Unbound (30 page)

“Hungry?” I asked and he nodded. It was getting late again. “Frozen pizza’s ok?”

“That’s fine with me. I’m gonna take a shower first.” He picked me up and kissed me, before he jogged down the stairs. Thinking he would only be in the shower for like ten minutes, I put the pizzas in the oven, grabbed the new blankets and broom and went back to the turret. I quickly swept and knocked down cobwebs. I spread the blankets out and ran down into the bedroom to get pillows. The timer on the oven went off and I rushed like a mad woman to cut up the pizza, dish it out on plates, get us both something to drink and bring it up on the turret. The shower turned off. Shoot, I have to hurry if I want to get this done like I planned. I tossed Hunter a new chewy, and went back onto the turret.

“Annie?” Ethan called.

“Up here!”

“What are you doing up-” Ethan paused, “-here?” He smiled at me and sat down on the blanket by my side.

“It’s so nice out I wanted to eat up here.” I handed him his plate and drink. We ate in silence, enjoying each other’s company and the perfect star studded county sky. Ethan pushed the empty plates and cups out of the way and pulled me down next to him, tossing a blanket over us.

“You are so much more than I deserve,” he said, barely louder than a whisper.

“I feel the same about you,” I admitted. He propped himself up so that he was a little above me. He looked like he wanted to say something but he kissed me instead. The same overpowering desire for him took me over, and I urged him onto me. We kissed again and again. Ethan pulled my shirt over my head and let out a slight gasp. “Like it?” I asked, with a little giggle. He ran his hands up my stomach and onto my breasts, which were barely covered in black Brazilian lace.

“Oh, yea.” He kissed my neck and worked his way down. Ethan kissed my stomach and unbuttoned my jeans. I grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head. My jeans came off next and Ethan looked me up and down for a minute before he dove back on top of me, kissing me fiercely. I undid his pants and slid them down off his legs. He moved back on me, and my body tingled as he ran his fingertips up from my thighs to my chest and down again. I skimmed my nails over his back. We kissed again. I forgot about everything bad.

All I wanted was Ethan. He slipped his hand down my panties. I breathed deeply in pleasure then pulled his hand up and pushed him into a position where I could remove his boxers. I moved him back onto me, feeling every inch of him press against me. He kissed my lips, my neck, my breasts, my stomach. He whipped off the black lace underwear and pressed against me again. I moved my legs father apart and pulled him as close as possible. He kissed me again. This time, when he was done, he lifted his face just inches from mine.

“Anora,” he said in the most alluring voice I’ve ever heard. I looked into his beautiful brown eyes. “Do you want to?” I knew what he meant. I nodded and dug my nails into his skin to show my desire. He tried not to smile. He started to sit up but stopped. “Have you ever?” he asked very gently. I shook my head. He didn’t look surprised. “You sure you want to?”

“Yes, I want to so bad.” I pressed my nails harder into his skin. I’ve never wanted anything so bad in my life. He got off me and rooted around in his jeans. I heard a little crinkle of plastic. Oh, I didn’t even think of that. He pulled the blanket around us when he got back on top of me.

“I love you,” he whispered. He put one hand behind my head and lifted it for a kiss while he slowly slid into me.

I moaned pleasurably. The look on Ethan’s face told me he was enjoying it just as much. He moved slowly and carefully, rocking me back and forth in his movements. I kept my eyes closed most of the time but when I did open them I saw Ethan looking at me. Love and desire burned in his eyes. I arched my back and slid my nails down his back and across his muscular butt then back up again. He reached around and unhooked my bra. Slowly I ran a hand across my collar bone and pushed one bra strap down my arm. I ran that hand across my stomach and pulled the other arm through. Ethan snaked his arms around my back and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist and held onto his shoulders. He switched positions to where I was sitting in his lap. I moaned in pleasure. He ran his hands up and down my back and pushed me onto him, with my breasts in his face. I moved my hips in ways I didn’t know I could.

I started breathing faster and faster. Electricity buzzed throughout my body. I was so close right now. Ethan squeezed me down onto him and that sent me over the edge. “Ohh!” My muscles stiffened. Ethan ran his hand up my back and through my hair. I’ve never felt anything so good. As soon as I was able to, I started moving back and forth again. It wasn’t long before Ethan’s body went through the same rigid release. He held me close, my chest heaving in his face. Slowly, he laid us down.
 

Crickets sang their midnight chorus. A cool breeze rattled the bare branches in the distance forest. Even farther way, a train whistle blew. Ethan held me as tight as he could without squishing me. Once our hearts slowly stopped racing he asked,

 
“How was that for you?”

“Perfect. It was better than what I imagined,” I told him, and he looked very pleased. “You?”

“Perfect too. I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time, you know, since like the first time I saw you.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“Trust me, it’s a compliment.”

We stayed up on the turret for a while longer and then moved inside and into bed. Hunter jumped up and settled at the foot. Once again, we all slipped into a very restful sleep.

I woke up alone. I stretched out, not yet wanting to get up and find my dog or my boyfriend. But I had to pee, so I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I smoothed out my hair and washed my face. I was a little sore, but didn’t care, since it reminded me of last night and meant being closer to Ethan. I tied my bathrobe around myself, smiling the whole time.

***

“What does your tattoo mean?”

Ethan took his eyes off the road and gave me a surprised look. “I didn’t tell you?”

“Nope.”

“Oh, it’s the symbol for the Order.”

