Reckless Souls (Saints Academy, #1)(107)
marked ribs, chiseled abs, and buff chest.
Hot. As. Fuck.
And all mine.
I shake my head, berating myself for not focusing on what’s important, when he kicks his shoes off
and drops his pants, leaving him in only his boxers. My teeth sink into my bottom lip, my thighs
clenching together as I stare in awe at him, but to my disappointment, he doesn’t slip his hands inside
the waistband of his boxers. No, instead, he transforms before my very eyes.
I didn’t blink and I still feel like I missed it.
“Holy fuck,” I say with a gasp, feeling someone place their hand on my back as they move to stand
beside me, almost protectively, but Xander’s not going to hurt me, no matter which form he’s in.
Gaping in utter astonishment, I look at the jet black wolf before me, red marking still on his side,
a stark sign to anyone and everyone that he’s mine, and I fucking love it.
Gone is the buff man, and in his place stands a four-legged growly beast. I don’t know what I
expect his first move to be, but when he stretches out his front paws, tilting his tail up in the air, I
almost fucking pass out with how cute he is. It’s on the tip of my tongue to squeal ‘big stretch’ at him,
but I manage to hold it together. He turns on the spot and takes off at a crazy pace, racing around the
edge of the woods and around the lake.
The four of us stand in complete silence, and I turn to see Adonis at my side, but I don’t speak a
word. Zen has moved closer, all of our eyes tracking every move Xander makes, and I feel tears prick
my eyes.
Watching him, like this, free, happy, and leaping through the air, I want him to feel this way
forever. Yet I somehow get the feeling there’s a lot coming our way before we can have that. A lot of
which will be issues with them choosing me to complete their family unit.
I try to force that thought to the back of my mind, concentrating on the moment. “I swear to the
fucking Gods, I hope I’m this happy when my magic kicks in,” Adonis murmurs, almost to himself, but
it makes me smile because, Gods, do I fucking agree.
Xander laps us a few more times, until he barrels toward me, panting. His tongue is sticking out
and his face looks so calm, it’s hard to believe it’s the same person from a few moments ago. He
comes to a stop before me, and I drop to my knees without thought, the feel of the grass against my
skin as I hold my hand out again like last time.
He moves into my touch immediately, his soft coat brushing against my palm as he nuzzles into
me. Nose to nose, he doesn’t move, but there’s a lot said between us without a single word being
spoken.
He’s got my back, and I’ve got his.
No matter what.
And the determination to make this work is overwhelming as I stare into his amber eyes. It feels
hard, whatever may develop between the five of us, but nothing worth having ever comes easy.
The wolf leans in, brushing his tongue over my collarbone and making me jolt back with a giggle,
before he moves back to his pile of clothes. Lying down on the grass with pride shining in his eyes,
before he shifts back.
Watching as the fur dissolves into the air, leaving my hot and broody man behind, I slowly rise to
my feet with the help of Adonis.
“Feeling better?” Zen asks, grabbing Xander’s blazer off the ground, and he smiles wide with a
nod in response.
“I feel good.” He pauses, his nose twitching for a moment as his brows slightly crinkle, but he
quickly straightens, tugging his shirt back on.
“What is it?” Khaos asks, but he waves him off.
“Nothing, I just thought I could smell something, but it must be the transition throwing me off a
little.” I nod like it makes total sense, but definitely add another research trip to the library to my to—
do list, because I’m still not up to speed on this whole supernatural way of life.
“Everyone ready to head back for a while before dinner?” Adonis asks, swinging his arm over my
shoulders as he steers me toward the path that leads back to the main building, and everyone hums in
agreement.
Nerves course through me at his embrace, which is completely out of character for him, but I roll
with it, my body in tune with every inch of his as the others fall into step with us. His touches are
always intentional, premeditated, and this almost feels casual. A word I wasn’t sure if Adonis was
familiar with.
Xander answers the questions we throw at him as we make our way back through the main
building and the portal to Agion, attempting to explain the rush and feelings he felt in his wolf form.
None of us would ever truly understand. But living it through his eyes was more than enough anyway.
It was truly magical.
He strokes a hand down my cheek as he slips into his room, Khaos offering a subtle nod as he
does the same, and Zen offers me a calm and wide smile as he follows suit, leaving Adonis and I to
take the stairs together.
Silence descends over us, but it’s surprisingly not awkward as he keeps his arm perched on my
shoulders. As we reach the top, I expect him to release me to head for his door, but instead, he