by Kim Loraine
“I’m claiming what’s bloody well mine.” My words come out a harsh growl, but I realized as soon as I sank inside her why I’m drawn to her, why she smells so fucking amazing. She’s meant for me. This beauty is my mate, and there’s nothing that will keep me from her now.
Izzy
Claiming what’s his? Bloody hell, shifters are crazy. Crazy hot. The intensity radiating from him heats my skin and sends arousal coursing through me as he thrusts deep and brings me close to orgasm.
“Yours?” I manage to ask through a throat tight with need.
Eyes so dark they look like obsidian burn me as he stares at me. “Aye, lass. I don’t care if you’re a damned witch. You’re mine.”
He takes my breath away as he picks up speed and crushes his lips to mine. I’m falling over the cliff and headfirst into pleasure and from his groans, he’s right there with me. The feel of him growing harder inside me, filling me, makes my climax stretch for longer than seems possible. And then I realize we’re missing the safe part of safe sex. “Pull out. You’re not wearing a condom!”
He groans, but removes himself from my body, spilling himself onto the ground beneath us. “Fuck,” he sighs.
Still coming down from my high, I let out a shuddering breath as he sets me on my feet. His passionate gaze doesn’t leave me, not even for a second. I right my skirt and try to step aside in an attempt to put some room between us. He only holds me tighter. My nipples are hard little bullets betraying my desire as his fingers dig into my waist. “You mean for the night, right? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, big guy.”
I’m not lying when I call him big. He’s easily got a hundred pounds on me, maybe more. I can feel the ridges of his muscled chest through his shirt, my fingers seem to have a mind of their own as they trail across the broad expanse of his pectorals. Oh, he’s hot all right. Sure, I’ll be his. I’ll be his and he can be mine until the sun comes up. Then I’ll sneak off and move on with my life.
His large palm slides up my side and under my shirt, the pad of his thumb grazing the soft and sensitive skin on my ribs. Goose bumps break out across my entire body, forcing me to fight a moan. I’d just let him take me in a fucking alley, but I want him again.
He whispers, “A night? One night won’t be enough for us. I doubt an eternity would quench my thirst for you.” His swoon inducing words don’t help my resolve to walk away. Then he nips my ear and murmurs, “I can’t promise I’ll let you go after you’ve let me taste you.”
The thought of his tongue between my legs makes me shiver. “That’s not what this is.”
Cupping the side of my neck, he lowers his lips to mine, just a breath away from kissing me. “Come home with me.”
God, I want him to kiss me again. I need it. What the hell is happening right now?
Freeing myself from his grasp, I put some distance between us. This is too much too soon. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”
“Are you fucking kidding? I think it’s a bloody brilliant idea. You felt it, the same as me. We’re made for each other. You, me, nothing between us but skin and sweat. That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard.”
My heart flips when he grins as he shoves his hands in his pockets. “You’re not seriously expecting me to leave with you right now?”
“I’m hoping.”
“I’m not looking for anything else from you. No names, no strings.”
Eyes wide, he breaks out in a broad smirk, eyebrow cocked. “Oh, you’re a feisty lass, aren’t you? You can’t fight it. It’s already done. Let’s just cut through the pretense and get to it.”
Shaking my head, I step back and cross my arms over my chest, desperate to hide my traitorous nipples. “Right, I think I’ve had about enough from you. Delectable as you appear, I’ve had enough crazy to last a lifetime. It’s been…interesting.”
He frowns but doesn’t reach for me when I turn. As I walk away, I hear him mutter, “It’s been enlightening, mo leannan.”
A shiver runs down my spine at the endearment. He basically called me his sweetheart. His. Fucking. Sweetheart. I don’t know the man. Spinning where I stand, I face him. “I’m not your lover. Not your sweetheart.”
That roguish smile turns up his lips again, and he leans against the wall, casual and collected. “You will be. Just wait. I’ll be in your fantasies tonight, mo leannan. And you can be certain you’ll be in mine.”
