by Cynthia Eden
“You dared?” Griffin snarled.
“I dare lots of things.” She put her hands on her hips. Lifted her chin. “Is this about the blonde? Because I can assure you…” Dammit, her lips wanted to twitch, but she still had to say, “I never touched a hair on her head.”
His eyes widened. Then he was bounding forward. He was—
“Don’t you touch her!”
Rio had just jumped in front of Valerie. And the young shifter had his hands up. Weak fists, but fists still the same.
Griffin’s jaw dropped.
“I’ll stand between you and danger,” Rio swore, looking back at Valerie quickly. “It’s what a henchman does.”
Oh, my. She blinked a few times. When she focused again, Griffin was towering over her henchman.
“What in the hell are you doing, Rio?” Griffin wanted to know.
“Protecting Valerie. You can’t hurt her. I won’t let you.”
“She’s my fucking mate, kid. Of course, I won’t hurt her. But she doesn’t get to terrorize the shifters in this place, either. She doesn’t get—”
“It’s all right, Rio.” Valerie kept her voice calm. Her heart was racing way too fast. The boy had stood up for her at the first sign of trouble. Definite henchman bonus points. “I need to talk with Griffin. Go over some rules.”
Griffin growled.
She gave him a gracious smile. “I have rules, too, and I think he needs to know about them.”
Griffin’s thick brows climbed.
“I think you were supposed to be retrieving pastries,” she reminded Rio pointedly. “Chocolate just doesn’t conjure itself.” Unfortunately.
Nodding and appearing extremely relieved that he would not, in fact, have to tangle with Griffin in a battle to the death, Rio hurried away. Griffin stared after the fellow with a bemused expression on his face. “Henchman?”
Everyone was still watching. She hated having so many eyes on her. Despite the stories, she wasn’t an exhibitionist. “Let’s go somewhere else,” she said, feeling weariness tug at her. It had been a big twenty-four hours. “Somewhere private.”
And, surprising her, Griffin took her hand. He laced his fingers with hers. And they just walked away. Strolled past the gawking people with their avid stares. He led her away from the town and it was so strange…it was almost, almost like they were a real couple. Or something. And it was—
“As soon as we are alone,” Griffin rasped, “your sweet ass is going to be mine.”
Well, that was certainly promising.
***
The stream flowed against the bed of rocks, and the faint sound of the water normally soothed Griffin. This was his damn spot. The place where he came to in order to regroup. To center himself. To calm down. Only he didn’t feel calm. Not even a little bit. Probably because of her.
“This is quite lovely,” Valerie murmured. “Very scenic.”
She’d kicked off her shoes. The shoes he’d had his staff pick out for her. He’d ordered them to give her pretty much anything she wanted. He’d been good to the woman. He’d turned his back just for a moment so that he could tend to shifter business and bam—she’d been up to no good.
Valerie waded into the water. She laughed. Cackled. “It’s so cold. Icy.” She looked down. “And I think I see tiny fish.” She was still smiling.
Fuck, but the woman was gorgeous. “Valerie.”
“Um?” She closed her eyes. Tipped back her head. Spread her arms at her side. Just seemed to be enjoying the moment of nature.
“Valerie, did you make Lucinda’s hair fall out?”
“Who’s Lucinda?”
He stalked closer to her. She could slip on the rocks nearby, and he didn’t want her to fall. “Lucinda is a cat shifter. Nineteen, niece to my friend Warren LaTriox and—”
“My memory is coming back.” She lowered her arms. Opened her eyes. Gave a nod, but said, “No, I did not make her hair fall out.”
“She said—”
“I just made it look as if her hair had fallen out. A wee payback spell. She was being rather unkind at the time, and if she was going to worry so much about what people looked like on the outside, I thought it was only fair that I play around with her outside appearance.”
“That wasn’t quite fair. You’re a witch. She’s a shifter. She’s—”
“I have rules.” She straightened her shoulders. Angled her chin up at him. “You think you’re the only one who gets to throw out a list?”
