When the coast was clear, he slipped outside the front door and closed it quietly behind him.
“Dru, darling,” Lucy crooned before he took a step forward.
Her voice startled him, causing him to lose his shield.
“Fear not.” She ran a hand up his chest, sending shivers of frigid energy shooting into him like frozen arrows. “Let me help you, love.”
He drew from her power until he had enough to conceal himself again.
She turned and pressed her well-defined ass against him, pushing him until she’d pinned him between her and the door. To anyone on the street or watching from inside the house, it would appear she stood on the porch alone, perhaps to gain some of the Pacific Northwest’s fresh air.
“Was that a wise move, mistress? Asking others to do our job?”
Her laugh carried a careful tinkle, and he wondered at her lackadaisical approach. “Why not? It’s not as if you boys have accomplished your tasks. You know what they say about asking a woman if you want a job done correctly.”
Annoyance burned inside him. “We will take care of this. To allow someone else goes against the very fibers which make up our universe.”
She rubbed against him, pulling his arms around her. “Hold me, Dru. Won’t you come back to Gwen’s room and make love with me tonight? I know that’s what she expected, but you should love me instead. It’s been such a long time, and that sweet monk Julian won’t give me any.”
“I’m sorry, Lucy, but to allow myself to be distracted by your beauty and charms might deter me from completing my mission.” It was as close to rejection as he could deliver and not be rendered mindless by her wrath.
“Oh, Dru.” She turned as though she might be headed back into the house, still holding his invisible form against the door. “You were always a sweet-talker. We both know that Fire bitch ruined you. Yes, I smell her all over you. But know this, my delicious hunk of chiseled muscle, she will die, and you will come crawling back to me. When it comes, I shall savor the day. Be warned, I will torture you until you’re a groveling mass, but eventually, I’ll forgive you. Good night, dear Dru. Until we meet again.”
She groped his crotch. “Mine,” she whispered before she slipped around him and returned inside the compound.
Dru stood for a moment, experiencing uncertain fear for the first time in his life as the sun dipped closer to the horizon. The other Horsemen would certainly kill Claire if the opportunity presented itself. Lucy, on the other hand, would draw out and relish her death. There would be no honor in the act. Only desecration.
He had to find a way to warn her. If he directly outed Lucy, she’d know in an instant, so he’d need to keep his warning vague. Hopefully, Claire would be smart enough to piece together the rest and recognize the danger.
Chapter Nine
A fierce restlessness filled Claire, the likes of which she’d never known. She needed to do something. Take action. Fix the calamities piling up around them.
Yet, she sat in her room, staring out the window into the surrounding darkness, wishing she could eviscerate her longing to see Dru again. Since she and her sisters had discovered Tierra’s pregnancy and had inadvertently opened the fourth Seal, an incessant need to see him, to touch him had grown uncontrollable. Incredible yet imaginary memories of Dru’s touch and kiss constantly filled her mind. She closed her eyes and ran light fingers over her bare arms, pretending Dru touched her. She sensed his presence continually, and her body ached to have him near. To the point she’d considered her body a traitor against her mind.
She couldn’t want him and save the world, too.
Goddess, she might go crazy before the end of everything became a certainty.
Feeling reckless, she lifted the screen from her second story window and slipped out onto the porch roof. Kai put his front paws on the windowsill and tried to follow.
She lifted the red fox, holding him against her chest as she stroked his soft fur. “So sorry, little buddy. I need to be alone for a while.” She set him on the floor inside and closed the window behind her, refusing to allow his pleading black eyes to sway her.
Cool evening air caressed her heated skin, and her nipples puckered in response. The scent of pine tantalized her senses. It was as though the whole world encouraged her unrelenting needs. As though someone or something had ramped up her hormones to the point of driving her insane.
Over and over, she relived the kiss she’d shared with Drew outside Sirens. His lips on hers. The way her body had accommodated the hard angles of his. His promise that she couldn’t hurt him. If only she could go back in time and savor that moment.
