She’s hoping because I’ve had your blood in my system for many years, I won’t suffer the same fate. This very reason is why she hasn’t approached the Sideri with her findings yet. She wants to make sure of our situation before speaking to them about us.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. Should I have been happy? Should I have been concerned? This blood transfusion shit was far more lethal than I had ever imagined.

  “Jonah?”

  “Yes, love?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Her simple words made me smile. “Yes you are. Thank the heavens for that.”

  “Now… think you can try to distract my mind? Maybe we can talk about something other than our problems?” she asked. Even though my head was still spinning from the story she told me, I knew the importance of distraction… and I had the perfect idea.

  “What are you wearing?” I asked. After all, it was the typical question to ask when playing this game, right?

  I was immediately rewarded with a light giggle. “Did you seriously just ask me what I’m wearing?”

  “Yes, I did. You asked for it. You want me to distract you and I plan to do just that. Plus, you’re avoiding the question,” I joked.

  “You know I could lie to you, right?”

  “Yes, but I plan to tell you to get naked anyway—so what you’re wearing doesn’t really matter in the end,” I told her honestly.

  “Well, I’m wearing a white, spaghetti-strap tank top and little, purple night shorts. Now it’s your turn to reveal your attire.”

  “Typical boxer-briefs for me,” I admitted. “Take off your shorts and tell me what’s underneath.”

  “I don’t have to take them off to know what panties I’m wearing, Jonah,” she said as she laughed at me through the phone.

  “Humor me, Ella. I want to hear you follow my lead.”

  “In that case, yes sir,” she chimed. I could tell she was partially joking but was also enjoying this bit of playfulness just as much as I was. “They’re black satin bikinis.”

  I couldn’t help my groan, which echoed through the cell phone. My throat felt dry as I said, “Oh, hell. You’re perfect. Maybe it’s not such a good idea to do this when we’re so far away from each other.”

  “Oh, no, Jonah. You can’t stop now,” she said with confidence.

  “Tell me something… Can you see your nipples through your shirt? Are they hard?”

  “Yes, I can see the darker color through the thin fabric… and yes, they’re very hard now that you’ve been talking to me in your fuck-me tone,” she said, obviously proud of her seductive ways.

  “Fuck. Ella. Ok…” I paused and took a few deep breaths. “Will you do me a favor?”

  “Anything,” she said with sincerity.

  “Touch them. Pretend it’s my fingers, my lips, and touch your nipples through your shirt.”

  “Oh, God. I’d give anything for it to be you touching me instead,” she breathed.

  “Me too, love—more than anything. Are you comfortable in bed yet?”

  “Not yet. I was waiting for your direction. I need you to tell me whether to take off my panties or leave them on,” she said with a slight innocence to her voice, even though she was being anything but. I could tell she was enjoying the fact that she could tease me so easily.

  “Leave them on, please. They sound so sexy,” I whispered. “But you can remove that little tank before you slide into bed.”

  I heard a bit of shuffling on the other end as I began to get more excited with the image of her beautiful, bare body.

  “Ok. I’m now comfortable in bed,” she told me. “The sheets feel nice against my bare skin.”

  I took a deep, shuttering breath, trying to keep control over myself. Then I said, “Good, love. I’m glad you’re comfortable. Now, tell me. What would you like me to do if I were there next to you?”

  “Mmmm…” she moaned.

  “That good, huh? Tell me what I’m doing to make that heavenly sound leave your mouth,” I coaxed.

  “Just having you here would please me,” she said quietly.

  “Me too, Ella. But I want to hear what it is you want me to do. What would you like me to do with my mouth?” I boldly asked.

  “God, that mouth. There are so many wicked things I’d let you do to me with your mouth,” she whimpered.

  “I’d devour you inch by ever-loving inch, woman,” I growled.

  She didn’t say anything, but I could tell she was smiling.

  “I can hear you smiling, Ella,” I said in an accusatory, yet amused, manner.

  “You’ll never be able to prove it, Mr. Chantrey,” she said with an obvious grin sugar-coating the tone of her voice.

  “I only wish I was there to witness the smile I bring to your face. Tell me, are you still touching yourself?”

  “Yes,” she answered, causing a sharp inhale to hiss through my teeth at the thought of her hands touching her soft skin. “I love that I have such a strong affect on you,” she added.

  “You have more of an affect on me than you can possibly imagine, Ella.”

  “Does it help for you to know that I’m now touching myself lower?” she asked, knowing it would drive me plum crazy.

  “Aww, hell. I’m never going to calm down enough to go back to sleep after this,” I said with slight humor in my tone.

  “Would you like me to stop?” she said, continuing her innocent-as-pie act. I knew she had no intention of stopping.

  “Hell no. I want you to please yourself. Pretend I’m the one taking care of you. Think of my fingers gliding between your warm, wet pussy,” I said rather seductively.

  Pushing my boxer-briefs down a bit, I arched my back and picked up speed with my hand, feeling the desire build inside me. I groaned at the thought of her fingers circling her clit and the sensation of touching myself at the same time.

