The Ember In The Dark novel Chapter 22

I'm glad I told all of them together about my mate. Dad understands too well what it's like to be judged by what you are and not who you are. I know he'll like Toni.

"I'm sorry that didn't go the way it should have." Ash still sounded so upset.

I shook my head.

"Don't be. I felt the support from you, mom and dad. Thank you." I squeezed him in a side hug.

"You'll always have my support in anything you do. I'm here for you Twinkie." He smiled real big at me.

It made me think of the first time he got in a fight with a kid who was being mean to me. He had a swollen cheek and some scrapes from the fight, but he gave me a big grin when he won. I remember feeling so loved and protected. He's like my sunshine on a dark cloudy day. My great protector. I teared up again… I'm overly emotional.

"You're the best brother in the world, Ash. I mean that."

He squeezed me real tight.

"Let's get you ready for that date." He said, pushing me to my room. "Where are you going anyway?"

"I don't know, he said it would be a surprise. He did say to wear running clothes though." I shrugged my shoulders.

"He wants to meet your wolf." Ash smiled, causing me to realize the kind of running that Toni meant.

"I hadn't thought of that. I don't know if Talia can handle too much running after today." I sighed, worried I'll ruin my date now.

"Hey, I'll give her some energy and you should be fine. Just be honest with Toni and I'm sure he'll accommodate you. I doubt he wants you to have a bad time on your date." Ash eased my worries.

"Okay. Wait, so what do I wear?" I am confused now.

"Things that are easy to take off." He smirked real big. "I think maybe he wants to see you naked." Ash laughed.

"Shut up, no. I'll shift behind a tree." I nodded my head at myself.

"You sure you don't want to see him naked?" Ash teased.

I thought about it for two seconds before shaking the thought out.

"Stop that." I slapped his arm.

I looked through my closet, but I didn't have much running clothes. I grabbed a long sweater that didn't need a bra under it and a pair of leggings. I put on a pair of black flats. Everything seemed easy to take off so I guess this is good enough. I braided my hair and tied it up into a bun. I then did some light natural makeup.

It was now 6:47 and I felt my stomach turning with nerves. I was excited and yet extremely nervous. Aelfric had taken me out on a few dates and I remember getting the same giddy feeling. This feels different though, it feels a lot more serious. I know for sure that he is my mate… no tricks this time.

"Calm down. You're making me nervous." Ash grabbed my wrists and sat me on the bed so I would stop pacing.

"Sorry." I sighed. "I'm just really nervous. There's a lot I don't know."

"We'll stop thinking about that. Look, you know you like him. You know you want to spend time with him. Just focus on those emotions. You don't have to worry so much." He patted my head. "I'm gonna go to my room before he gets here. Come find me when you get back. I wanna know how it went."

"Yeah, okay. No teasing me though." I pointed my finger at him.

"No promises." He said, lifting his arms up as he walked out of the room. I shook my head at him smiling at his goofy self. I am sure he'll tease me tons, but it wouldn't be him if he didn't.

I started pacing around again when Ash left. I was trying to calm myself, but it's hard to calm your nerves down when you don't know what's expected of you. How do real first dates go? What about dates with your mate? What will Toni want from me at the end of our date?

I sighed, falling back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. This is stupid. I shouldn't be this worried. Ugh. Calm down heart.

A light tap on the door had me jumping out of my bed. I ran towards the door and quickly swung it open. His eyes assessed my body before meeting my emerald green irises. He gave me that sexy smirk of his.

"You look great. Are you ready to go?" He seemed so calm right now as he leaned against my door frame. How can he be so calm?

"Yeah. Do I need to bring anything?" I asked, trying to get a read on where we are going.

"Nope just yourself." He held his hand out for me to take and I stared at it a moment.

As soon as I take his hand, our date will start. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my beating heart. It was pounding loudly against my chest. I slowly stretched my hand out towards his and took it. His warm calloused hands felt nice against my ice cold fingers.

He is always so warm.

"So where are we going?" I tried to coax him into telling me as he walked me outside toward the tree line.

"You'll have to follow me and find out. I hope it's okay that we go in wolf form? I've already got clothes for us to dress into when we get there. So you don't have to worry about that." His pearly white teeth beamed at me.

