Heart of Ice

Chapter Twenty-One

Song: Bigger Than the Whole Sky- Taylor Swift

Christmas comes and goes, and the days that follow move agonizingly slow, as if Demetrius is purposely trying to taunt us-- as if he's purposely bringing my anxiety to its peak before he launches an attack. Hunter tries his best to keep me relaxed, but nothing is working. Even if I could calm down for a little bit, the anxiety pulsing through every inch of my body comes back full force.

A week later after training, Hunter and I sit on the couch, trying to catch our breath from the session. We ran a good many laps around the yard (so many that I lost count eventually and could only focus on staying alive), and then Hunter made me practice my zapping powers, as I like to call them after sending electric through him once or twice. I'm slowly getting better at zoning them in on my targets and being able to hold my power for longer, but it's a work in progress. I need to be much better at it if I want to defeat Demetrius.

"You know, I take the hits from you, but I'm way too old to take so many electric currents through my body," Hunter slams his head against the back of the couch, wincing as he runs his hand over his shirt, right over the bruise that I had created from accidentally targeting him again.

"It's a real shocker, isn't it?" I giggle, wiggling my eyebrows, and he shoots a glare at me. I laugh harder as he continues to glare, and then I teasingly pat where I know the bruise is, and he flinches. "You're a big boy. It will literally heal in the next few minutes."

Hunter's glare is suddenly replaced with a pout. "It's still a wound. Maybe you could try to make up for it."

"Hmm," I swing my leg over his lap and straddle his thighs. His eyes rakes over me before locking with mine. I lay my hands on his shoulders, slowly leaning closer until our lips are inches apart. "I suppose I could. How am I doing so far?"

I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, and his eyes flash with desire as his grip on my thighs tightens, pulling me flush against his body. "I think you could do better, baby."

Baby. He has never called me that before. My heart pounds against my chest but I don't let him see me falter for that quick second after, and before he can notice, I slam my lips against his. His fingers dig into my thighs as we breathe into the kiss, and then his tongue swipes against my bottom lip. I'm not letting him get what he wants so easily though, so I ignore his move and begin a trail of slow, tantalizing kisses down his jaw and to his neck. When I find his sweet spot, his fingers grip my thighs harder, and I smile to myself, taking my time on the bruise that's slowly forming on his neck. Once I'm finished, I lean back to take a breath, but he grabs my jaw and kisses me harder, shoving his tongue through my lips as mine dances with his. Hunter then grabs my waist and spins me around until my back slams into the couch. I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him as close as he can get, our kiss growing hotter with each passing second. This has been a daily occurrence between us since Christmas eve, and every time, it just gets better and better. Every time, my heart yearns more, and my walls are knocked down inch by inch. But for the first time since I was 15, I don't care. I know what I want. It has always been him. And after years of waiting, he wants me too. The feeling I longed for is everything I wanted and more.

Just when I reach for the hem of his shirt, we hear the front door slam open, and Hunter quickly pulls away from me, his arms caging me against his chest as he looks toward the front door. My heart sinks in my chest as I think the time has arrived when Demetrius will make his move.

"Hunter? Alaska?" My father's voice calls out, and just before they walk into the living room, Hunter and I jump apart. I quickly fix my hair and my shirt while Hunter does the same, the two of us sitting as far apart as we can. Dad steps around the corner of the hall with mom following behind, and when I catch sight of them, I instantly run to them, throwing my arms around their necks. They wrap their arms around me, and tears stream down my face. "We missed you so much, honey."