CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Adalind stared at her reflection in the mirror. 'You scared him' she heard the voice inside of her head say. 'He probably thought you were going to woge on him. This man is the best thing that's ever happened to you. If you're not careful, you're going to lose him.' Her vision became blurry as her eyes started to fill with tears. As awful as she felt in that moment, she was somehow grateful the tears had made everything cloudy because she couldn't stand to look at herself; not even in her human form. She bent her head down and let the tears flow until there were none left to cry.

She felt emotionally drained and needed to clear her mind. She loosened the bedsheet that covered her body and let it fall to the floor. She opened the shower door, turned on the water, and let it run until it was warm. She then stepped into the shower and let the soothing water wash her worries away. She forced herself to forget about Melissa Wincroft, Sean Renard and that damned key. She concentrated on the sound of the water and was able to block the outside world from seeping into her mind. But then, as she always did whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Nick's face; the clear blue eyes she often drowned herself in, the gorgeous smile that constantly made her heart flutter. She felt the tears rising again, unable to contain the flood of emotions that inevitably inundated her whenever she thought about him. He had become a part of her; she could always feel his presence, even when she was alone. This connection they shared kept getting stronger with each day that went by.

She suddenly heard a noise behind her. Before she could turn around to investigate its source, she felt Nick's soft lips on her neck.

Adalind tipped her head to the side as he kissed her, and leaned backwards as he wrapped his arms around her. She remained still as he continued to trace the length of her neck with his lips. When he reached her collar bone, he felt her shiver slightly. She slowly turned around to face him and gazed into his eyes. After a moment, she drew his face to hers and pressed her mouth on his. She parted his lips with her tongue and pulled him closer until the space between them was annihilated. Their kiss grew more passionate as the warm water trickled down their naked bodies, leaving their skin slippery. The steam rising up around them had started to fog up the shower door, isolating them in their own little universe. Nick ran his hands down to her waist, and then up again on her breasts. Her nipples hardened as he gently stroked them with his fingers. Adalind wound her arms behind his back and then, using his broad shoulders for support, she hoisted herself up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Nick pinned her against the tiled wall, and grabbed her hips to hold her up. He lifted his head to look at her right as she bent down to kiss him.

"I want you" he murmured.

"I'm yours Nick…" she breathed, drawing him in.

When she leaned in to kiss him again, the sweet taste of her lips set his mouth on fire. He instantly felt the urge to feel her, to make her his. He ran his arm up her back and pressed up against her, holding her steady against the wall. A long sigh escaped her mouth as he spread her legs and slid inside of her. Her center felt as wet and warm as the water spraying down on them. As he moved back and forth inside of her, the enticing sound of her moans reverberated through the confined space of the shower, echoing all around them. He felt her bite his lip as the hot tension started to mount, increasing with each one of his strides.

"Nick" she exhaled, gripping onto his back.

He could feel his orgasm nearing, but he wanted to prolong the pleasure, so he slowed down his movements.

"No… don't stop…" Adalind whispered.

She drew his face to hers, her lips crashing with his. She let out another moan as he began thrusting deeper and faster inside of her. He felt Adalind tense up as the pressure reached its peak, and when she began moaning louder, he lost control of his own senses. A sweet feeling of ecstasy spread through his muscles as he released the tension and came inside of her. Adalind's back arched in pleasure and she dug her nails into his back, exhaling one last moan. He remained inside of her, pressing his chest against her breasts. When the pulsating finally stopped, he slowly slid out of her, turned off the water, wrapped his arms around her, and carried her out of the shower.

He walked to the bedroom and carefully laid her down on the bed. Her eyes were closed, and he noticed she was shivering. She turned her back to him, lying on her side. He cuddled up against her, wrapping his arms around her to warm her up with the heat emanating from his body.

"I'm sorry about earlier" she said after a moment, her eyes still closed.

"There's nothing to apologize for" he replied, tightening his arms around her. "You have every reason to be upset. All of this is still new to me, so there's a lot I don't understand… I have no idea what this key is about and why Renard wants it this bad. But if you think it's critical, I believe you."

"I shouldn't have yelled at you" she continued.

"It's ok…"

"No, it isn't. I…" she said, her voice quivering. "I didn't mean to… scare you."

"I'm not afraid of you" he told her.

"Really? I noticed the look on your face when you saw me woge the day we met."

"That was before I knew you" he said.

"I don't want to lose you" she murmured, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"You won't. I'm here to stay."

"For now maybe..."

"Forever" he interrupted. "If I was scared of you, I would've let you walk away."

"Didn't your mind tell you to run?" she asked.

Nick tried to recall the moment when he'd had to choose to follow her or let her go. But he couldn't remember… because there had been no choice to make. He had just known, deep within his heart, that he needed to seek her out… that it was all meant to be.

"No it didn't" he responded. "I only listened to my heart."

Adalind opened her eyes and turned her head slightly to look at him.

"Nothing you could say or do will ever make me want to leave" Nick told her, gazing into her eyes. "You couldn't get rid of me even if you wanted to."

"You're sure?" she murmured.

"Don't you know by now? You're my everything."

Adalind turned her head back around as Nick enveloped her in his arms, pulling her close.

"I love you" he whispered in her ear. "More than anything… I love you" he repeated.