The Paranormal Council Complete Series 1-5 Page 8

  “I accept your resignation,” Alden said, “But I really have to go now.”

  “Have fun!” Nathalie added, following him through the door with Drayce close behind.

  “Bjorn…” tears welled in the corners of Ari’s eyes as she realised that he was the one that had made this happen. While she’d been refusing to see him, he’d been working towards a future for them. A future that she’d been fighting with her insistence on sitting on the Council.

  “Shh, it’s alright.” He stepped forward and stroked a rough finger down her cheek. Surprising them both, the tears began to fall and Ari burst into huge ugly sobs.

  8

  Bjorn stood in front of Ari in complete shock, before snapping into action and pulling her into his arms. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her cry before. Hell, he didn’t think anyone had seen Ari cry, at least not since she’d been a child.

  “Ari?” he asked tentatively, not wanting to upset her anymore if he could help it.

  “Sorry.” She sniffed and lifted one hand to his cheek, returning his earlier touch.

  “There’s no need to be sorry, love.” He brushed a soft kiss on the top of her head and she snuggled into his chest, a warm feeling spread through him. As much as he’d wanted them to, the two of them had never had a chance to be close like this. There’d always been an air of caution between them, making sure that they weren’t caught in a compromising position.

  “I don’t know why I’m crying.” She sobbed, grabbing a handful of his shirt as she did. Bjorn tightened his arms around her. He’d hoped that his announcement would end with Ari in his arms, but not in tears.

  “Probably because you’re stuck with me now,” he tried to joke, but the shocked look on Ari’s face told him that he’d missed the mark.

  “Don’t ever say that.” A serious look overtook her and her pale eyes met his. “I want you Bjorn.”

  “Good,” he grunted, smoothing back a stray lock of her auburn hair.

  “I love you.” Despite her whisper, the words sounded loud and clear around the room. They were bound to, considering he’d waited six months to hear them.

  “I love you too.” The tears had dried and a smile crept over her face as he closed the tiny gap between them. Their mouths touched and sparks flew, as they tended to whenever they were together. Bjorn gently pushed Ari to the floor, neither of them caring that they were in the middle of the Council chamber, or that the floor was cold; not when it was about to be one of their most important nights of their lives. “I’m going to claim you Arabella,” he growled and his teeth lengthened in his mouth, an almost involuntary reaction to being near her. It was testament to his previous control that he’d only nearly claimed her once before; there was no chance of controlling himself now.

  “Not if I claim you first.” Fire burned in her eyes and any trace of the emotional woman of just moments ago was burned away by lust. In a surprising feat of strength, along with Bjorn’s cooperation, she switched their position so that his back was lying on the hard floor with her straddling him. In one swift motion, she had her shirt off; the sight of her in only a black lace bra and with her skirt pushed up to her hips, made Bjorn breathless.

  Bjorn ran his hands up the outside of her legs, enjoying the small whimpering sounds she was making. She leaned down and kissed him, being careful of his lengthened teeth. Her hands moved swiftly over the buttons of his shirt, baring his chest to her. She trailed her hands over his naked skin, sending spikes of pleasure through him and causing him to thrust up to meet her; despite the fact they were both still wearing clothes.

  “Ari,” he grunted as she nipped along his neck. He felt her smile against his skin and flipped the two of them over once more. “Bite me,” he added through shallow breathes.

  “You too,” she panted back, and he chuckled. He wasn’t sure that he could bite her at the same time, it would probably involve a little more flexibility than he had. Seconds later, he felt her teeth sink into his skin as she claimed him. Except that she hadn’t really needed to; they’d started the claim the moment they’d met, this only confirmed the bond they’d both already known was in place; even if it had taken them a while to accept it. Ari pulled back, a satisfied grin on her face.

  Bjorn smiled down at her, before repeating the process, and sinking his teeth into the flesh at the base of her throat. He felt her hands on his fly, but knew that he wouldn’t last. Even if that was the case, nothing could ruin this moment for him. Ari was his, and now everyone would know it.

