Holding Hope Word Doc NC (3 page)

“You – You are a
Valendite Breed.”

“Yes,” Lucas answered.
“And you are a woman of the Magdalena Circle.”

“Yes,” Ella nodded.

“Please come out to
enjoy the soup I made. It has the herbs I was told would give you back some
strength.”

Lucas reached for her
but Ella shrunk backwards, away from him hands. He stepped back, placed his
hands in his pockets and his shoulders curved forward.

“I won’t hurt you. Your
feet haven’t healed completely yet. I can’t imagine you’ll be able to walk on
them without it being painful.” Lucas ran his fingers through his hair and
sighed. “I can’t bear to see you in any more pain.”

The pain Ella heard in
his voice squeezed her somewhere inside and her resistance all but faded. She
took in the desperation in his eyes, as if seeing her in pain was equally as
painful to him as to her. He appeared almost tormented at the thought and Ella
wanted to reassure him. She craved holding him and telling him nothing would hurt
either of them again. Then nearly as soon as she had the thought, she pushed it
aside. Who was she to reassure anyone?

“Please. I’d like you
to help me up to eat.” Ella pulled aside the blankets and reached for him as
she spoke.

Lucas’s smile was
immediate and brilliantly radiant. She might do just about anything to see that
again. Her insides warmed, and dare she admit, tingled as she took in this
strong man who wanted nothing more than to care for her. She’d never felt such
an interest in any man before. Suddenly, she felt a bit shy.

He slipped his arms
under her legs and upper back and cradled her like a child. She instinctively
held onto his thick, muscular neck and ducked her head into his chest so as not
to be staring at him so closely.

“You’re as light as a
feather. We’ll need to get you fattened up.”

“I don’t think so. I’ve
never been fat in all my life.”

“Sorry. That wasn’t
what I meant. I only wanted to insinuate that you’ve likely lost weight in
captivity and I’d like to help you regain some of that strength.” As he
finished speaking, he was already depositing her onto a cushioned bench in a
window. She brought her legs up and noticed she was dressed only in a long
t-shirt, perhaps a man’s shirt.

“Am I in your shirt?”

“Yes.”

“Did you change me?
Were there not any other women?” She hated to sound prudish but she’d not been
with a man and the idea of this incredibly handsome one seeing her nude
embarrassed her.

“There were no women
with us. I was careful none of the other men saw you unclothed.”

“But you saw me,” Ella
confirmed. She watched him across the kitchen ladling soup from a large pot.

“Yes.” Lucas grinned up
at her and winked. He actually winked at her and she was now completely
flustered when he assured her, “But I didn’t look.”

“You bathed me.”

“Yes.”

“You did that with your
eyes closed then?” Ella teased Lucas.

“If that’s what you
need to believe,” Lucas answered. “You have nothing to be worried about. I was
a perfect gentleman and you were a sleeping beauty.”

Ella blushed but
couldn’t find any words. Grateful for the distraction, she began eating her
soup. She broke a piece of crusty bread off from the piece on her plate and
dunked it into the broth. He remained quiet for a while as she ate. With the
room silent and the air filled with a static she’d begun to notice right before
her capture, Ella tuned into her inner voice. For a reason she didn’t
understand, her body tuned into Lucas’s emotions. She actually felt his
frustration in needing to know more.

“Okay. You must have
questions for me. Go ahead and ask away. I’ll tell you anything I know.”

He sighed, ran his
fingers through his already-messy hair and looked relieved she offered this
open invitation. “Where were you taken from? We never had any report of a
missing woman.”

“There was no one to
report me missing. I’d only just discovered I was part of the Magdalena Circle.
My parents died when I was a little girl and my mother’s friend raised me. When
she died, I found my mother’s diary and started piecing together why I’ve
always felt so different. I took off for Italy, the last place my parents lived
with me and that’s where I was taken from.”

“So you never got the
answers you were seeking?”

“No,” Ella shook her
head thoughtfully. “I still have so many questions.”

Lucas took her hand in
his. A spark lit on her skin where he touched and she jumped back with a
screech. “What was that?”

Lucas chuckled. “That
was your power.”

“My
power?”

“You have amazing
powers as a woman in the Magdalena Circle. You come into most of them once you
mate,” Lucas looked awkwardly around the room and cleared his throat. “Once you
mate with a Valendite Breed, your powers emerge.”

“But I haven’t mated. I
haven’t even had sex with anyone. I haven’t even ever felt desire. I thought I
was, uhm, well, I was-” By her final words, Ella was yelling as she fought to
control her thoughts. Her body was strumming inside with a feeling she couldn’t
understand.

Shocked, she tried to
stand but the pain in her feet caused her to fall forward. Lucas caught her
smoothly up in his arms and hugged her against his body. Ella allowed herself
to absorb his strength. Her body simply melted against his.

“Ella, I am-“

“My mate,” Ella cut him
off. Everything came into sharp focus. The sensations, the desire, running
through her veins and her trust in this man meant something. She stroked his
stubbled cheek and watched the bursts of colorful light spark. “You are my
mate.”

“Yes.” Lucas smiled. He
actually looked relieved. She had to assume he’d known and was afraid of her
reaction. For a moment, Ella knew she should consider this predicament more but
for the first time in her entire life, something felt right. She felt as if she
belonged somewhere.

“Ella, there’s more I
need to tell you,” Lucas sat on the leather sofa near a large fireplace and
held her in his lap. “I needed to give you some blood or you may not have
gotten better. Because I’m your mate, that began our blood exchange. I’m sorry
for not getting your
permiss
-”

Ella placed her finger
to his lips to stop him from talking. “No. Don’t apologize. Please. You have no
idea. I’ve never felt at home anywhere, ever. I’ve always been different, as if
a piece of me was empty or I was hollow inside. Now, for the first time, here
with you, I belong. Please don’t apologize for giving me this.”

