Chapter 48 - Preparations

*“Beauty is the purest feeling of the soul. Beauty arises when soul is satisfied.” ― Amit Ray*

***Kiya***

I’m never letting Onyx get near my pussy again.

That beast was insatiable. I’m sure he stretched me out completely by his fingers alone.

The sensations of his feast lingered with every step I took through the foyer, forcing my body to replay the sweetness it endured in the bedroom. I balanced my laptop on my forearms with my notepad and pen resting on top of it. My stomach grumbled like an angry lion, reprimanding me for skipping breakfast.

It didn’t seem happy that I *became* breakfast instead.

I knew Onyx and Neron were different from one another in many ways, but the wolf had shown me exactly why he was the primal boss. Onyx trapped me in the bedroom the whole morning, working his sweet magic over my skin and whispering jaw-dropping sin in my ears. There wasn’t a part of me that he didn’t mark with his fingers or his teeth. Carefully, I lowered a hand to pull the hem of my blouse down, hiding the love bite he left as a parting gift beside my belly button.

His flaming golds were burned into the thin fabric of my psyche, demolishing their way through the dome so I could only think about him, and holy shit, it was working.

*How can Onyx be so sweet with the bonnet fiasco and shed that demeanor to become the alpha that made my pussy weep with a smile*?

Once I stepped outside, I scolded myself. "Oh, my goddess, focus, Kiya!" My cheeks burned, but it wasn’t from the sunlight hitting my cheeks. I found a lone bench with a small table and settled my things on the square slab of smoothened rock. When I sat down, a pleasant hum of pain radiating from my ass made my cheeks burn harder.

The hum was in the shape of two large and thick hands.

"*Naughty angels deserve to be spanked*," Onyx chuckled in my ear before he bent me over his lap back in the bedroom. Goddess, even the recall of his voice lit me on fire all over again.

"*Hey*! *You can’t tell me what to do*!" I shouted back at him, despite my bravado contradicting the nude state he expertly put me in without much effort. There was no point in resisting since I wanted it to happen.

"*That’s six more spanks, once for each word*." He cracked his hand over my left ass cheek. I squeaked, and he gasped, like he had just found the world's most sought-after treasure. "*Fuck, I love that jiggle*!"

I gulped and pulled at my collar. The summer breeze didn’t do jack shit to relieve the fire flaring in my body. Was this the mark of my official entry into the world of being a whore? Goddess, I never thought about sex this much.

"*You can’t just spank me like this*! *Who do you think you are*?"

"*A lot of things, actually*. *Your mate, your boyfriend, your guardian, your future husband—the list goes on*! *Now, that’s thirteen additional spanks, bringing the count to nineteen*. *But, I’m going to add one more, because I can*."

"*Wha—*!" He smacked my right ass cheek before bringing a finger to my lips to shush me.

"*Shh*. *Be a good girl, my angel, and start counting*. *I promise you; the reward will be worth it*."

And it was.

But there was something about that whole dynamic that I was struggling to understand. While Onyx was punishing my ass with an open palm, that same star-bursting sensation erupted in my chest again. My heart sank into a void of warmth from its spread, and I felt happy. I've heard of people wanting and even liking to be spanked, but never did I think it would happen to me, of all people! After my wolf mate finished, I crawled into his chest, feeling not only elation but safety. I felt safe. I felt secure.

Goddess, I wanted so much more. I wanted—!

"**Are you going to start the video call or what**?" Artemis’ voice blitzed through the illicit thoughts and desires I have for Onyx, her tone coy and amused. "**We can’t keep our friends waiting**."

"*R-right, of course*!" I cleared my throat and flipped my computer open. "*Get that smirk out of your tone, Artemis*. *I know what you want to say*."

"**Enlighten me, Kiki**. **What was I about to say**?"

"*You know exactly what you were about to say*." I retorted, pressing the power button.

Artemis let out a soft chuckle. "**It’s normal to want more**. **Didn’t I tell you to have fun**? **It sounded like you had *lots* of fun**."

"*Yes, I did, but now I need to focus on the hex-breaking ritual*."

