Caged in Darkness by J. D. Stroube

wasn’t for them…” My pointer finger pressed
against her lips to silence her.
    “Ash and Maye gave you a choice. What you
did with your choice was entirely up to you .” I whispered
the last word into her ear.
    The feeling from earlier was back again. It
was like a pressure building in the pit of my stomach, pushing me
to merge with her. Her body language changed suddenly and I knew
she could feel it too. The air around are bodies was charged like
electricity and I could see our auras merge to blend together. Our
senses heightened to an almost painful intensity until I touched
her again. With our skin touching the pain gave way to waves of
pure ecstasy. I leaned in to graze my lips against the tip of her
nose and her breathing changed to a slight whimper. Her hands
touched my abs and moved upwards to grasp the fabric of my shirt
that lay over my chest. She pulled me closer.
    Her face tipped up and I captured her lips.
Her body relaxed into mine and she pulled my neck down for better
access to my lips. She was inexperienced, but she kissed with a
fervor that made up for that. Her lips parted and I took the chance
to slip my tongue into her mouth. She gasped at the invasion, but
when I kissed her more gently she began to hesitantly explore my
mouth. Her tongue twisted around mine in a dance of wills and we
eventually settled into a rhythm that was both hungry and
sensual.
     
    ASH
     
    I rode home with Griffin instead of Izzy and
Willow. Griffin kept quiet the whole ride and dropped me off on the
street in front of the house. At first, I tried to pretend I wasn’t
waiting for Savannah to walk through the front door. After checking
the driveway for the millionth time, I had to admit it to myself.
Now, I sat in the living room with the lights low and a book in my
lap.
    I wasn’t angry anymore. Honestly, I don’t
know why I lost my temper earlier. Savannah had been right, I
should trust her. My instincts came alive when I saw him watching
her. It was primal and an emotion I never felt before now. I was
ashamed that I didn’t fight it and worried that Savannah wouldn’t
forgive me.
    Where was she? I thought she was going to
take Liam to his place and then come straight home, but it was
approaching midnight. My throat felt tight and I worried that I may
have driven her to trust the wrong guy. There was something wrong
with Liam. I hadn’t lied when I told her that. Now, I couldn’t stop
imagining all the horrible scenarios that Savannah may be placed
in.
    When I wasn’t worrying over Liam harming
her, I was torturing myself with what other activities they might
be up to. I never had to worry about Savannah with guys. She wasn’t
interested and they naturally sensed that enough to stay away from
her. She had been different tonight. Maybe it was her ascension
drawing near, but it could have been him.
    Lights flashed in the driveway to reveal a
black mustang pulling in. A closer inspection revealed that Liam
was driving. I pushed my anger back at the memory of Savannah
saying she wouldn’t let Liam drive and forced myself to be calm. I
desperately wanted to watch out the window until Savannah was
safely inside. However, if she realized I was spying on her it
would serve as more proof that I didn’t trust her.
    I walked to the entryway between the hallway
and the living room to wait for Savannah . I knew Liam walked
her to the door, because I could hear faint voices through it. My
impatience was growing, but I forced myself to take a casual stance
against the wall until she was inside. Savannah was transformed by
the smile that stretched across her face, but it made me uneasy.
She turned away from me to climb the stairs.
    “Hey.” Her back tensed at my voice, but she
turned to face me with her hand clenched around the railing.
    “Is there something you need?”
    “I’m sorry. There is no excuse for the way I
acted earlier. I was a jerk and I hope that you won’t hold it
against me. I may have misgivings about