Sacred Bond: Secrets of Stone Ridge Read online

  Before I can say anything more my father stands and places his half-empty glass on the desk. Taking one last pull from his cigar he snuffs it in the ashtray and the entire time he holds my stare. “My blood runs through you,” the way he says this makes my chest ache, “you are loyal, you are strong.”

  The man who raised me to be those things is still someone inside this hollowed form of my father.

  “But you must remember that our people, our responsibilities, cannot be placed on hold. Taryn must understand our ways, she must accept those ways. She now has her own responsibilities and she must be willing to sacrifice.”

  “And you need to accept that your time has passed.” He falters and a weaker man may feel saddened by the idea of putting his own father in place, but I am not weak. “I’m in control now, and nothing you have to say or even do can change that. The new world, our world, begins here with me, and with her.”

  His chest rises and falls with deep breaths and I realize he is trying to remain in control of his anger. But the fact is he knows I am right.

  My father is a man who has a very hard time accepting that he no longer holds the reins. He’s not used to answering to anyone else, especially his own son.

  Without another word, he turns his back, opens the double glass doors that lead out to the patio and steps outside into the cool crisp night. Part of me wants to go to him and soothe his worries but another part, an even bigger part understands that boundaries need to be set. My actions now will set the precedent for our future.

  He walks to the edge of the deck and glances back one last time offering me a nod. His moment of acceptance for all the words I’d spoken. Then he leaps and I hear the sounds, the snarl, the acknowledgment of him shifting into his monstrous silver form and then he is gone.

  I walk across the room and as I begin to shut the doors, I hear the rustle of the trees as my father races through the forest. Shaking my head, I chuckle, the man is maddening at times, but I know he knows that all is well and everything is now set into motion.

  After all, I’ve found Taryn and now she truly is mine.

  Taryn

  I smile at the feel of Merick’s lips against the skin of my back. For two days we’ve done nothing, but make love, fuck, sleep, and eat. I’m pretty sure he broke my vagina, but it is worth it. His size took some getting used to, but I enjoyed every thick, hard inch of him...thoroughly and repeatedly.

  “What are you doing?” I whisper as he continues to kiss upward until he reaches my neck, nipping at my flesh.

  “I can’t stop touching you.” I never want him to.

  I roll to my back and he cages me in with both arms, smiling down at me. His strong body hovering above my own, on full display. “You better. I have certain body parts that are in desperate need of a rest.” I pull him down for a kiss, but like always it turns heated completely contradicting the words I just spoke.

  With quickness, I push him to his back and climb on top of him, to hell with recovery time. His hands go to my ass and he pulls me down hard against his cock. I wiggle my hips until he’s at my opening and then slide down onto his length.

  Merick growls deep in his throat as I begin to move slowly up and down. “Baby I thought you said I broke you?” He grabs my hair at the base of my skull, pulling my head back. He kisses the spot where he marked me, and I cry out.

  Every time he touches me there it sends what feels like an electrical current running through my body. He said that was normal—hell, last night he bit me there and my body ignited in the most explosive orgasm of a lifetime.

  “Fuck, I love the way you soak my cock.” His words are so dirty, I never imagined loving that type of talk so much. He pushes up so we’re face to face. I grab his face bringing his lips back to mine. Merick grips me by my hips and works me up and down, gaining the absolute perfect rhythm. I moan against his lips as he grabs my hips, rocking me from side to side. He hits that magical spot inside of me that has me groaning again in ecstasy.

  “I’m gonna come.” I arch my back. Merick wraps his lips around nipple, sucking enough to throw me over the edge and I am spiraling, racing toward the finish line. I roll my hips and feel that ache grow between my legs. He switches back and forth between my nipples before grabbing the spot on my neck with his teeth. The moment he bites down hard I explode, my pussy rippling around his length.

