XI. Campfires & Kisses

Aurora

T he fire is already lit by the time we arrive. My hands rub at my arms to fight off the chill. Cedar steps closer and presses his chest to my back, replacing my hands with his own. His warm palms send tingles up into my shoulders and down my back.

The fit pit behind his cabin has a trio of half-logs surrounding it with a pair of weathered Adirondack chairs tucked between them. Onyx sits perched on one of the logs and pokes at the fire, building it up.

He looks up and grins. “You can come sit by me!”

Cedar’s hand curls around my waist protectively, pulling me tighter against him. A growl rumbles from his throat, warning his brother away.

I’m so surprised, a laugh bursts from me.

“Sorry,” he mutters softly against my hair.

Onyx raises his hands to pacify Cedar, though his small smirk is telling. Before Cedar can react, I pull his hand off my waist and twine our fingers together. With purposeful steps, I lead him past his brother and settle onto the other log. Cedar sits beside me, placing himself between me and Onyx.

“You guys have a good day?” Onyx asks, one eyebrow quirking up.

“Actually, yeah. Did some painting,” I say.

“I can see that,” he says, his smirk no longer small.

I turn to Cedar, my brows furrowing. Then I spot it - a streak of gold across his neck, dipping under his shirt near his collar bone.

“Crap,” I mutter. Reaching up, I rub at it and the dried paint peels away easily. “There, I got it.”

“Too bad, I like having a reminder,” he whispers. Before I can respond, footsteps interrupt us.

Hazel lets out a huge yawn and drops into an Adirondack chair beside me.

“No Slate or Timber?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “I don’t think she can be around the smoke yet. Besides, it's way past her bedtime. Slate’s pretty tired too. He’s been taking the nighttime wake-ups.”

“That’s sweet of him.”

She smiles and tips her head toward me conspiratorially. “It’s really nice having someone there to just pop the baby on my boob. I hardly have to wake up and he deals with the dirty diaper after.”

My nose scrunches up as I laugh with her. Motherhood suits her. There’s a confidence about her that she never had before she came here.

“What are you guys whispering about?” Onyx says, his forearms resting on his knees as he leans forward.

“Baby stuff,” I answer.

Onyx sticks his tongue out and Cedar bristles beside me.

“Hello my darlings!” Marigold arrives in a flurry of reddish-gold curls and huge smiles. Her positive energy shimmers around her and I’m suddenly curious if I could tap into it for magic.

She throws her arms around Hazel and sways while squeezing her tightly. Jasper appears at her side, and once she releases my sister, the two drop into the open Adirondack chair. Marigold perches across his lap and his hand settles at her hip possessively.

I glance at Cedar. His eyes flicker from his brother to me, and the small, private smile he gives me makes my stomach flip. Those dimples are irresistible.

He tugs at my hand and leans closer. “Stop looking at me like that.”

My teeth have sunk into my bottom lip suggestively and entirely unintentionally. Oops. I relax my face, adopting a demure smile in place of my former flirtatious expression.

“I want to hear everything about Timber!” Marigold says, clapping her hands together before lacing her fingers over her knee.

Hazel sighs. “You just saw her a few hours ago when you babysat for my meeting.”

“I know, but you didn’t tell me much about how the last twenty-four hours have been!”

“The same,” Hazel says, rolling her eyes. “She’s not that exciting yet. She makes cute poopy faces, loves feeding, and she sleeps a lot. No smiles yet, but it’s really early.”

“I can’t wait ! If you don’t take a picture of her first smile and I’m not there, I’m going to freak out.” Jasper jostles his partner, pulling her against his chest and distracting her.

Hazel laughs lightly, looking into the flames. Her eyes squint, and then she breaks into another lengthy yawn, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.

“Anyone ready for some sugar?” Onyx asks, pulling a woven tote bag from behind his seat.

“Yes, please!” Hazel makes grabby hands, and Onyx obliges by popping open a glass container and removing something rectangular wrapped in wax paper.

“They’re salted caramel blondies. Ember put a layer of Oreo crust on the bottom, I’m not sure why but it’s killer.”