"**Ah, the infamous diversion you’re so skilled at**. **That’s alright, Kiya**. **If you’re curious, I had a lot of fun too**. **The way he works with his fingers is just—**"

"Hi, Kiya!" I jumped when Violetta shouted through the computer’s stereo. Phoebe and Asim logged in minutes later. Exhaling a sharp breath, I pushed the sinful thoughts out of my head as I fished my earphones out of my skirt pocket. I plugged them in, and we got started discussing the ritual business.

Line after line, my notepad was filled with notes of potential ingredients for the ritual. We wanted this to be the most powerful ritual we’d conduct together because we shared a common goal: to help Neron. My thoughts strayed from their path a few times during the conversation, skittering back to the person in question. Onyx told me Neron was doing alright, and I wanted it to remain that way.

"Kiya?" Phoebe pulled my attention back to her. "I think what would really help is if you made a talisman for Neron made of selenite. The crystal has many benefits outside of being the spiritual bridge between you and Selene."

"That I can do," I said, making a note of it. "Does the type matter?"

"It should be something he can wear, or just hold close to his person."

"A bracelet? I did make him an onyx bracelet for his birthday."

"That’s perfect."

"I can make black salt," Violetta suggested. "It’s just activated charcoal and sea salt."

"You’re going to buy sea salt from the supermarket?" Asim asked.

"No way. I’m going to make it! I’m not getting the processed shit."

"Fair enough." He chuckled. "Might I make a suggestion? As good as the suggestions are, we need to figure out the method of activation. While we can bless and chant the ritual, we need to ensure its effectiveness. I suggest we also use fire, as that is a historical cleansing agent."

"That’s where the herbs come in," Phoebe explained. "We can make a magic circle or grid for Neron to stand in the center of. It’ll be made of a variety of protection herbs—thyme, black pepper, cloves, elecampane, dragon’s blood, devil’s dung—"

"Wait." I held my hand up. "Did you just say devil’s dung?"

"*Where exactly are you going to get a piece of the devil’s shit*?" Nuria shouted in Phoebe’s background. "*You’re not doing anything dangerous under my watch*."

"Nuria, it’s a plant, not an actual stool sample." The witch corrected her while shaking her head. "People actually use the powdered form in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking."

"Are they talking about asafoetida?" On Asim’s screen, Nailah popped her head in the camera, shining her diamond-studded smile.

*Hello, pretty lady*!

"Yes, they are." Asim grinned, planting a kiss on his wife’s cheeks. "You know the ritual I told you about? We might use asafoetida with it."

"And you’re going to burn it?" Nailah scrunched up her face. "It has such a horrible smell when burned. Your nose is very sensitive, *Habibi*. I have a couple of nose clips for you."

"You’re exaggerating—my nose is not sensitive."

"There was this wonderful floral perfume I tried back at the bazaar when we visited New Delhi. Might I remind you what happened when you smelt it?"

"Not in front of the ladies," Asim grumbled. "It wasn’t as bad as you thought it was—"

"I thought you’d gotten asthma overnight!" She exclaimed. "I’ve learned a valuable lesson: you’re allergic to jasmine and to keep your nose clips close just in case we discover more of your allergies."

Violetta covered her smirk with her hand, showing off her black and blue nail polish. "How are you a powerful avatar, but you’re defeated by a tiny flower?"

"That is not the topic of discussion!" Asim retorted, as his cheeks brightened with his blush.

"Aww, he’s embarrassed!" The women and I burst out into laughter while the man rolled his eyes, shaking his head at our antics. My chest started to hurt a little, so I inhaled a few deep breaths to calm down.

Suddenly, loud stomps echoed beside me.

A large shadow stretched over my head.

And a large tongue licked up the side of my face.

"Oh, my—Onyx!"

Black fur smacked into my face, muffling my squeaks. I raised my hands to push it away, but all I got was a disappointed whine and another lick, this time on the column of my neck. This big-ass dog! I struggled to lift Onyx’s head off my body because the alpha was determined to cover me in a thick sheen of his drool. The top of my short-sleeved blouse was ruffled, and the heat that surrounded me got worse because the wolf's coat was way too soft and way too warm.

Suddenly, I heard, "Aww, Kiya! Onyx loves you!"

