Heart Of A Lycan King
Chapter 27

It took me a moment to finally realize that everyone had filed out and only I and Aiden remained in each other’s embrace. From time to time, I could hear his sharp intake of breath, and the way his arms would tighten around me.

I loved it all.

The best part of it all? I did not, not for a single moment, felt like I wanted this to end.

I craved it. Touched it.

Aiden was here. He had returned and it had not even been a week since he’d left. The space that had created had made me yearn for him even more.

I didn’t know how long the hug lasted, but after a while, I felt Aiden nuzzling my neck even more and I froze. Perhaps it was the prospect that he may be marking me right there, or the fear that this was too much when all I wanted was a hug. Regardless though, I stiffened, and I guess he felt it too because he instantly pulled back.

I stood awkwardly before him, and despite how bad I wanted to meet his gaze, I couldn’t bring myself to look up at him.

I could however feel the burn of his stare, the way Erin kept nudging at the bond that was yet to be acknowledged. The pull between us is getting stronger with each passing second.

After a while, Aiden stretched his open palm towards me, and that was when I was able to look up at him.

His eyes had that golden glow in them again, which vanished quickly.

“Please?” he finally said, his voice still had the gruffy edgy tone it had when he spoke a moment ago.

I wiped the sweat off my hand before I placed it onto his. He clasped his tightly around mine, causing jolts and sparks to build from within. Again, the cursed turmoil my stomach seemed to always like jumping to every time he does something.

He quietly pulled me to the long iron chair and we both sat. I still couldn’t work the lump in my throat to talk, when all I desperately wanted to do was talk to him. Ask him how he got here so fast. But the shock from seeing him when I had no idea he was coming still hadn’t died.

That, and the intensity of his gaze. The warmth of his hand clasped around him.

‘There’s something weird about him, Nat. Something different,’ Erin purred. She hardly ever purrs, not even when we found Matteo had she purred. What was going on? ‘There is a completely different aura around him. And for some reason, I feel as though our connection is strong now,’ she added.

‘I thought I was the only one that felt it,’ I mumbled. ‘The pull is stronger. And he looked…’

‘Lickable?’ Erin grinned. A wolf-like grin, of course.

‘I thought I was the only one obsessed with licking him?’ I asked, rolling my eyes.

‘Well, go on and lick him, woman. What are you waiting for?’ she teased, knowing fully well that I wouldn’t dare do that.

Before I could reply however, a new sensation settled in, and I looked up to see Aiden’s finger around the first burn mark on my arm.

“Why isn’t this healing?” he asked, his eyes fixed on the burn.

“I…” I cleared the throat, hating how drunk my voice sounded now. For Goddess sake! It was loud and clear a while ago. “It is a burn. It takes longer to heal,” I replied quietly, my cheeks hitting up for no apparent reason.

A puzzled look crossed his face as he pursed his lips, and pulled in his brows. He stared at the burn for a while before he returned those piercing dark eyes towards me.

“I can help,” he said. “If you want me to,” he added quickly.

“Help with what? The healing?” I asked dumbfounded.

Aiden nodded.

“How so?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. I do know Lycans are stronger than us. And they possess other powers like fast healing abilities, more physical strength, teleporting, and above all, mind reading. However, only a few of the Lycans can read the mind.

“I can show you if you want,” he offered, shifting closer to me so he could cover the little space he had left between us when we sat. “Would you like me to?” he continued, his gaze darkening even more.

I felt Erin’s uncomfortable move, and the way she peeked at his suggestion. And for some reason, I found myself nodding. “Okay.”

He turned to face me completely, his eyes raking over the burn on my arms, to the one on my chest, just close to my right breast. Another on my neck, my chin, and the last, which were the ones I know of, on my right shoulder. All of these places have dark marks of the charred parts burned off my blouse. Despite Donald’s insistence that I change after we had brought the woman and her son to the hospital, I had refused.

The anger was there. I could feel it radiate through his gaze, and I can’t really say what got him that worked up.

“So, I could lick them…” he began, and my eyes widened instantly. For a moment, time seemed to stop for me, and I couldn’t understand what the buzzing sound in my head was all about. It was too much.

Too intense.

“But I won’t,” he added hastily. “Basically, I just need to create a connection between us so the healing can project to your body. But we don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I just thought to help you if you don’t mind and licking the burn is…” he trailed off.

