Rivers of blood and sand

“I can pack my own clothes,” I said with a sigh. I was leaning against the doorframe of my walk-in closet, watching as Jade and Ari dug through my clothes. Ari even had the audacity to try and start a get rid of pile. One I immediately refused, stating I liked everything there. Ander chuckled as he picked up the pile and added them to the bags.

It had been several days since we prevented the rift from opening, and so far it had been quiet, without a hint of repercussion from the spell. I didn’t want to jinx us, but it felt like something finally went our way.

I finally gave in to Ander’s “requests” that I should move in with them. He’d made compelling arguments, all of which I knew were true, but I held off for a few days. I’d lived in the dragon territory for twenty-seven years and the past thirteen of them had been spent living in this house. But for the last few months, it hadn’t been the same, not since Koa moved out. Without him, this house began feeling too big. Too empty.

Once I realized I was clinging onto this house and territory because I was afraid—of not only living somewhere else but trusting this was real and happening—I knew I couldn’t let the fear run my life. That’s what Ander had been doing for nearly twenty years and that wasn’t how I wanted to live. The best things in life were worth the risk.

Reed, Koa, and Parker were in the living room, sending the furniture I insisted on keeping to the house in the Convergence point. I loved my sofa and refused to give it up, same for the coffee table. It was a good thing we befriended the sorcerer, otherwise, it would’ve been a pain in the ass moving all of this stuff.

Parker grumbled under his breath about how much food we owed him for this. He also seemed to think one of us would be giving him a foot massage, which we all explicitly told him wasn't going to happen.

Most of the furniture in my bedroom remained, and yet, my room felt empty as I stared at it after we removed all of my personal belongings. I was standing in the doorway, staring at it with a lump in my throat when Ander came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my stomach and pulling me against his body. He dropped his chin on top of my head as we stood in silence, with him allowing me this moment.

“It’s so weird how I won’t be living here anymore. I have so many good memories attached to this place.” I intertwined my hands with his as I took in his comforting presence and the buzzing warmth from the still-growing bond.

“Those memories better not include other men,” Ander warned, his tone husky with a slight growl, but his hold on me remained light and playful. He knew no others had been here. The lack of other men’s scents was a dead giveaway.

“Like I would’ve ever let Koa anywhere near those men. He would’ve scared them all off if I had.”

“He could never scare me away from you.” The whispered words sent warmth flowing through my body down to my throbbing core as his lips brushed my ear. I couldn’t hide my shiver or the way my body reacted to him, and I felt his lips pull into a smirk.

“That’s because you’re crazy like him,” I murmured, my voice showing just how much he affected me.

His chuckle was low, and his amusement was a light sensation filling my chest. I couldn’t stop myself from pressing my legs together to ease the throbbing ache as desire pooled between my legs.

He bit the crux of my neck, just hard enough to create a slight sting that had me gasping and writhing against him. Deft fingers pinched my nipple through my bra, wringing another gasp from me. The barrier of clothes between us was annoying, to the point where I grabbed the bottom of my shirt, about to pull it off. Ander grabbed my hand and stopped me before I could lift my shirt. As he walked us the few feet to my dresser, he grabbed my other wrist.

Both of my hands were planted on the dresser above my head as Ander pushed my chest down on the worn wood. “It’s only fair this room gets a proper goodbye, don’t you think?” His hand traveled down my body and slipped under the waistband of my pants and panties, brushing my clit.

“Be a good girl and keep your hands here.” His other hand released my wrist and he quickly removed all clothing from the bottom half of my body. Goosebumps rose along my skin as he trailed slow, torturous kisses up the back of my right thigh, only to stop mid-thigh and move onto my left leg.

Somehow he became even slower, and I couldn’t stop myself from squirming. A small smack to my ass had my body jolting as the throb intensified. My nails dug into the dresser as I kept them in place.

Once he reached the middle of my thigh, he licked a trail up the back of my thigh to my pussy. He started slow, building me up, driving me crazy, and wringing several orgasms from me with just his mouth and fingers. I’d received several more spankings. It wasn’t because I broke any rules, but because he knew how it drove me wild. The times he did so out of “punishment” the sting had a longer bite, but was no less pleasurable.

Ander fucked me over the dresser, making me come several more times before fucking me face to face until he came. Over the next couple of hours, he took me on every surface of the room until we collapsed on the bed in a tangled heap and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

* * * * * * * *

A week later, I was standing in front of our closet, debating what I should wear. Anxiety bubbled in my stomach as I stared at all the clothes I owned—which admittedly was a lot—but somehow felt like I had nothing to wear. Maybe I should’ve taken up Harmony’s offer to go shopping with her and Alora in the human realm the other day. Ari had kept insisting I needed to update my wardrobe ever since she dug through my closet. I hated to admit it, but maybe she was right, or maybe I was just letting my nerves get the better of me.

