“I’ll leave you to it,” Camille said. He could hear her smile, but didn’t look at her. He didn’t want to take his eyes off the tiger in front of him. “Bianca,” she said more sternly, and Luke heard the other woman titter nervously. Now that was a proper response to have when faced with a tiger. Not the odd desire to run his fingers through her fur.
The tiger moved away, turning and disappearing into the real fake woods that dominated the warehouse. Just before she disappeared into the treeline, she looked back over her shoulder, almost as if she was taking a long lingering look at Luke. Something about the large amber eyes had him feeling like she was staring into his soul and beyond what he showed to the outside.
Slowly, he realised her should be following, and moved into the woods, surprised by the sounds that assailed him. He hadn't really expected it to be so alive, but there were birds twittering in the trees, and he was certain he heard a monkey. Lifting his camera without thinking, he began to take photos, with each new angle revealing more and more secrets about the place he'd found himself in. There were animals everywhere, and the large sunroof of the warehouse let natural light filter through and illuminate the colourful flowers and trees. It was almost like he wasn't in the centre of a large city. Almost like he was lost in a true rainforest. Not for the first time, Luke found himself wishing that he could travel the world like that. Photographing the things he wanted to, rather than the things that made him the money he needed to live on.
He must have take hundreds of photos without even thinking about it, lost in the moment and the beauty surrounding him, but the one creature that seemed to be alluding him was the tiger. He didn't know where she'd gone, but was looking everywhere for her.
A flash of dark hair caught his eye, and he pivoted, raising his camera and hitting the button, snapping a shot before he realised what he was doing. Dropping it back down, he stared in shock as he realised the hair belonged to Camille's friend. Dana, he reminded himself. Not only that, but she appeared to be naked. He crept forward as quietly as possible, but even so, she heard, and turned around to face him, the surrounding leaves covering most of her from view. Instead of looking shocked at him discovering her, she smiled once, before disappearing and being replaced by the same powerful beast he'd been admiring before. Answering why he hadn't found the tiger yet, but not why he was so drawn towards her.
4
Dana was careful to move slowly enough through the forest that Luke would be able to follow. His reaction to her in animal form almost convinced her that Camille could be right, and that he could be the one for her. His almost mindless following had her nearly completely convinced too. Which meant there was just one thing left to do.
She left the wooded area and padded back down the corridor, hoping that Jesse hadn't arrived yet and been whisked off to her office by Camille. Actually, she really hoped that hadn't happened, she didn't want those kind of images in her mind.
Using her head to nudge open the door, she was pleased to discover the office was empty. Least it was a nightmare free zone for her tonight. She turned around and stared at the door, waiting for exactly three seconds for Luke to walk through the door, camera still around his neck. She gave him a pointed look, which seemed to work, as he removed the camera and placed it carefully on the shelves behind him.
She smiled inwardly, and transformed back, what she had planned really wouldn't be possible if she was shifted. Well, it would be possible. But it would also be super weird. And she didn't have any plans on ever trying it.
Luke's eyes dilated as he drank her in, making her feel surprisingly exposed given how comfortable she felt in her naked skin. He took a single step forward, but that was all Dana let him do and she closed the space between them, getting up on her toes and pressing a kiss to his lips. He seemed taken aback at first, but he was soon kissing her back, pulling her closer with a firm hand on her lower back. Dana moaned, not having felt like this in years. If ever. She raised one of her hands and pressed against his hard muscled chest, making him walk backwards until his legs hit the desk, sitting down so that he was perching on it. So much for Camille defiling it. That would never work if Dana got there first. Or at least she hoped not, she didn't want Jesse thinking about what she was about to do.
She broke the kiss, and glanced down, disappointed to see that Luke's clothes hadn't magically disappeared. "You're a witch right?" she asked huskily, aware that they probably shouldn't be the first thing she said given the situation.
"Yes," he answered, a slightly questioning note in his voice, but Dana chose to ignore it.
"Make them disappear." She was sure that the predator side of her was shining through her eyes. It had to be with her tiger so close to the surface, purring loudly in satisfaction. Luke chuckled slightly, but clicked his fingers causing yellow sparks to dance across his clothing and for it to reappear neatly folded next to his camera. Safe to say that Dana was looking forward to making use of that talent.
She pressed herself against him again, the warmth of his chest against hers doing funny things to her insides. Dana liked sex. Hell, she was a shifter. All shifters liked sex but this already felt like something different. Like there was more to it. Like there was no going back after this moment. She pushed the thought aside. Now wasn't the time.
Luke's hands began to roam, leaving a trail of fire where ever they touched. There was nothing quite like this, it was truly magical.
He stood and spun them around, lifting Dana up so that she was the one sat on the desk. Her legs fell open naturally and he stepped between them, bringing them closer together again. He tipped her head back with a gentle finger under her chin and met her gaze, his eyes flaring slightly almost like he had a predator inside him too. He leaned down, and initiated another kiss, all while trailing one of his hands up the outside of her thigh. Something tingled, almost like there were sparks playing against her skin. Her eyes flew open and she pulled back slightly, and glanced down, seeing that there were in fact spark dancing across her bare skin.
"Are you doing that on purpose?" she asked softly. Luke shook his head.
"No. I can't stop them."
"Oh." She didn't have other words. She knew what the sparks meant. She was sure he did too.
"Are you okay with this?" he asked, his voice so low that it rumbled through her.
"I don't think I have a choice." She smiled to soften her words, not wanting him to be insulted.
"That's true." He chuckled, making her even more aware of how close together they were at this moment.
"So I say we go for it." She looked up at him, her eyes wide and hopefully betraying the desire she was feeling. It was so much more than she'd ever felt before.
"I'm not exactly going to say no." He glanced down between them before looking back at her with a cheeky grin on his face. She followed his gaze, finding proof that he was as willing to carry on as she was.
"Good." She closed her hand around his wrist and pulled his hand inwards, moving it to where she wanted it the most. He took the hint, and slipped his hand between her legs, gently pushing his fingers into her. Dana tipped her head back, her long dark hair tickling her lower back and only adding to the sensations building around her. Though that could be the sparks. Yep, probably the sparks. If he carried on doing what he was doing, there was no way she was going to last, and with the urge to bite growing stronger by the second, she knew she had to move this along a bit.
Impatiently, she fumbled between their bodies, taking him firmly in her hand and eliciting a long groan from him. A self-satisfied smile crossed Dana’s face, especially as he manoeuvred until he was pressed against her. She bucked forward, enjoying the intensity of the moment when the two of them joined.
They fell into a natural rhythm without saying a word, the silence only being broken by a series of grunts and moans that only served to push Dana closer to the edge. She wanted this. She could almost reach out and touch this. Her teeth lengthened in her mouth and she gave in to possibly
her most basic urge, sinking her sharpened teeth into his neck as bright sparks engulfed her and the room, taking her to heights she’d never experienced before.
5
Luke snapped photos absent-mindedly as the models struck their poses. This bit was second nature to him, he’d been a photographer long enough to be able to capture models in the best light without really needing to pay attention. Plus, if he needed to, he could use his magic in order to give him a helping hand, though he’d rather not.
Then again, he couldn’t seem to get images of the past half hour out of his head. He was under no illusions, he knew what the involuntary sparks meant, Ethan had told him, and he guessed that her bite meant something similar. Alright, he knew it did. Shifters were no where near as secretive as they thought they were.
Which meant that Luke had come here today thinking he was just going to do a job, and ended up meeting his mate. He smiled to himself as he snapped more pictures. He could think of worse days. Far worse days.
“Hey handsome,” Bianca attempted to purr, but failed miserably. Or maybe she didn’t. But having heard real purrs coming from Dana, it was difficult to take her attempt seriously.
“Hi, Bianca,” he answered by rote, not pulling his attention away from the thoughts going around his head, nor from snapping the photos he was supposed to be taking. He didn’t even glance to the side at the woman, who he now knew had to be a paranormal of some kind. Though not a shifter he imagined. If she was, surely she’d have sensed Dana’s claim on him and left alone? He thought it worked that way anyway. Now he wasn’t quite so sure.
“Ready to take my photo?” Her voice was low, and he figured that she was trying to be sultry. Too bad it wasn’t going to work. Though he’d be first to admit that it would have done a few months ago, but ever since Ethan and Eliza settled down, he’d wanted something more than the meaningless flings with models he’d been having.
“Why don’t you go join the others?” he asked, letting go of the camera with one hand so that he could wave towards the three other models that were posing around the clearing in the wood.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather do a private shoot?” she asked again, and he had to wonder why she was trying so hard. It was a little odd.
“No,” he said at the same time as a low growl sounded behind him. He didn’t need to look to know that Dana was back, he could feel her presence in a way he couldn’t describe. She was near and it called to something inside him. He liked it if he was honest.
Clearly having heard the blatant threat, Bianca scampered over to where the other models were and began to strike a pose. He had to give it to Dana, she had her models well trained. Or was that down to Camille? While she was all sunshine and bubbles on the outside, Luke had no doubt that his best friend’s sister-in-law was a force to be reckoned with. She was Eliza’s sister after all.
“I don’t like her,” Dana muttered.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” he responded, lifting his camera and taking more photos as he did. As much as he wanted to look at her, he still had a job to do, and he was damn well going to do it, even if the feel of her near was already distracting me.
“She smells wrong.” He gave in, and looked at her, surprised to see that Dana was frowning. She didn’t seem like the kind of person who frowned often. And he didn’t like it. Not one bit. He didn’t think he ever would. She was his, and that meant it was his job to make her smile every damn day.
“In what way? Like a wrong species kind of thing?” he asked, wondering just how acute shifter senses were. He’d heard rumours, but that didn’t mean anything for the most part. There were also rumours that a witch’s familiar would never appear in front of anyone else, and he now knew that was wrong. Garfield would likely appear in front of Dana now. He tittered inwardly, still amused that he’d named his familiar Garfield in a fit of something when he was eighteen and the feline had first appeared.