There was something absolutely adorable in the way Aiden was acting right now. And it reminded me of the day he had held his ears and pursed his lips while apologizing. Today was different, however, he looked flustered. Way flustered than I looked and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

‘No!’ Erin screamed in my head, and I couldn’t help but wince. ‘Licking is our thing. Your thing precisely. And until you’ve gathered enough courage to initiate it, he doesn’t get to do it,’ she finished.

A small smile tugged at the edge of my lips despite the way my heart was thudding loudly, and the way fear at the prospect of Aiden licking me kicked it, I couldn’t help smiling. Yup, licking is ours and not Aiden’s.

“I can as well just k**s them lightly,” he continued, tightening his hold. “You won’t even feel it. I guess,” he added.

“Aiden, are you nervous?” I couldn’t help asking because it made no sense to me. If anyone should be nervous, it should be me? Right? Considering this is my body about to be kissed…

“Nalaaaaa,” he dragged the name, and I could swear the way my insides turned was a burning rage. No, a raging inferno. He squeezed my hand even more before he sucked in a deep breath. “I’m nervous because I don’t know how you would take this. And I hate seeing the burn marks…” he trailed off, shutting his eyes tightly.

“I…” I began but didn’t know what to say.

“We don’t have to do it. The most it can take for them to heal is a day, and I can wait. I just thought I could help and…”

“Do it,” the words rushed out of my mouth before I could stop them. “The feathery…I mean…the…”

“The k****s,” he finished for me. “It’s just to have a connection between us so…”

“You’ve explained that already,” I giggled softly. “I’ve never seen you this nervous,” I added.

“You’ve never seen all shades of me, Nala,” he murmured, suddenly leaning closer. “So, you want me to do it?”

I swallowed, unable to speak due to the close proximity between us. My throat was clogged, and my breathing came out in deep pants.

“Y…y…es,” I breathed.

His eyes lit up, his nose flared, and after a while, his lips curled up just a bit.

“Okay. I’m going to start with the ones on your arm, okay?”

I nodded again. My heart had picked up an unsteady rhythm. I was anticipating this. Wondering how it’ll feel like to finally get kissed, albeit, not on the lips and not in heat. At the same time, I was scared as the anticipation kept building.

‘Close your eyes,’ Erin whispered. ‘People close their eyes when they are kissed,’ she added, pacing in my head as she wagged her tail.

And I did just that. I closed my eyes the time Aiden slipped from the chair and kneeled before me, my right arm still in his.

It began as a faint touch. I felt it. A light feathery touch that for a moment, I thought it was a butterfly touching me. The sensation ran deep within, making my head spin. My trembling fingers unconsciously touched my lips. My heart knocked around my chest like a huge pinball had hit it.

I felt lightheaded, as though I was being drugged. Shocks of electric zap rushed through me. Unable to handle it all, I pried my eyes open and watched as he tenderly kissed the last burn mark on my arm, so much so that I was turning into a puddle mess. His eyes never left mine, not even when he leaned in and I left his breath on my cheeks, his scent engulfing me.

Today, he smelled of sweat and dirt. But the most prominent scent I could get off him was that of charcoal and wood. Same scent the shadow from that day had left behind after it left.

Weird.

But because my heart wasn’t currently set on that, I ignored it all and focused on the way his lips felt against the curve of my neck, where he kissed the other burn mark. Then my shoulder, my chest, where he didn’t linger like the rest of the places and quickly kissed it before moving to my face.

We locked eyes again, his gaze heated and hard. Then just like he did with the rest, he leaned in and placed a light k**s on my cheeks.

My eyes rolled, the sensation ten times more than all the one’s he’d done before. I didn’t dare move. Or take my eyes off him and he pushed back and sat in his space beside me.

“There, all healed now,” he said, his voice groggy.

I lifted my eyes to look at him. Mistake. Big mistake. First, his eyes had glazed over and the golden tinge in them was there, but not as much as last time.

“How are you?” he asked, breaking the moment.

“I’m…uhmn,” I cleared my throat for the second time since he’d arrived. “I’m fine,” I replied, staring at my perfectly healed arm. “Thank you.”

He simply nodded, the hardness in his eyes returning.

“And your therapy?”

“It went better than I expected,” I smiled.

“Nala,” he called after a moment, slipping his hand back into mine and interlocked our fingers. “First, allow me to apologize for hugging you without asking first. I was just so…ang…worried that you may have gotten hurt. And all I wanted, all I thought of was having you in my arms to know you are safe.” He paused, swallowed, then continued. “Why did you do that?”

It took me a while to realize what he was asking.