  9

  Ari smiled to herself, but didn’t open her eyes. The unfamiliar weight and warmth of another body in her bed being a welcome change. Bjorn had one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, pressing her body back into him and making it impossible to ignore the effect she was having on him. Feeling particularly mischievous, she nestled back further into him, and Bjorn growled low in her ear, nipping gently.

  “Don’t tease, Ari.” She twisted her neck around so she could kiss him, and Bjorn’s hand moved to cup her cheek. She still wanted him with the same burning passion she always had, but without the risk of being discovered, both of them were taking their time and getting to know each other’s bodies in a way that they’d never been able to before.

  “You love the tease,” she whispered against his lips as they pulled apart slightly. Ari shifted on the bed so that the two of them were facing each other.

  “I love you,” he whispered back, grinning at her in a way that brightened his face. She already knew that he was nothing like the gruff and terse exterior he often put on for other people, but she definitely liked seeing this side of him more. Ari smiled back. Up until the night before, they’d never said the words to each other, and hearing them now made her heart leap with joy. She liked to think that they’d been on the tip of his tongue as much as they’d been on the tip of hers in the past six months.

  “You better.” She kissed him again, twining her arms around his neck. The next thing she knew, he’d rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him.

  An alarm blared and the two of them broke apart, both groaning in frustration. It had to happen the moment they got to the good bit. Ari rolled off him and grabbed her phone from her bedside table, shocked to see what time it actually was.

  She jumped out of bed, and raced to the bathroom, leaving a confused Bjorn lying on the bed, watching her. “Come back to bed, Ari,” he called out just as she stepped into the shower. The hot water hit her skin, and she felt a pang of loss as she realised she’d have to go about her day no longer smelling of Bjorn.

  “I can’t, I need to be in Court in an hour,” she called back to him, assuming that his more acute hearing would be able to make her words out over the sound of the water.

  “Call in sick.” He sounded closer and she turned around to see him standing at the door of her bathroom, his eyes raking up and down her body, making her blood sizzle. Feeling particularly bold, she ran her hands down herself, palming her breasts and watching Bjorn’s face as she did. His dark eyes were fixed on what she was doing, and he licked his lips, making Ari bite her lip.

  “I can’t,” she muttered, not entirely aware of what she was doing as she slipped one of her hands between her legs. Bjorn looked as if he wanted to come barging into the shower with her, but he restrained himself, taking her by surprise by palming himself in his hand and stroking softly as he watched her.

  Ari moved her hand faster, the hot water still beating down on her. Yet her blood pumped even hotter as she watched Bjorn, her breathing quickening. An explosion of pleasure tore through her and she cried out, dimly aware of Bjorn’s matching sounds from outside the shower stall. She collapsed back against the wall, unable to move until large hands gently helped to rinse off her hair. She leaned back into him, enjoying the closeness.

  “Will I see you tonight at least?” He spoke low in her ear, making her wish that she could do what he suggested and call in sick for the day, but her job was too important for that.


  “I have to go to Mum and Dad’s tonight.” He spun her around but she refused to meet his gaze, worried about what he might find there.

  “Can I not come with you?” His words were tentative, as if he knew that he was treading on thin ice. But surely there was no way for him to know that really. They’d talked about her family in passing, but never anything more than that. She hadn’t wanted to rub in the fact that she had a family. Plus, they’d had limited time together and more important things to do with what they’d had.

  “Bjorn…” she looked up, her eyes meeting his and seeing the disappointment in them. “I’m sorry, but not yet.” She lifted a hand and pressed it to his cheek. Pushing up on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss on his lips, thankful when he returned it, even if she could sense his hesitation.

  “Okay,” he accepted finally, but there was still part of her that suspected he wasn’t happy about it. The worry lingered even after she’d arrived in Court, and didn’t leave for the rest of the day.

