Chapter 23

**Nova**


Eli is a man possessed. Not that I'm better off. Thanks to this matting bond inside me flared to life the second he kissed me. Now he's carrying me into Chase's bedroom without breaking our kiss. There is a deep rumbling vibrating against my chest and making me shiver from pleasure. I need more than a kiss and I need it right now.

When we reach the room he sets me down on the bed and slowly starts to remove the black t-shirt he's wearing. A shirt that looks stretched to its limits by his wide chest and shoulders. His arms are tight with corded muscle and flex as he reaches over his head and pulls his shirt off in one smooth move. I take in the full extent of his figure and all the smooth dark skin. All of it is making my insides heat with need. To say I have never seen a man like him before would be an understatement.

Growing up in that detention center meant I didn't see men...undressed very often and most of them were as malnourished as me. So this man is a work of art compared to anything else I've seen.

No words pass between us as Eli moves his hands down to his pants and flicks the button at the top. I swallow down my growing desire to climb him like a tree so I can enjoy the slow torture of him stripping for me. He finally is down to his boxers when a flash of light catches my eye from the living room. I can see a sliver of the room and when I turn my head to see what's happening Charles steps through his portal.

I'm on my feet in a flash and rushing out of the room toward him. There is a low growl coming from the room behind me but I ignore it.

"Charles!" His eyes fix on me just in time for me to jump and wrap my arms around his neck.

He immediately wraps his arms around me as well and buries his face in my hair. The relief of seeing him in person and being able to touch him is like nothing I have felt before.

"You scared me, little mate." He whispers into my ear.

The sound of his smooth calm voice creates a wave of emotion built inside me. He was the only one who could see me when I was lost in the past. For some reason, we have a mental connection to each other that turned out to be a lifeline. It was the thing to pull me from where I was and come back.

"I scared myself." I pull away and smile up at him.

He returns is with a small one of his own. "I sensed you. That is why I came back."

I shift in a way that tells him I want to be set down. Once my feet are on solid ground again I give him a confused look.

"You sensed me how?"

"I can not explain the sensation since I have not felt it before but I knew you had come back." He's watching me like he can't believe that I'm here either.

Same buddy.

"How did you come back?" He asks.

Right that.

"I died again."

A deep growl echoes around the room, but it's not like the one from a minute ago. This one is strong enough to shake the ground underneath me. I'm about to turn around and check on Eli, but his large arms wrap around my waist and he pulls me back against his chest.

"What do you mean mate?" His deep voice growls near my ear making me shiver.

"I-" I have to clear my throat when it comes out too breathy. "I tried to help one of the people in the room where they kept us. The man in charge of collecting the groups decided to pull me in with another group. We all died."

Charles turns and sits in the chair he seems to have claimed as his.

"You were with a different group of people?" He asks and I nod. "Interesting. Did you not say that your group was the first to die?"

I try to think back to the weeks following up to my death...well first death.

"They didn't keep us updated on the results. Some groups would return and some didn't, but from what I could tell I woke up a day before my group was supposed to be up. I remember everyone that day coming back. When my group went in for the new experiment it was clear they were losing their patience and pushed things too far." My memories are fuzzy around that time so I can only recall a few broken details.

"We need to bring the others back here," Charles says standing and moving his hands smoothly in front of his chest.

This time I try to focus better on what he's doing. I was able to summon the smoke tendrils when I was talking to that girl flirting with Chase, so I may be able to do a lot more with practice.

He places his arms one over the other so that they are parallel to each other but not touching. The familiar purple cloud starts to form in the center of his hands and when he moves his arms sideways the cloud grows longer like a thick string. He moves his hands in a circle over each other and the strand of smoke turns into a flat circle shape. With a quick jerk his hands separate from each other and the smoke circle expands even more. One hand moves toward his chest and he makes a move that looks like he's pushing the circling cloud and it launches a couple of feet in front of him.

His hands are back in front of his chest and he makes an invisible circle with his hand. As if the cloud follows his every command it grows into a large circle shape big enough for someone to step through. The center is a swirling purple cloud that looks lit up from the inside but can't be seen through.

"Ladies first," Charles says.

I'm still locked in Eli's arms but one look over my shoulder at him gets him to release me. He grumbles something under his breath that sounds a lot like a protest but it's too muffled for me to tell.

Now that I'm free I step closer to the portal and admire its beauty for a second longer before taking a step through it. There is a bright light that must only last a half second before I am standing on the moist ground of our new land. I step aside to make room for Eli and Charles to pass through but I'm knocked to the ground hard.

The shock of the attack knocks the wind out of me but I push and shove at whatever is on top of me. It takes a second for my eyes to understand what I'm seeing, but once everything becomes clear I realize the danger I'm in. A giant wolf is on top of me and thrashing around trying to sink his teeth into me. My instincts had taken over while my head was spinning and I am pushing against it enough to put distance between us but it has an advantage. The element of surprise is making it hard for me to figure out what to do next.

Vampires are extremely strong but it's clear this is no ordinary wolf since pushing him has done nothing to release me from him.

"Nova!" I don't have time to try and figure out who is calling my name because the wolf does something I don't expect.

It shifts instantly and a man is now straddling me. Why would he shift? That gives me an advantage. I take the opportunity given and push as much of my strength into him and he flies off me. He lands hard a couple of feet away and I'm on my feet a second later. I watch him struggle to stand and my confusion only grows. One second he was a fearsome wolf strong enough to withstand my pushing but then he shifts and seems extremely weak.

"Nova! Watch out!" The warning comes just before a shooting pain travels across my shoulders from a spot to the right of my neck.

I don't what I've been stabbed with but I reach over and pull it out. My body won't heal if it remains inside, and clearly, quick healing is going to come in handy. I whirl around to face my new attacker and stop short when I see a familiar face looking back at me.

Eyes I could never forget, but don't have a sliver of recognition in them

How?

"Samuel?" My words are a whisper of disbelief.

This can't be right. He's dead. He is supposed to be dead!

"Samuel?" This time my words are firmer but still, he doesn't seem to recognize me.

It becomes clear that he has no idea who I am when he lifts a dagger and launches it at me. A dagger that matches the one in my hand.

Daggers carved with the language of our people.