Dark Hunger

Caleb jerked his head back at Auril's sudden protest. 

"No!" Auril repeated, furious as hell, his face flushing red. "You said that you will send me to Bainsburgh," he said as his lips peeled back revealing his fangs. "I even took a vow." His mind had blanked out when he saw that Caleb was stopping him from seeing Cole. He had run away from his kingdom only for this purpose. "My mother is after my life. She is going to take me back to Zelena the moment she comes to know when I am. I had left Zelena only to see him once. And now you are stopping me?" 

Caleb growled back. "Stop it, Auril! I am thinking of your safety. You are not safe in the human realm. Don't you know that Edrym has his rogue demons everywhere? Once he would find out that we hoodwinked him into taking Laurel instead of Elize, he will not sit quiet. He is surely going to come after us. This is why I have holed us up here till I am sure of what is going on in Ixoviya. Why can't you think logically?" 

Auril stabbed his fingers in his hair as frustration burned through him. He exhaled his fury. "Caleb, I want to see Cole once," he said in a low voice that was laced with arrogance and stubbornness. "I have waited for two years for this opportunity and now that it is right there, you are denying me? You must be insane!" 

Caleb stared at him. The man looked ferocious enough to attack him. But he could understand what Auril was going through. Instead of dealing with him with anger, he calmed himself and then said, "Look man, I understand your situation. I have gone through it over the last few months and—" 

"You don't understand a damn thing, Caleb. You were always there for her, watching her. She was there in front of your eyes every single day. And you ran after her the day she left you. But look at me. Look at me!" Auril sounded miserable. "I haven't seen from two years. Fuck, I don't even know if he is my mate. All I feel is attraction. My situation is too complicated. My mother will fucking marry me off to Orla if she gets hold of me. I want to see Cole and affirm my doubts. Once that happens, I will face my mother and tell her about it. But until then—" His throat bobbed up. Suddenly he knelt in front of Caleb and held his knees. Caleb jerked his head back as shock flickered through him. "Caleb, you have to let me go there, please." 

Seeing his eyes, his droopy face, Caleb was reminded of the misery and desperation he had felt when he was pursuing Elize. "Get up and sit on the bed," he ordered him. Caleb knew that Auril was not in his right mind. Denying someone to see their mate was unthinkable. It was painful as hell. And in Auril's case, Cole wasn't even his mate, at least he couldn't smell him until he turned eighteen. But if he allowed Auril to go to Bainsburgh, he was going to jeopardize his life. And now Auril's life was connected with two lives—Elize and Cole. If he got captured by Edyrm, the demon king would torture him to reveal the whereabouts to Elize. And if Auril happened to be Cole's mate, then he had to protect him all the more. 

Auril closed his eyes and then got up. He stabbed his fingers through his hair again and again and Caleb thought his scalp would burn if he did that. "I have an idea."

"What?" 

"I will ask Daryn to bring Cole here with him for a day." 

Auril's droopy face lit up instantly. "Like n—now?" he asked stupidly, stuttering with disbelief. 

Caleb let out a throaty laughter upon seeing his silly expressions. By Skadi, did he also look like that? "Not now. Daryn is coming here in two days. I will send him a message to get Cole along with him. You can see him then." 

Pleasure tingled his body from top to bottom. His heart fluttered. "Okay," he said and for the first time, Caleb saw a man blushing like a woman. 

"Interesting," said Caleb, seeing Auril's flushed face for different reasons. 

Auril gazed at Caleb with dreamy eyes. "Thanks man," he said. And Caleb knew that the druid was now too featherbrained to be talked about anything. 

"So, it is agreed that you will not leave Ixoviya until things have settled," Caled said. "But do you realize that you are safe from your mother over here?" 

"Safe?" Auril scoffed. "From Shalia, the druid queen?" He waved around him. "Every damn piece of greenery listens to my mother. If she smells my presence in Ixoviya, she can make my life a living hell!" 

Caleb raised an eyebrow with amusement. "In that case, let us hope she doesn't find you." 

Auril nodded with a silly smile. "I hope your spells are in place." 

How shameless? Caleb wanted to tell him. Just a few minutes back he was arguing with him about going to Bainsburgh and now he was doubting about his spells around them? The prince was a nincompoop. "They are very much in place. Just don't try to cut through them." With that Caleb got up. He had left his wife for far too long. As he walked out, he rubbed his swollen cock. All of a sudden, he heard her through their mental bond. It was a soft call. A smile wormed up on his lips. He had to teach her how to use the bond properly.  She needed his attention and maybe more blood. Suddenly the memory of her marking him flashed across his mind and his shaft hardened. He had to eat food and eat healthy. He wouldn't mind downing a bottle or two. He loved when she was tipsy. 

"Fuck you man!" Auril shouted. "Keep yourself controlled!" But who listened to him? Caleb walked to the tent where the cooks had prepared food. The cooks bowed to their king and offered him everything that was there. 

Back in the cave, Elize had woken up. She found that she was alone and was scared for a moment. She had felt him through their mental bond and a tendril of comfort was sent back to her. He was safe. She had walked to the waterfall and was contemplating on going through it when her man entered the cave. Caleb went still seeing her wrapped in a towel. "Do you want to be fed?" 

"Aww, you say the sweetest things, wolf." She stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a soft kiss on his lips. 

He relaxed in her scent and said, "I do know how to charm, yeah?" 

Her hands went to his pants' button. "I think I am charmed enough."

"That's my girl!" He unwrapped her towel and then took his shirt off. He looked at the most luscious boobs in his life. "Are you going to fuck me?" 

"Maybe." She opened his zipper. 

He gulped. She made his fantasies come true. 

With hooded eyes he asked, "So, are you going to be on top of me or me on you?" His hands had shot to her nipples.