Which Witch is Wicked? (The Witches of Port Townsend Book 2)

by Kerrigan Byrne

  The world's outcome became insignificant. The only thing that mattered in his existence was joining with Tierra again, completing each other, partaking of the paradise that she promised. He'd had no concept that part of him had been missing until he'd lain with her many months ago.

  Deepening the kiss, he kept it slow even though he wanted to rush, wanted to feast. Her soft gasps turned to purrs when he brushed the sides of her sensitive breasts and filled his hands with their newfound weight. The soft whimpering sounds from the back of her throat tempered his need and he marveled in awe at the subtle changes that her body had already made to accommodate the creation of his child.

  He'd committed to memory the way she'd looked, felt under him the last time he'd been blessed to have his hands on her bare silken flesh. But now, her breasts were fuller and more sensitive, the nipples darker even in the limited light. He yearned to cherish, to discover what thrilled her, what she desired most, wanting to fulfill each and every need.

  He didn't retract his wings, but instead curved them around her and fashioned a feather bed to lay her down upon the sweet summer wildflowers growing within the Standing Stones. Her burgundy hair fired red in the moonlight, splayed against the blackness of his wings with a bewitching contrast that had his heart swelling in emotion he couldn't name.

  This was where she was meant to be, within the circle of his arms. Pregnant or not didn't matter. She was his. His match. His mate. And by the gods, it would take more than the end of the world to keep her from him.

  Her gasps came faster, her hands clutching at him. Slanting his lips firmly against hers, he made love to her mouth. His tongue plundered, nibbled, and sucked, until her gasps became pants and her body arched in demand against his. Still he held himself in check.

  He had to time this perfectly, needed her chanting his name as she took him within this sacred circle of stones. But gods, his blood raced and his desire to be inside her grew until it became painful.

  Tearing his mouth from hers, he kissed and nipped where his hands had so reverently caressed. She twisted under him, helpless mewling sounds escaping her, causing his blood to thicken.

  She arched under him, begging with her body for him to conquer hers.

  His breath hissed between his teeth. He ripped off her lacy underwear and freed himself from his jeans, kicking them off so nothing would be between them.

  Flesh to flesh, heart to heart, soul to soul. It would be. Had to be.

  Pinning her down with the weight of his body, he positioned himself at her opening, and rubbed his shaft between her wet, silken folds. His eyes closed on a tortured groan at her wetness, proof of her desire for him, her readiness. How he wanted to taste her, carry her essence inside him. He wouldn't last. Not with her offering herself up to him so trustingly. He promised before the moon gave way to the sun, he would. This was only the beginning of how they'd share the passion and wonders of their bodies with each other.

  But for now, he must stay the path. There was too much at stake for him not to. He focused on her pleasure with his hands, his mouth, and his body to bring her to a fevered pitch until she was mindless with need and writhed with it.

  She begged, and her fingernails bit into his hips, leaving crescent marks to bleed on his flesh. He demanded in a guttural voice he barely recognized as his own, "Say my name."

  "Killian."

  "Again. My full name. Say it." He stroked the hot tip of his cock along her folds, his thumb sliding and flicking over the apex of her sex. His body strained, and his soul waited breathlessly for her to do what he commanded.

  "Killian," she gasped. "Killian Bane."

  "Say you take me."

  "Yes, take me."

  "No, say that you take me," he growled. "All of me."

  "I take you. Oh goddess, please, yes, I take you, Killian Bane. Now."

  "And I take you, Tierra de Moray." He plunged into her until he was seated as deep as her body would allow. Elation rushed through him like a wave of white heat, and he released a victorious shout he couldn't contain.

  Tierra shuddered, contracting around him as she climaxed from his single thrust. Her head thrown back, her neck beautifully arched and offered up for his teeth to bite, her mouth open on a cry of surprise and ecstasy. Letting her ride out her pleasure, he drank in her expression, so similar to earlier when he'd landed them in the Standing Stones, and she'd connected with the earth, her power claiming her as he'd just claimed her.

  He gave her a moment to catch her breath and then he took it away again and again.

  Chapter Six

  Tierra lay on a wing and a prayer, floating on a plane of gratification so complete it couldn't be wrong.

  Killian's fingertips lazily drifted over her skin as though he couldn’t get enough of her. It was heady to have a man such as him worship her body, and if she wasn't careful, she'd crave his touch with the need of an addict. She tingled everywhere, on overload, higher than she'd ever been. She didn't think she'd survive another coupling. If she climaxed again, she'd burst into a million twinkling lights, become one with the stars overhead that had begun to wink out as the eastern horizon pinked with hints of the coming sunrise.

  "How do you feel?" he asked.

  The question caused her to laugh, and she curled her naked body into his. "If you don't have any idea, I don't think I can adequately explain."

  An amused rumbled sounded in his chest. "I meant, are you well?"

  "Extremely well." In fact, she felt better right now than she had in a long while. Locked up in the house her skin crawled and she had to constantly fight the ever present nausea, but here within the stones and lying in Killian's arms, she felt beyond wonderful.