"Alana?" I squeaked. Pushing down the wad of fur from my mouth, I looked up to see Alana and Aiyana sitting on top of Onyx’s back like he was a horse. They grinned and waved.

I spit out a few strands of shed fur. "What are you girls up to?"

"Onyx wanted to give us a ride on his back!" Aiyana explained. "I can see the top of your head! Is it normal for alphas to be as big as horses? "

"Pretty much. Do you mind telling your horse to get off me so I can breathe?"

The black wolf lifted his head up and puffed a gust of hot, stinky air in my face because I offended him. Before I could reprimand him, Onyx stretched downward with his front paws, arching his back, and the girls hopped off his back onto the grass. They scampered up to me. Aiyana asked, "Can you breathe now?"

I nodded, brushing away stray strands of black fur from my body. "Yeah, I can, thank you."

Onyx sat on his rear end, his tail swishing from side to side behind him. His gold eyes trailed my every movement, and I felt more than naked under his gaze. Even in his wolf form, he made me feel small, but not in a bad way. Alana and Aiyana peeked into my camera and waved to my fellow avatars while they smiled back.

"Are you busy, Kiya?" Alana asked.

I turned my head to the computer, unplugged my earphones, and turned back to the girls. "Actually, I am. Is there something you need me for?"

Alana’s eyes widened slightly, and she quickly shook her head. "No, not right now if you’re busy. I wanted to ask you something, but it can wait until later."

Aiyana raised an eyebrow at her friend before turning back to me, nodding. I blinked, resting an elbow on the table. Now, I was curious. "Is it something I should be worried about?"

"No, I don’t think so." Alana said, scratching the back of her neck. "It can wait! Sorry to bother you." The redhead quickly grabbed Aiyana’s hand and dashed away, disappearing when they turned a corner.

"How odd." I remarked. Should I cut the meeting short to see what the girls want or just wait until they approach me to talk to me?

Unfortunately, I didn’t think I’d be getting up for a while, not when Onyx shuffled over and slipped his large head between me and the table, resting the bottom of his muzzle on my lap. His snout brushed against my forearm, his soft exhales heating the skin on contact. When I lowered my head to look at him, his ears wiggled, and his tail waved crazily.

*What a sweet puppy*!

Smiling, I ran my hand over Onyx’s silken fur, slowly ascending toward his ears to the patch of fur I knew he loved scratching. A rumble rolled through his body, vibrating against my legs, similar to that of a cat’s purr. "Aren’t you a cute puppy up close?"

Onyx huffed, as if to tell me he wasn’t cute.

"*You two are so cute that it makes me sick*."

I turned to the computer to see Nuria had joined us, rolling her eyes with a curled smirk on her lips. Phoebe gazed at her mate like she was the world’s most precious amethyst.

"You’re the one to talk." I retorted, continuing to scratch Onyx behind the ears. "How’s life at Garnet Moon?"

"It’s been even better since last night."

"Is that why Phoebe’s neck looks like she lost a battle to a giant mosquito?"

The witch squealed, pulling her scarf over to hide the number of hickies littering her pale neck. Nuria knew what she was doing. Her widening smirk said it all. Phoebe blushed harder than a tomato when the alpha female pulled the side of her scarf down, revealing what appeared to be one of her favorite hickies.

*Yep, they fucked*. *I'm sure of it*.

"Since my little star is not very vocal now, I’ll let these babies do the talking."

"Werewolves really do have such high libidos." The mermaid grumbled playfully, folding one leg over the other. Nailah chuckled like she knew exactly what she meant, eyeing her husband with a gaze full of love and desire.

"So!" I said, petting the space between Onyx’s ears. "Getting back to the ritual, I do have a question. We’re going to have a lot of powerful items, plus a talisman, and we’re planning on infusing our own magic into it. Will any of this, potentially, hurt Neron?"

Phoebe sighed, nodding. "It’s a high probability it will."

"Is there any way to make it hurt less?"