She blew out an agitated breath and carefully climbed to the widow’s walk atop the house and stepped over the wrought iron railing that encompassed it. She wanted to dream and pretend her lover was there with her. She turned in a circle, the entire view of Port Townsend and the full moon glittering off the Puget Sound in the distance making her feel closer to Dru. He was out there, somewhere. Perhaps at his cabin. Perhaps at the Horsemen’s lair in Sirens.
If only she could call him. Call a truce. Just for a night.
She couldn’t imagine he wouldn’t be agreeable.
She sighed and arched her neck, turning her gaze upon the mesmerizing starlit sky. He’d said he could hear her thoughts. Would he hear her now?
“Dru,” she whispered. “Come to me.”
Claire. I’m on my way. His voice, plain as day, echoed through her mind, sending her pulse racing.
The thoughts were all in her head, she knew. Conjured fantasies of a desperate woman, but she couldn’t let them go.
I need you, she thought.
Ah, my love. I need you, too. I will be there soon.
Not soon enough. She cupped both breasts and emitted a soft gasp when her thumbs crested hardened peaks. She literally ached for his touch. Her skin burned with scorching need.
Yes, love. Do that again. Make me feel your need.
She had gone insane. No doubt. But she couldn’t stop, not with overwhelming need thrumming between her thighs. She tugged on her nipples, rolling the tight buds between her fingers until an electrified sensation tightened her core.
Take off your shirt. I want to feel your skin.
The more they talked, the more real their conversation seemed. You can’t feel me.
But I can. Take it off.
She closed her eyes, pretending Dru’s hands tugged her black tank top from her body. She rubbed her fingers lightly over her lace bra, enjoying shivers of sensations. Moist summer air should have chilled her skin, but being bare stoked her internal furnace.
Nice. But I want skin.
Dru?
Yes?
Are you really there?
Yes, love. I’m here in your mind. I’ll be there soon in person.
She trembled at the thought. Having him actually touch her was all she wanted.
Skin… he reminded her.
She reached behind her and unhooked her bra, letting it fall slack before she dropped it at her feet. She held her breasts and glanced down, the soft moonlight caressing her skin, making her glow.
A sharp distraction ripped through her thoughts, followed by a resounding fuck.
Dru? That had not been her imagination.
Sorry. I forgot how beautiful you were, and a damned pedestrian came out of nowhere.
You can see me? She glanced into the surrounding night, searching for a sign of him.
I can see what you see when your guard is down. Feel what you feel. Can you not sense me inside you? Close your eyes. Feel me. You’ll find me.
She quivered in reaction as she closed her eyes. Behind her lids, she searched for the place she’d pretended didn’t exist. The white hot center of need. A deep longing pierced her, sharpening to a red point somewhere beyond her eyelids where it pulsed like a heartbeat.
Drustan.
She flung open her eyes, and the crimson remained off in the distance like an X marking the spot on a
treasure map.
A soft chuckle floated on the breeze. “Yes,” it seemed to whisper. If I were there already, you would no longer be in jeans. I want to see you, Claire. All of you. Take them off.
She popped the button on her jeans and tugged them off her ass, caressing her thighs as she slid them down her legs.
Your skin is so soft. I’ve felt it a thousand times in my mind and can never get enough.
His sexy words caused a heated rush to pool between her legs. She stepped out of her jeans and then ran her hands across her stomach and over her black lace panties. “Have you felt this?” She ran her forefingers inside the elastic edge of her panties in a teasing gesture.
You’re killing me, he groaned, bringing forth a similar response from her. Don’t stop, Claire. I want you to slip your hand down your panties. I want to feel your softness. I want to know how wet you are for me.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, knowing in that moment he owned her. She couldn’t refuse if she wanted. Her hand shook with need as she followed his directions. Every sensation from the smoothness of her skin to the texture of her lace registered in her mind with agonizing slowness. If he really could experience her consciousness, she wanted him to live this in detail.
