by Kim Loraine
God, I don’t want him to stop. Why did I think we shouldn’t touch in the first place? As his big body engulfs mine, I just want more. I don’t need to worry about anything else with his arms around me. His skin on mine, his scent flooding my senses, his rock hard length pressing against my belly. Those are the only things I need.
Pulling back, I shake my head to clear my mind. “No, this is the pheromone induced haze. It’s basically a godforsaken love potion. This. Isn’t. Real.”
With a flare of my power, I push him away. Chest heaving as I pull open the window, I suck in as much clear air as I can, trying to reset my senses. So far, I’m no less keyed up. I’m a ball of need, ready to screw.
“Why couldn’t you have been a simple one-night-stand, Grant?”
He chuckles. “There’s nothing simple about me. I thought I made that perfectly clear.”
Hands on my hips, I sigh. “That you did. Damn. I suppose I’ll be needing you to leave me be if I’m going to hold on to my dignity tonight.”
“The only shame would be in us not sleeping together again, mo leannan. We should spend every night wrapped up in each other. Growing closer, letting our hearts guide us.”
“Stop with the damn endearments. I’m not your sweetheart, your beauty, or your mate. The only part of my anatomy that will guide me to you is between my legs,” I say, a full body shiver rocking me at the thought. Jesus and all the saints, this man might ruin me.
“You need to stop fighting the inevitable. You’re made for me. I’ll have you as my mate eventually.”
“I’m a witch, you’re a shifter. It doesn’t work like that for me.”
His dark eyebrows pull together. “You want me. I can feel it in your kiss. If I were to slide my hand between your legs, I’d find you as hot and needful as I am.”
“Fuck,” I sigh.
“That’s right, Beauty. I know you can feel what you do to me. And it’s only going to get worse. Put us both out of our misery and let me fuck you—again.”
I take an involuntary step toward him but think better of my actions and summon every ounce of power I have. “Get out of my room, Grant. Or I’ll move you myself.”
If I read him right, a hurt look crosses his face as he backs away and grips the doorknob. “Fine, witch. If you have need of me, I’m only down the hall. But fair warning, if you slide into bed with me because you find yourself scared in the night, I sleep naked.”
He closes the door and I heave a sigh, willing myself to stop thinking about exactly what he looks like between the sheets.
6
Grant
The damned witch has me wrapped around her delicate fingers, and there’s not a thing I can do about it. It took everything in me to stop kissing her in her bedroom. Honestly, if she’d let me, I would have laid her back on the bed, ripped her skirt from her body and torn her knickers to shreds in mere moments. Then…I’d have had her writhing in pleasure, screaming my name, and tangling her fingers in my hair as I made her come over and over.
Biting back a groan as I try to think of anything but the little vixen in my guest room, I move slowly down the hall. But all I can taste is her lips, and the bonding scent between us grows stronger at the memory. My body just wants to finish what we started. Damn, I need to get off if I’m going to make it through the night with her just down the hall. My cock aches with the need for release. Fuck making it through the night. How am I going to handle the next few hours? The pull of her soul to mine is stronger than anything I’ve ever experienced. Over the years I’ve seen mated pairs go through this, but I never thought it was as intense as what my beauty and I are fighting.
Fisting my length, I let out a soft puff of air at the thought of having her under me. I’ll have to take care of this problem if I’m going to be able to get any sleep. I glance around at the empty hallway and immediate shame rushes over me. I can’t stand out here holding my fucking cock. What if she comes out for a glass of water? As soon as I’m safely hidden behind the heavy wood door to my bedroom I tug my shirt over my head and stalk toward the attached bath. A shower. I need a fucking shower and some quality time with my hand. God knows I’ve got enough of my beauty stored in my memory to help me find my release.