Ander was taking me to meet his parents later today and I was absolutely terrified. He’d already met Koa’s parents last week when I was moving out, and it went better than I could’ve ever imagined. They were overjoyed both of their kids were happy.

But this was utterly terrifying. What if his parents hated me? What if they thought I was like Scarlet?

All of these horrible what-if questions swirled around in my head, and I couldn’t stop them. They had me second-guessing myself. Should I dress formally, or was that too much, and instead I should dress casually?

Warmth built in my chest as footsteps came down the hall. I didn’t look away from the closet as Ander entered our bedroom. Fabric rustled for a moment before he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my stomach. My tense muscles began loosening from just his touch as he pulled me flush against his chest. All my anxiety hadn’t completely disappeared, but it no longer had a chokehold on me.

“I have a surprise for you.” His lips brushed my cheek as his fingers gently stroked my hips.

Spinning around, I stood on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck as I stared up at him. “The only surprise I need right now is either your parents are suddenly busy or a whole new wardrobe. I seem to have nothing to wear.”

My tone may have been light and playful, but I was only half joking.

Ander’s lips twitched before he pressed a light kiss on my lips. He pulled back and grabbed my hand, guiding me to the bed, where a dress lay. It was a beautiful, simple dress and was perfect to wear to meet his parents. The straps were a delicate lace and were only a couple of inches wide. The neckline was square and modest, but not overly so to the point where it looked like I was trying too hard. Based on the length of the slightly flared skirt, I’d guess it would fall to my mid-thighs.

My throat closed as tears burned at the back of my throat. Not only because he picked out a beautiful dress, but because of the color. Yellow. I hadn’t expected a gesture like this. It showed how much he had paid attention to me, even back then, and that had me ready to cry as I continued staring at the dress.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, my voice choked up.

“It’s not too much, right?” Ander asked as he wrapped an arm around my back and dropped a light kiss on top of my head. “I didn’t want to come off like I was telling you what to wear or anything like that.”

“You remembered.”

“Of course, I remember everything you’ve ever told me.”

I spun and threw myself in his arms, my feet leaving the ground as he wrapped his arms around my waist and held me aloft. I kissed Ander with a ferocity that had him chuckling as he pulled away a few minutes later. He groaned when I started kissing his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist. His hands flexed on my hips as he tried to hold back. The hard cock pressing against my soaked core told a different story, and I couldn’t help but rub against him.

“I was right about you all along,” Ander murmured, his husky words cut off as he groaned. “You’re trouble.”

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked between the kisses I planted on his neck. A wicked grin curved my lips before I bit his neck, and his hands tightened on my hips as he grunted, dropping his head back.

“They’ll love you,” he whispered, his words strained.

I didn’t pretend to not understand the meaning of his words as I paused, meeting his gaze. Chewing my lip, I looked at the curtained window to my left to hide my doubt, but I should’ve known he wouldn’t let me get away with that.

Grabbing my chin, he turned my head so I faced him and then freed my bottom lip from my teeth. His thumb swiped over my lip, and his eyes tracked the movement. “They've been waiting, hoping I'd get past my guilt and find someone who makes me happy. They’ll love you because I love you. You don’t have—”

“What did you just say?” My voice was barely a whisper, and my heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest.

Confusion held Ander's expression for a moment before he realized why I was so stunned. A soft smile lifted his lips as he dropped his forehead against mine. “I love you.” My heart leaped again at his admission. Warmth spread throughout my body as the bond thrummed steadily in my chest, feeling as strong as ever. The former iciness in his gaze was gone and was now filled with warmth and light, along with all the emotions churning under the surface that flowed freely to me.

My hands threaded through his hair as I kissed him again, the emotions from both of us merging as they flowed between us through the bond. After several minutes, I pulled back so my lips were only a few inches away from his. “I love you too, I think I’ve loved you for quite some time.”

Ander groaned and kissed me again, placing me on the dresser as he ground against me, wringing whimpers and moans from me. “You’re testing my self-control,” he whispered against my lips as I shifted my hips and rubbed against him again.

“I thought you said you’d never let your mate leave the bedroom unsatisfied?”

His lips curled in a wicked grin. “That I did.” He pulled me in for another deep kiss as he proved his words.