The Rise-Book II

Chapter 38: Absolutely Nothing

Fingers were mindlessly tracing little circles on my arms in the early morning hours. Fingers that pulled my back closer into a warm chest while a gentle vibration rumbled against me, softly waking me from my sleep.

I blinked my eyes open, yawning out and stretching my arms out which only made Ethan pull me closer to him. "Go back to sleep," he grumbled.

I shook my head. "You are one cranky wolf in the morning."

He just tossed a leg over me and grumbled some more before he nuzzled my hair as his breathing leveled out to a soft snore. I rolled my sleepy eyes while my wolf shook her head at her male.

Turning, I grinned deviously in the back of my mind as I faced him. He looked so peaceful– so peaceful that I almost felt bad for what I was about to do. I paused for a moment and consulted my wolf, but she nudged me on. She was definitely Team Charlotte on this one.

I leaned up, letting my lips trace his jaw. "Ethan wake up."

"Mmmm," he groaned. "Coffee."

I bit back a laugh while my beast rolled her eyes. Scooting closer to him, my hands trailed up his firm chest and drew a soft instinctual vibration from him. "Wake up," I said before kissing the edge of his jaw.

"What are you doing?" he said, his voice groggy and husky.

My lips kissed below his ear as his arms pulled me closer to him, trailing down my back that shivered in subtle delight. "I want pancakes," I replied innocently.

"Blobs baby, they're intricately crafted blobs," he replied.

I bit back another laugh because I wasn't sure if Ethan was actually awake. "Well then," I breathed out, my teeth nipping playfully at his earlobe as my hand trailed further down his chest. "I want blobs. Blobs, bacon, and coffee."

"Coffee," he replied back. "Did you set the coffee pot last night?"

My hand teased the skin right above his boxers, causing the bond to lick its hungry lips. I moved down and nipped at his neck, my fingers slipping inside his boxers before I kissed right above his mark. "No, which is why you need to wake up," I replied, raking my nails teasingly up from his boxers and back up to his chest.

Suddenly I was on my back with tired blue-green eyes looking back at me. "I was having a good dream sunshine."

I gave him a mock pout. "How rude of me to disrupt you sleeping beauty."

He shook his head at me. "You're such a little shit you know?"

I chuckled then leaned up to kiss him. "I know, but I love you," I replied back before I kissed him again.

He groaned then pushed me back against the mattress, hands trailing down my legs that he started to part. "I love you too baby, even if you wake me up without my coffee."

"God you are such a crank," I said while rolling my eyes.

"It was a good dream sunshine!" he nipped at my collarbone then kissed me again.

"About?"

He chuckled darkly. "Get on your knees and I'll show you."

Ethan and I were sipping coffee in the kitchen with ghost smiles on our lips. He was flipping pancakes, or blobs, while bacon sizzled on another pan on the stove.

This morning helped me to push the wary fear of his trip to the mountains away, but only slightly. I still didn't like it, but I understood why he wanted to go–why he had to go. We had to look after our pack. That and we couldn't ask for our pack to stick their necks out for us if we were not willing to do the same. It wasn't fair, and we would be just as cowardly as the last leadership if we behaved that way.