I nodded. We were already five hours into the drive home. “Whose zodiac symbols are on it?”

“The founders. They represent the elements: earth, air, fire and water.”

“And the eye?”

“It’s in the center of the pentagram, which is actually a protective symbol, if you didn’t know, and it’s symbolic for the Order watching and knowing about demons and stuff.”

“Makes sense.” I felt stupid for not figuring that out on my own. The big “OMR” at the bottom of the star was a dead giveaway. “Did you have to get it?”

“Not anymore. I’ve been told that a really long time ago it was required, and I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve heard that it used to be branded onto the skin.”

I thought about how painful that would be. Hunter shifted restlessly in the backseat. “Can we stop soon? I think Hunter needs to walk around.”

Ethan nodded. “Walking sounds good. I hate being in the car for this long.”

It did feel good to get out and stretch. I didn’t want to get back in the car. I was so sick of long car rides right now. And it was my turn to drive, so this was going to be boring. I had entertained myself with reading about magical herbs and working on floating a quarter telekinetically. Ethan reclined his seat and closed his eyes. After an hour, he woke up.

“Where did you go when you left?” I had been wanting to know that for a long time.

“Huh?” he asked, sleepily.

“When you left for a long time in September. Where did you go?”

“Canada.” He sat the seat back up.

“Yea, I know that. I mean what were you doing?”

He made a face like he had to recall what happened. “We were hunting Rusalki.” I opened my mouth to ask what that was but he kept going. “They are evil water sprites. They trick people, usually men, down to the water’s edge by acting like they are drowning or by sitting naked, washing their hair. They look like beautiful women from far away but once you get close you can see their true faces.” His expression showed disgust. “Anyway, once they have you in the water they torture and kill you.”

“Kinda like a siren?”

“In a way, yea.”

“How did you find it?”

“It wasn’t easy, these things can hide under water and ice for months. But, uh, there were reports, in the paper about five men drowning in the same lake within two months. The way they died seemed suspicious, and the one man who got away described the Rusalka perfectly. No one believed him, of course.”

“Did you find it?”

He nodded. “And killed it.”

“How?”

“Cut of its head and burned it in a fire infused with wormwood.”

“Fun.”

 
Ethan shrugged like it was no big deal.

***

I felt a little guilt when I trudged down stairs Monday morning to ask my bewitched father if I could stay home from school. Under the influence of the Agree Spell, he cheerfully encouraged me to go back to bed. I slowly forced myself back up the stairs. Hunter ran ahead of me and jumped onto the bed. I lay down next to him and slept until after noon. I called Ethan as soon as I got up.

“What are you doing home?”

 
The sound of his voice made me smile. “I used the Agree Spell to make my dad let me stay home and sleep.”

“Nice. You just get up?”

“Yea. I still feel tired though.”

“Me too.” I could tell he was stretching. “I’m still in bed, actually.”

“You’re so lazy,” I joked.

“Want to come over?”

“Yea. I’m just gonna shower. I’ll be over in like an hour.”

“Ok. See ya soon.”

I showered quickly but thoroughly. I dried my hair and pulled it into a pony tail. Since I never knew what a day with Ethan could entail, I dressed practically in jeans, a black fleece zip-up over a long sleeve, teal shirt and black Nikes. Seeing my camera on my dresser reminded me that I had a photo project due soon. I shoved it inside my purse and headed over to Ethan’s. Julia answered the door.

“Hey Anora! How are you?”

“Good. I’m glad I got to sleep in. You?”

“Oh, the same. Except I didn’t sleep in.”

I followed her into the kitchen.

“I think he’s still sleeping,” she said, seeing me look around for Ethan. “He really cares about you, you know.”

I tried to hide a smile. “I hope so, ‘cuz I really care about him too.” Julie picked up a towel to dry the stack of clean dishes on the counter. I grabbed another one and helped.

“I don’t think he’ll ever admit it,” Julie said as she dried and put a cup away, “but I think he really wanted to find someone to settle down with.” She dried off another cup. “Oh, not in a marriage way,” she added quickly. “I mean settle down with in a relationship sort of way. Like to share himself.” She put that cup away too. “Wait, that sounds dirty.”

“I know what you mean,” I laughed. “I’m so happy to have someone that I can be one hundred percent honest with too. Ethan’s a great guy-”

“-he is.”

“-and I just…” I felt that silly embarrassment again. “I just feel so lucky to have found him.”

Julia looked at me with sappy eyes. “I’m glad you guys found each other too. Having to move here and be part of the Order again was hard on him. Since he met you, he’s been his old self. No, better than his old self. I’ve never seen him so happy.”

I felt awkward and thrilled at the same time. I’m not a share-my-mushy-feelings kind of girl.

“Ethan’s been like a brother to me for the last ten years. I…I guess what I’m trying to say is-”

“You hurt him and I’ll cut you,” Sam, appearing in the doorway, said in a voice so stern that Julia and I laughed.

“Hey Sam,” I smiled.

“Hey,” she replied flatly. “So I heard you guys didn’t find what you were looking for.”

“Not at all.” That frustrated me beyond words. “It just doesn’t make sense. In my dreams, I’m very clearly walking down the stairs in the Victorian. But the basement there looks nothing like what I’ve been seeing. In the dreams, the walls are crumbling, red brick and the floor is dirt. Ugly wood paneling has been put up in the house and carpet’s been rolled over cement. It’s not the same place at all.”