  His hand covered the slight rounding of her abdomen. Naked, her body revealed the effects of their first time together, but clothed she probably had another month, maybe six weeks, until she'd no longer be able to hide the pregnancy. Luckily she wore a lot of loose-fitting clothes, but she'd have to go up a size if she were to keep her secret a little longer.

  "And the babe?" he asked.

  "No complaints." Her heart swelled with sudden emotion. She wished they could stay here in this bubble. "Is sex always like this?"

  "No. What's between you and me is magical." His voice held a note of reverence. "Tierra, I must tell you something."

  "Must you?" She didn't want the moment to end just yet. Most likely what he had to tell her would make her angry and then she'd have to leave him, give up his touch, and take up her staunch position on the other side of the line that cut between them like a canyon.

  He drew complicated circles on her belly with his fingertip. "This is important."

  "Isn't everything lately?" she murmured.

  "There is something...dangerous in your house."

  "I know. Aunt Justine is moving back in." Her attempt at humor wasn't received.

  "This is serious. An item...lurks inside your home."

  "What? How did it get past the wards?"

  "I can't say. No, don't ask. I really can't say. There is power in a name spoken aloud. Especially if spoken in a place as powerful and sacred as this."

  "One of your fellow Horsemen?" The euphoria was definitely waning. She wanted to press, make him tell her "the what" if he wouldn't tell her "the who." "So what the hell is this thing?" He stiffened, and she held up her hand. "You can't even tell me that? Cut to the chase and tell me what you safely can."

  "The element in the manor is like poison. Haven't you been feeling ill?"

  "Of course, I'm pregnant," she scoffed.

  "More than symptoms consistent with pregnancy. Intense sickness, out of sorts, change of attitude. Pay attention to how you feel in certain rooms. Concentrate."

  The kitchen. But how much of that was due to her aversion of food? Most of the worst bouts of sickness had been after encountering Tommy. Now it was her turn to stiffen.

  "Do not touch it. Find it, get it out of the house, but do not touch it. Promise me."

 
Fear crawled along her skin, completely diminishing any leftover tingles. "Are my sisters in danger with it in the house right now?"

  "The more exposure, the deeper and lasting the effects. You and your sisters will react differently depending..."

  "Depending?"

  "That is for you to discover. Find it, but whatever you do, you must not touch nor burn it."

  Fire was the best way to destroy something. It was permanent, which was why burning witches had been so popular."All right, any ideas on how to get rid of it?"

  "I have the ability to dispose of it properly."

  What? Didn't that make him look like the guilty party? He'd been hanging out in his raven form, watching her. Could he have somehow gotten it, whatever it was, by the wards? But then why would he be telling her about it now? "I can't let you into the house. My sisters would kill me." There would be hell to pay for being here with him now. But if she lowered the wards and allowed him into their sanctuary, she didn't even want to comprehend the repercussions of how her sisters would see such a betrayal.

  "I will know when you locate it."

  "How?"

  "For now, it's best you don't know." He sat, pulling her up. "Come on, I'd better get you home."

  Echoed voices from the past whispered over her skin, asking her not to leave. Not yet.

  "Actually," she said, finding her dress and slipping it on over her head. "I'd like to stay for a while. I need a moment alone to collect my...thoughts before returning to the manor." More like come up with excuses, gather her defenses.

  Dig in the earth, the wind whispered.

  Aunt Justine would most likely arrive bright and early this morning. The woman was one of those irritating morning people and she would be making herself felt. Tierra should have been there to help smooth the way, but as the sun continued to rise, she didn't think she'd make it. The walk of shame would be hers.

  "It's not safe to be on your own." Killian scowled. He retracted his wings and stood before her shirtless, struggling into his jeans. The ancient tattoo that covered his back depicted a hooded Grim Reaper hovering over the River Styx while fire and brimstone burned around the fallen angel. Somehow the tattoo must house his wings.

  "The stones will protect me."

  "And when you leave them? Nothing but peril awaits you out in the open."

  Didn't she know it? She'd been alone when he'd grabbed her, and she'd probably regret what had happened between them later when he wasn't around to mess with her common sense.

  But she couldn't leave this place yet. Maybe she never would. It was quite nice here. Peaceful and serene, and the surrounding forest could provide shelter and food. Part of her longed to disappear, to forget the worries and problems of this world and live life simply in nature. Alone.

  "Killian, you know the history of this place, and what happened here. I need to stay and hear what waits for me. By myself," she stressed when he opened his mouth to object again.

  By the way the vein throbbed in his temple, the set of his jaw, and twitching of his hands, he struggled not to argue or simply sieze her and fly off into the dawn. "I will take you home. Open the shield you secured around this place, and I will wait for you to finish." He glanced at the peaking sun. "Don't take long. We've already stayed longer than is wise."

  There wasn't anything wise about what they had done this night and they both knew it.

  "I don't want you waiting for me."

  "That is the only option you have, gazelle. I will not leave you unprotected. Don't force the issue because you will lose."

  He cupped the back of her neck, his mouth searing hers in a hard kiss. Releasing her as quickly as he'd grabbed her, his eyes showed determination and warned her not to test him further.