He pushes off the brick and takes two steps toward me, the pull between us magnetic as my body moves without my mind’s permission.
“I think she’s trying to leave, beast.” Helena’s voice rings out behind us as she bursts through the door and into the alley. Gwen isn’t far behind. What the fuck are they doing here? Needing to escape these unsettling feelings I have toward him, I use my power and try to bind him where he stands, but I have none. His eyes widen as soon as he realizes what I attempted. Helena and Gwen add their power to the mix, and he stops moving, but only for a few seconds.
“Witches,” he growls, fighting the spell as despair flashes over his features. “Three of you?”
Helena and Gwen approach, each radiating fury. “That’s right, shifter.” Helena’s voice is measured and low.
“Release me.” His rage permeates everything around him.
“No, I think not,” I say. “Not until we’re well clear of you.”
My friends grip my hands and tug me toward the door. My heart curiously lurching as he fades from view. Bloody hell, why would the blasted thing want him? He’s a Neanderthal. A sexy as fuck, Neanderthal, but still. I’m not about to be clubbed on the head and dragged back to his cave.
“What in the name of God was that, Izzy?” Gwen asks as we rush through the bar and out the front door. The cool night air hits our skin, and the fog of pheromones clears as distance settles between the nameless man who’d been the fuck of my life.
“I…I’ve no clue. He said I was his…”
“Oh, fuck.” Helena’s whispered curse sends a wash of anticipation over me and I turn my head, following her gaze. But I know what I’ll see. I felt the moment he broke through the spell.
He’s mere feet away, stalking across the path between the pub and my apartment.
“Stop right there, Beast.” Helena’s hair whips around her face as the force of her power swirls around her and she hurls spell after spell at him. He doesn’t stop. Her magic—our magic isn’t working. Why isn’t it working? In fact, he snarls, his eyes glowing a feral gold as he catches up to us, tosses me over his shoulder and turns.
“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing, you bastard?” I protest.
“Let go of her!” Gwen shouts. “You can’t have her.”
“You’re not going anywhere with her,” he growls, his voice nearly inhuman. “She’s my fucking mate. No one will keep me from her.”
His mate? No. No way. I’m no one’s mate.
Large hands gripping me, he holds me tight. I should be afraid of him. He’s acting insane, but I’m really just angry. Sliding me down so I’m cradled against his chest, he moves at an unnatural speed with me in his arms. He called me his mate. That’s bad. Shifters imprint almost instantly on their mates at first sight. But I’m not a shifter. He shouldn’t be able to imprint on me.
Oh, bloody fucking hell.
5
Grant
She’s in my arms and my panic is eased. I couldn’t stand for those witches to take my beauty from me. Not after I recognized who she is. Almost as though her soul were tattooed on my heart, pain had lanced the center of my chest and I knew. She’s my mate, but she’s also one of The Three. The three witches I’d been sent here to find.
“Put me down,” she grumbles. Beauty is livid, that much is certain, but I can’t let her go. The beast in me won’t let that happen.
“I’ll put you down when we’re somewhere safe.”
“What are you talking about, you idiot? You’re the only thing making me feel unsafe.”
As soon
as I reach my car, I unlock the door and toss her into the passenger side. “Stay,” I order. Surprisingly, she does. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I lock the doors and start the engine, forcing myself to keep my eyes trained on the path ahead and not the fuming witch next to me.
“Kidnapping is illegal.”
“Aye.”
“And you’re kidnapping me.”
“Aye.”
If she’s trying to convince me I’m doing something wrong, she’ll fail. I know I’m fucked. God almighty, the scent of her is driving me mad. My denim jeans are uncomfortably tight as my shaft hardens with every movement she makes. Rolling down the windows, I take a deep breath of the clear air and try to force her out of my system. It does little to ease my need for her.
After over an hour of tense silence as I navigated the roads, she shifts in her seat and sighs.
“They’ll find me, you know. And when they do…”
“If they think to take you from me, they’ll fail. I’ll see you safe, mo leannan.”