He passes two over to Marigold and then offers them to us. Hazel has already ripped hers open and takes a huge bite. She groans dramatically.

“I think she knew I needed at least a little chocolate,” she mumbles through her full mouth.

Onyx winks, taking one for himself.

“Tell her thank you so much!” Marigold says before taking a bite of hers.

A sense of warmth fills me. Everyone is so kind, but also clever and funny. Hazel’s decision to stay makes even more sense. I feel the temptation. A bite of the chewy blondie makes it even more appealing. Who needs Los Angeles when you have nights like this?

I could trade in the bustle of the city and the endless parade of tourists making demands and galleries turning me down - living here in the quiet forest with a wonderful adopted family sounds so much better.

“So how’s the green witch magic?” Marigold asks me.

“Well, I think I’ve gotten it mostly figured out. At least enough to not cause any miniature natural disasters anytime soon.”

“Really?” Marigold’s eyes widen in surprise.

Nibbling at my bottom lip, I look around for something I can demonstrate with. The closest plant is a patch of beautiful blue-purple lupine flowers. That’ll work.

Cedar squeezes my hand, feeding me the warm affection needed. Eyes fluttering closed, I feel out the living pulse of the plant beside us. It’s becoming second nature to slowly feed those bubbly emotions fizzing in my veins into the peaceful life, feeling it spark and quiver in response. My eyes flutter open to see new leaves sprouting and blooms opening fully. That should be enough. Relaxing, I withdraw my connection. The plant settles.

Marigold and Hazel’s mouths hang open. Jasper’s eyebrows have disappeared under his flop of pale hair, and Onyx’s eyes wrinkle as he grins at me.

Cedar’s thumb swipes across my knuckles in silent praise and a surge of emotion fills me. It takes conscious effort to reign it in and not direct any magic at the growth around us.

“I’m really proud of you. That’s really impressive,” Hazel says.

“Yeah, that’s wicked cool.” Onyx slow claps his hands.

Shrugging, I glance up at Cedar through my lashes. “Cedar is the one who figured it out.”

“Figured what out?”

Swallowing, I sort out how to explain without embarrassing either of us. “The trigger was strong emotions. Hence the house plant growing when Hazel was having her baby. Once we figured that out, it didn’t take much work to isolate the feeling of channeling it, my magic I guess it is, and then feeding it into the plants.”

“Good job! So you can go home now, whenever you want to.” Marigold’s tone drops, as if she’s sad at the thought.

“Yeah, I guess.” It’s hard to feel excited about going home. That’s a problem for tomorrow.

“I’m sure it’ll be nice to get back to the city, but we will miss you.” Hazel reaches over and places a hand on my knee. “Promise to visit regularly?”

“You know I will.”

Silence stretches for a beat, every individual lost in their own thoughts. Hazel removes her hand and wraps it around her arms. I curl into Cedar’s side and savor the feeling of his hands tracing patterns over my skin.

“I still can’t get over the plant growth thing. What else do you think you could use your magic for?” Marigold asks, her blue-green eyes bright in the firelight.

“Oh, I have no idea. You mean aside from getting plants to grow?”

She nods. Everyone else’s eyes watch me curiously, and I feel myself tensing. Cedar’s hold on me tightens as he senses my anxiety.

“I’m not sure I’ll get the chance to find out.”

Marigold tilts her head, her smile smaller. “Maybe next visit.”

Onyx breaks the melancholy and frees me from everyone’s attention as he leans forward and asks Jasper a work question. I try to follow, but there are so many unfamiliar terms, I’m lost. Something about security feeds and patrols. Cedar adds a few comments and even Hazel jumps in, leaving me to stare into the flames and contemplate the heavy weight of managing my new magic without this supportive circle.

Hazel lets out a huge yawn and stretches her arms above her head. “Look, this is fun and all, but I’m freaking tired. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Hazel shoves herself out of her chair.

Before she can leave, I rise and reach for my sister. She hums softly as we hug. There are only so many hugs left before I leave, and the thought hurts. I can’t help my small frown as I sink back down into my seat.