"Charles had us training really hard today. It isn't too far is it? Talia is pretty tired." I admitted shyly, unable to look him in the eyes.

He gently grabbed my chin with his thumb and forefinger and turned me to look at him. He studied my face for a moment before he spoke.

"It isn't too far. If you get tired, please tell me. I am sorry I didn't know about your training or I would have planned something else." His face was still, but behind his eyes I could tell he felt bad.

"No, it's okay. I should have told you earlier. I am excited though, and really curious where you're taking me." I smiled at him, trying to make him feel better.

"Reep is really excited to meet your wolf." He smirked.

"Talia is too." I could feel her jumping around in me.

We walked to the tree line, before awkwardly separating. I stripped behind a tree and shifted quickly. The pain was barely noticeable now when I shift. I was grateful for that. I came out from behind the tree slowly, a bit shy.

There he was in all his glory. I had never seen a wolf like him before. His fur was longer than any wolves I have seen before. His fur was black, but in the moonlight it held every color of the rainbow. His eyes were a dark silver, sparkling as they checked me out.

Our wolves sniffed around one another, getting to know each other. His wolf seemed playful as he nipped at our heels. Talia's tail wagged happily as she got to know Reep.

'You're beautiful.' Toni's voice rang in. 'Follow me. Let me know if you need to stop to rest at any point.'

I nodded my head and ran behind him, keeping pace with him well enough. He would look back and check on me every now and again. The weather was perfect for a run. The cool air felt nice against our fur, cooling us off as we ran.

Toni started to slow down as we approached a clearing near the creek. The smell of the creek wafted in the air, calming my spirit. I've always loved the smell of nature. As we got closer I noticed the picnic laid out on a blanket.

'I put your clothes that Ash gave me, behind that tree.' Toni pointed to a larger tree, in the distance, with his snout. 'I'll meet you back here when you're done.'

I nodded and ran towards the tree. I quickly shifted, finding that Ash gave Toni one of the few dresses I own. It was a long sleeve black sweater dress with brown buttons that ran all the way down it. It fit my body snuggly, showing my curves off well. He also gave Toni my small black ankle boots with a 2 inch thick heel. I ran my hands down my dress, smoothing it out as I made my way to Toni.

There he sat on the blanket. His eyes fixed on the sky. One hand rested over his bent knee, and the other supported his weight behind him. He looked so handsome staring up like that. His hair brushed against his shoulders in waves.

I noticed the midnight flowers all around the clearing as I approached him. I wonder if he knows what they are. They are meant to protect us from creatures of the night. Did he bring me here because of them, trying to give me a sense of peace?

He wore a black and white plaid button shirt and a pair of khaki pants. He left a couple of buttons open, giving me a peek at his chest. I swallowed hard, trying to keep myself from getting too aroused at the way he looked. He turned, noticing me, and smiled real wide. He patted the spot beside him and I sat, tucking my dress down.

"Here." He handed me a basket full of my favorite snacks and some grape soda. I couldn't help the large smile that crept on my face. "I made sure to get all your favorites."

"What about your favorites?" I asked, feeling bad it was all mine.

"Some of your favorites are mine as well." He smiled, plopping a sour gummy in his mouth. We sat in a comfortable silence staring at the sky as we snacked.

"Thank you for agreeing to come with me today." His husky voice finally broke the silence.

"Thank you for this. It's really nice." I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

Toni grabbed my chin, turning my face towards his. His lips met mine gently, barely grazing them. It tickled and sent a million sparks flying through me. He pulled back just the slightest bit, his lips a mere millimeter away. He stayed that way letting me feel his warm breath against me.

The need to feel him consumed me and I leaned in and kissed him harder than I have before. My hand grabbed a handful of his hair, on the back of his head, as I pulled him closer to me. Our lips clashed forcefully, a passion igniting in both of us. Toni pushed back on me slightly, and I began to lay back on the blanket. He held his weight over me with his elbows, our chests pressed together.