"I understand your concerns, Kiya. However, when it comes to hexes and curses, they’re so deeply embedded in the person cast on that it requires a great deal of effort to break them. While I don’t believe Jonathan’s infliction slipped deep into important areas, like Neron’s soul, it’s still an infliction either way. I wish we could make this painless, but we have to purge the monster’s influence out of him *and* make sure Jonathan doesn’t get a second chance to do harm again."

I gazed down at Onyx again, feeling his ears twitch against the back of my palm. He heard everything. The thought of Neron going through pain, not even knowing the *amount* of pain he’ll be going through didn’t settle right in my stomach. Jonathan put him through pain latching the curse onto him, and now that same pain is needed to get him out of it.

It was unfair.

Sighing, I relented with a heavy sigh. "I understand. How soon do you think we can do the ritual?"

"Give or take a few days to pick up the supplies and to arrive at the territory. I need ample time to pick up the supplies from metaphysical and vitamin stores."

"Mind if I tag along?" Asim asked.

"I wouldn’t mind." Phoebe grinned. "Vi, how long would it take you to make the black salt?"

"Give me a day. I was planning on heading to the ocean, anyways."

"It’ll take me a day to make the talisman. I just need a couple of supplies, like wiring."

Onyx lifted his head off my lap and trotted toward the forest. My fellow avatars clarified last minute additions to our ritual before logging off for the day, but not without Nuria damn near dragging Phoebe away from the call for more loving. I rose to my feet and stretched my arms above my head, releasing a loud groan.

I had a plan. We had a plan. This part of Jonathan’s torment will soon come to an end, and I couldn’t wait for it.

I shut my laptop and began gathering my things, only to be derailed when Onyx zipped over faster than the speed of light, picked me up, planted my ass on the table, and attacked my neck with his lips. I was an ice cream cone, and I melted. I tilted my head to the side and moaned softly, allowing my wolf-mate to ravage the delicate skin.

"Things are looking up, aren’t they?" A full body shudder rocked me when he whispered in my ear.

"Yeah, they are." I rested my cheek on his broad shoulder. "I do need to get to work on making the talisman, though. But, I don’t have the wiring, or the pliers needed, so I need to head into the city for supplies."

"There is no need." Onyx raised his head and smiled down at me, running his knuckles over my cheek. "Well, mostly because I can’t drive and Neron will never forgive me for getting into a car wreck, but the supplies you need are here."

I raised an eyebrow. Seriously? Where?"

"Go put your stuff away and meet me back here. I’ll show you the place."

My curiosity was sparkling like fireworks. Nodding, I hurried back into the pack house, set away my laptop and notepad, and returned to Onyx. His face lit up like the sun shining behind him when he saw me again. He offered me his hand, and I took it, allowing him to lead me to this mysterious place.

After a couple of minutes of walking, we came across a two-story building in the southwest part of the territory, several miles away from the hospital. Onyx and I greeted some of the pack members and their children when we passed, smelling cooked food wafting out from their homes and listening to the distant splatter of the pups and teenagers at the pool.

"This place?" I asked, taking a closer look at the developing building. "What is it?"

"Our pack's soon-to-be community center." Onyx fished out some keys and opened the front door, allowing me to walk inside first. The long hallway stretched to a set of ascending staircases leading to the second floor. Doors lined either side of the hallway in various states of painting and repair. Florescent lighting shone above, along with sunlight slipping in from the nearby windows. While it needed a little cleaning up, there were splashes of bright colors on the walls and paint buckets sitting in various corners with their paint brushes.

Onyx took my hand and pulled me in his direction. "This way."

He led me through a door leading into a room where I was immediately hit with the scent of fresh paint, crayons, paint brushes, and paper. Packets of crayons, markers, and sketchbooks are laid out on tables lined up against the walls. Looking toward the ceiling, I noticed a large painted window stretching from the top of the entrance toward the center of the room. Shelves of other art supplies sat beside the tables. Two potted plants, which I think were peace lilies, sat at each corner of the windows. Seats were scattered across the floor in front of blank canvases on easels. At the front of the room was a large wooden table, resembling that of a teacher’s desk.

Memories of elementary school art class flooded in like a wave crashing against the shore. The room needed a little more TLC, but it was coming along. Onyx set his phone on the teacher’s desk and walked ahead toward a closet between the white board and a metal cabinet while I spun around to soak in more of the room.