He cocked his head. “I didn’t get to provide you with my full list.”
“Joy. I can’t wait to hear the others.”
His lips wanted to curl again. He wasn’t the type to laugh often, and smiling wasn’t usually his thing. On good days, most of his friends would call him grim. A dangerous bastard—that was his description. But when he was with his witch…
Something seemed to change.
“Before you launch into what I am sure is a very, very long list of incredibly boring rules,” Valerie continued, moving closer, “let me tell you mine. K? I only have three total.” She tried to climb out of the stream.
Her foot slipped on the rocks. Before she could fall, he was there. Grabbing her, scooping her into his arms, and holding her tight.
She smiled at him. “I do love shifter reflexes.”
He loved her smile.
Wait, no, shit, he didn’t. He would not be blinded by dimples. Griffin let her go—on solid ground. Then he backed up, crossed his arms over his chest, and worked up a good glower.
She sighed. “Rule one…I don’t like bullies.”
His brow furrowed.
“Goldilocks? She isn’t some sweet, innocent thing. She was the ring leader. They were mocking my henchman.”
What the hell was she talking about?
“Rio,” she said, rolling out the R. “They shoved him down. They were making fun of him. So the kid can’t shift. So what?”
In the shifter world, not being able to shift was a big fucking deal.
She pointed at him. Looked very unpleased. “And you’re going to just kick him out into the cold, cruel world on his next birthday? I thought better of you.”
She had? “Why?”
“Because you’re king! You’re supposed to take care of your people.”
“I do take care of them. I’m not the one working illusion spells and making them have near breakdowns!”
Her lips curled, but her gaze hardened. “You lied to me.”
Now he was the one to stiffen.
“You said magic wouldn’t work here. It does. Or at least, it worked a little.”
He stalked back toward her. No smiles. Only coldness filling him. “You will not work more magic in this place. That is an unbreakable rule. You do it, and—”
“What?” She fluttered her lashes. “You’ll send me away like you’re planning to do to poor Rio? I’m starting to sense a pattern. Something you don’t like—or someone—and bam, that person gets kicked out of shifter paradise.” She sniffed. “Though I don’t really consider it paradise.”
He stepped closer. “Valerie…”
Her hand flew up and pressed to his chest. Seemed to burn right through his skin.
“I have a month here. You already told me that. So I doubt you’ll try to kick me out before the month ends, and our temporary mating goes bye-bye.”
She was right. “I don’t have to kick you out. I can just lock you up.”
He heard the faint catch of her breath. “What?”
“I have a dungeon in my castle. Instead of walking around, enjoying the sunshine, I will put you in that pit.”
She paled.
Griffin…didn’t like himself.
“That’s not very nice,” Valerie said. Disappointment filled her dark eyes. “I thought you might be one of the nice guys.”
“You’re supposed to be the most wicked witch to walk the earth! I don’t think being nice will work with you.” So he was trying to be a hard ass. But her delectable
lower lip was trembling. And her shoulders had slumped. And he just—he felt like shit.
This could be a trick. It’s probably a trick. She gets off on tricking people. So he kept his voice flat and ordered sternly, “No magic. You do another spell on my people, and you’ll be locked up for the next month. And I’m going to tell my guardsmen that very fact. If they see you so much as sparking your fingers, they’ll toss you in the dungeon.”
“That’s not a nice way to treat your mate.”
“You used me, Valerie. You knew what I was, who I was, and you worked that to your advantage when we met. You could have healed me without the mating bond—”
“Then I would have died,” she spat at him, real anger flaring. For a moment, her hair blew around her face. Only…there was no wind.
He opened his mouth to tell her no magic—
Then he realized she might not even be aware of what she was doing.
The air around him had heated. Her rage.
Deep inside, he felt his dragon stir.