The hot water runs over my skin with a relentless pressure but instead of easing my tense muscles, it makes my body tingle as arousal courses through me. The recollection of her against me, pliant and wanting, has my cock straining and begging for attention. She didn’t deny what was between us. She wanted it as much as I until she let her head rule over her heart and slammed down a wall, trying to stop the inevitable.
It’s then I realize I don’t even know her name. She’s my mate, set to be my heart and soul, and I’ve no clue who she really is. Maybe she’s right, and this is the equivalent of a love potion. All I know is the mated pairs in my pack spend the rest of their preternaturally long lives together. I don’t bloody love her, but the fact that we’re connected means I will in time.
Unable to keep thoughts of her at bay, I slide my fingers over my thick length, the friction already building to a nearly unstoppable euphoria. I groan, louder than I should allow myself because she’ll hear me, but damn it if I don’t want her to. I want her to know what she can do to me with just a kiss.
“Oh, fuck,” I moan when my soapy hand slides over my sensitive pierced crown. Bursts of pleasure shoot through me as I picture her hand on my shaft, fingers circling the ball of the barbell, her lips on mine, lush, firm breasts pressing against my naked chest.
Without warning the bathroom door opens then slams shut, nearly sending me leaping out of my skin.
“What the fuck?” I shout, cock still standing at attention.
Beauty stands in the corner, blazing eyes locked on mine through the glass shower door, but her focus drifts down until she focuses on the head of my swollen length. She gasps.
“What is it?” I smirk, knowing she likes what she sees.
“You’re…pierced.”
“Aye.”
“I didn’t notice…before…” Then as though trying to erase the memory of being with me in the alley, she shakes her head and forces her eyes back to mine, anger burning in them. “There’s someone here. Another bloody shifter is in the house and you’re in here having a wank?”
I’d blush if I were a weaker man, but I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. And she knows it.
“I wouldn’t need to be having a wank if you’d let me inside you again, Beauty.”
She sighs and rolls her eyes, then grabs a towel and stalks across the bathroom. Her eyes glow, they fucking glow, as the glass door slides open without even a brush of her fingers. Before I can say a damn word, she chucks the towel at me and crosses her arms over her chest.
“Cover your cock and get out. There’s another beast here and I need you to take care of him. One of you is plenty.”
She does me the favor of turning around as I step free of the shower and wrap the white cotton around my waist. The towel does nothing to hide my hard-on. The only thing that’ll take care of this problem is her. I’ll take her cunt or her mouth, hell, even her hand will do.
“Are you covered?” she asks, her breathy voice betraying her own arousal.
“Aye. Are you sure you want me to be?”
A tight laugh escapes her. I want to make her laugh again, to hear that sound fill my home. My hand reaches out without permission of my brain and in a second, I’ve slid my arm around her waist and pulled her backward until her rear is pressed against me.
“Grant,” she sighs, leaning her head back until those blond curls of hers brush my skin. Silky tendrils tickle my taut belly and make my hardness swell even farther beneath the towel.
“Let me have this,” I whisper, my hand sliding under her shirt and up, up, up, until I’m cupping one full, lace covered breast. My lips caress her neck, moving over her velvet-soft skin.
“Oh God, yes.”
Those words, uttered like a prayer, send me into a tail
spin of desire. My mating instinct takes complete control and I bite down on her neck, marking her as mine. She cries out but doesn’t remove herself from my grasp, instead, her luscious arse rolls and presses against my shaft.
“Grant? You up here, mate?” We still, both of us breathing hard as Lachlan’s deep voice floats under the crack between the door and the tile floor.
I clear my throat, not letting go of my beauty. “Aye, just showering. I’ll be down in a minute.”
He grunts and his heavy footfalls keep me on edge until I can hear him descending the stairs. Fuck. That was close.
“I told you there was someone here,” Beauty hisses.
“That you did, lass. You’d better stay put until the coast is clear. He likely won’t stay long, but if he finds you … he can’t find you. End of story.”