"Is this Neron’s art classroom?" I asked.

"Not yet, but it will be," Onyx answered, amidst the clatter of supplies. "As you can see, it still needs a little bit more sprucing up. I told him to add a little black on the walls, but he complained that it was "too depressing" for the kids."

"I think I see where he’s coming from." I took a seat on a nearby stool. "Is Neron okay with us being in here?"

"Nope. The dumbass is yelling at me. He didn’t want you to see the room yet."

"Oh, really?" My lips stretched with my laughter. "Tell him he doesn’t need to be so hard on you. I don’t mind looking at the work in progress. It just means it’s coming along nicely. He didn’t need to wait until it was perfect to show me."

"That’s what I’m saying!" Onyx threw his head back and smiled at me. "He should really learn to take my advice sometimes."

"Knowing how well you two get along, Neron might have a point not to."

Onyx rolled and scoffed, continuing his search for the jewelry wires. His cell started buzzing. "Do you think you can check to see who is calling? It could be Mama."

"Sure." Hopping off the stool, I took a glance at the phone. *Good grief*. "Um, who the hell did you name ‘Prolapsed Anus’?"

"Fuck." Onyx stepped away from the closet, grabbed his phone, scowled, and held it to his ear. "This is the City Morgue. We house corpses and can make you into one. What the fuck do you want?"

"Onyx!"

"Is that any way to greet your new stepbrother?" I heard over the receiver.

*Oh*. *It’s Wystan*.

"You’re not my stepbrother."

"I am, actually. Your mom and my dad mated last night. That means we’re family."

"Well, I’m glad Mama’s happy! You sound disappointed."

"Of course, I am! You think I wanted your mother to become my mother?"

"It sounds like you need to talk this out in therapy. Do you have any other reason why you called other than to bitch at me?"

"Yes. Is Kiya available?"

Onyx hung up.

"Stepbrother, huh?" I smirked, hopping on the desk to sit on it. "Should I congratulate you? You finally have a little brother!"

"You have jokes now, huh?" My wolf boyfriend raised an eyebrow. "The only thing I care about is now that Mama is happy with a man who treats her like a queen. Wystan is a peasant. The only way for me and Neron to *ever* be civil with that rusted keyhole is—"

"Is if he stops showing interest in me?"

Onyx fell silent. I grinned, crossing my legs while meeting his eyes. The alpha’s possessive and jealous nature was glaring back at me through two golden and heated orbs. He stuffed the phone in his pocket, planted his palms on either side of my hips on the desk, and held my gaze from above.

"The man is an annoying bug, but yes, that part is true. I never liked him showing interest in you, especially since he knows it’ll piss me and Neron off."

"He likes to push your buttons. You shouldn’t let him have that satisfaction."

"When those buttons are about you, I can’t help but react. It’s an instinct I cannot erase." He brushed his nose against mine. "I love you, and I don’t want anyone to have the chance to take you from me."

I cupped Onyx’s cheeks with both my hands, gently pulling his face toward mine. Stretching my neck upward, I gave his lips a sweet kiss before chuckling. "If anyone tries, they won’t get far. I can handle myself, remember?"

"You can, but I still like to protect you. At least give me that, my sweet warrior." He kissed my nose before pushing himself off the desk. He went back to the closet, pulled out a small box, and handed it to me. "I found the wires you need. Pliers should be inside."

"Thank you."

"I know you’re worried about Neron getting hurt from this ritual." Onyx curled his fingers under my chin to lift my head up again. "But I assure you, my love, Neron will be fine. I’ll be beside him the whole time, and I’ll be next to him when he is free. You just need to worry about cutting the bastard from us for good."

"Onyx…" I whispered, hugging the box to my chest. There was no telling what could happen from now until the ritual. Hell, we don’t know what might happen *during* the ritual. So many worries floated in my head and my heart about the outcome, but I know Onyx was right—I have to worry about what I can do now and worry later about the future.

Sighing through my nose, I kissed Onyx again, but this time, he held me still as his scent dominated my senses. The sun peeked through the windows again, stretching over us. But our only focus was on each other.

It was the calm I needed before the storm.