“I want you, Dru.” She traced her fingers over her mound and sought out the heated core hidden there. Moisture greeted her, and she trembled. She drew a solitary finger between her folds and gasped. She experienced his reaction to her touch, his essence burning deep inside her. A mini-orgasm rolled through her, and she pulled her hand back in surprise.
No, his voice roared through her mind. Don’t stop, Claire. Don’t stop until I tell you to. Take off those panties. Then look at yourself. I want to see you naked.
I don’t want to do this without you.
You’re not without me. I’m right there. Feel me.
She closed her eyes and searched for him again. And found him immediately.
Take off your panties. Touch yourself. Let me experience your exquisiteness.
Her thighs trembled as she removed her last piece of clothing. When she finished, she turned her gaze downward, looking at her body, wondering how much he could really see of her standing atop her house, naked in the moonlight, for the world to see.
My gods, you are beautiful.
She didn’t wait for him to command her again. She kept her gaze focused on what she wanted him to see as she trailed her hand down her belly and searched out her aching core again. She inhaled sharply as she circled the edges, her nerves raw and exposed, her body pulsing with need.
She couldn’t wait any longer.
She slipped a finger inside, and her muscles tightened in response.
Praise the gods. His deep voice rumbled inside her, increasing her passion.
Can you feel how much I want you?
Oh, yes. I can feel everything about you. Each heartbeat. Each quiver. You are excruciating perfection. Move your finger to the left side. Just a little farther.
She vocalized her pleasure when she found it. “Dru,” she whispered, caught in the incredible sensation. “Oh, goddess.”
Yes, there. I can feel it, too. Don’t stop.
“You feel it?” The idea that he experienced her pleasure increased hers tenfold.
She panted as raging heat unfolded inside her. Hot. Blinding. Beyond what she’d known during the lovemaking Dru had conjured, more powerful than any encounter from her past.
She stroked, imaging he stroked her. During certain moments, she was positive he controlled her hand. Sensation upon sensation built, raging wildly through her mind and body, until she lost her breath.
When her pleasure broke, she grasped the wrought iron railing and held on as a massive tremor rolled through her body. She savored each wave as her heart thundered inside her.
Headlights flashed on the street below as Dru’s Hummer came to a screeching stop in front of her house. He jumped from the driver’s seat and raced toward the property only to come up short against the unseen wall of protection she and her sisters had laid.
He reached out a hand toward her, and she did the same, trying to regain enough power to stand on her own.
“I’ll come to you,” she whispered.
Just as she spoke, floodlights on the house cut through the sultry darkness, and her sisters raced out onto the lush lawn.
“Get the fuck out of here!” Aerin commanded.
“Yeah,” Moira added. “Before we burn your balls. Claire don’t want you.”
His gaze jumped to Claire, bringing along the bewildered stares of her sisters. Claire slipped into her panties in an attempt to cover herself, but it was too late.
“Oh, hell.” Tierra placed her hands on her hips as she glared up at Claire. “I was afraid of this. We need to cool this mess down immediately.”
“No.” She tossed on her tank and climbed over the rail, not worried about her other clothes. “Just give me a moment with him.” He couldn’t leave without one real touch, one physical kiss.
“Got it covered, sister,” Moira said to Tierra before she sent Claire a disappointed frown and opened the skies. Rain fell from the heavens, but surprisingly, Moira seemed to have the deluge of it focused on Claire and Dru.
Claire stopped trying to escape the slippery roof and sat as the water completely soaked her. Dru stood his ground for a moment, but then seemed to realize he needed to regroup and battle another day.
“This isn’t over,” he warned her sisters. He climbed into his Hummer, the engine engaging with a mighty roar. His tires screeched against the wet ground as he fled the scene of increasing chaos.
The moment he was gone, the rain ceased. Claire followed the direction his Hummer had taken, pacified to see the red pulse still beating.