“I wanted to help…”

“Not at the expense of your life!” he yelled a bit, his brows furrowing as an uncomfortable tension settled between us. “Do you have any idea, any slight idea how I had felt when I got Donald’s text?” he continued.

“I…”

“I nearly f*****g lost my mind!” This time, the anger tinge in his voice was quite clear and all I wanted was to move away.

But I knew, deep inside, I knew he had no intention of hurting me. But that didn’t calm me down.

“Aiden, I was…”

“I’m sorry,” he rushed, as he placed his hand on his forehead and bowed his head. “I…I was…”

“I understand you may have been worried,” I cut him off, because I really needed to speak my mind as well. “But I’m fine, aren’t I? Besides, I really didn’t think about the consequences when I saw the rolled over car and the victims. I acted on impulse and only after the explosion had I realized how stupid I had been.” I paused, leaned down so I could see his face. “But I don’t regret it, Aiden,” I added.

Not when you just set me in feelings and have my heart in shambles, I wanted to add.

“I don’t regret helping them and if it were to happen, I’ll do it all over again.”

“I am sorry, I didn’t mean to lash out at you…”

“I understand you are worried, but when you do things like this, even though I know you won’t hurt me, it doesn’t take away the fear. This is something I have to deal with for a while and I am grateful you are taking your time to understand me. This is why I am currently telling you this,” I explained, and for no reason, squeezed his hand.

He looked down at our interlocked hands, then backed up at me.

“I may be a handful. A complete mess. But you’re making the effort and I am slowly breaking the walls. All I’m asking now, is this. Please, do not go all ballistic every time something happens between us that you didn’t like.” I smiled faintly. “And I’m sorry for causing you to worry. I’ll be careful next time,” I finished, the smile on my lips widening.

He didn’t say anything. For a long moment, he simply stared at me. At some point, he raised his other hand and his fingers hovered over my cheeks. But he didn’t touch me and I was grateful for that. At this point, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to contain all the raging emotions he was stirring.

“I am so proud of you,” he finally murmured, eyes raking my entire face. “So proud of you, Nala. Thank you for saving them.”

“What? You are thanking their queen for doing her job?” I grinned, not knowing where the confidence was coming from but I liked it. With the tension that had risen a few moments ago, I’d like to calm it down and have my cheeky Aiden back.

“Ah, yeah. I guess I don’t have to. Either way though, allow me to. Thank you, and I’m proud of you. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” I asked, wanting to hear him say it.

“For going all ballistic like you said,” he smiled warmly.

I smiled too, loving the new comfortable silence between us.

“How did you get here so fast? And how was your match?”

He grimaced a bit before he replied. “I left during half time,” he replied. “I got Donald’s text then and I…kinda left 15 minutes before the match ended.”

“Wait, you left your match? But didn’t Donald tell you I was fine?” I emphasized the word fine. “Why would you the game was already ending?

“You come first before the match, Nala,” he said quietly. “When I got the text that you had been involved in an accident, albeit not directly, I only wanted to come home to you. Plus I felt something was wrong, which was strange since we weren’t marked. But I got a feeling you were hurting. So I left the rest and came alone.”

“That was fast though,” I noted.

“It is just a two hours flight. So yeah, and I kinda…shifted and ran. I must smell really bad right now,” he confessed.

“You ran?”

“From the airport, yeah. No one knew I was coming back and I didn’t want to waste anymore time. So I shifted and ran.”

I couldn’t resist smiling. He looked…hot? Cute? Or both?

“Let’s get you home so you can rest. We can talk more when you have slept. You must have had an exhausting day with therapy and now this.”

“I’d like to see those victims first. And besides, there seems to be something fishy about the accident and…”

“I’ve been briefed already with all the necessary information. I’ll take you home after you’ve seen them, and after you’ve fully rested, we can discuss this more. Don’t worry, I won’t be doing this alone without you, I promise.”

The promise was there. And yes, I was quite exhausted from all the emotions. Plus, as he spoke, my eyes were fixed on his Adam’s apple. The way it jumped up and down as he spoke. Was it possible to find Adam’s apple sexy?

To get rid of the thoughts trying to engulf me, I nodded as he leaned down and brushed his thumb on my cheek where the burn had been earlier.

“You smell of sweat and dirt though. A bit gross if I may say, to come see your Nala after being away for days,” I teased as we walked to the door. “But I like it,” I added as I quickened my pace so I didn’t have to see his expression.

Oh Natasha, you are slowly becoming a mess! I thought.