Emberholde Academy

11- Feel It All

Eden's POV

"You're telling me that you haven't even kissed him yet?" Astrid questions as her Adelaide and I sit on the floor of my room, deciding to have a little slumber party after the events at my training session tonight where they found out I was mated to Dante.

"No, we haven't."

"Seriously you need to change that, the way he looks at you Eden..."

I slap her arm and she jerks back and laughs. "Stop it... so embarrassing..."

"You act like you've never been kissed..." Astrid stops herself and her eyes go wide. "You haven't, have you?" I roll my eyes and nod my head. "I didn't really have much time for boys since I was locked away for well over a year."

"True... well at least you'll have some amazing firsts with Alpha."

I blush and Adelaide chuckles lightly. "Just let it happen when the moment comes."

"I guess..." I trail off and try to move onto a different subject for the night.

- - -

I finish classes for the day and decide to go out for a walk to clear my head. Ever since the girls put it in my mind, all I can think about is kissing Dante, and it's taking over. I continue to walk and notice something over near the edge of the forest.

As I approach, my eyes widen as I see multiple dead animals. Squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, some birds. All seeming as if they just dropped dead from natural causes. No trauma, no blood anywhere around. It would seem normal if it didn't look like a plague hit all the smaller mammals of the forest in one area. The area around them is dead too, the grass and foliage looking like it's been singed with death.

"What the hell?" I lean down to examine them but whip my hand back after a brief touch as I feel darkness emanating from the corpses. Flashes pass in my mind, echoes of screams seem to fill my ears, and I feel a presence creeping into my mind. I pull myself out of whatever is affecting me, my hands shaking and aglow with magic. My heart pounds as I realize the darkness feels familiar somehow, but I can't fully place it. I pull out my phone and call Valleth, informing her of what I found and moments later she's near me kneeling, inspecting the corpses as I try to keep myself calm.

"They were killed by dark magic. That's what you felt."

"Why was it familiar? What was happening to me?" I ask as she stands to her full height in front of me. She looks away and I know she's not wanting to answer my question. "Valleth." I say her name sternly and she sighs. "It's familiar because it's the same dark magic that you used to kill. Just used a different element." I clench my hands tightly, processing her words and my breathing turns into laboured shudders. "I need to tell Alpha. Come with me." Valleth takes me by the hand and leads me until we're back in the academy and in Dante's office. My mind is swirling with so many thoughts of panic and unease.

It can't be. Dark magic?

I'm brought out of my thoughts as Dante enters behind us. I don't even register much of hat is said between him and Valleth, my ears deafened to my own panicked feelings. Sound rushes back in as I feel his grasp on my shoulders and I look up into his dark eyes, fully of worry.

"Eden."

I look up at him, blinking rapidly. "I'm okay."

"No, you're not, your heart is racing. Come sit down." He leads me to the sofa in his office and we sit together, his hands surrounding mine, trying to calm me. Tears well up in my eyes and I look to him. "Valleth said..."

"I know, Tesoro. It's okay."

"Why do you call me that?"

"Tesoro? It means treasure in Italian. I've always treasured the thought of having a mate, and it just kind of slipped out before."

"I like it." He smiles. "I'm glad. Are you feeling a little better now?" I nod, welcoming the distraction. I start to come down from the shock, and deep down I know that I'm going to need more answers, but I realize that I still need to keep myself mentally sound if I'm going to figure any of this out at all. This is tied to my incident, and now it's turning up here at the academy.

That can't be a coincidence. Rieka states in my mind, confirming my own thoughts.

Dante reaches up to caress my face and I watch his eyes go back and forth between my face and my lips and I bite my lip. "You're fighting it too, aren't you?" I ask bluntly and he chuckles.

"What, wanting to touch and kiss you? Most definitely." I chuckle at his admission, feeling better that he's going through exactly what I am.

"You can do it you know." I state and his eyes widen for a brief second in shock before he smiles. "I won't force you."

"Who says you're forcing?" I state slyly and smile. My heart picks up again – in a good way this time – as he cups my face again, dark eyes smoldering as he leans in closer to me. When his lips touch mine, it's like an inferno explodes and we both deepen it immediately, him pushing me down and hovering over me. I raise my arms around his neck, and he groans as he pulls away, looking to me for some sort of answer. "I don't want to stop until those lips are red and swollen."

"Then don't."

Our lips collide, harder this time, him exerting dominance over me and my body shivers in response. Alpha blood makes him powerful in more ways than one, and boy does this ever feel right.  After a few moments we separate, breathless and he runs his thumb over my now swollen lips.

"Beautiful. I never thought I would get this, and now that I have it, I'm not letting go." I smile at his sweet words and pull him down for another kiss.

I don't want to let go either.

But it feels like he may be ripped from me at any moment.

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- see you in the next one!! -vv