She nods, settling on the closed toilet. A soft hum fills the room. It takes a moment before I realize it’s coming from her, until she vanishes.
“Oh, bleeding hell.”
Izzy
“Holy fuck, Izzy.” Helena’s surprised cry has me near tears as I materialize in the bathroom at my flat. She’s squeezed the toothpaste all over her hand and her eyes are wide with shock.
“Sorry. It was kind of an emergency.” I’m woozy from using too much of my power. My head aches and limbs feel shaky, as though I’ve gone days without food.
She narrows her gaze and assesses me as she wipes her hand clean. “I thought he wasn’t dangerous.”
“I needed to hide. There’s another shifter at his place.”
“You needed to get the fuck out of there anyway. Why would you stay?”
“I’ve already told you, he’s keeping us all safe. It makes sense. Someone hired his pack to find us and kill us. They’re looking for The Three. Apparently, we’ve got a fancy name for ourselves. I’m sure it has something to do with our antics a few months ago in Seattle. Damn fallen angel dragging us in, making us choose sides.”
She cocks an eyebrow. “Helping Sariel was the only choice, Izzy. We never truly side with Lucifer. Never.”
Waving my hand in a dismissive gesture, I huff. “Well, I’m pretty sure that the angel left us with a price on our heads.”
“Damn.” The curse is uttered under her breath, but I still hear it.
“Grant can keep us out of sight for now. Until we figure this out.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, so we’re calling him Grant now?”
I can’t fight my sigh. “That is his name.”
Stepping toward me, she frowns as she reaches out for my neck, fingers brushing aside my hair. “Did he…he fucking marked you. Izzy, you let that beast mark you.”
I flinch and bring my fingers up to the tender spot on my neck where he’d bitten me. The welts are there, distinct and disconcerting. But he hadn’t broken the skin. It hadn’t hurt. Not in the least. In fact, just the thought of it makes my nipples stand at attention. He’s done a lot more than mark me, but I don’t want to argue with her. “He thinks I’m his mate.”
She laughs, harsh and bitter. “Pity for him. Does he know about the curse?”
“I haven’t explained that part to him yet.”
“Good. You won’t need to. We’ll pack up and get out of here. Somewhere he can’t find you. We’ll call up our magic and transport ourselves to Ireland. Ward a house, find Calista.”
Frustration floods me. “We don’t have that kind of power right now. You know that. Besides, he’s not the one I need rescuing from.”
“You’re doing him no good to string him along.”
I shake my head. “I’ve told him I’m not his. I don’t see the harm in a little fun between the sheets though.”
“As long as he understands you’re not devoting yourself to him forever.”
“I don’t do forever. Never again will I hand my heart over to a man.” My thoughts drift to Tristan, to the love I thought I’d had.
“You should still tell him.”
She’s right. This isn’t fair to him. My stupid heart gives a curious pang at the thought of never seeing him again. My shoulders slump as I nod and fight the splitting headache between my eyes. “Fine. I’m going to bed, but tomorrow, we make a plan to get away. He’ll find me if we don’t.”
My room seems cold and uninviting. Everything in me begs to be with Grant. I need to sleep it off. Shimmying out of my jeans, I climb into bed and pull back the thick quilt. When my head hits the pillow, I moan in a mixture of desire and frustration. The darkness soothes my aches, but my hair smells like Grant. All spicy man and insanely delicious. The mark he left on my neck throbs, sending waves of pleasure through me. Shit. As I burrow under the covers, I let out a soft sigh and inhale deeply.
“Mmm, Grant,” I whisper as my hands trail down my belly and over my hips. I need some kind of relief after everything he’s put me through tonight.
My fingers slip under my knickers, delving between my legs as I let myself imagine him bursting through the door. Rolling the hard marble of my clit with my middle finger, I gasp at the sparks of pleasure already collecting in my center. This won’t take long. Not with Grant in my head. I visualize him tearing the blanket from my body, crawling across the mattress, and gripping my ankles with strong hands. He pulls my clothing from me and before I can prepare myself his fingers are pumping inside me and his tongue laves my tender flesh.