“Oh, Ella, my Ella,
mi
amo
, I was
certain you were going to be angry with me. I was terrified you’d want to leave
me.” Lucas buried his face into her hair and breathed her in while Ella took
the moment to hold him just as tightly. Her life was beginning to look up.

* * * *

Lucas could smell her
arousal. He could nearly taste it on his tongue as he stood outside the
partially opened bathroom door. He knocked and waited for Ella to invite him in,
assuming when she called for him that she’d be dressed. His assumption was
wrong.

Lucas’s breath caught
in his throat when he saw Ella standing in the middle of the room, nude. She
was worthy of worship. Despite undressing her when they arrived, seeing her
standing before him was a shock. His body took immediate notice as blood flow
shifted and his trousers grew tight.

“I’m sorry. When you
said to come in, I assumed you’d be clothed.” Lucas spoke, barely managing to
maintain eye contact rather than perusing her body like a hungry man at the
feast.

“Would you prefer me
clothed?” Ella’s smiled shyly at him. The delicious dichotomy of her actions
and her words –sultry but shy- left him even more uncertain. Was she playing
with him? Flirting maybe?

Lucas licked his dry lips.
“I simply prefer you with me.”

Ella smiled and walked
slowly towards him. A mixture of excitement and nervousness battled in her
gaze. Lucas knew she was uncertain but also scented her arousal. “I’ve never
felt this way before. Now that it’s awakened, I need you, Lucas.”

“Yes,” Lucas said on a
sigh as he opened his arms to accept her. “
Ho
un
debole
per
te
.
I am
weak for you, so very weak.”

Cocooned in his arms,
she smelled of the lavender from her bath and her skin was as soft as silk from
the creams she’d used. He held her tightly to him and savored her faith in him
despite what she’d been through. Lucas was all too aware of just how fortunate
he was to be holding his mate in his arms.

“I need you to guide
me. This is all new to me,” Ella confided even as she clung to him.

“I will guide you,
mi
amo
. I will
be your guide,” Lucas spoke into her hair in a voice that shook with emotion.
Everything in his world came aligned in this moment.

Picking her up, Lucas
carried Ella to his room. He placed her in the middle of his bed and leaned
over her to touch his lips to hers before he began running the tips of his
fingers along the slight curves of her petite body, a body that had been
calling to him since he’d first laid eyes on her.

She was magnificent and
she was all his. She belonged to him. Dear Goddess, he had found his mate. For
years, he’d believed this type of happiness –such peace- was beyond him. Now he
had someone precious in his arms and he intended to make certain she knew it
with every breath he drew.

Drawing back to take in
the beauty of his mate’s body, Lucas was all too aware of Ella’s virginity.
He’d never lain with a virgin and hadn’t considered the possibility of this
being his mate’s soul sin. To add to this glitch was her limited knowledge of
the Valendite Breed. Lucas needed to tread carefully though how he would
control himself with the scent of her virginity calling to him was uncertain. She
was intoxicating, like the rich chocolate bars he begged for as a small boy.

Lucas kissed down her
body, covering her skin in gentle, light kisses down to her toes and
masterfully avoiding the areas he most wanted to savor. He stood to remove his
own clothing, simply willing them from his body before lying down next to Ella.
He turned her so they could face one another. “You are the most beautiful gift
to me. I will honor you and treasure you.
Ho
un
debole
per
te
.
I will always care for you.”

“Lucas, I’m afraid…” Ella’s
words ended abruptly as Lucas’s mouth pressed gently against hers. He licked
along the seam of her lips and then nibbled until she could feel the sensation
in other parts of her body. Lucas indulged in her sweetness as his tongue swept
along her teeth and gently persuaded her to return the touch. The divine satisfaction
when her tongue moved to touch his caused him to grow larger and more rigid. He
heard her gasp and knew she’d felt his cock lengthening. Now she would know
exactly how badly he craved her.

Lucas soothed her
racing pulse with soft brushes along the curves of her neck, slowly and gently nibbling
at her pulse point. He rolled and pulled her on top of him while still keeping
her against him and delivering wet kisses to her neck. The full length of her
small body against his much larger one was heaven but better still, Ella sat up
with her legs on either side of him and peered down at him.

“I want to look at
you,” she spoke confidently but the blush that stole across her cheeks betrayed
her. She was the most precious thing he’d ever held. She was the most beautiful
woman he’d ever seen. Giving himself to her would be no hardship.

Lucas placed his arms
behind his head to keep them from grabbing at her again. “I’m all yours. Take
your fill.” He grinned and nearly shot off when his little vixen licked her
lips.

Leaning down, Ella ran
her hands along the ridges of his stomach and chest. Her touch so gentle, he
ached for more but he refused to take this moment from her. Instead, he
relished in the sensations as their skin touched. She was warm against his cool
skin, a fire that burned him as he worked to keep himself in check.

Ella moved her bottom
lower down his legs. Without her weight on top of cock, it sprang forward to
full attention and Ella gasped, pulling away as if frightened. She looked up
into his eyes with her own like large coins. “You’re very large. I mean, I
haven’t,
you
know, I haven’t seen any, uhm, you know,
in real life, but this isn’t normal.
Right?”

Lucas was torn between
holding back laughter at his mate’s shock and wanting to reach out to comfort
the part of her he could tell was frightened. He bit back showing any response
and answered as simple as possible. “Valendite Breeds are larger than human
men. Women from the Magdalena Circle are made to accommodate us.”

“Oh.” Ella appeared
relieved as she spoke that one simple word and none-too-shyly began to take
stock of his body.