Attack

LAKE

~“You must leave now, my dear.”~

~

~Oliver shuts the door to her daughter’s room and turns to me. Her expression is sad and reluctant. “I’ve done all I can for you. You and Derrick need to return to the Mortal Realm.”~

~

~I pull the sleeves of the cashmere sweater Oliver basically forced on me over my hands. She supplied me with most of her daughter’s clothes in a small backpack.~

~

~“Firefly, she’s right.” Derrick appears behind me and kisses my forehead. “If we stay much longer, we’ll end up like the ones outside.”~

~

~“Right…” I glance at Oliver. I can sense the sadness in her mind from the memories. “Oliver, I’ll be back to visit, okay?”~

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~I squeeze her into a tight hug. I feel her tears on my neck, but as we pull away, Oliver’s confident self is back on display.~

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~“Take these, you two.” Oliver places two glimmering crystals in my and Derrick’s hands. “They’re tracking crystals. If either of you lose the other, these will lead you to them.”~

~

***

~“Moonlight…”~

~

My eyes pop open. I raise my head to Derrick’s sleeping form beside me. His bare chest has been my pillow for most of the night.

I pry his muscular arm from my body and stand. Stretching, I look around the room. It’s a cheap hotel room we were able to get at the last minute.

I let out a heavy sigh and clutch the crystal around my neck. It’s held by an enchanted piece of string that makes it impossible for anyone other than Oliver or Derrick to take off.

It glows a light blue as I enter the bathroom and flip on the light. I’m wearing Derrick’s T-shirt and a pair of underwear. My hair is so frizzy and unmanageable these days.

I rub my eyes and turn on some cold water before splashing some on my face. I linger over the faucet.

I can’t help but remember the name of Oliver’s daughter. I remember the feeling of anxiety as she mentioned it as well.

I grab a towel and dry my face.

“Hello, Moonlight.” My eyes grow wide as I see Jake’s figure in the reflection.

“Jake…” My voice breaks. “W—what… H—how…”

“What am I doing here?” Jake smirks. His canines protrude fully. His eyes are cold and absent. “How did I find you?”

My heart jumps as Jake takes a hand and violently pulls my head back. My neck is bare to him, as is my mark. Derrick’s shirt is very big on me, so my entire left breast is out.

“It was quite simple, Moonlight.” Jake licks my neck down to Derrick’s mark. It’s raw and still healing. I wince at the pain.

“I felt when that mutt marked you.”

Tears tear through my eyes as Jake tightens his grip around my hair. Attempting to relieve the pressure, I wrap my hands around his and stand as tall as I can against Jake’s massive frame.

“How dare you go against our bond?” Jake growls and rips Derrick’s shirt from my chest, leaving my body bare to him.

“I can’t stand the smell of him on you, your scent being mixed with his instead of mine!”

I can feel Lynne anxiously calling out to Drax. She’s trying to give me strength, but our connection is somehow being canceled.

“Jake, you’re hurting me,” I yelp as he pulls back even harder.

“Did I say you could speak?”

Jake’s lips linger over mine. His breath is hot and heavy before those rugged lips attack mine. I struggle to pull away, but to no avail.

A growl rattles the soap holder on the counter in front of us. In a flash, I’m in the safety of Derrick’s arms. He’s sitting on his knees with me protectively tucked into his chest.

My mate is staring down Jake’s form with fury. I can feel the rage boiling through our bond.

“Oh, look.” Jake wipes my saliva away from his mouth. “Your little mate came to your rescue, Moonlight!”

“You have three seconds to leave before I rip you to shreds.” Derrick’s voice is animalistic. Despite this, I’m not scared but relieved. I tuck myself closer to his body and hide my face.

“Oh, well.” Jake clicks his tongue. “Know this: the Day of Prophecy is just two short weeks away. By that time, she will be mine. You will be in a hole six feet in the ground.”

My body is shaking as I feel Jake’s presence disappear. I cling to Derrick’s shoulder.

I know he’s trying his best to battle with Drax in order to console me. When I feel his grip on me lessen, I know he’s better.

“Lake…” Derrick’s voice is back to normal, but I can still feel Drax’s fury. “Let me see.”

I hesitantly pull back and show my skin to him. The shirt is draped over my back, hanging from my shoulder. I have light stretch marks and a huge bruise over my mark.

“Derrick…,” I whisper. Tears are still coming from my eyes as I see the steely expression on his face.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.” Derrick’s eyes skim over his mark. “If I had been, that vermin wouldn’t have been able to lay a finger on you.”

I bring his face to my chest. The stinging of my heart eases as my mate breathes in my scent.

“Derrick, please,” I mutter. “Don’t blame yourself. We need to find the witch before he does. Ja— He knows more than he’s letting on.”

Derrick lifts me in one swift motion and sits me on the foot of the bed. I allow him to remove what remains of his shirt. He gazes at my form with adoration.

I can tell my mate is fighting the lust as he pulls out a first aid kit from our bags that Benjamin carefully packed for us.

The ointment is cold against my skin. I wince from the stinging sensation and the pressure Derrick puts on them.

“You’re so gorgeous,” my mate whispers, and he dresses my wounds with bandages and gauze.

I look down at Derrick kneeling in front of me. He is obviously avoiding eye contact with me in hopes of not giving in to his lust.

I sigh and hug his head into my stomach. His arms lazily wrap around my bottom against the cheap mattress.

“Firefly, you were just attacked,” Derrick mutters as I squish his face. “With the rage I have boiling, I won’t be able to control myself. So we should just lie down and rest.”

I reluctantly let go of my grip. I then slide up and under the covers. Derrick puts away the kit and lies down beside me. He drapes an arm over my stomach and tucks the other one under his head.

“Hey, Derrick?” I ask.

“Yes, Firefly?” he replies.

“This Prophecy he and this witch keep talking about… What do you think it means?”

Derrick looks into my eyes. “I’m not sure, Lake. But I’ll be here to protect you from now on. You’re the most important thing on this planet to me now.”

I settle on my back and look up at the ceiling. I can’t help but feel Derrick’s excitement on my left thigh. If I can smell my own arousal, I’m sure he can too.

“Derrick?” My mate hums in response.

“I think you’re really cute,” I tease. “Like not the kind of boy cute. But the yummy sex god kind of cute, ya know?”

“That’s it!”

My laughter rings into the late-night air as Derrick flips himself on top of me.