  He flips us and begins pounding into me until he buries himself to the hilt, bathing the walls of my channel with his cum. I love the way it sounds like he’s howling when he comes. It vibrates through my body, causing me to shiver.

  “I am never going to get enough of you.” Merick licks the sweat from my neck and my stomach picks that moment to growl. “I better feed you,” he says. I whimper as he pulls out of me. “Go take a bath while I make you something to eat.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need my help? I don’t want you to feel like you have to take care of me.” I reach up and stroke my fingertips along his cheek.

  “I know I don’t have to, I want to. Now get your sexy ass in the tub.” He kisses me before throwing on a pair of pajama pants and heading downstairs, leaving me to stare after him.

  I decided on a shower because I’m hungry and I knew if I relaxed in the glorious tub of his I wouldn’t want to get out. I put my hair up in a bun and quickly wash and shave myself. Once I’m out I rub myself down with moisturizer and put deodorant on. Somehow my clothes, toiletries, and phone made it over here. I think he went and got them when I passed out last night.

  I throw on some comfy lounge clothes and head downstairs as I throw on my black oversized cardigan.

  When I step into the kitchen, I find Merrick flipping pancakes at the stove. I walk up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist, loving how he allows me whatever I want without hesitation, I enjoy the few moments I’m given before he speaks. “I thought I told you to take a bath.”

  “Yeah, well you’re not the boss of me.”

  He bends down kissing me on the lips. “You’ve got a sassy little mouth.”

  My stomach growls again and I laugh against his lips. “You better feed me.” Merick pulls out a chair at the island and has me sit before setting a plate full of fluffy pancakes in front of me. He grabs a bowl and dumps a handful of sliced strawberries on them and then pours a generous amount of warm syrup on them.

  The plate he makes for himself is massive. The shifter part of him has a crazy metabolism that makes him need lots and lots of fuel. We’re both quiet as we eat, but it’s peaceful. Snow falls softly outside, sticking to the trees, and painting the most serene picture.

  The backdoor slams open, causing me to jump, and Merick to growl. Rowan comes sauntering in. “Jesus Christ Ro. You can’t do that shit.” He strokes a hand down my back. “Are you okay?”

  “I am.” I kiss his sweet syrupy tasting lips. “Promise.”

  “What are you doing here?” Merick asks.

  She looks between the two of us. “I take it you made up? It smells like sex. I could smell it when I got out of my car.” Rowan makes a gagging sound and then gives me a smile. “You okay?”

  I get up from my chair and when I reach her I give her a hug. “Thank you for coming and talking to me.”

  She kisses my cheek. “Anytime. You’ll need me. Merick can be a little...much. He’ll more than likely drive you nuts.”

  “Hey, I resent that,” Merick huffs before he shoves a huge forkful of pancakes into his mouth.

  I fix Rowan a plate and hand it to her. They seem to always be hungry too. I go back to my breakfast and again watch the snowfall. When we’re finished I kick them out of the kitchen while I clean up.

  I get the dishwasher loaded and wipe off the counters. When everything is clean and put away, I refill my coffee, doctoring it up with half and half and sugar. I walk into the living room and find that Merick has the fireplace going for me.

  “Merick you need to tell Jonathon to go. We don’t need him.” Rowan says as she stands up, no longer t
rying to keep the conversation they’d had going prior to me joining them. She appeared to be finished, Merick on the other hand seems unsettled. “I want him gone.”

  Hmmm… I wonder what she’s talking about.

  She walks toward me, grabbing my hand. “We’ll go have lunch this week. I’ll introduce you to some people.”

  “That’d be great.”

  After Rowan leaves, Merick holds out his hand to me and I crawl onto his lap. He wraps his arms around me and I snuggle into him. I’ve never felt this content in my life. Before this trip I can’t remember the last time I just sat.

  “What’s on the agenda for today?” I pick up his hand and kiss his palm.

  He kisses the top of my head. “I’ve got to work for a little bit and you can do whatever you want.”