I continued my assault on his delicate lips, letting our tongues dance with one another. A small moan escaped me as his hand gripped my hip tightly. His hands began to grab at my dress, pulling it up, exposing my thighs fully. His leg pressed between my own, his thigh now touching my core. I felt my breath start to elevate as my arousal permeated the air around us.

His hand traveled up, over my dress, towards my breast. My heart began to pound so loudly I swear you could hear it. The moment his hand cupped my breast and squeezed, a moan left me. No one had touched me this way before. It felt like every part of my being was set ablaze…so alive. I was acutely aware of every part of my body and his. Where they touched and where they didn't.

I clutched onto him for dear life not wanting him to stop. I needed him close. I needed the warmth of his skin against mine. I felt like I was losing my mind in all this pleasure.

Toni left my lips and started to kiss my jaw line working his way down to my neck. His lips kissed right where he would mark me and I felt Talia fighting me for power. She wanted our mate to mark us now, but I'm not ready for that just yet. Although I'm not sure this is taking it slow… I can't seem to stop myself.

Toni's tongue licked the spot, making me clutch him tighter to me. His right hand slid my dress higher up, exposing my black lace underwear. His fingertips played along the hem of my panties, tugging on them slightly. I buried my face in the nape of his neck, muffling my moan against his skin.

His left hand unbuttoned the top few buttons of my dress exposing my breasts to him. I had no bra on and Toni's eyes devoured my breast before his hand began to play with the pink harden bud of my n*pple. I'd never felt such pleasure before, my back arched in response to his touch. My hips began to sway of their own accord against his thigh. I moaned only this time he growled in response.

"Fuck Ember. Those moans of yours will be my undoing." He whispered into my ear, only adding wetness to my now drenched underwear.

His left fingertips began to pull my underwear down and I was suddenly brought back to reality. I can't do this yet. No matter how good it feels. No matter how amazing this moment is right now. I can't do this with him yet. Not yet.

I placed my hand on his chest and scooted up a little away from his thigh. I looked him deep in the eyes, wanting him to know I wasn't rejecting him, just this act.

"I'm sorry. I'm not ready for that yet." My voice was soft and very vulnerable at the moment. I was still very much exposed to him, my breast out and underwear still showing.

"No. I'm sorry Ember. You told me you wanted to take things slow." He sat up, bending his knees and resting his elbows on them. He buried his face in his hands and shook his head, disappointed in himself.

"I just get so carried away with you. I should have stopped though. I am sorry." He apologized again. He wouldn't look at me again until he knew that I was covered back up.

"I didn't exactly stop you sooner. I was enjoying it. I got a little carried away myself." My cheeks were ablaze with that pink hue I always try to hide. I can't help the blush that crosses my face any time I am with him.

Toni smirked a little, the guilt easing slightly with my words. He took my hand in his and just squeezed it. He laid back on his arm looking back up at the stars.

"You know the stars come to life in the ocean. When I go see my mom I always sneak off and go for a night swim. The stars shine so brightly against the dark ocean water. It makes it look like a second sky. It gets hard to tell where the ocean ends and the sky begins." He described to me, deep in thought.

"That sounds beautiful." I laid back beside him, our hands still holding one another.

"I wish I could take you one day." He sighed.

"Maybe one day you can." I whispered.

"I don't want you around that many sirens. I never want to put you in danger." He said sadly. This was a part of him, but not a part he wanted. It kind of broke my heart to see him hate that part of himself.

"I'm sure you'd keep me safe." I turned to my side to look at him.

"You trust me enough to do so?" He turned and looked back at me. That strong jaw of his is more visible in this position.

"Yes I do." I answered honestly. I was beginning to feel safer with Toni. After what happened with Dex I knew he would keep me safe.

"Good, because I'll do anything to keep you safe." He caressed my face as he spoke.

We stared at one another in silence again. I was memorizing every part of his face. Down to the small scar above his eyebrow. The small facial hair that seemed to be growing back. He was so handsome.

"Ember?" He broke the silence. "Can I call you my girlfriend now?"

He looked so sweet and innocent right now. His gaze had averted mine, a little worried about my response. He seemed so vulnerable right now and it made me want to protect him more than anything.

"Yes, you can." I answered him softly. My heart fluttered, feeling very light at the moment.

I have a boyfriend.