Chapter Ten
“What the fuck were you thinking, Claire?” Aerin’s cold anger swept upward to where Claire stood on the roof, a soaked, chilled mess thanks to Moira’s shower. “Inviting him onto our property?”
“What the hell does it look like?” she shot back as she gathered the rest of her clothes and made her way to her bedroom window. Her well-intentioned sisters had just cost her what could have been the most incredible night of sex in her life. They were pissed?
She was furious and embarrassed. She climbed inside, ignoring Kai’s chastising look as she stomped out into the hall and met her sisters near the bottom of the stairs. “Why can’t you stay out of my business? Dru wasn’t hurting you. He wasn’t hurting anyone.”
Moira widened her eyes in a surprised gesture, while Aerin’s expression flipped from ire to concern. “Are you sick? Was Julian here with Dru? Did he touch you?”
“She’s not sick,” Tierra interjected. “It’s what I feared. Look at her. Flushed cheeks, dilated pupils. She’s…in heat…for lack of a better word.”
“Heat?” Claire’s question came out as an impatient barb.
“The fuck?” Aerin folded her arms over her white silk robe. “Would you care to explain?”
Tierra twisted one of her loose curls around a finger as though she hesitated to clarify further. “Claire’s behavior is my fault.”
“Have you all gone mad?” Claire tossed down to the lot of them. “My actions are not your fault. I make my own choices and pay my own consequences. I was about to have the most exquisite sex in my life, and you all ruined it. The only fault lies in your decisions, not mine.”
Tierra cleared her throat as though that would wipe out Claire’s declaration. “It has been known to happen from time to time… Meaning, throughout history some witches will…”
“Oh my God. Out with it already.” Aerin exhaled her displeasure, and Claire heartily agreed with her.
“Fine.” Tierra pulled her finger from her curl. “When Earth witches become pregnant, things around them can display increasing degrees of fertility. That’s why the grass needs to be mowed a couple of times during the week instead of once and why the rhododendrons have a riot of blooms this year.”
&nb
sp; “Oh my gawd,” Moira exclaimed with a look of absurdity. “You’re making us all horny?” She glanced at each of her sisters. “I don’t think I’m horny. Are you?”
Tierra wrapped her lips inward as though that would keep the hell-yeah expression from her face.
Aerin turned her head toward the big bay window that looked out toward the Sound. “Not even.”
“You all are insane.” Claire stared at her three sisters whom she loved dearly, but, at the moment, would like to throttle.
Aerin faced her with a sardonic look on her face. “I beg your pardon. I’m not the one who diddled herself on the rooftop for a Horseman who’d like every other one of us dead. I’m also not the one who’s soaking the carpet.” She slipped her gaze to Moira. “Nice way to turn the hose on them, sis.”
Moira grinned. “Been practicing that.”
“It’s pretty amazing,” Tierra agreed.
Claire ground out a frustrated snarl. “Fine. Stand around and congratulate yourselves on how wonderful you are. I’m out of here!”
“Stay away from him, Claire,” Aerin called as she ascended the stairs. “The least you’ll get is trouble. You may end up with more than you can handle alone.”
Claire turned an accusing glare on Tierra. “You mean like knocked up with Death’s spawn that may or may not be the Antichrist?” She held up a hand as she continued upward. “Spare me the lecture.”
“I’ll talk to her tomorrow,” she heard Tierra whisper as she reached her bedroom door.
Inside, Claire closed herself away from the rest of the world, her anger dissipating with each passing second. She peeled off her wet clothes in favor of a snuggly black hoodie and yoga pants. She threw a forceful glance at her fireplace and flames roared to life causing her to take a step backward.
“Whoa,” she whispered. Her ability to conjure flames had always required more concentration in the past. Something had changed. Had her residual anger at her sisters given her extra power? Or maybe leftover passion from her…encounter with Dru?
Which Witch is Wicked? (The Witches of Port Townsend Book 2) Page 6