“I wanted to live,” Valerie continued hotly, “so excuse the hell out of me for thinking on my feet. I saved your ass, and, as payment, you want to toss me away? Lock me up? I thought you might be different. But you’re just another asshole.” Her hair stopped blowing.
Her hand fell away from his chest.
He…missed her touch.
His dragon seethed.
“Don’t you dare glare at me.” She put her hands on her hips. “I’m not the type to be intimidated. You think you’re the worst foe I’ve ever come across? Not even close. Though I do think you’re the most ungrateful man I’ve ever met.”
“Valerie—”
“Rule one. My rule one. I don’t tolerate bullies. I spent the first eighteen years of my life being pushed around and punched nearly every damn day, and that shit never will be tolerated by me.”
He opened his mouth and nearly roared, “Who hurt you?”
“Don’t act like you care.” She shook back her glorious mane of hair. “Rule two…I control my own life. No one tells me what to do. I am an unstoppable force.”
“Who hurt you?” He was still stuck on that. And his claws had come out. An instinctive response because he wanted to rip the skin off whoever the bastard had been.
“Rule three…try to listen, would you? Because I don’t want to repeat this again.”
He put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her against him. “Who hurt you?”
“Rule three…If you hurt me, then I hurt you back. Only I will hurt you a dozen times worse. So think about that, remember that, before you ever toss me into a dungeon.” She smiled. Only it wasn’t her sensual, dimple winking smile. It was a shark’s smile. “And to answer the question you keep asking…the people who hurt me are dead. I took care of them myself. Like I said, you hurt me, and I hurt you back times twelve.”
He should step away from her. Back the hell up.
Only everything in him wanted to get closer. She was dangerous, she was infuriating, and she might be crazy but…He wanted her. “If you hadn’t killed them, I would have.”
She blinked. “What?”
He had no fucking clue. Griffin was starting to think he might be going crazy, too. Before he could stop himself, before he could think, his mouth crashed down on hers.
Chapter Five
The shifter was kissing her.
Shock kept Valerie immobile for all of two seconds, and then her body, well, it reacted. It sort of burned. In a very good way. Not the whole set-on-fire-at-a-stake way.
Heat filled her. Desire pulsed in her blood. Her hands flew up, wrapped around his arms, and held tight. Her mouth opened beneath his. His tongue swept past her lips. She tasted him. Realized that she loved his flavor. Rich, masculine. And the guy could kiss.
Her bare toes were practically curling against the grass.
Her breasts were aching, her nipples tight, and her body arched toward him. His arousal was apparent, heavy and thick, and it pushed against her.
Valerie enjoyed sex. She liked pleasure. Who didn’t? And she had the feeling Griffin Bastien could give her a great deal of pleasure.
If he wasn’t, you know, such a bastard.
He pulled her even closer. Kissed her harder. Made her want him a bit more. A lot more. Her heart thundered in her chest. Her nails scraped over his arms. She—
He let her go. Backed up a step. “Witch.”
Her breath was coming too fast. She didn’t try to speak. Instead, she just waved her hand, as if to say…Um, yeah. Established that.
“You’re trying to bewitch me.”
No, she hadn’t been. “You kissed me.”
His eyes were on her mouth. Doing that glowing/burning thing that she thought meant he wanted her. Badly. “Mistake.”
Her spine straightened. “Do mistakes usually make you feel that good?” Yes, her voice was husky. So what?
“Can’t happen again.”
“Then tell that to yourself. You were the one getting all grabby and kissy.”
“Our mating will end in a month.”
“I’ve heard that story before.”
“We will not kiss again.”
Seriously, someone was protesting too much. “Stop acting like that wasn’t the best kiss of your life.”
His mouth opened. Closed. He…didn’t deny it.
And had his cheeks just flushed?
“Oh, baby…” Now she purred at him. “If you think that was great, I have so much more to show you.”
“Rule four.”
She shook her head. When had they gotten to his rules? Valerie was pretty sure she’d been the one spouting rules.
