Cuffed and Mated
Magically Mated, Book Three
PENELOPE WYLDE
Copyright Notice
Copyright © 2019 Penelope Wylde. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to [email protected]
http:/www.penelopewylde.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Edited by Em Petrova
Cover Designer: Bookin’ It Designs
Contents
Title
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Hard Irish Mobster: Chapter 1
Books by Penelope
Mailing List
About Penelope
Deliciously forbidden.
Simply scandalous.
Utterly magical.
He's the sheriff next door. You know the type. Broody, alpha AF and sinfully gorgeous. The man is six foot plus of hard muscle, has arms made for holding me close and have mercy on my soul can he fill out a uniform in all the right ways.
And he wants every inch of me for himself.
As for me, well, I'm the witch with a filthy mind wanting to put his cuffs to good use.
From our first stolen kiss, we knew our feverish lust-filled attraction was forbidden by both his pack law and my Silver Circle, but our fates had other plans.
Werewolf and witch never mix, blah blah blah. I'm a clairvoyant and See a future as clear as the cauldron at my feet and that future is prowling toward me with a filthy grin, dirty promises glittering in his eyes and set of cuffs in his hand.
Try to say no to that, I dare you.
Between you and me, I can't wait to be cuffed and mated!
Author’s Naughty Note: Have a taste for something magical and utterly filthy sweet? This one is for you! Grab the Halloween candy and settle in for Cuffed and Mated. It's slightly over the top, sweet yet dirty friends-to-lovers, small-town alpha shifter romance. As always this is safe with a HEA & NO CHEATING!
Chapter One
Strong arms cradled Aleaha snug against a broad, firm chest. The thick smell of pine stroked along her senses in a sensual tease. She recognized his scent and loved the way it aroused her inner vixen. It reminded her of the long night they’d spent together not long ago.
The woodsy and earthy aroma had soothed her then as much as it did now. It calmed and excited the earth witch in her right down to the deepest parts of her soul. She daydreamed about him and the way he caressed her curves with heated glances from afar. How his expression lit up with a simple smile from her.
Aleaha buried herself deeper into the welcomed warmth of his body and didn’t dare break the spell by opening her eyes. Not just yet.
When she couldn’t hold back any longer, curiosity tilted her head back an inch for a better look at the man holding her. Her heart swelled with awe, then bottomed out as if she stepped off a cliff to freefall.
His stubble-covered jawline, long lashes and kissable, pillowy lips so close to hers caused her body to flush with more than just heated excitement. Anticipation flooded her veins and she wanted another hit of whatever he did to make her feel so lightheaded.
He was her drug.
In contrast to the strength that engulfed her, his gentle touch eased her nerves and she let out a slow sigh.
He completely stole her breath away.
Goddesses divine, I’ve died and found my own Nirvana.
Cool air whooshed over them to play in the wisps of her hair. Tension knotted in her gut and the once soft undertones of the moment melted away to reveal despair, but for what she couldn’t tell. She only knew it came from him.
Heavy fog coiled around their feet, the thick wafts of vapor blocking out the shafts of moonlight that poured over them moments before.
She tightened her arms around his broad shoulders and flicked her gaze to his. The world could be on fire and in crumbled ruin all around her, but when she looked into his eyes, she felt safe. His bright crimson-tinged eyes drank her in with an intensity she’d never witnessed before and anchored her firm in this moment in time.
Then Rebel Donovan spoke.
It was on the cusp of her hearing and she had to strain, but she recognized his silky baritone. “Forever mine,” he said.
She angled her head and strained to make out the words as they floated along the air as if separated by more than just distance. As if time stood between them like an impenetrable cloak determined to keep them apart.
Serpentine tendrils of magic burst out of the encroaching darkness to weave a glittery silver web around them, tying them together. The interlocked threads spiraled and tightened their hold, and something told her destiny wanted a say in this suspended moment in time as well.
Rebel leaned closer and brushed the tips of their noses together, caressing the gentle slope of her neck with his knuckles until he encased her shoulder in a firm hold. “Take me now and forever. Say you will, please put my wolf and me at ease. Say yes.” The words morphed and shifted until they hit her all at once. Tender, yet she noted the fear that edged along the fringes of his plea.
With the slightest tilt of his head, Rebel captured her mouth with his in a feverish kiss. What started out as a sensual brush of his lips against hers, quickly transformed into a claiming, soul-searing claiming of her mouth.
A soft, warm caress of his tongue against her lower lip prompted her to open for him. Strong fingers buried into her loose hair. Her mouth fell open and he took advantage of her surprise by taking their kiss deeper. If she could describe the raw, carnal need that ignited within her, the possessive way he sought to claim every crevice of her mouth, she’d say fiercely desperate. As if he was afraid she would slip away from him if he didn’t show her how he felt right here, right now.