Sighing, she grumbles, “I was safe until some beast kidnapped me.”
“No, you weren’t.”
“How the fuck do you know, you daft arse?”
Pulling my car into the driveway of my country home in Danbury, I frown. “Because I was sent to kill you.” Her eyes darken and that long blond hair swirls around her face. When the air pressure in the car changes, making my ears pop and my hairs stand on end, I hold up my hands, knowing she’s about to unleash a spell on me. “Wait. I can’t hurt you. Not now. Can’t you feel it? You’re meant for me.”
“H—how? How is this happening? I can’t be mated to a bloody shifter. I’m a witch. Dammit, I can’t be mated to anyone.”
Stepping out of the car, I walk around to her side and open the door. I hold out a hand, waiting patiently for her to take it. Her brow furrows and she refuses me, insisting on rising with no help. Stubborn lass.
“Don’t make me throw you over my damned shoulder again.”
“I’m not letting you drag me to your cave.”
“I won’t drag you if you just use your fucking feet, woman.”
Letting out a soft huff, she crosses her arms over her pert breasts and nods. “Fine then, lead the way, Beast.”
I can’t help but smirk at the nickname. Soon she’ll understand, and then…she’ll be mine. But until that happens, I have to keep her hidden from my pack. They’re searching for three. If she’s with me, that protects the other two as well, and until I find out who hired us to kill these witches, I won’t be too eager to share their whereabouts with anyone.
Unlocking the front door, I take her by the elbow and lead her inside. The contact makes desire race through me, but, contrary to her belief, I do have some self-control. I push aside the need to claim her fully as mine, and gently pull her into the living room.
“This is my cave, as you so call it.”
She cocks an eyebrow as she wrenches her arm from my grasp. “It’s surprisingly tidy.”
“I’m not a complete animal.”
“Ha-ha. I’ll believe it when I see it. Where are we? You drove so bloody fast I didn’t get a look at any signs.”
Shaking my head, I tsk. “Now, now. What kind of kidnapper would I be if I told you that?”
“I was hoping a stupid one.”
“No luck. Come with me, I’ll show you to your room.”
Hands on her hips, she laughs. “You mean, you’re not going to claim what’s bloody well yours?” She puts a thick Scottish brogue on the last as she repeats the words I’d said only hours earlier.
The cheeky lass. “Oh, aye. I’ll claim you, again and again. But not until you’re begging me to have you, calling my name. And believe me, you will be.”
“I don’t beg.”
“You did in the alley. Now come on. Since you shot my plans to complete shite, I’ve got business to attend to.”
Her eyes blaze with the need to argue, but she follows me up the stairs to one of the first of three guest rooms. “I won’t be calling out a name I don’t know,” she mutters.
“Grant McTavish. Would you like to practice calling it out? I’ll wait.”
A light laugh escapes her before she can stop herself. Then, she shakes her head and crosses her arms over her chest. “You live here alone?”
Nodding, I open the door and watch as she walks inside, her full hips swaying with an allure that would kill a weaker man. “I used to live in Glasgow, but my…work brought me here.”
Those copper irises lock onto mine. “Your work? You mean your pack?”
“Aye.” The mention of my pack sends guilt through me. I’m betraying them, my family, with every moment I spend in her company.
She settles on the bed, her fingers trailing over the dove gray coverlet. “And what is your pack going to think about your mate being a witch?”
The thought of telling my pack alpha, Lachlan, about my beauty makes my skin crawl. “I’ve no clue.”
“Liar. I can sense the fear in you.”
“I don’t plan to tell them.”
She laughs, her voice mesmerizing. “So, you’re just going to hold me captive, make me yours, and hide me away? Do I look like the kind of girl who’ll handle being sequestered?”
No. She’s all fire and fury. A wicked little minx who’ll give me nothing but trouble. And I can’t wait to give it right back.