  “Tell me what you want to do to me, Jonah. If you were here, what would you want?” she asked with an irresistible confidence.

  “At the moment, I am feeling rather selfish. I would love to watch you pleasure yourself first. Watch those dainty fingers of yours get slick and wet with your juices. Watch you close your eyes and moan as your fingers play with your sweetness—although, I probably wouldn’t be able to keep from touching you for long. Just thinking of your slick fingers touching and circling your clit makes me want to lick them clean and then make you come with my tongue.”

  “Ahh… Just the mention of your tongue on me gets me excited, Jonah,” she admitted.

  “I bet you taste divine. I can’t wait to taste the sweet honey between your legs,” I said with eagerness.

  I could feel each pump of my hand and imagined what it would be like if it were my tongue taking her to the edge.

  “Oh, God,” she whimpered.

  “Damn. What I wouldn’t give to watch you touch yourself. Come for me, Ella. Let me hear how wonderful your touch feels.”

  “Come—with me—please,” she begged between pants.

  “Shit. I will. Just the sound of your pleasurable cries will push me over. Come for me. I want to hear you say my name as you explode.”

  Quick, short breaths emanated through the phone and it was all the evidence I needed to know she was getting close.

  “Oh, God, Jonah!” she cried out as she burst in every conceivable direction and rode the fierce wave of her release.

  The sound of her climaxing was my undoing and an uncontainable shudder rolled over my body. It started deep and radiated outward to every nerve ending in my h
ypersensitive skin.

  Just as I closed my eyes to control the sudden burst of pleasure, I groaned and panted, “Fuck, Ella. Oh…”

  As our ragged breathing began to slow and steady, I moaned, unable to get my mouth to work properly to form any coherent words.

  “Damn,” I chuckled.

  “Mmm…” was all she could manage with an obvious smile in her tone.

  “Was that enough distraction for you, love? Think you can sleep now?” I asked with tenderness.

  “Mmm… yeah. I think I’m good and sated,” she admitted with a slur to her words.

  “I’m glad, Ella. I’ll be by to pick you up in just a few hours. Just get some sleep until then, ok? I plan on working you hard later and need you to be rested,” I said, making my double meaning obvious.

  “Sounds good, Jonah. Can’t wait to see you,” she mumbled.

  “Sweet dreams, love.”

  “Mmm… love you.”

  As we hung up, I let myself get taken by the sandman and praised the comfort of my pillow.

  Chapter Seven

  I probably looked like shit on a stick as I climbed into Jonah’s Charger the next morning.

  “Morning, beautiful,” he said in a chipper voice, while leaning over the center console to peck me on the cheek. “You don’t look like shit, by the way. You look perfect.”

  Wow. No matter what my mood was, his smile always made everything better.

  Ella, wait.

  Looking out the car window, I saw Jesse running toward us. One she approached the car, she leaned over and gave us both a shy, apologetic smile.

  “Sorry to hold you up, Jonah. But, we’ve never really talked about my shifts at Lavendine and I don’t want to leave you hanging today. Do you still want me to come in this afternoon?”

  “Yes,” I said, interrupting before Jonah could even voice his answer. Looking over at Jonah, I added with a shrug, “Sorry. I just really want her to.”

  “Well, I guess that’s that then. Whatever Ella wants, Ella gets,” he said with a forced smile.

  Damn. Don’t be pissed about it, I projected.

  I’m not. No worries, he thought as he grabbed my hand from my lap.

  “Okay. I’ll see you guys at two. I’ll even bring a bite to eat,” Jesse said before patting the top of the car with her fingertips and turning to walk away.

  After pulling away, I felt the need to apologize for my abruptness. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make the decision for you when it comes to your business.”

  “It’s no problem, really. I just wanted to talk to you about it first before I said yes to her,” he said, sharing a sincere smile while he drove. “Plus, I really wasn’t looking forward to spending all day and all evening there. Of course, I did already tell my teachers I wouldn’t make it to class this afternoon.”

  “Oh no!” I exclaimed. “Well, if Jesse is going to be at the studio now, you can always go anyway, right?”

  “Actually, I probably won’t. I’m way ahead in all of my classes and, honestly, the teachers know I’m there just to get the credits for my degree. They’ll usually let me know if there is going to be something too important for me to miss.”

  Watching Jonah work at the studio really made me appreciate how together and responsible he was. This studio was a perfect business for him. He moved around and handled things with knowledge and ease. Anytime a member had a question, Jonah had an answer. I had no idea why he felt the need to have me work here as well. I’d probably just screw things up.

  You won’t screw things up, he projected, effectively interrupting my internal thoughts. Plus, I like spending time with you and you definitely have a way with people. Everyone loves you.

  Blushing, I decided to keep myself busy and continued reorganizing the supply cabinet.

  Jesse walked in at about half past one with several bags of fast food in her arms. I was so glad to see her, but my stomach was even happier.

  “Thank you,” I said as I helped her carry the food to a clean table in the kitchen area of the studio. “I’m so hungry.”

  “Good. Eat up!” she responded.

  Several moments passed in near silence, except for our constant munching, which was beginning to drive me nuts. Finally, Jesse broke the silence…

  “They said my time is up.”

