Kat Bastion - Forged in Dreams and Magick

I grabbed his wrist, kissing his finger, adjusting my body atop his into a teasing position. “Yes, but what do you think about when you’re out there? How does your heart feel ?”

His gaze grew distant as I dropped my chin onto my folded hands on his chest. “I show and cause no fear. When I face the animal, he’s not my prey. I become the rabbit. Its frantic heart beats in my chest. I slow my breathing and focus on calming his beating heart. Deer, rabbits, birds, squirrels . . . all creatures coexist with no threat. I become nonthreatening.”

“They sense fear?” I asked. “Can they smell it?”

He shook his head. “No. Everything has vibration.” He flattened his palm on my back, vibrating it imperceptibly. “I match my pulse of life to his.”

“I understand.” I’d said the words, but I truly hadn’t grasped what he’d meant, or how I could possibly learn something so metaphysical in a conversation in the middle of the night.

That late-night discussion led to our afternoon lesson.

Malibu galloped along our usual path past a thicket by a pond. I flattened to her back, opening my heart, trying to become the horse, feeling every breath she took with each stride she made.

I closed my eyes, trusting she would protect me. Her body went rigid with tension as she slowed, negotiating a tricky turn. After the challenging terrain passed, her muscles eased.

Malibu’s inhalations became mine. Labored breathing from the exertion of her ride fused into my lungs. Together we slowed, coming down to a trot, a walk, and taking two more slow steps before halting. I ran my hands and arms across the shoulders and neck of the magnificent animal, my body humming with an energized buzz I’d never experienced before.

When I pressed my body upright and opened my eyes, we stood at the edge of the same clearing where Velloc had run me to ground so many weeks ago. Our destination had to be by design—nothing Velloc did ever fell to coincidence.

I turned and found him off his horse, walking toward my side. He grinned up at me, a look of proud understanding in his eyes. He knew. The sense of accomplishment from my epiphany radiated from deep within me, and I beamed down at him, smiling so wide my cheeks cramped.

He slid me off my mare, taking my hand into his larger grip. We strolled together across the open glade toward the stream. Unlike my original Disney visit, no animals were anywhere to be seen.

Velloc dropped onto a dry patch of dirt adjacent to the stream and pulled me between his legs. His broad chest served as my backrest, and he folded his strong arms around me. Our breaths merged into a single gentle rhythm. I closed my eyes becoming one with him, absorbing every nuance of his essence into mine.

After my intuitive ride, I effortlessly opened to the environment around me. My mare had been an excellent tutor, throwing off vibrations at such a high level, I’d only needed to be receptive and listen.

Energy hummed from Velloc’s body, combining with mine, ebbing and flowing between us in beautiful waves. I sighed, giving myself over to the amazing feeling.

Suddenly, the current rippled, taking on a new dimension. I opened my eyes at the change and saw that we weren’t alone. A doe had stepped into view on the opposite shore. She approached in slow steps, coming to a stop only a few feet away. Curious ears twitched forward, then they swiveled back to check for threats before homing in on us again.

I relaxed further, tapping into Velloc’s powerful aura. Together, we strengthened our connection and expanded outward, tapping into the energy of the deer. She dipped her head, submerging her muzzle under the surface of the water. I nearly felt the cool liquid as she took deep swallows. Amazing, impossibly slow seconds passed before the creature lifted her head and turned, leaving silently the same way she’d come.

Velloc’s warm breath fanned across the shell of my ear as he kissed it softly. “I don’t always use magick to hunt,” he whispered. “A swift chase prevents a connection. Then I am very much a skillful hunter. To lie in wait, calm the creature, become the animal before a kill, is a spiritual gift. The ritual pays respect for the sacrifice—its life . . . for mine.”

Wow. The soft-spoken, poetic words from a warrior who killed savagely if warranted, melted my heart. To have him care about a life he took, and for him to show such reverence with me, spoke volumes about the depths of the man who’d wrapped himself around me. I stretched my arms out, winding them around his forearms, resting my cheek on his bicep.

The long day of training, hunting, bathing, and eating had exhausted my body. Regardless, I had a nightcap agenda in mind as I tumbled into our bed. I summoned Velloc with a crooked finger. He crawled onto our pallet and leaned over me, bracing his weight on his elbows.

I smirked. “What if we connected our vibrations while we . . .” I grasped his already-hard cock as the finish to my statement.

His eyes glistened with mischief. “We have from the very beginning.”

I gasped, punching his chest. “You used magick on me?” I frowned, realizing he likely had.

He cocked his head. “Would it matter to you if I had?”

Would it?

Attraction and emotions were very different, even if their complexities intertwined. Would it make any difference whatsoever if he’d used his seductive magick to capture my heart?

Love either existed or it didn’t. How we ended up there was only an interesting story developed along the way. The fact we were there—in love with each other—remained the only solid truth holding any amount of importance.

“No.” My reply came after my careful consideration.

He laughed a rich, booming sound. “Good. I did use magick. And I would do it again.”

I wrapped my legs around him and pulled my hips up, sliding my wet, ready body along his hardened shaft. “Show me, Velloc. Unite with me in every way. Teach me your magick.”

With my heart and soul opened wide, our bodies expressed a physical connection . . . while our life force fused into one.

“Velloc?”

I stood on the edge of the jagged cliff with my arms wrapped around my midsection, gazing out at the dimming-gray horizon. Waves crashed onto the rocks below. He answered with an embrace from behind and a gentle kiss on my temple. Thoughts had plagued me over the last week, and I needed to be able to share everything with him. Worried what his reaction would be, I spat it out, needing to unearth it from the pit of my stomach.

“I need to go back . . . to the box.” I held my breath when he froze. As he regained control, his rigidity eased. With his sharp mind and keen intuitiveness, no further words were required for him to understand my request or its risks.

“No.” He released his hold, and I turned around to see he’d stepped back from me. A deep scowl furrowed his face, and his crossed arms and wide stance boldly stated no negotiations would be entertained.

“Velloc, I had a life before this one. I . . . had a husband.”

My quiet voice remained flat. I hadn’t given up hope of reuniting with Iain, but in my recent past of wild-and-crazy time jumping, I had no idea if the box would even transport me back there. I’d become a drafted player in a game without rules. However, like geese driven to fly south for their winter, an overwhelming pull to return to the very thing that governed my whereabouts had grown too powerful to be ignored.

He slowly shook his head back and forth. I nodded, dropping my gaze to the ground. Respect for the man and all he’d provided made me honor his authority. I turned back to the ocean, focusing on the waves in the distance. Their rhythm helped pacify my roiling mind.