  “I’d like to look around town for a little bit. I should probably look for a job. I want to be able to contribute.” I sit up glancing at him. I’ve worked since I was old enough to babysit. Yes, my parents paid for a lot of things I’ve had but I’ve always made my own money.

  “Baby, take your time and find something you want to do, or don’t work at all. Do whatever you want. I only want you to be happy here with me.”

  I kiss him softly on the lips. “Thank you.”

  I jump off of his lap and bolt for the stairs. I’m so excited to go back to town and explore a bit. I change out of the red long johns, opting for grey leggings and my black with grey faux fur Sorels. My hair needs to be washed, but I’ll worry about that later, for now I’ll brush it out and put it in one of those fishtail braids, hanging over my shoulder.

  Downstairs I find the living room empty. I walk down the little hall and find Merick sitting behind a desk with two large computer screens in front of him. I knock on the frame and he smiles when he looks up and sees me. “Am I interrupting?”

  “Not at all, come here.” I move into the room and take the hand he’s holding out toward me. “You look beautiful.”

  My cheeks warm and I lean down to kiss him. “Thank you. I’ll only be gone for a little bit. Do you need me to grab anything?”

  “No, I’m good. Maybe when I’m done here, I’ll get cleaned up and take you to this great little steakhouse that’s about a thirty-minute drive from here.”

  “Yummy. Be back soon.” I grab my long black puffer jacket, slipping it on as I head outside. Thankfully my car wound up here along with my belongings. I don’t question any of it or bring attention to something I am actually thankful for. I feel like this is where I should be, here with him. Anyway, I’m not sure protesting his need to move me without asking first would solve anything. The man was difficult when he didn’t get his way.

  I hop in my car and happily drive toward town, ready to explore a bit.

  Merick

  What Taryn doesn’t know yet, but will find out soon enough is that my people, our people, are intertwined throughout town and many more will come. When word gets out our union has happened, they will join us. When they realize that our world is coming to life once more, that we’ll need them here to protect the legacy.

  Not everyone knows our true nature. There are so many here that aren’t aware of Stone Ridges powers and importance. Keeping ourselves acclimated, remaining as normal as possible to any outsiders looking in, is the key.

  I sit at my desk trying to concentrate on the files filling my screen. One after another of documents and contracts that need to be finalized. The problem is I’ve put off work, I’ve been distracted. In a good way, but still very distracted.

  Even now as I attempt to catch up on my ever-expanding workload all I keep thinking about is Taryn. Closing my eyes, I get lost in the images the last couple days have left me with. Exploring, memorizing every single inch of her. It's almost as though I can still feel her, smell her and even taste her on my tongue. Everything is still so fresh, so explicit.

  She’s been gone for an hour, but it feels more like days and I am trying my hardest not to be overbearing and possessive. But the truth is, I want her here with me. I want her safe within the walls of my home, wrapped securely in my arms. I want her hair fanned out over my pillow, I want her delectable body soaking in the oversized tub in my master suite. I need her here, because having her away is torture, even if she is only in a town less than fifteen miles from my home.

  “Are you stewing?” I look up from the computer screen that has become nothing more than a blur at this point to find Rowan observing me with a smile. “You are like a lost puppy.” Obviously enjoying my tormented state as she chuckles.

  “You left here once already, why are you back?” I ignore the fact that her smile widens even more.

  “Because earlier we didn't get to finish talking about Jonathan being here,” I immediately notice the flare of her nostrils and realize it is now my turn to feel joy from her distress. “He is still the same annoying bastard he has always been. And so smug.” Ro moves around the chair on the opposite side of my desk and flops down into it.

  “Did you talk to him?” I ask.

  “I don’t have to talk to him to know he is still an ass. Always has been, always will be.”

  I wait in silence and simply watch my lifelong friend battle herself and her inner thoughts.

