A surprising turn of events, especially when they saw their free rooms for the night: a “cabin” that was twice the size of the two-story house Emma grew up in with her parents, four sisters, and two brothers. It boasted a professional-grade kitchen with a fully stocked refrigerator and freezer, living room with leather couches and chairs, giant-screen TV with full cable, high-speed Internet access, a sitting room, a gaming room, and a bedroom with personal bath for each of them.
When Emma saw it, she immediately noted it was a very good thing they were getting the joint for free, because the only one among them who could afford it was Kendall.
Of course, they still had a price to pay because the Coven couldn’t exactly leave, either. Since they’d walked into the place, they’d had furry bodyguards surrounding the cabin. Eventually, as their dead sisters promised, a town representative showed up to make them an offer.
Tully.
He and Jamie, after sizing each other up like two gators at a water hole, took their discussion to the front porch, while the rest of them remained inside and indulged in the enormous spread of food Mac made and the Merlot Kenny discovered in the cabin’s wine cellar. Yeah. The cabin had a wine cellar.
Bottle two, and Emma wasn’t feeling much pain at this point. Just a vague sense of annoyance.
“You made too much food, Mac.” They had enough left over to feed them for days.
“I couldn’t resist. That kitchen makes me wet. I haven’t been able to cook like that since I went on leave.”
“What do you think they’re talking about out there?” Kendall asked, her head resting against the back of the exquisitely made dining-table chairs.
“Talking? The way my cousin was checking him out, she’s probably on her knees giving him a hummer.”
“The bond you two have warms my heart,” Kenny muttered.
Eventually Jamie came back inside alone, carrying an enormous leather-bound briefcase with her, and dumped it at Emma’s feet. “Some light reading for you.”
“Huh?”
“They’re books. Financial records for this place.” Jamie threw herself in a seat beside Emma. “That’s the offer. The same offer they’ve given every coven for the last four hundred years.”
“Which is?” Mac pushed.
“This place.”
Kenny sneered. “The cabin?”
Jamie shook her head and couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “The resort.”
They all froze, staring at each other over the piles of half-eaten food.
“You can’t be serious?” Kendall argued. “This place must earn a fortune.”
“Emma will tell us after she looks at their books. Apparently they pass it down from coven to coven. The money we make will be ours. The only restriction is that we can’t sell it to anyone from outside the town.”
“And we’ll need to stay?”
“And we’ll need to stay. We use our powers to protect their borders, to keep whatever is trying to get in out, and basically handle all the mystical stuff.”
“And what do we get from them?”
“Besides this place? The sacred space of our choosing, the freedom to worship as we wish, and their physical protection. Which, I’m guessing, is quite mighty.”
Kenny sat up straight. “You can’t seriously be considering this.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m seriously considering it. But we go into this together or we don’t go in at all.”
Kenny’s gray eyes looked away. “We all know you’ve got enough power to do this on your own. What do you need us for?”
“Without you guys I’m just a crazy witch on a power trip.” Jamie shrugged. “You guys protect me from myself. You’ll protect them. I can’t do this without you. And believe it or not, I don’t want to. We may not be best friends or anything, but … you’re my Coven. My sisters. We either take this journey together or we don’t take it at all.”
Jamie grabbed the half-empty bottle of Merlot off the table and took a sip. “But we’ll worry about that later. Tully and the rest of the jungle menagerie left for the night, so let’s decide what we want to do tomorrow.”
Reaching over, Jamie topped off Emma’s glass. “Here, Em. Drink up.”
Emma shook her head, feeling groggy and a little disoriented. “Nah. I think I had too much already.”
“Go on,” Jamie urged. “Live a little. What’s one more glass?”
“What are you doing?” Mac questioned softly.
“Shut up,” Jamie said lightly to her cousin before turning back to Emma. “I mean, if I were you, I’d need a drink. After what that deputy guy did.”
Emma frowned. “What he did?”
“He used you, hon. He lied to you.”
“Jamie,” Mac warned, although Emma wasn’t sure why, since nothing Jamie said wasn’t true. Although at the moment, Emma wasn’t sure why about a lot of things. She especially didn’t know why Jamie hit her cousin in the head with a dinner roll.
“He did lie to me, didn’t he?”
“He sure did.” Jamie filled Emma’s glass again. “And if I were you, I’d go over there and I’d tell him exactly what I’m thinking.”
“You would?” Something didn’t sound right, but as she downed that next glass of wine, Emma didn’t care anymore.
“Oh, I totally would. And if you want, I’ll drive you over there myself.”
Mac shook her head. “How the hell do you know—?”
“Dog guy told me,” Jamie snapped while grabbing up a set of keys. “Come on, Em. Let’s go over there so you can give this guy a piece of your mind.”
“Damn right,” Emma snarled, pushing herself up and letting Jamie catch hold of her arm before she hit the floor. “I have a lot I wanna say to that guy Karl.”
“Kyle.”
“Whatever.”
Kyle snarled around the slice of key lime pie he was trying to eat when the knock came again. He didn’t want to see anyone tonight. Then he remembered—his family never knocked.