“I can’t keep you here. I know that. But I’m hoping you’ll make the choice to stay after I show you what I’m offering. And, Beauty, I’m offering more than I’ve ever given anyone.” I hate the way my voice shakes at the admission, but I need her to know. It’s too late for me. I’m gone now that I’ve found her. Even if she never lets me inside her again, I’ll never want another.
She holds my chains and it’s up to her to free me and let me have her completely, or to keep me a prisoner of her heart.
Izzy
Grant stands in the doorway to the room he’s said is mine, his whole body exuding a kind of raw, untamed desire. I have to admit, I feel it too. I felt it in the bar, in the alley, on the drive here, in every fluid movement of his large body. I’ve never been one to shy away from a good roll in the damned hay. But that’s just the lust talking. Because I can’t fall in love. The last thing I want is some supernatural imprint on my heart. I can’t be responsible for him, for his life, and for the heartbreak he’ll endure if he claims me only to lose me to my curse in less than a year. That's the very reason I didn't call Tristan.
“Stop it, you great beast.”
“Stop what?”
“Staring at me like I’m your whole bloody world.”
He blinks and shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts. “It’s the pheromones.”
“What?”
“A mated pair give off pheromones to encourage frequent…coupling.”
Rolling my eyes, I sigh and walk as far away from him as I can. “There, should I open a window too? Would that help?”
My gaze travels from his ruggedly handsome features, the chiseled jawline darkened by day old stubble, down to his muscular chest, until I find his belt. I don’t dare let myself linger between his legs because I’m sure, if I see a bulge, and I know I will, I may give in and let him take me. Just so I can say I made an informed decision either way.
His posture stiffens as he watches me assess him. “I think that’d be best.”
If I don’t move, I won’t be able to keep myself from touching him. His beautiful pouty lips beckon me to taste and tease. My phone rings as I lock eyes with him once more.
“Hello?” I bite the word out like it’s something distasteful.
“Are you okay? I can’t believe that wanker was able to break through my spell. Where are you?”
My spine stiffens. “I’m fine, Hel. He—he’s taken me to his home.”
“Well, get your tiny little arse out of there and come home. Do you need me to summon you?”
I can tell he’s listening to every word of t
his conversation by the tense posture he maintains. His chiseled jaw tightens and a muscle pulses as he clenches his teeth. “No. It won’t work anyway. You don’t have that kind of power. Besides, he’s…not bad.”
“What?” Helena’s incredulous tone isn’t surprising.
“There’s more going on than him being a crazy fucker.”
At that, he chuckles.
“Like what? Is he holding you against your will? I swear I’ll have his balls for hood ornaments if he is.”
“No, he’s not. Truly, Hel. He’s…protecting me.”
Her scoff makes me fight a wince. “No. Fuck, you’re already brainwashed. He can’t keep you.”
He steps a little closer, his warm, spicy scent making my head spin as he mutters, “The hell I can’t.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be home soon. But you need to know something.” I can’t tell her the damage has already been done, but I can’t let her walk around ignorant of the danger to her and Gwen.
“What is it? Dammit, I don’t like this.”
“Someone is after us.”
His warm palm slide over my shoulders, and though I should be annoyed by his gesture of familiarity, I lean back into his touch. “Hang up the phone, mo leannan,” he whispers, his lips brushing my cheek.
“What do you mean?” Helena asks.
“He’s keeping me safe. But he was sent after us. Someone wants us dead.”
“Calista.” The name hits me from Helena’s end of the line and sends a shiver over my entire body.
“Possibly. You and Gwen need to lie low.”
Grant pulls me against his hard body, his chest and hips pressing against my back. “I said, hang up the damned phone.”
“Hel, I’ve got to go. Can you promise me you’ll stay hidden until we figure this out?”
She grumbles an affirmative response and before I can say another word, Grant has the slim silver phone in his hand and ends the call. He turns me in his arms, tossing my cell phone onto the bed before his lips connect with mine.
“I can’t go any longer without tasting your lips, Beauty,” he murmurs against my mouth.