Hazel gives me a wave before she wanders into the trees.

“Is she okay without a flashlight? It’s totally pitch black out there.” I ask Cedar, eyeing the heavy night.

He nods, his smile wry. “We can see in the dark, remember?”

“As wolves, yeah, but…”

His golden hair flashes in the flickering firelight as he shakes his head. “All the time.”

“Are you serious? That’s not fair. All I can do is grow some plants,” I grumble playfully while I nestle into his side.

“Sorry,” he says, shrugging with a smile that says he isn’t remotely sorry.

“I guess this means you’ll have to walk me home.” I revel in the heat in his gaze and the way his hand tightens on my thigh. “You know, I’m feeling kind of tired too. Want to call it a night?”

“Sure.” He doesn’t argue, just takes my hand and gives everyone an excuse and leads us into the darkness.

Cedar

Aurora doesn’t seem tired as we walk away from the campfire. Her eyes are dark in the starlight, and she’s back to biting her lip and looking at me like she wants to devour me. Heat rises in my chest, unfurling into a flush crawling up my neck.

Fingers laced together, we wander toward her cabin. She sighs dramatically. “You know, I didn’t really want to go to bed. Not exactly.”

I slow and raise an eyebrow at her, though she can’t see it in the darkness. She smirks and continues, knowing she has my full attention. “At least I was hoping you’d come with me.”

“I am,” I say hesitantly, glancing up at the lights of Heath’s cabin through the trees.

“No, I want you to stay over,” she says, her voice dropping as she moves into my personal space and slides her hand under the edge of my shirt. Her fingers are cold, and electricity radiates out from her touch. “Do you want to?”

Thoughts swirl through my head, analyzing and overthinking her words before I reign them in. Her face tips up expectantly, those soft, brown doe eyes blinking at me. Trusting, wanting. She’s so gorgeous it takes my breath away.

I have to clear my throat to talk and even then, the words stick and rasp on the way out. “I’d like that, but honestly, I’m scared of what Heath would think.”

“Seriously? I’m twenty-three. He can’t make a fuss.” Her pout is adorable, and I just want to kiss it off her face, but I hold myself back. That would be a sure way to end up out of control.

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to risk disrespecting him by inviting myself into his home.” Her pout transforms into a disappointed frown. “But my parents are staying over with Ember and Onyx. So my home is empty.” I trail off.

The change in her expression is instantaneous. Her eyes brighten, eyebrows rising as her mouth pulls into a stunning smile.

“Do you want to?” I ask, my mouth curving its own smile.

“Do you want me to?” She cocks her head, squinting through the darkness to ready anything she can from my form.

There’s only one answer I can give her. “Yes.”

My fingers tangle in her hair, angling her face so I can kiss her soundly. Her hand under my shirt skims lower, briefly dipping under the edge of my waistband and muffling all the thoughts in my head instantly.

Moving on instinct, I tug at her hair and expose the side of her neck. She moans as I drag my tongue across the soft skin under her ear and under her jaw. Her exquisite moan turns to a gasp as I nip at her throat.

“Are we going?” she asks, breathless and eager.

“Yeah, but I think Onyx, Marigold, and Jasper are still there.” I’ve never been in this situation before, and my heart pounds.

“Around the front?” she asks, almost incoherent as her nails press into the skin at my side.

“Good idea.” My thoughts are jumbled, but going around to the front door seems like a good solution.

She releases me and instead grabs my hand, pulling back the way we came. I can’t help but smile at her eagerness, though she’s heading off the path unknowingly.

“Slow down there. Here, let’s go this way.” With gentle pressure, I guide her around wide enough that we won’t be noticed. We move quickly, my heart leaping as she trusts me to steer her.

Coming around the front of the cabin, I push the door open and she brushes past me. As soon as the door shuts, she spins and loops her arms around me. I hoist her up, squeezing her ass as she wraps her legs around my waist.

Somehow we make it down the hallway to my bedroom as she licks and sucks the skin at my neck. The distraction makes it a challenge to not run into the wall, but I’d rather die than have her stop.