  10

  “I’ve got a name.” Bjorn kicked his feet up and rested them on Alden’s desk, his size meaning that he wasn’t comfortable in the other man’s poky office. The whole space screamed Alden, from the crammed bookshelves that didn’t seem to have any kind of system to them, to the desk covered in papers. The man himself sat on the other side of the desk, eyeing Bjorn’s feet disapprovingly from behind his black framed glasses.

  “Hi Bjorn, come in and take a seat,” he deadpanned, taking off his glasses and pushing a hand through his sandy coloured hair, and sighed. “The name of the necromancer responsible I take it?” He leaned back in his chair, giving off a surprisingly laid back look for someone who was wearing a formal shirt and tie. Bjorn imagined that he was the Professor that all the female students talked about. He was a tall man, though he had nothing on Bjorn’s height, with the lean but athletic physique which was common with bird shifters.

  “Yes, he goes by Dean Winters.” Bjorn handed him the sheet of paper he’d brought with him, that had everything he’d discovered about Dean on it. Unfortunately for them both, that was very little, apart from his name and a basic description. That hadn’t surprised Bjorn. They were a secretive group at the best of times, even more so if they were actually doing something wrong, and Dean was the perfect example of that.

  “I’ll talk to Rory about it.” Alden took the sheet from Bjorn’s outstretched hand and studied it, pulling a face at how little information was on it. Part of Bjorn wanted to ask Alden who Rory was, but he guessed from the look on the other man’s face that it was probably wasn’t the right thing to say. In all likelihood, she’d just be the necromancer who’d reluctantly been assigned to work with him on the case. “So, how’s Arabella this morning?” Alden raised his eyebrow and smirked.

  “How would I know?” Bjorn attempted to deflect his curiosity, but knew he’d failed.

  “We all know Bjorn.” Alden leaned back forward, looking Bjorn straight in the eye, a risky thing to do with a bear shifter at the best of times, never mind when trying to uncover said bear shifter’s secrets.

  “Know what?”

  “About you and Arabella.” His heart sank, but he quickly reminded himself that if they’d really known, then the two of them would have been off the Council already. “We’ve known for months that the two of you were…dating.” His tone sounded almost teasing, surprising Bjorn. While he didn’t dislike Alden, he was too easy a person to get on with for that, he hadn’t considered that they knew each other well enough for this kind of tease.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked softly, almost dreading what the other man would say.

  “Well, you know Nathalie, she’s a hopeless romantic really. And Drayce couldn’t care less. As for me, well let’s just say your mate is one scary woman. I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.” He laughed good naturedly, making Bjorn think that he actually held Ari in high regard. “Plus, it’s always been clear how much being on the Council meant to her, she takes it so seriously. You, on the other hand…well I wasn’t surprised that you were the one who resigned.”

  “She didn’t force me into it,” he defended quickly.

  “Never thought she did. Your reasons for being on the Council were different from the reasons the rest of us are. Even not knowing exactly what those reasons were, I could tell that much.”

  “Am I really that transparent?” He tried to joke, but inwardly he worried that it was true. He hoped not, or else he’d never be able to make it last with Ari. Not if she could see right through him.

  “I’m just very observant.” He looked at Bjorn with his unnaturally large eyes, unnerving him slightly.

  “Thank you for your time, Alden, I need to get back to work.” While technically true, Bjorn worked for himself, so could get away without leaving right this second. But the whole conversation had left him feeling decidedly unsettled, and he had a feeling that it was something to do with the bear in him not being sure what to make of the bird in Alden. He wasn’t quite prey, but neither was he a threat. He rose from his seat and made his way from the door.

  “Let me know if you find anything else, Bjorn.” Alden chuckled to himself as Bjorn left. It was only once he had that he realised he hadn’t dwelled on Ari’s hesitance over him meeting her family the entire time that he was there.