This fantasy might be the best one I’ve ever had. I whimper into the pillow next to me as my orgasm washes over me, curling my toes. Yes. Oh, yes. After all this is over, I know a certain beast who will be a frequent star of my naughty dreams.
If I can’t keep him, I can at least fantasize about him.
7
Grant
I can’t believe my beauty left me. She was there one second and gone the next. But she wears my mark now. Everyone who knows about shifters will understand and steer clear. She’s mine.
“What’s wrong with you?” Lachlan asks as he fills his glass with yet another dram of my Glenfiddich 30. The bastard.
“That’s not a scotch you should be drinking like water, Lachlan. If you’re looking to get pissed, I’ve some Irish whiskey in the cabinet.”
He stares me down and tosses the drink back in one gulp. “This’ll do as well as any.” After he sets his glass down, he goes deadly silent. “What’s that delectable smell?”
I stiffen. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sweet perfume. Much nicer than your scent.” A wide smile crosses his lips. “You’ve got a lass up there? I thought it smelled of something pretty when I came in. Bloody hell, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want you to think I’d been neglecting my duties.”
Standing, he pulls on his leather jacket and zips it up. “One night between the sheets with a lass won’t be the difference between finding these damn witches and not. They’re out there, and we’ll take their heads before long.”
A chill runs up my spine followed immediately by protective rage. No, we will do no such thing. But I can’t tell him that. Not yet.
“Did you know they’re sirens? The stories say if you hear their song they can possess your heart, make you think you belong together.”
“I didn’t know that.” The words come out a disbelieving murmur because now I feel sick. Played. Had she sung to me in the bar? I can’t bloody remember.
Lachlan claps a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll leave you to your woman. Tomorrow we’ll meet with the pack. Rushton has a lead on them. He thinks they’re not far from here.”
“Why kill them?”
A bark of disbelieving laughter fills the air. “What?”
“Why were we hired to kill them?”
“How should I know? Your only question should be, how much do I get paid?”
“And the client? Who are they?”
He frowns. “Why are you so curious all of a sudden? You’ve never given two shits before. Do the bloody job and move on.”
“There’s mo
re here, I think. It’s never been three, and it’s never been witches.”
“It’s a job. That’s all. Don’t start developing a conscience now.”
Pulling his keys from his pocket, he heads for the front door and looks back at me with a lascivious grin. “Enjoy your lass, Grant. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
At the click of the door shutting, I listen intently to the quiet house. Is she here? Waiting? Throwing the deadbolt, I work to control my need before bolting up the stairs in search of her. But then I catch her scent and I know she didn’t leave me. I rush to her, bypassing her room completely. My heart lurches when I push open the door and find the room empty.
My mate is gone and I’ve no way of finding her.
Izzy
The next morning I still feel the loss of Grant, which is bloody stupid. He’s someone I met only the night before. I don’t need him. I can’t need him. I pull on my robe and head out of my room in search of Gwen and Helena.
“It’s not working. We need more power. Goddammit, we spent too much of our magic helping Sariel.” Helena’s voice carries through the small flat even though she’s whispering.
“We put Lucifer in a prison. That’s more than helping Sariel. That was for the greater good.”
I stride into the living room and stare at the two of them, a map spread out between them on the floor. Helena holds a dirk which is tipped in blood. “What the hell are you trying to do?”
She shrugs. “Find a safe place to live.”
“With blood magic? Forgive me for not trusting you. The last time you tried a spell, it was to steal the power of others.”
“It’s more powerful than a spell.” She won’t look at me, her chin held high and defiant.
Gwen clears her throat. “The spell didn’t work because you’re too weak.”
I sigh and take my place on the floor beside her. Linking hands with both of them, I look at Helena. “Go on, then.”