  She shivered with the cold realization that this man felt he could dictate to her. Yes, they'd created a child, but his overbearing protectiveness needed some updating since it still languished in the dark ages. She was a witch with powers of her own, and she'd been able to take care of herself just fine for the last twenty-six years. Well, besides the Apocalypse thing.

  Stewing with the need to set him straight, she pushed against his chest and surprised them both when she broke his hold. "I am not yours to command, and you’d be wise to remember it."

  She linked with the shield she'd created over the stones. Vines of ivy snaked in and seized Killian, flinging him out of the Standing Stones, and sealed solid behind him. It all happened so quickly. Time slowed, and she saw everything in minute segments like a movie.

  Whoa. She'd never been able to do anything like that before, but then she couldn't remember a time she'd been this angry. Could this be what Claire had talked about? That their powers intensified after losing their virginity? Tierra hadn't noticed anything other than the physical effects that losing her virginity had caused. Had she just tapped into her sexual power?

  "Tierra!" Killian shouted, smacking his fists against the shield. It held against him.

  She didn't like her name spoken in that tone, she decided. "Leave me be."

  To make sure he did, she had the vines reach for him again, but with a frisson of aura, he transformed into his raven form and flew out of reach and out of sight.

  All thoughts of Killian ceased as whispers amplified, revealing long-hidden secrets.

  She didn't question what they wanted her to do. Last time she'd been here the voice from the grave had been her mother's. If her mother felt the urge to impart more information, she'd take what she could get.

  The earth hummed, directing her to where it wanted her to go. The closer she got to the smallest of the eight stones, the louder and faster the ground pulsed. She was surprised the stones didn't quake from the vibration. Kneeling, Tierra held her hands over the area at the base of the stone. The soil was warm as though the sun shone on it, but the sun had barely crested the horizon. The heat had to be coming from what was hidden below.

  Compelled by a force that seemed both ancient and familiar, she dug. The ground easily gave at her touch, and she wondered for a moment why she didn't just use her power to move away the dirt. The pleasure of the soil in her hands and the element of physically needing to uncover whatever had been placed here kept her digging. Roughly two feet down, her fingers connected with something hard and long. A root maybe, but nothing tall grew nearby. Feeling much like an archeologist, she carefully brushed the dirt away and revealed a wand.

  Instantly, she saw the artifact for what it had been in its original form. A staff of ash wood offered to a powerful druid from the sacred Tree of Life, but over time wands had emerged. And this one—hers—was one of four.

  The need for caution shivered over her. She glanced up and studied the forest beyond the shield. No sign of Killian or anyone else.

  Nevertheless, she asked the trees and foliage to alert her to any interruptions. She carefully set the wand beside her, the overwhelming urge pushing her to continue in the treasure hunt, and remove more earth. Next her fingers brushed something metal. An electrical current shot up her arm and into her chest. She gasped and had to take a minute for the sensation to level out before reverently extracting the crown of pure gold shaped into the antlers of a stag.

  Holy Mother of Earth.

  She'd seen this before, drawn and documented in the pages of the Grimoire. In her hands, she held the golden crown of Malcolm de Moray.

  The last known King of the Druids.

  Chapter Seven

  Oh, she was in trouble.

  The wand lay on the ground by her side while Tierra cradled the pure gold crown in her lap. These artifacts were going to get her killed once she stepped out from the protective barrier of the stones. Items like these did not go undetected by other magical beings. She couldn't leave them behind, couldn't stop touching them since she'd dug them up. Could she rebury them and return for them later? She discounted that thought as soon as it formed. No way was she taking that chance.

  At least she'd gotten rid of Killian. If he'd stayed... If h
e knew...

  Thank the goddess, he hadn't. She'd be in more hot water than she was right now.

  Think. Don't just sit here like a worried ninny. You're a witch for goddess' sake, and not completely without defenses.

  There was also power in the wand and crown, but if she used it and it backfired, or was too much for her to handle, then what? Look what'd happened when she and her sisters had linked without fully understating the consequences.

  Believe, the word whistled around her.

  Tierra recognized the voice and the mystical quality to the ring. "Mom?" She glanced around, searching out the apparition of her mother and found herself alone. At least as far as physical beings went.

  A cool spectral caress cupped the side of her face. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation, more refreshing, like she'd soothed lavender and spearmint balm over her skin.

  Claim your inheritance, daughter.

  "Inheritance?"

  The wand has claimed you, but you must claim the crown in order to make it yours.

  Tierra looked down at the crown nestled in her lap. "What will happen if I do?" It would be good to have some answers first. All her life she'd made choices on instinct and emotion and look where that had gotten her. Single, pregnant, and fighting to stop the world from imploding.

  Do not doubt yourself, my daughter. What might seem wrong now, when reviewed after time, can turn out to be right. You are such a result.

  Did her mother know something? "What of my child? Do you know the outcome?"

  The future has yet to be written. The heart is all that matters, in life and in death. Trust yours.

  Trust her heart? She needed more than that. Her heart had gotten her into this mess. That and her libido.

  A tinkling laugh sounded like crystal chimes ringing on a soft summer breeze. It was the most beautiful sound Tierra had ever heard and tears sprung to her eyes. "Please, tell me what to do."