  11

  Ari pushed her food around her plate, not feeling particularly hungry. While Bjorn had kissed her goodbye, and promised to be waiting for her when she got home, she couldn’t ignore the hurt she’d seen in his eyes when she hadn’t immediately said he could come with her. Everyone thought that Bjorn was all tough exterior, but she knew better. He actually had one of the kindest hearts she’d ever encountered, and she’d hated leaving him the way she had that morning.

  “Ari, are you listening?” Her Mum broke through her brooding and she had to think back quickly to try to remember what they were talking about, but unfortunately, she kept coming up blank.

  “Sorry Mum, what did you say?” she asked with a smile, hoping her Mum would forgive her lapse in attention.

  “Ari’s too busy thinking about a man,” Christine teased, causing her Mum’s expression to change from one of frustration, to one of shocked excitement.

  “Really?”

  “I was just teasing,” Christine amended quickly, after noticing how uncomfortable Ari looked.

  “Is it Kumo? He’s got a bit of a reputation, but he’s a handsome one, and from a good family,” her Mum prattled on, making Ari pull a face of disgust that only Christine saw. She was probably lucky that her Dad and brothers were too interested in their food to be paying any attention to any discussion about Ari’s love life.

  “No, Mum…” she started, meaning to tell her about Bjorn.

  “Craven then? He’s a little on the grey side, but with your colouring, the pups will be a beautiful colour.”

  “Mum…” Ari tried again, but she could see from the light in her eyes that she wasn’t going to stop.

  “Oh, and I think one of his sisters might be perfect for Brandon.” Her brother looked up at the sound of his name, but looked away quickly when he noticed both of his sisters shaking their heads and giving him warning looks.

  “Diana, that’s enough,” her Dad interrupted and Ari shot him a grateful look.

  “I only want to know what fox we’ll be inviting into our family, George.” Ari’s heart sunk. Even though her Mum was listing the fox shifters she’d grown up living around, she’d still been secretly hoping that she’d moved past her insistence on Ari mating with another fox. After all, Christine had already done just that. While Ari had never asked her twin if it was a true mating or not, she seemed happy and she’d been blessed with children, so it seemed likely that it was.

  “And she’ll tell us in her own time.” Her Dad spoke calmly, knowing how best to approach these situations. Her parents looked at each other with genuine smiles, though Ari knew that it hadn’t always been that way. It had taken her Dad
years to convince her Mum that she didn’t have to wait on him hand and foot, but as that had been what she’d been brought up to believe, and it had been hard work to make her see that she didn’t have to act that way. In fact, her Dad’s past show of patience and support seemed very similar to the way that Bjorn had waited for her. That thought finally brought a smile to her face, along with a knowing look from Christine.

  “Whoever he is, he’s a lucky fox.” Her Mum clapped her hands together.

  “Mum…” her smile fell, and she knew that really it was going to have to be now or never.

  “Yes, Ari?” She smiled and put a forkful of food in her mouth, chewing slowly as she waited for Ari to continue.

  “What if he isn’t a fox?” Her Mum’s fork clattered against her plate as she dropped it, and even her brothers stopped eating to pay attention. Christine and her Dad both looked interested, but their expressions were nothing like the one on her Mum’s face. Christine nodded and gave Ari a small smile, making her wonder just what she knew. Shifter social circles weren’t large, and if someone had been talking…well her relationship with Bjorn might not be as secret as she thought it was.

  “Well why wouldn’t he be? There’s plenty of nice fox shifters for you to choose from, it’s not like you need to look elsewhere.”

  “Diana…” her Dad warned, but it was too late. Tears were welling up in Ari’s eyes, spurred on by her Mum’s backwards attitude.

  “Don’t Diana me. It’s true.”

  “So, you won’t accept me with someone that isn’t a fox?” Ari asked, just about keeping the tears at bay. She chided herself, feeling ridiculous for being so weak. She could hold her own in the courtroom and make other shifters almost quiver in fear in the Council chamber, but when it came to her Mum’s prejudice, it was everything she could do to keep it together.