The same need he pulled from her.
But why? Didn’t he know she’d do anything to be by his side forever?
Heat surged through her veins until every nerve in her body flared to life from his touch. Knots tightened deep in her belly and her nipples pebbled against his bare chest as a low growl rumbled along their connected bodies.
Aleaha ran her hands around his front and anchored her palms against his taut muscle. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She loved the way he felt beneath her fingers. So masculine and he had the kind of chiseled muscles that all wet dreams should be made of because hers definitely were.
Rebel pulled back, breaking their kiss so fast a small whimper escaped her lips. “Don’t be scared.” Emotion roughened his plea. Gently he tilted her face away from him with the pad of his thumb before she could ask what she should be afraid of.
Pain tunneled through her body, hit bottom and backtracked, locking every muscle in place and forced her eyes shut against the pain as teeth broke skin.
Small breaths shuddered from her as she forced back tears. Bitter cold unfurled over her and robbed her body of any warmth.
Pitch black pushed out any traces of th
e silvery swaths of light. Suddenly the world spun and she freefell into the ether. The last thing she saw was her wolf, his lips stained red and eyes luminous with an ethereal blue.
“Now and forever, you’re mine.”
***
Aleaha clutched her stomach and dragged in a lungful of warm herb-scented air. Her vision slowly returned, bringing her apothecary shop into focus. Low light cast a heavy shadow across multiple shelves filled with everything from homemade candles and scented oils to the more powerful ingredients such as wards against black magic and everything in between.
Kneeling, she leaned forward to regain her strength. Each time a powerful vision barged in, her powers took a heavy hit that brought about the unwanted aftereffect of feeling nauseous.
Her shoulders slumped and she hung her head trying to regain her composure.
Sometimes the visions she witnessed on top of her inherited psychic abilities turned out to be more of a curse with claws hiding in the dark ready to jump out at her just for kicks and giggles than a gift like her mom and aunts called it.
Hands braced on her thighs, she eyeballed the mess before her. Every container of dry herbs and crystal potion bottles she had gathered in her arms to stow away now lay at her feet scattered across the wooden floor creating a smelly mess. When her powers decided to hit they didn’t care if she was in the middle of crossing a street, ready to climb a ladder or in the shower.
Not that her frozen dinner for one ranked high on her to-do list, but she’d hoped to get everything put away and head home for the weekend before the big snowstorm hit.
Plus, she couldn’t forget about her dragon guests due to arrive at any time. She peered out the window at the churning snow. By the looks of it, she could probably count on spending yet another night in the back room. Mucking several blocks back to her apartment in that bitterly cold weather didn’t appeal. Not when Rebel wouldn’t be there to warm her body up.
Shaking off her irritation, she gathered her hair in a high bun and took in the fresh mess her impromptu vision had caused.
Crushed lavender mingled with yarrow to create a purple and soft golden-hued nebula with a dusting of dried jasmine throughout that served as makeshift stars. It would have been pretty at some other time.
Tingles ran across the bridge of her nose and then tickled the back of her throat. Great—just what she needed.
Aleaha grabbed for her stash of tissues hidden beneath the counter for when the natural ingredients played havoc with her sinuses. Kind of ironic for an earth witch, but that was fate doing the kicks and giggles thing again.
Luckily, none of the liquid tubes had broken open in their tumble to the hardwood. If her ill-gained vial of dragon’s blood had cracked even a sliver and mixed with the Fae tears, she’d have some explaining to do when the Silver Circle when they came calling.
The combination created one helluva potent potion that only warlocks and witches practicing black magic created. The moment the blood and tears of the two creatures collided a wave of energy would release like a pulse that every witch within miles would feel. If that happened, it had the potential to set their entire collective of people back by a few hundred years to the times of the Witches and Weres war. No way in hell she wanted to be responsible for reopening that wound. So, yeah, you could bet your broomstick and cauldron the Circle would be slightly miffed with her if that ever happened. They were already on their high horses with her coven sister, having stripped her of all the powers the goddess donned on her at birth. No need to redirect more of their attention their way.
She huffed. Even now, lying side by side, the shifter blood swirled and bubbled within its glass enclosure, ready to crack open the glass and continue the feud it seemed. Dated history between the two otherworldlies would take hours to unravel and it still wouldn’t make any sense to outsiders, but long story short, bad blood separated the two and spanned several centuries. When hatred went as deep as blood, only death would end the row and she had no intention of getting in the middle of that war or stirring the cauldron and reopening old wounds. Bad enough witches were still prohibited in mating shifters.
The blood in her veins rushed and her body tingled with the thought of one person.
The sheriff. The man who stole her heart and body.