We tumble onto the bed, and I twist so I land under her and she’s sitting in my lap. She doesn’t stop, clinging to me and peppering my skin with kisses. Her hips grind against me, rotating in a fluid movement that coils tension in every particle of my muscles. There’s no way she can’t feel my hard cock under the two thin layers of fabric separating us.

This beautiful girl digs her nails into my shoulder blades, her breasts pressing into my chest and the heat of her scorching my skin. It’s overwhelming. If I don’t take control in this situation, I’ll embarrass myself.

Pushing her gently, I guide her down onto her back. She looks up at me, adoration in her eyes. I’m unworthy, but the fierce affection I feel for her keeps me from pulling back.

“I want to make you mine, but you’re going home in a few days,” I admit, my voice rough with emotion.

She holds up a finger to my lips, her eyes bright. “I don’t want to think about that. It sucks and I don’t want to waste the time I have here being sad. Let’s have fun together and make the most of it, okay?”

It’s too tempting. Something in the back of my head rings warning bells, and for most of my life, that would have been enough to stop me. But not with her. She’s made it clear how much she wants me, and even if it’s temporary, I want her too. It’s an all-consuming, driving force that I’m done resisting.

“Can I?” I ask, trailing my hand across her waistband and tucking my fingers under. She squirms, nodding emphatically with a breathless moan. As if she senses my inexperience, she settles with her knees open, giving me full access.

Her back arches when I slide my hand under her soft shorts. A string of garbled words pours out of her mouth when my fingers slip lower, exploring.

“Yes, there,” she gasps. Her nails dig into my shoulders, and I dip my head to claim her mouth, quieting her next moan.

She’s untethered, face flushed and breathing uneven. It’s my new favorite look of hers. When I slide a finger inside of her, her eyes flutter closed and her hips roll. Her whispered words finally come together. “So good, don’t stop.”

Unable to help my grin, I add a second finger and admire the way she shudders. Curling them, I experiment until I find an angle that causes her writhe.

Bringing her to this point gives me so much pleasure, I would think she had her hands on me, but she grasps the sheets and pants into my pillow.

Leaning forward, I trail kisses down her neck, adding tender bites that earn me soft whimpers. Her hips buck again when I drag my fingers up and circle her clit. The wetness on my fingers glides over her most sensitive part. The way her mouth parts as she grinds against my hand is enough to leave me starving for more.

Her bright brown eyes pop open. “Can I touch you?” she manages, chest still heaving.

I nod, watching her as she fumbles and reaches for my hips. She eases my sweats down my hips and frees my cock. The way she licks her lips almost has me coming right then before she’s touched me.

Her hips roll and I focus on resuming my ministrations. She wraps her hand around my cock and strokes up and down. My head falls forward until my forehead rests against her collarbone.

She tenses, and I look up to study her face. Her back arches, her breath coming in quick, shallow gasps as she curses into the pillow. After a moment she relaxes. Her eyes open and she grabs my wrist with one hand. “Stop, fuck, I’m going to die if you keep touching me, that was too good.”

Her hand resumes working my cock as I brace my forearms on either side of her head. “Come for me, all over my stomach,” she whispers, grinning at my reaction to her filthy words.

She knows exactly what she’s doing, and I can’t help but thrust into her hand. A moment later, I’m spilling over her bare skin, blinded with the pleasure of her touch. Her grin is triumphant when I still. “Good boy.”

I’m too blissed out to react to her teasing. Plus, I kind of like it.

Feeling disoriented and a little high, I find a towel and wipe it across her hips. She sits up, her smile still wide.

“Come here and hold me,” she says, reaching for me. I’m happy to oblige.

There isn’t much room in my narrow bed, but she snuggles up to my chest and folds her arms against her perfect breasts. I can’t help trailing my fingers over one, and she shivers.

The way she presses into me worries me. I grab the blanket draped across the foot of my bed and cover us.

“That’s nice,” she murmurs, eyes closed.

“You need anything?”

She resumes snuggling against my chest and mutters, “Just you.”