The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 85

Ragging Fire TI-T

The freezing water felt in a relentless torrent.

Sharp.

Unforgiving.

+25 Points

The cold struck them both like a physical blow the moment Caleb stepped under the shower, soaking through their clothes within seconds, turning fabric heavy and clinging as the icy stream poured over their heads and shoulders.

At first, neither of them spoke.

They simply stood there.

Caleb’s arms still around her, holding her upright as the cold fought the inferno raging through their bodies.

Minutes passed.

Long ones.

The kind where every second stretched thin with tension.

Slowly-very slowly-the fire began to recede.

Iva’s trembling lessened first. The violent shivers that had been wracking her body softened into smaller, weaker tremors. Her breathing, which had been uneven and ragged, began to steady beneath the pounding water.

Caleb felt it immediately.

The shift.

The dangerous edge that had filled the air moments earlier was fading.

He exhaled slowly, deeply.

Relief loosened something tight inside his chest.

The danger-at least for now-had been avoided.

But the memory of the car ride lingered in his mind like a warning he could not ignore.

Because those twenty minutes had been pure torture.

Absolute, unrelenting torture.

Her scent had filled the small space of the SUV like a living thing, wrapping around him with each breath he took, crawling into his lungs, into his bloodstream, into the deepest instincts of his Lycan.

To keep himself under control, Caleb had been forced to drag his mind into the darkest corners he could find.

<Ragging Fuett Battlefields.

Broken bones.

Political negotiations with enemies he despised.

Every unpleasant memory he possessed.

+25 Points

Anything-anything-to distract himself from the burning desire that had screamed at him to pull her into his arms and claim her.

Even now, under the cold water, he could still feel the faint tremors running through her body.

Her frame felt too small in his arms.

Too thin.

Too fragile.

The realization stirred an unfamiliar discomfort inside him.

Finally, he spoke.

“Are you better?”

His voice sounded rougher than he intended.

Iva nodded almost immediately.

“Yes.”

But she didn’t look at him.

Her gaze stayed fixed somewhere near his shoulder, her cheeks faintly pink even beneath the cold water.

Embarrassment… desire.

Caleb noticed it instantly.

Of course she would be embarrassed.

This was not exactly a situation most people experienced casually.

“The heat is a natural thing,” he said after a moment, trying to keep his tone calm.

“It usually appears shortly after someone meets their mate.”

The words left his mouth easily.

Automatically.

He had grown up with that knowledge.

It was basic biology for their kind.

But the moment the sentence finished-

2/4

<Ragging Fue-t-

Something in his brain stopped.

Completely.

The meaning of what he had just said crashed into his thoughts like a bolt of lightning.

Mate.

Heat.

Timing.

His mind replayed the past few days in rapid, chaotic flashes.

Iva standing in his penthouse, claiming they were mates.

Chaos reacting violently to her presence.

The strange pull he had been feeling around her.

The overwhelming reaction when he had carried her to bed.

And now-

Her heat.

His breathing slowed.

His gaze sharpened.

Slowly-very slowly-he looked down at her.

Iva shifted slightly under the water, clearly uncomfortable with the intensity of his stare.

“What?” she asked quietly.

Caleb didn’t answer immediately.

Inside his head, thoughts collided violently.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify