"I'm glad I could do that for you, but-"
"You don't want me anymore," he finished, glancing the other way to hide the odd expression on his face.
"No, not at all. I was going to say but that's not really your dream. Photographing shifters isn't the same as photographing in the wild."
"How do you know that?" he asked, looking back at her, a raw but hopeful look in his eyes.
"I don't." She shrugged, it was true, her photography skills extended to the odd selfie and nothing more. "But I do know that being in the wild is completely different than being in a wood in a warehouse."
"How do you know that?"
"Well I'm guessing it's the same as shifting at home and shifting in the wild," she said.
"I wouldn't know." He chuckled.
"You will soon," she said quietly.
"What?"
"Didn't you know? Non-shifters tend to be able to shift after a few months."
"They do?" His eyes widened and Dana smiled, nodding. "You mean I'll be able to shift into a tiger?"
"Yes," she said, laughing and wrapping her arms around his waist and looking up at him adoringly. Yes, she'd fallen hard and fast, and she couldn't bring herself to regret a moment of it.
"When will I be able to do it?" He smiled down at her, a playful look crossing his face.
"I don't know. Millie can't shift yet, but that's not been that long-"
"Are you saying that Camille is going to be able to shift soon?" He looked horrified, causing giggles to well up within Dana.
"Unless she's lying about being mated to my brother, yes."
"Camille as a tiger. There's a scary thought."
"You know her well?" Dana asked. She knew that Camille knew of Luke, she'd been the one to get him to do their shoot after all, but she hadn't realised they knew each other well.
"Kind of, she's the little sister of my best friend's mate. And I've known Eliza almost as long as I've known Ethan, so a fair while."
"Is now a good time to tell you that my Mum likes to have family dinner every Saturday?" Dana hadn't been planning on telling him about it this week, mating to meeting the parent in a matter of three days had seemed too much, yet somehow it slipped out.
"As in tomorrow?" She nodded in response. "I look forward to it." He leaned down and kissed her, removing any lingering doubts that there wasn't something real between them.
"Shall we take this somewhere else?" she asked huskily once they'd broken apart.
"Come with me."
Maybe she should have felt bad that they weren't doing what they were supposed to be doing. And that the photos weren't being checked. But then again, if she'd gone with her normal photographer, nothing would have been ready until next week, so delaying by an hour or so wouldn't hurt. Well, more than an hour if Dana got her way. And she really hoped that she did.
7
He hadn't intended for them to stay in bed all night. In fact, he'd intended to show her the rest of the photos from the shoot. He'd actually developed the ones with models in them first so that he could savour the ones he truly cared about. With one exception. The photo he’d taken of Dana just before she shifted was his favourite. The moment he’d seen it developed, he’d known that he needed a large print to hang in his room, even if he did hope to have the real woman waking up in his bed every morning.
Thinking of her, he turned to see her sprawled across the bed, the sheet only barely covering her. He laid back, relaxing into the cushions, reflecting on how happy he’d be doing this for the rest of his life. It was a good job she was his now. That way he wouldn’t have to ever be rid of her.
“Morning,” she murmured, not opening her eyes. Luke smiled. She threw an arm over her face as if to shield her from the sun.
“Not a morning person?” he asked, playfully swatting at her.
“Not when I’ve been up all night,” she replied, not moving a muscle.
“I didn’t hear you complaining. In fact, I remember you saying ‘yes, more Luke, please’,” he teased. She lifted her arm, her amused amber eyes now fully awake.
“If you’re offering.” She smirked, which Luke took as an invitation. He tugged on one of her ankles, and she shifted slightly so she was more in the middle of the bed, the sheet falling away and leaving her completely bare to his gaze. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, no trace of sleep left in them.
“Always,” he said, dipping his head and kissing the inside of her calf. He moved upwards slowly, tracing his hands up her skin and enjoying how her breathing hitched. Gently, he nipped at the soft skin of her thigh, causing Dana to thread her hand through his hair and tug, urging him inwards. He chuckled, loving her impatience and caving to her demands. There was very little he could deny her, even if he wanted to.
He pressed his mouth to her, and she arched off the bed, making odd mewling noises that almost sounded like the noise a cat would make. Though he supposed that would make sense. He could’ve sworn he’d heard her purring in the middle of the night. Maybe he’d find himself doing it in a couple of months.
“Please, Luke, please,” she mumbled, her words barely coherent through her panting. He smiled to himself and glanced up the length of her sprawled body, enjoying the sight before him. He hoped he’d never get enough of her.
Her hands loosened on his hair, and he used the moment to pull away, crawling up her body so that he was hovering above her. With her dark hair sprawled across his pillows, and the glazed look in her eyes, she looked like they’d just finished rather than were just starting.
“Why’d you stop?” she slurred.
“So I could do this,” he whispered, leaning down and capturing her lips with his. She kissed him back hungrily and pushed her body up and against his, stopping the kiss but not their connection. He moved his hand between their bodies, all sense of the slow build and anticipation waned as he guided himself into her. She moaned low in her throat, giving Luke another idea.
Using what little concentration he had left, he summoned sparks onto his hand. He touched the skin of her arm and watched in awe as they left him and travelled down the length of both of their bodies, leaving an intense tingling sensation in their wake. There was a lot of fun that the two of them could have with those.
He soon lost himself in the moment, and the feel of her skin against his as they moved to a beat all their own.
“Dana,” he ground out through his pants, and she turned to let her eyes meet his. She held his gaze, and so much more than mere attraction passed between them, until she tipped her head back and let out a long drawn out groan, her body shuddering around him as she took him with her into bliss.
8
“I know that look.”
Dana spun around, only half surprised to find her best friend leaning in the doorway of her office, a smug expression on her face.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about Millie,” she muttered by way of reply.
“Please. Yesterday’s clothes, sex hair, the slightly dreamy look on your face...good night?” Camille stepped forward before dropping into the chair opposite Dana.
“Yes,” she conceded, knowing that there was no way for her to win this one, especially given that her friend was right. “What are you even doing here? It’s a Saturday right?”
“Wow, Luke really must have muddled your brain. Yes, it’s Saturday.” Camille laughed, clearly enjoying Dana’s predicament. “I’m looking for you actually. Your Mum says she’s been trying to text you about whether you’re coming alone tonight or not. I told her not, hope you don’t mind.”
“You did what?” Dana’s eyes widened as she took in the witch relaxing in her chair, not the slightest bit concerned that she’d revealed to Dana’s mother that she was mated.
“Your Mum asked where you were, I said with Luke. She worked out the rest. I mean come on Dana, it’s not hard. You never spend time with any guys.” Her friend gave her a knowing look.
“That’s not true,” she protested weakly.
“Isn’t it? Before Luke, when was the last time?”
Dana thought back, but pulled up a blank. That couldn’t be right, she was a shifter. Her kind just didn’t go that long between partners, it helped soothe the inner beast. “I don’t really know.”
“Thought not.”
“So I take it that was you watching outside earlier?” Dana asked, changing tack in a vain attempt to steer the conversation.
“No, I just got here.” Camille frowned. “Why, was someone out there?”
“I don’t know, just felt like someone was watching, is all. Probably my imagination.” Dana shrugged, trying to push the sensation from her mind. She’d been feeling it a bit since she’d left Luke’s earlier, and hadn’t been able to fully shake it.
“Erm hate to point this out, but you’re a predator. If you’re sensing something it’s probably there.”
“Maybe it’s just your witchiness messing with my normal senses,” she said, not even believing herself. That didn’t feel like the right explanation at all.
“I think you mean Luke’s witchiness. Mine’s been nowhere near you. Your brother on the other hand…” A wicked smile crossed Camille’s face. Dana screwed up a scrap piece of paper and threw it at her, hoping it would stop whatever thoughts the other woman was having. Jesse might be Camille’s mate, but Dana didn’t want to know about it.
“I’m sure it works the same.” Camille laughed again.
“Please, like anything works like it’s supposed to in this world.”
“True,” Dana agreed. They barely knew how shifter mating worked when it was with another shifter, never mind when there were other paranormal beings involved.
“So, someone was watching,” Camille prompted.
“Possibly, I don’t know. Maybe it was just a stray bird that took a liking to my necklace or something.”
“You’re not wearing one.” Camille frowned.
Dana’s hand went to the place around her neck that was suspiciously empty of any kind of jewellery, including her father’s dog tags. The ones she’d only ever taken off when she showered. “I must have left it at Luke’s.” She tried to keep the slight hint of panic from her voice, but was failing miserably. While her father had ended his life as a businessman, he’d served his time in the army, and the tags were the last connection she felt she had with him.
“It’s okay, we can just text Luke and ask him to bring them.” Camille leaned across the desk and placed a comforting hand on Dana’s arm, her eyes conveying that she knew how much this meant to her, even if she didn’t know the reasons why. Dana nodded, tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. Camille withdrew her hand and began tapping away on her phone. “There, done.”
“How do you-”
“Please, I got his number off Eliza the moment the two of you started making gooey eyes at one another.”
“Oh.” She wasn’t really sure what to make of that, but probably because it was difficult to forget that Camille had a prior connection to her mate.
“So, you ready to go, or do you need longer to do whatever you’re doing here?” Camille waved her hand over Dana’s desk and the uncharacteristically messy stacks of paperwork all over it.
“Go where?”
“Your Mum’s?” Camille gave her a disbelieving look.
“Oh, yes. Sorry.”
“Wow, he really did bang the brains out of you didn’t he?” She gave Dana a knowing smile.
“I’m just worried.” Her hand rested on the empty space around her neck again. “But I’m ready to go.” She’d be lying to herself if she pretended that she was going to get any work done. Not with her head full of yellow sparks, lazy kisses and the underlying concern that someone was watching her.
9
Luke pulled up in his car to find a worried looking Dana pacing back and forth on the path outside what he guessed was her childhood home. He got out, quickly making his way towards her and pulling her into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.
“What’s wrong?” he murmured, hating to see her so agitated.
“Did you find them?” she returned, not looking calmer at all.
“No, I’m sorry. I looked everywhere.” He pulled back slightly, pushing her dark hair away from her face so that he could look into her eyes. He leaned forward, pressing a gently kiss to her lips, which seemed to help a little. “But we’ll find them Dana.”
“Thank you.” She seemed a little relieved, but his concern remained. Something wasn’t quite right here.
“Where’s Camille?” he asked, surprised that her friend wasn’t about when they’d been together earlier. Or at least, he assumed they had after he’d got a text from the other witch.
“She went inside with Jesse.”
He nodded. That made sense, if he had a choice, he wouldn’t be spending a moment away from Dana unless he absolutely had to. And to think he’d been so hard on Ethan when Eliza had reappeared in his life. He’d have to remember to let his friend know how sorry he was. Well, let both of them know. He hadn’t exactly been kind to Camille’s sister when she’d reappeared.
“We should go inside too.”
She nodded, but made no move to act on his words. Instead, they stood there in silence, barely moving and with no need for any words between them.
A rustling sound made Dana jump, and he frowned in response. That was odd to say the least. As a tiger shifter, she shouldn’t be so jumpy. She was probably the biggest baddest thing that anyone could find on the streets of Birmingham.
“Come on,” she said, turning towards the house and walking up the driveway. It wasn’t a huge building, but it was clearly well maintained, and looked like a comfortable family home. Much like his own. He almost expected his own parents to come bustling through the front door to welcome them.
He watched nervously as Dana turned the key in the lock. While he knew she used to live here, it might have felt better if she’d knocked. It might have given him more time to prepare for what was to come. It didn’t even seem to matter that he already knew Camille, thought that was probably just the meet the parents nerves that were getting to him.
“Dana, you’re late,” an older woman’s voice called as they stepped into the well lit hall.
“Sorry Mum, we got held up with…” she trailed off, throwing Luke an uneasy look. He didn’t blame her, he didn’t have a name for whatever the moment outside had been either. Plus, he knew that it was highly unlikely that anyone would believe them anyway. They’d probably think that they’d been tearing each others clothes off again.
“Oh honey, I know what you’ve been doing,” her Mum replied.
“We weren’t-” Dana was silenced by a wave of the hand from the middle aged, but still beautiful, woman that bustled into the hallway. He’d been right then, no one would believe that they’d been having an innocent moment.
The woman pulled Dana into a tight hug, pulling her away from the reassuring hand that Luke had placed on her lower back.
“Hi, Mum.” Her words came out muffled as she spoke into the shoulder of the older woman.
“And you must be Luke,” the woman said as she let go of her daughter and moved in to hug him. “I’m Hilda.”
“Hi,” he said, awkwardly returning the woman’s hug. Hilda pulled back, studying him with assessing brown eyes.
“Really Dana? Another witch? As if Millie wasn’t enough trouble.” She tutted good naturedly, the wide smile on her face revealing her true thoughts.
“You love Millie,” Dana pointed out, as if they’d had the same conversation multiple times.
“Yes, yes, she’s like a second daughter to me.”
“Well she is.” Dana sighed, but was smiling much like her Mum was.
“That she is. And she would have been sooner if someone hadn’t tried to interfere.” A knowing look passed between the two women, just confusing Luke.
“Would you want your best friend banging your brother?” Dana muttered.
; “Banging darling? Really? Is what the two of you’ve been doing considered ‘banging’?” She gave Dana a stern look, and his mate said nothing.
“No, it’s not,” he answered for her.
“Exactly. Listen to the man, Dana.”
“Don’t want to.” She sounded like a stubborn teenager, but he pulled her into his arms the moment her Mum turned her back anyway, and she melted.
“Why don’t you want to?” he asked softly, not really caring what her answer was. Sure, he didn’t particularly want to be bossed about for the rest of his life, but if that’s what she needed, then he’d do it.
“I’m just not used to it.” She shrugged out of his arms and headed towards the kitchen. He followed, not really having a choice.
Hey entered the kitchen, which seemed to be in complete disarray as Camille tried to set the table solely with magic, and the man that must be Jesse, followed her every move with the amber eyes he seemed to share with his sister. They must run in the family, though they had to have come from Dana and Jesse’s father, where ever the man was. It was actually surprising that he wasn’t here. Shifters couldn’t have children if they weren’t with their true mate, no paranormal could, which meant that Dana’s father would never have left their mother. Yet his absence was clear, even if none of the others commented on it.
“Millie, what have I told you about using magic like that,” Dana’s Mum scolded, but still smiled. She must have known Camille for years to be treating her like one of the kids.
“But it’s fun,” Camille replied, smiling broadly.
“Just don’t break anything.”
“Have I ever?” she asked sweetly.
“You did at home two days ago,” Jesse said from his position by the stove. He seemed to be on some kind of stirring duty.
“Oh shh, you.”
Luke smiled at the easy interaction between the two mates. If that was where he and Dana were going to be in a week or so’s time, then he’d be more than happy. Actually, if he hadn’t known that Camille and Jesse had only known each other that long, then he would never have guessed. They acted like there was years worth of a relationship between them. He glanced at Dana, who was grabbing the plates out of Camille’s magic and placing them on the table. He supposed they weren’t acting like they’d only met two days ago either though.
The Paranormal Council Complete Series 1-5 Page 23