“No kissing,” Griffin gritted out.
That was just…mean. “No kissing at all? Or just no you kissing me? Can I kiss other shifters?” She needed clarification, right away. “Like sexy ones that I might—”
He growled. Took a fast step toward her. Seemed to catch himself. “You do not kiss another shifter.”
“But I can kiss you?”
His eyes were on her mouth. She knew longing when she saw it. Griffin was so messed up. Valerie gave a sigh. “Why do you keep yourself from having what you want?”
“Because I don’t want you forever.”
That hurt. But like every other hurt she’d ever suffered, she didn’t cry out. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t let him see the pain.
“No kissing,” Griffin said, but his voice was halting. He stared at her, frowning. And then he actually did manage to surprise her. “I…I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what? Having stupid rules? Being ungrateful to the woman who saved your life? Or just being an all-around asshole?”
“Val—”
“Stop. You’re giving me a headache.” Where was her henchman with the chocolate? “And don’t you have things to do? I mean, you’re the king here. Other kings I’ve dated have needed to complete actual work. They didn’t just hang out by streams all day.”
A line grew between his brows. “You’ve dated other kings?”
“Dude. I’m awesome. Men have literally killed to be with me.” Which made his rejection all the more insulting. “Go do some kingly crap, okay? I want to be on my own for a while.”
“You…won’t work magic.”
She turned her back on him. Of course, she’d do magic. She’d do whatever the hell she wanted. “Maybe you should pass the word about my rules to your people. If they don’t break my rules, then I won’t break the shifters.”
“That isn’t the way it works.”
“No?” She didn’t look at him. Mostly because she wanted to make sure her face didn’t give away any of her emotions. “That’s how it works for me. You heard my rules. I heard yours—”
“I haven’t said them all.”
She almost laughed. “Then I’ll catch them tonight at dinner.” It was a dismissal. Obviously.
Only the guy didn’t go anywhere. “Did I hurt you?” Griffin spoke haltingly.
“If
you did, I’ll get you back, times twelve,” she promised.
“Valerie—”
“But how could you have hurt me?” Valerie continued as her hair began to blow. “You don’t mean anything to me. So you don’t want to kiss me again. Big deal. It’s your loss. And for the record, I never asked to be with you forever.” Forever was far too long. Especially since she had plans.
She was going to rule the witches. Destroy their stupid council. Maybe she’d even take over the whole world. Totally just depended on her mood. She didn’t have time to stay forever in shifter land. Valerie didn’t want to stay there.
“I never said I didn’t want to kiss you,” Griffin muttered.
He was still lingering.
“Sometimes, it’s just best not to take what we want.”
Now she laughed. Valerie glanced over her shoulder at him. “Who told you that bunch of crap? Life is fickle, and pain is inevitable. So if you can take something you want in this world—you do. You grab it tight, and you enjoy the hell out of that ride.” Because, sooner or later, the ride would end.
A bitter truth that Valerie had learned when she’d been young.
***
Griffin gazed out of the window, looking for a long, sleek mane of black hair. Valerie hadn’t come back to the castle yet, and, soon, night would be falling.
He shouldn’t have left her alone at the stream.
“So, yes, I’ve asked you the same question five times now, and I’ve gotten no response,” Warren announced. He waved his fingers in front of Griffin’s face. “I was joking before when I asked if she’d enchanted you, but now I’m starting to legitimately worry.”
Griffin grabbed his friend’s hand. Shoved it down. “She could get hurt in the woods.”
Warren’s mouth parted. It seemed to take him a moment to actually form words. Then he managed, “She’s wicked. As in, the most feared witch, ever. Her own people were getting ready to burn her. They don’t burn their own kind on a whim. If the stories are true, she’s murdered without hesitation. Valerie Storm has tortured, stolen, and laughed while she did it all.”
But I think I hurt her feelings today.
“Tell me, again, very, very slowly, how you wound up mated to her.”