And a werewolf.
Chapter Two
A palpable thrum pulsed through the shop. Residual magic from the spell work with her coven sisters only a couple of hours before hung heavy in the air, heightened by the power flowing along the ley lines. The ancient magical lines that crisscrossed the planet fed into every otherworldly being and served much like a car battery, especially for spells cast on or near them. On night like tonight where the veil between the worlds thinned, a witch could expect to crank the power of their spell by one hundredfold.
Witches celebrated the turn of each season for this reason, and tonight the winter solstice began at the stroke of midnight meaning the power would only ramp up from here.
Focus. She dipped her head and she took a slow, steady breath, still shaky from her vision.
Like her coven sisters, she learned as a young witch how to siphon a little off the top from the ley lines to restore her spent energy.
Closing her eyes she sighed when currents flowed along her arms, up her chest and absorbed into her body. Twenty-two years and she still had not mastered the control she needed over the intrusion of her overpowering visions that came with blackout side effects and normally at the oddest of times.
When her psychic powers had something to say, they didn’t wait for her to get comfortable. They barreled through and she’d better be ready to listen.
Tonight had been different, though. Something felt off about the fierceness of what she witnessed, and she couldn’t ignore the absolute powerless feeling that came over while in Rebel’s arms. It all sat heavy in the pit of her stomach. She needed more details, but she couldn’t exactly command another vision to happen.
Or could she?
Aleaha sat back on her heels. The images had been so real. So… sensual and ardent. Possessive and claiming.
She could still feel the contours of his unyielding muscles, the way his chest felt pressed against her cheek. With how fresh it all felt to her senses, maybe she could call back the vision.
Rebel’s pine and fresh air scent lingered all around her and gave a rise to her heartbeat even now. Smells and sensations usually hung around a while after a vision. She was used to that, but this one stirred deep emotions within her that hit close to home.
The question is why?
She pushed to her knees and started gathering the tiny multi-colored teardrop bottles when his wispy words came back to her.
“Take me now and forever. Say you will, please put my wolf and me at ease. Say yes.”
What did they mean? Neither of them had said a word about taking their ardent affair beyond several lust-filled nights of passion, but the way he held her tight and cared for her those nights made a girl want to wake up to morning sex and toe-curling orgasms on a regular basis.
She let out a huff of frustration at the lack of detail her vision showed. On the best of days, it was a love-hate relationship with her psychic abilities. Helping friends, loved ones, and those in need brought a calm happiness to her life. But, there were days she could leave it all behind. Witnessing the future for others came at a personal cost that kept her from peering into her own, even in passing.
In order for her powers to work, she had to make a personal sacrifice and that was no peering into her own future.
It’s why she wondered what she had witnessed—her future with Rebel or Rebel with another.
One thing was for damn sure, she needed to see more.
She placed the potion bottles on the counter and crossed the hardwood floor to draw the curtains closed over the front display windows and flip the sign to closed. Cold metal tumbled over several times and signaled the deadbolt had slid home.
There were three things
Aleaha knew she shouldn’t do.
Playing with magic ranked up there with misusing dragon’s blood, and the third on her list was letting her clairvoyant gift ‘accidentally’ foretell her own future. Besides, unlike her clients, she never wanted to know what the future had in store for her.
Until tonight.
“Never say never,” she mumbled to herself.
Her brows pinched and she bit at her inner lip. The gray area that existed for all things magical and the rules that surrounded them needed a little bending every now and again, in her opinion.
Her mouth kicked up in a half-grin. Except the dragon’s blood thing. She turned the vial of crimson liquid over in her hand considering it for long moments.
She’d performed a civil duty by confiscating the illegal vial of blood from an unsuspecting young human woman last night at the request of the dragon shifters. What harm could there be in taking a little bit for her own use before the dragons came to collect their missing property?
Something told her when they found out, hell would rain down over the unfortunate young human trading the shifter’s blood. Aleaha glanced at the clock. Just enough time if she hurried. They would know she used the vial of blood, but the sexy winged devils owed her for recovering their stolen property in the first place, but she couldn’t help but wonder the danger the human would be in for stealing their blood in the first place.
They could kill her. Or, maybe they would claim the girl and make her pay in other ways. Dragons did like their treasures.
From the stories she’d heard women never saw them as a threat coming from a species of shifters that were in all honesty, crafted to make any women’s fantasies a reality. It was how the witches had used them in the war so long ago. It was easy to defeat the enemy when they were otherwise occupied.
Shameful and it made her sick to think about it, but it was the truth. Way back when, Dragon shifters were nothing more than enslaved bouncers of the supernatural world and used as sex slaves for bartering with the humans whenever it suited the needs of the Silver Circle. Times might have changed, but their nature was still the same.
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