  “The way he acts as though there is nothing he can’t fix. All his theories,” she huffs crossing her arms. I could have corrected her by stating that his so-called theories have been proven effective time and time again, but I didn’t. It is my job to be on her side even when she is being ridiculous. It is what best friends do.

  I know and I think she knows that I know, she is only bothered by him so much because she still has feelings for him. They were together when we were kids, but how committed can one truly be when they are too young to even know what that means. A lot of mistakes were made, some that may never be forgotten. Scars were left, reminders of those choices that can’t be erased. They moved away for a while and then he came back, but she didn’t. It’s all some big secret that neither of them have shared. Ro’s love for him is still there, she is like an open book, there is no way to hide how he affects her. It's in her body language in her eyes. She may think she has everyone fooled, but she is transparent to me.

  “He’s impossible,” she finally locks eyes on me and finds I am staring at her doing my best to hide my knowing smile. “What?” I arch a brow not really needing to answer her. “You truly are a bully, do you know that?”

  “Because I know your secrets, I’m a bully?” I stare at her.

  She glares and I grin, leaning back in my chair and resting my elbows on the arms. Steepling my fingers I press them to my lips and again I really do try not to laugh.

  “I am going to tell Taryn every single embarrassing moment you have ever experienced. I’m going to teach your kids to be a huge pain in the ass so that you have to suffer every single day from the hell they will put you through.” Even the idea of having a complete terror as a child did nothing to frighten me. Just knowing my blood and that of the woman I love will be running through their veins is enough joy to outweigh any worry.

  “You are impossible,” when she stands and starts marching toward the door like a ranting child I lose it. All hope of remaining in control of the humor I felt from the first moment she mentioned Jonathon is gone. “You’re a pain in the ass. I’m telling Taryn.” And with that, she disappears out of my office door and a few seconds later I hear the echo of my front door slamming.

  I have a feeling things are about to get really interesting in Stone Ridge.

  You would think that after waiting for years to claim Taryn, I would be a little less inclined to be as impatient as I am right now. It has been a few hours and I’ve managed to get no work done, but I have almost worn a hole in the floor from all the damn pacing that I’ve been doing.

  The second I see the headlights of her car flicker along the trees that lined my driveway my body is moving toward the door. The front door is open and I am taking the steps two at a time and doing
all I can not to sprint to her like a crazy man.

  Taryn turns around, bags in hand and her eyes widen when she sees me walking toward her with purpose.

  Reaching out I grip her face and before she has the chance to say a single word my mouth in on hers. I can taste something minty on her breath, but she still tastes of Taryn, a sweet essence I know I will always worship.

  “Wow,” she only has a second to sigh before I am kissing her once again. The sound of whatever bags she was holding hit the ground at our feet right before her fingers comb through my hair. Fisting the ends tightly, the bite of pain drives me for more.

  “I’m on the edge here,” I’m not lying. Now that I’ve had her I can barely contain myself.

  “I’ve only been gone a few hours,” her words are spoken between gasps as I bit along her neck and push her body back against her car.

  “Far too long,” I feel her smile against my lips as I find her mouth once again.

  Leaving the bags where they fall I reach behind her and lift her from the ground. Barely making it inside the house I kick the door shut and lower us both to the ground in the foyer.

  Her legs kick as I hurry to remove her pants and then my own. She is equally as crazed as I and the second she feels my cock pushing inside of her she shivers beneath me. The way her pussy grips me confirms she too was riding the edge.

  There is nothing sweet and gentle about our movements. Together we claw and claim. Deep moans, cries for more and when we both hit our peak we are lost. I swear I see stars as my body stiffens and I release hours of pent up frustration deep inside of her.

  Forget work, I’d catch up another day. All I want is to hide away for days and feel nothing other than Taryn. She is right, I think I might break her before this month comes to an end. I have never felt a need like the one I feel now. It's not only physical, when we are together, when I feel her heat engulfing me and her hands all over me, I know we are one.