IN FULL COLOUR - Dark Fantasy
Chapter 31

Gabrielle

The words had barely left my mouth before Axel’s large, calloused hands snaked around my backside and roughly cupped me in his warm palms. Without wasting a second, he hauled me towards him in an animalistic manner and I practically fell into his chest. My feet lifted off the ground instantly as he picked me up in one swift move, swinging my legs around his hips so I could straddle his waist.

I could feel every curve, every bulge of him underneath me, rubbing against me as he walked us over to the large king-size bed in the middle of the room. The movement did nothing to calm me down, in fact, it only fuelled my lust for him even more.

The mate bond was a strange thing. How it toyed with us, controlled us. The longer we rejected each other, the stronger the pull seemed to get. And right now, I couldn’t fight it anymore. Didn’t want to and didn’t feel the need to.

Just one night wouldn’t do any harm, would it?

Although Axel was still in his human form, well mostly, I had no doubt that his wolf was solely in control.

He laid us down onto the bed, with him on top of me, still positioned in between my legs. Lowering his face into my neck, he growled hoarse and throatily into my hair, taking deep breaths and exhaling into my outer ear, making my toes curl with desire.

My restraints were falling away inch by inch every second I spent with him. Something inside of him called to me, begged me to give in, give myself to him entirely and forget about the consequences.

“He is pushing to gain back control,” Axel growled, brushing his lips along the tender skin of my neck, placing soft exploratory kisses where he roamed. Goosebumps of pure pleasure erupted and travelled over my back, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Push back,” I replied breathily and closed my eyes to burn this moment into memory.

A low husky chuckle grumbled inches from my shoulder bone, “I like you, sweet wolf,” he purred, “you will be mine.” A determined, genuine promise.

As he spoke, he ground his hips heavily and purposefully into me. Into my core. The sensation shattered the last of my restraints and my back arched a little off the bed from the marvellous friction. Pressure, deep and wonderful began building within my gut and I had to clench my teeth to keep myself from moaning.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” His voice had changed.

My eyes snapped open and staring back at me were large, weary powder-blue eyes. His lips were slightly parted, and his pupils darted frantically from left to right as he scanned my face for any signs of distress.

“Axel?”

He was going to scramble off me any second, I could sense it.

“Axel, it’s ok,” I gently said and cupped the left side of his face in my hand, letting the tingles of the mate bond surge through us, call him back to me, make him bow under its command.

His mouth snapped shut and his kissable lips pulled into thin lines while he shook his head.

No, no, no.

I watched in disappointment as his Addams apple bobbed seconds before the warmth of his body pulled away from mine and he scrambled off the bed. Luckily, he didn’t go too far and started pacing up and down, rubbing his hands through his messy blonde hair over and over again.

I felt so sorry for him, he truly looked torn in two. He wanted to continue but he also didn’t want to. He was a very complicated, very conflicted man.

“Axel?” I tried again, pulling my dress back down and moving to sit on the side of the bed.

His eyes scanned me over swiftly while he kept pacing and I could see his fingers curl and uncurl into fists. This was it, the last of his restraints.

“Please just sit, talk to me.”

He shook his head again and kept pacing.

“I am sure you have many questions, as do I.”

That seemed to have gotten his attention since his pacing slowed down, and he came to a halt.

“What was that creature in the hall?” He briefly gestured to the hallway and then to his legs. The holes had almost fully healed now. How was that even possible? One moment he wasn’t healing at all, the next he healed at super speed.

“You’re almost completely healed,” I breathed and got onto my knees in front of him to study the wounds. His muscles instantly went stiff, tense. Just when I was about to glide my fingers over one of the wounds, I remembered his reaction when I touched him earlier and I stopped my hand mere inches away.

I peered up at him and saw him looking down at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Please,” his voice was extremely gruff, “get up.” He was visibly shaking.

I hadn’t even realized what I was doing, I just couldn’t believe what I saw. Immediately I obeyed his command, stood up slowly and stepped back, taking a seat on the edge of the bed once again.

“How?” I managed to ask, looking at his wounds.

“My wolf,” he simply answered.

“But why didn’t he heal you earlier?”

“He did.”

“He most certainly did not!” I replied and crossed my arms in front of my chest for effect.

“Maybe you just didn’t see it.”

“And you did!?” I was starting to get very upset. He was hiding something from me. Lying in my face.

Axel groaned and started pacing again.

“Don’t you lie to me! You don’t even know me!” I yelled, standing up.

“And you know me?” He retorted, turning to face me fully, anger evident in his eyes.

“At least I am not a deceitful, two-faced bastard!”

Axel closed the distance between us so quickly, I almost fell back down onto my bum.

“You know NOTHING Gabrielle! NOTHING!” He yelled into my face, warmth radiating off him in waves.

“I know you are lying to me!” I yelled back and shoved him away from me, well, I tried, he didn’t even move. My palms slammed into his hard, muscled chest, and he didn’t even sway.

His jaw clenched as he looked down at me and without any self-control, I slapped him, hard and uncaring across his face.

The moment I did, his fingers closed around my wrist, halting my savage movement. I flinched, hissed in pain and his brows furrowed before he loosened his hold on me and turned my wrist to study it.

The tingles of our bond buzzed silently between us as he gently rubbed his thumb over the deep red bruises John had left on me earlier. Something in his face changed. He let go and took a step back.

“My wolf didn’t heal me because he abandoned me,” he said hoarsely, looking down at my wrist that now hung by my side.

I didn’t know what to say. What could one say to something like that?

“Is-was it because of me?” I found myself asking.

Axel slumped down onto a plush white leather chair and took a few moments before he nodded reluctantly.

“How long?” My voice was rasp but caring.

“Since I left you standing there alone in the ballroom.”

He glanced at my wrists again and I could see anger flaring up in his eyes. He was going to punish John for what he did to me, that much was evident whether he said so or not.