With a forkful of key lime still in his hand, he walked to the door and opened it. Emma stared up at him, her face angry and her eyes glazed. Behind her stood a black woman Kyle had never seen before. Pretty. Tall. And with the eyes of a predator. She sized Kyle up closely and, after several silent moments, grinned. “Emma’s here to give you a piece of her mind.” She pushed Emma toward him. “Good luck.”
Then she walked off, got in the blue SUV she’d left running in front of his house, and drove off.
“Hey!” Emma reached up and shoved his shoulder. “I wanna talk to you, bub!” She stormed into the house and Kyle watched her. Her friends must have brought her extra clothes. She wore the cutest little shorts and a smallish T-shirt that hugged her breasts perfectly. Other than that, no shoes and no bag.
Kyle closed the door and turned to find Emma standing right in front of him.
She punched his chest with her small fist. “You lied to me, Karl Treharne!”
“It’s Kyle.”
“Did I say I was done talking? Huh?” While standing still, she somehow managed to stumble, bracing herself against his body.
Good Lord in heaven, the woman is drunk off her ass.
“Jamie said I should come over here and tell you exactly how I feel about things. So here I am.”
What should Kyle think about a woman who would dump her drunken friend off on his doorstep in the middle of the night? Other than he would make sure she had whatever she needed for the rest of her life, because she brought him his Emma.
“And you’re going to listen to what I have to say?”
“Yup.”
“Good.”
He held up his fork. “Wanna try?”
She dutifully opened her mouth and he worked hard not to moan out loud while he fed her the bite of his mother’s key lime pie. She shrugged. “That’s good.” Then her expression darkened again. “Don’t try to distract me!”
“Sorry. Go on.”
She stormed into the middle of his living
room. And stood there. For a while.
Kyle placed the fork on the side table. “Emma?”
“What?”
He scratched his head, desperately trying not to laugh. She had to be the most adorable drunk he’d ever seen.
“You have something to say?”
“Don’t rush me, bub. I’ll say it when I’m damn good and ready.”
“Okay. You thirsty? Want something to drink?”
“No. I think those two … or three bottles of wine I drank is enough.”
“That seems like a lot, Emma.”
“Well, Jamie kept pouring.” She took a step to steady herself. “Okay. So what I want to say is … Where are you?”
Where he’d been for the last five minutes. “Behind you.”
Emma spun around and he barely caught her in time. “Stop moving around like that. Must be some damn animal thing.” She pulled away from him. “Anyway, you’re a liar, Kyle Treharne. Sure, I didn’t tell you anything about my Coven, but that’s my prerogative. You, however, should have told me about the freakness that is you. And about this town, which I knew was funky from the get-go. Nobody’s that nice!”
“I know, Emma. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you dare argue with me on this.”
Kyle cleared his throat. “Of course not.”
Taking Emma’s hand, Kyle started walking.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to put you to bed, darlin’. Before you hit the floor and break that pretty nose.”
“I’m not drunk,” she stated right as she walked into the living room wall. “Ow! Dammit! Stop moving the walls around.”
Kyle lifted Emma into his arms. “Sorry about that. Totally my fault.”
“Damn right it is.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his throat. “You smell good, Deputy.”
He practically ran to his bedroom. He needed to get her to sleep soon. Especially with her licking his neck like a kitten. “You taste good, too.”
Kyle practically threw her on the bed.
“What?” she demanded, looking so cute and sexy he didn’t think he’d be able to keep his hands off her if she kept talking … or breathing.
“Nothing. Except you need to go to sleep now, darlin’. For the sake of my sanity.”
“Okay.” Fully dressed, she slipped under the covers and snuggled against the pillow. “I am a little tired.”
Thank God. He knew he couldn’t take much more.
“Stay with me, Kyle.”
“Emma—”
“Please?” She wiggled a bit. “You can spoon me. Preferably naked, please.”
“Okay. But maybe I should keep my clothes—”
“Naked!” she ordered.
With a sigh, Kyle stripped off his sweatpants and got into bed with her.
“Gimme arm,” she slurred. He held his arm out and she wrapped it around her stomach. “Closer. Cock against butt, please.”
“You’re gonna kill me, Emma.”
“In the morning that’s a definite possibility. Right now I don’t think I’m up to it.”
Grinning, Kyle snuggled up close behind her, holding her tight.
“Is that you purring?” she asked.
“Actually, no. That’s you, darlin’.”
“Oh. I didn’t know I could make sounds like that. Hey. Wait a minute. This thing isn’t transm … transmit … transsomething, is it?”
“Transmittable? No. It’s not. You have to be born this way.”
“Are you born furry?”
Kyle kissed her ear to keep himself from laughing at her or being insulted. “Go to sleep, Emma. We’ll talk in the morning.”
“O—” She never finished the “kay” part since she’d already started snoring.
Fourteen
Emma opened her eyes and immediately closed them again. What cruel person would repeatedly stab a knife in her forehead like that? And had the sun moved closer to the Earth? Because that could be the only explanation for the damn thing being so bright.