  Jonah and I both stopped chewing for a moment and looked at her with confusion.

  “What do you mean, your time is up?” I asked.

  “They don’t want me observing anymore. They want to meet you themselves instead,” she explained with a nervous twitch of the hand.

  Jonah and I just looked at each other, fear and perplexity obvious on our faces.

  “I had a video meeting with one of the council members just a few hours ago. I explained this case is completely different than anything I’ve ever witnessed before and that they should consider the possibility you’re no threat to anyone,” she explained. “So, they want to meet you. They won’t tell me what their reasons or goals are though. They basically said I was dismissed from the case and they would contact me once they have another assignment for me.”

  “Assignment?” I croaked. I had no idea we were considered an assignment.

  “What they don’t realize is, this is not a job for me. I truly just want to protect people from experiencing the same thing I went through. They act like everyone is just a number and I can hop away from one number and go to the next without my heart breaking into pieces.”

  I could tell this was truly bothering her, but I couldn’t escape the reality that these men wanted to meet me… meet us.

  “Were we your first case?” Jonah asked, making air-quotes as he said the word case.

  “Yes. I’m only two years older than Ella. I started tracking you about a year after losing my grandfather,” she said with sorrow in her voice. “I just don’t know if I’m cut out for this. Talking about it, thinking about what happened, brings up too many bad memories that, even years later, I’m just not ready to face. And what would happen if someone does turn out to be like my grandfather? Will I witness someone else going through the same tragedy?” Shaking her head, she tapped her finger on the table nervously and let the tough questions hang heavily in the air.

  “Well, you always have a home here at Lavendine,” Jonah offered.

  “Thanks,” Jesse said in a near whisper.

  “So, what do the Sideri want with us?” I asked as I sipped on my soda.

  Jesse shrugged before answering. “Other than to maybe verify my answers to their questions, I have no idea. Only two of the councilmen said they were coming down today—the one I normally converse with and another I’ve never seen or spoken to.”

  “Today?” Jonah questioned.

  “Yep,” Jesse responded, slipping a piece of paper out of her pocket. “They want to meet you this evening, around six, at the lake you like to stop at when you go horseback riding.”

  “I don’t know where that is. That was just a dream,” Jonah said with a surprised look on his face.

  “I do. My mom keeps her horses stabled there,” I told Jonah.

  “Yeah, weren’t we supposed to go riding one of these days?” Jesse questioned.

  “We still can if you decide to stick around.”

  “I hope to,” she said with a smile.

  “I can’t ride a horse,” Jonah interrupted. “I’ve never ridden a day in my life.”

  “Don’t worry, Jonah. You’re an excellent rider in my dreams,” I joked. “Plus, it’s a short enough distance to walk to if we cut through the park.”

  The rest of the afternoon seemed tense while we hung out at Jonah’s apartment. Neither one of us knew what to expect from our encounter with the Sideri members.

  Sitting on his bed, looking through some of his old sketchbooks, I tried to keep my mind off our pending meet.

  “Does someone need another distraction?” Jonah asked as he climbed onto the bed next to me.

  “I wish that would work righ
t now. I’m just so nervous and unsure of what’s going to happen,” I explained while setting his sketchbook aside.

  Brushing my hair to the side and placing a soft kiss against my neck, Jonah mumbled, “It’ll be okay. No one could resist your pretty face.”

  “I’m sure this goes well beyond a pretty face,” I said with an exaggerated eye-roll.

  After parking the car, we made our way toward the smaller foot trail leading to the shore of the lake. The sun was behind us, casting large shadows along our path.

  Jonah and I decided not to tell our parents we were meeting some of the Sideri members. If, by chance, things did go south, we didn’t want their involvement to make matters worse. After all, they were the ones that made the initial decision, even though we both knew they did what they had to do.

  The rhythm of my heart sped up with each step we took toward the little beach. I was getting more nervous with each breath I dragged through my lungs. Jonah could tell my nerves were getting the best of me because he grabbed my hand and caressed my knuckles—a gesture that let me know he was always going to be by my side no matter what.

  Approaching the water, we saw two male figures lurking near the bank. My heart leapt in my throat at the idea of encountering these men.

  Casually dressed in jeans and t-shirts, they turned as if they knew we were coming up behind them. I knew these were the men because they had a strong block protecting their minds—more solid than any shield I’d encountered yet.

  “Ah, Ella and Jonah. How nice to finally meet you,” the man with the goatee cheered as he held his hand out for me to shake. “My name is Drake and this is Leon,” he introduced as he hooked a thumb in the other man’s direction. Before letting go of my hand, Drake turned it so my palm was facing upward and stared for a few moments longer than I was comfortable with.

  “Ella. Such a strong soul,” he whispered, causing me to gently retract my hand before things became even more creepy.

  Both Jonah and I mumbled our hellos and requested we all go sit on the benches near the shore.

  Before we all could even plant our butts on the benches, Drake began to speak. “Well, I’m just going to get right to the point. I hope you two don’t mind me being so blunt, but our time is somewhat limited.”