“No, I already knew she’s a vampire. She couldn’t have got the job without telling me.”
“So everyone here is-”
“Please,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “As if you hadn’t worked that out already.”
“Well yes, but that doesn’t explain her smelling odd.” He snapped a photo of the subject of their conversation, noticing how Bianca’s eyes didn’t leave him at all. But it didn’t look like the same sultry expression that he’d noticed from her earlier, instead, this looked almost calculating.
“I don’t know,” Dana said again, sounding down. He stopped paying attention to the models and turned to her properly, slipping an arm around her waist and dropping a quick kiss on her cheek, all of which felt as natural as ripping her clothes off earlier. Well, there’d been no clothes to rip off, but the intent was still there.
“We’ll be careful around her,” he reassured her, not completely sure what he was reassuring her about.
“Okay.” She looked up at him, her wide amber eyes still holding a concerned edge, but there was something else there too. Something that made him feel as if she truly believed him.
6
Dana pushed her hand through her long dark hair, sighing as she attempted to focus on the paperwork that she really should be doing. Instead, all she could think about was the sensation of sinking her teeth into Luke’s neck as yellow sparks crackled around them. She knew what that meant, and that thinking about him was totally normal, but she wasn’t used to having her attention torn in two. Normally, she could easily concentrate on whatever was at hand, whether it was working on her charity, or for the Shifter Council, or even the little work she had to do to keep the money rolling in. Now, all she could focus on was the strong set of Luke’s shoulders and the raw passion that’d been on his face both when he was with her, and when he was taking photos. A passion that she was sure had nothing to do with the beautiful models. In fact, he’d almost seemed more alive photographing the animals earlier than he had the models. Though maybe that was down to Bianca, the conniving little snake. Dana had never liked her, but she wasn’t the kind of person to turn someone away from a job just because of her gut feeling. One day, she might come to regret that, but not yet.
She pushed the papers away, almost giving up on what she needed to do. She just couldn't concentrate, so what was the point of really trying? Her phone pinged, and she pulled it out of her pocket, smiling when she saw the name on the screen. Damn, she was falling fast. Well, given the whole mating thing, she supposed that she'd already fallen. She read the rest of the text and was pushing her chair back before she'd properly finished, unsure whether she was more excited about the idea of seeing Luke, or seeing the photos that he promised in his text.
She pulled up outside the address that he'd given, surprised to find that it was just a house. She'd been expecting some kind of fancy studio, maybe with an olde world sign outside in the shape of a Polaroid camera or something like that.
Instead, the house was pretty standard looking, but clearly well maintained. She got out of her car, and walked slowly up the garden path, anticipation welling up inside her. While she was here for business reasons, she knew that there'd be more going on. It would be impossible for her to keep her hands away from Luke once she saw him, of that she was certain.
Before she could knock, the door swung open, revealing the object of her thoughts standing in the doorway in a pair of well-fitting jeans and a t-shirt that left nothing to the imagination. She licked her lips, no, she definitely wouldn't be able to keep her hands to herself, and from the hungry look in his eyes, he didn't plan to do that either.
"Hi," he said huskily, reaching out an arm and pulling her towards him. She went willingly, and he lowered his head to hers, capturing her lips in a kiss so sweet she'd have hated seeing anyone else get it. Up until meeting Luke, she'd have hated being on the receiving end too, but with him, it felt right. "Sorry, I couldn't help it," he said as he pulled away.
"That's okay," she muttered, only half aware of what was going on. Damn, he
did something to her that she couldn't even try to explain. It made her feel like one of the love struck women in films or books, which was odd. She'd never been that kind of woman.
"Ready to see some photos?" His voice remained low and intimate, not breaking the moment between them. She nodded, and he whisked her into the house. Without breaking the contact between them, he steered her down a simple, yet clearly well maintained hall and into an extensive room filled with an eerie glow. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust and for her to realise that this must be his dark room. She looked around, taking in the photos everywhere. Most of them were of the photo shoot they'd done, and almost all of them were of the shifters in animal form, which surprised her slightly.
"They're all-"
"Yes, it's my true passion. I wish I could do it more," he cut her off.
"Then why don't you?" she asked, leaving his arms for the first time so that she could properly look at the photos surrounding her. He'd captured such stunning shots that it was hard to believe they hadn't been in the wild, especially given that the animals in question were shifters, and so didn't have all the characteristics their animal counterparts would. Yet Luke had somehow managed to change that. These looked like real creatures. Luke followed her around, studying the photos alongside her.
"It doesn't pay well unfortunately. And my family aren't particularly wealthy, so I started working things like weddings and formal shoots. I guess eventually I just forgot my passion. Until you," he glanced sideways at her.
"Me?"
"Yes, your photo shoot, walking through the woods, and feeling the excitement and the connection...even though I knew that all the animals were shifters, it just felt so much more real than when I photograph people. I don't know, it's hard to explain."
The Paranormal Council Complete Series 1-5 Page 22