Soft lips brushed against the back of her neck. A strong hand gently kneaded her breast.
That better be Kyle or I’m going to lose my ever-loving mind.
“Kyle?”
He sort of hummed in answer and she tried opening her eyes again. “Why am I naked?”
Kyle had one arm around her waist, his hand resting against her hip, and he brushed his fingers back and forth over the area, making Emma pretty tingly.
“You woke up in the middle of the night ‘cause all that wine caught up with you. Unfortunately you kind of missed the toilet.” She cringed. “I cleaned everything up, brushed your teeth, then gave us a nice shower. No point in putting your clothes back on after that.”
“Sorry about your bathroom.”
“Don’t worry about it, darlin’. Tully can’t hold his liquor either, but he insists on drinking tequila every once in a while. I had to clean up after him for years so our parents didn’t find out we were out partying.”
“I’m so sorry about last night.” She blamed Jamie for all of it. The woman kept filling up her glass with that overpriced wine, and Emma kept guzzling it.
“Don’t apologize, darlin’. I’m so glad you came over. Whatever the reason.”
Emma pushed Kyle’s arms away and turned over to face him. She had to. His seriously hard cock digging into her back kept distracting her from just about everything.
“So you’re a … a … whatever?”
Propping himself up on one elbow, he smiled at her. “Shifter. Yes. I can shift between human and animal. I come from a really long line of whatevers.”
“What kind are you? I’m guessing ‘cat’ since Tully keeps calling you ‘pussy’.”
Kyle bit back his snarl. “Black leopard.”
Emma cleared her throat, determined to face her fear. “Can I see?”
Watching her closely, Kyle asked, “Are you sure, darlin’?”
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
Kyle shrugged and, as he had in her dream, only in reverse … he shifted from man to cat.
A big-clawed, big-fanged cat.
Giving off a panicked squeal, Emma didn’t even realize she’d covered her face with the sheet. “Go back! Go back!”
After she got herself under control, she peeked over the sheet. Kyle—human Kyle—lay right where he’d been, trying really hard not to laugh at her.
She shuddered a bit. “Well … that was interesting.”
“It’s okay, Emma.”
“No. It’s not. I’m not usually this big a pus … uh … wimp.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
She would? She’d be there long enough to get used to it? Apparently Kyle thought so, and, to her surprise, she wasn’t inclined to argue with him about it.
“Do you like being this way?” she asked, trying not to obsess while in bed, naked, with a gorgeous male who wanted her.
“I can’t imagine any other way to be. What about you? Do you like what you do?”
“Well, that’s just a religious choice. It’s not like I’m not human or anything.”
“Really?” He raised an eyebrow. “Emma, I saw what y’all did to the street.”
“That was more Jamie. I simply ripped her power from her to make it happen.”
Kyle laughed and lay back against the bed. “Oh, is that all you did?”
“Don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m not. I’m just always fascinated by how you never see yourself the way the rest of us do.”
Plucking at the sheet covering them both, she asked softly, “What do you see?”
“Me?” He reached over and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her onto his lap so she draped over him. “I see a hot little minx with no idea of the power she holds. A woman who can control lightning and turn it into a lethal weapon. A witch whose Coven scares my own father, who ain’t ever been scared of a damn thing in his life.” He pushed her hair o
ff her face. “I see you, Emma. And I like what I see. A lot.”
She blushed. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Everyone else only saw the dependable, reliable, boring Emma. The Volvo. It seemed like Kyle saw the sporty, bright red, two-door convertible Audi she had buried underneath.
Kyle kissed her forehead. Trailed his lips over each eye and down her nose. His mouth neared her lips and she blurted out, “I have a headache.”
Blinking, Kyle pulled back and looked at her. “Oh. Okay. I’m sorry.”
She frowned at him in confusion, then she realized how he must have interpreted her statement. “No. No. I mean … I have a headache.” Emma swallowed back her insecurity. “When I have headaches I sometimes find that … uh … certain activities make them go away.”
“Certain activities?”
“Yes. Activities normally done alone, but a partner could actually be a big help and a lot more fun.”
After a brief moment, Kyle grinned. “You mean the activity of giving yourself carpal tunnel?”
“I told you I got that from typing.”
“Sure you did, darlin’.”
Kyle eased her onto her back, his body held tight against hers. “Now let’s see if old Kyle can help you out with that little headache of yours.”
She giggled. “You are such a good old boy.”
“That I am, darlin’. That I am.” He kissed his way down her body, paying special attention to all her favorite little hot spots. Licking and nipping here and there. Eventually his head disappeared under the white sheet, and she bit her lip. She had never seen anything sexier than that man slipping beneath the covers to go down on her.
Kyle’s hot tongue swiped long and slow up her pussy, the tip teasing her clit. Oh, and she’d never felt anything better, either. Christ, the man had a way with his tongue. Must be a cat thing.
Emma reached back and gripped the headboard as Kyle took another long, luxurious swipe.
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