And then there were four

Dealing with the past

   James POV
   Sitting in my darkened hotel room, I mulled over my reality. When I heard that Damian was in town, I contemplated running again. I didn't want him to find me. The moment my bond with Ivy broke, I felt a pain in my chest that was unbearable.
   My wolf and I were torn apart-the memory more than I can bear...
~~~~~~
   "James, you have to let her go." Damian had yelled at me in the hospital hallway. "We are nothing but toxic for her. She deserves a normal life!"
   Anguish gripped a hold of my soul as my heart raced, "no... I can't. We can't!"
   Dropping to my knees, I stared at her hospital door. She was hurt because of me, because of us.
   "If you loved her at all, you would let her go. It's too late anyways."
   So that's what I did... I let her go.
~~~~~~
   Snapping back to reality, I launched my beer bottle across the room, watching as it shattered and fell to the ground. I had let her go, but the moment I went to confront Damian at the restaurant, my breath was stolen from me.
   She was there. She was with Damian, and they were happy together.
   I couldn't understand it. Trying to wrap my head around what I had seen, I stood to my feet and stormed from my hotel room. I need more alcohol. Anything to numb the pain I felt.
   "James-" an all too familiar voice called from behind me, stopping me in my tracks.
   Damian.
   Clenching my fists tightly at my side, I turned to face him. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
   He looked the same as he always had. Calm, collected, and here on business.
   That was his M.O. after all. "I came to bring you home."
   Laughter escaped me as I shook my head, "are you fucking serious?"
   "Don't act like this, James. You have been gone too long, and it's time to come back to reality."
   "Reality!" I yelled. "How about the fucking reality that you're here with Ivy, Damian?!"
   I watched as he took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. There was something about him at the moment that was slightly different, but I wasn't sure what it was.
   "She came with me to find you," he finally replied, but the sound of it wasn't as good as I thought. All this time I had hoped what I had with her, and lost, had just been a dream.
   Yet here he was, trying to put it on me as if I was supposed to be excited.
   "What happened to letting her go, Damian? What happened to letting her have a normal life!"
   Shaking with fury, I wanted nothing more than to beat Damian within an inch of his life. I knew I didn't stand a real chance against him in a fight, but at the same time I wanted-no, needed anything to relieve the anger I felt.
   "Things weren't as we thought, James. The bond wasn't broken, just the terms had been changed."
   His riddles meant nothing to me. All he ever did was try to order me and the others around. His lies would not win me over this time, no matter how much I wished they were true.
   "Go fuck yourself, Damian," I snapped. "I'm done listening to your bullshit."
   Shaking my head in disgust, I turned from him. I couldn't believe he would flaunt her in front of me after everything he did to us, and to think she allowed him.
   It disgusted me. I loved her-shit, I still love her.
   "She came for you, James!" He yelled after me, "if you don't believe me, go see for yourself."
   Stopping in my tracks once more, I thought over his words. As much as I didn't want to do that, curiosity filled me to some extent, wondering what he was saying.
   "Are you at your villa?" I asked flatly.
   "Of course." He replied, chuckling, "I am going to have a few drinks with some friends from the city. I won't be back till the early hours of the morning. Perhaps she shouldn't be left alone all night."
   Gritting my teeth, I rolled my eyes, refusing to look at him. I wouldn't give him the pleasure of a response, but as I walked off, I couldn't help but think he was right.
   Perhaps she shouldn't be left alone.
   Ivy POV
   Hours had passed since Damian left, and with the moon high in the sky, I watched it shimmer across the open ocean. Never had I been curious about the power of the moon, but at that moment, I found solace in its appearance.
   "Help Damien find him," I whispered aloud to the moon, wishing the goddess would help us find James. Without him, I couldn't fulfill what my heart wanted.
   What I wanted seemed so far off in the reality of things, and yet something told me deep down that I was closer to having it than I realized.
   Turning, I made my way into the house. The day had been long with everyone who had been present earlier, and through all the conversations I had sat silently thinking about him.
   Wondering if he could still feel me... Hear me even.
   A longing for the bond we once had. 'James.' I called out through my mind, once again pleading for him to hear me. Pleading for him to come home. 'Please find me.'
   Grasping the metal kettle from the stove, I turned on the tap of the sink and filled it. The sound of running water filled the silence around me. If this is what uncertainty felt like, I didn't like it.
   "How?" A breathless voice said to my right, causing me to drop the kettle. Its metal form crashed to the ground as the sound resnotated through the air.
   Tears filled my eyes at the sight before me and even though he looked completely different from the man I remembered, I felt the pull to him. The love and anger over his appearance.
   "James?" The disbelief in my tone was enough to break him from the trance he was in before he furrowed his brows and looked on in confusion.
   "How are you here?" He asked again, "why?"
   It wasn't the reunion I had hoped for, but at the same time, I understood his reaction.
   "I..." pausing, I thought over my choice of words, "we came to find you. To bring you home."
   "I don't have a home there anymore," he snapped, angry, rolling off him in waves. "If you came to rub your romance in front of me, then you're free to leave. Stop looking for me."
   He turned to leave, and with panic coursing through me, I ran to him, gripping his arm. The same electric touch we once had coursed through me, and he turned to me with wide eyes, looking down at my hand.
   "Please don't leave, James," I begged him. "It's not broken."
   Slowly, his eyes met mine, and as they did, he didn't hesitate. He quickly gripped my head and pressed his lips to mine, devouring my very soul. With every touch we had, our kisses became more demanding. More intense.
   I quickly found myself picked up within his arms as he walked towards the sofa, pulling me onto his lap as I straddled him. This wasn't a time for talking. It was a moment to rekindle the feelings we had for each other, and I was more than okay with that.
   Making headway, I reached for his pants, undoing them one by one. "Ivy, we should talk-"
   "No," I replied, shaking my head. "We can talk after."
   Sliding myself down over his thick shaft, I cried out in pleasure. He was much longer than Damian, and every inch of him forced inside me pressed against my cervix, creating pleasure I had missed.
   Slowly, I rode him. My hand on his throat as I bite seductively on his bottom lip. This was about his pleasure over mine. I felt the need to make it up to him with everything he had been through. I wanted him to know that I still wanted him, that I still cared.
   "fuck, Ivy-" he gasped, closing his eyes, his head falling back against the sofa as he gripped my rear-end, slamming me down over him harder and harder.
   "I want you, James," I whispered, kissing him as I felt his knot fill me. "I want you always."
   "You don't know that-" he moaned loudly again as I felt us both close to the edge.
   "Yes" I cried out, "oh fuck... mark me again, James," I begged him.
   His eyes met mine with swirling black and gold flecks. His wolf was on edge, and I didn't care.
   "Ivy-" He growled, "don't tease me."
   My grip on his throat tightened as I pushed my face against his and groaned, "fucking do it."
   He didn't hesitate at my command as he pulled my neck to the side and bit down into my shoulder. A cry of pleasure left my lips as I screamed out, coming undone on his shaft.
   The feeling of his own release building pressures within me as his knot locked us in place.
   A guttural growl of possession filled the room as he released his bite and looked into my eyes. A haze of pleasure washed through me as I smiled at him, "Don't leave me again."