by V. Vaughn
His brow furrows. “I have to be.”
Annie nods. “Kelsey, when Val first bites you, it will feel wonderful, but within seconds, the pleasure will turn to a burning pain that races through your body. You’ll then experience bones breaking and your muscles and tendons tearing.”
I grimace as she talks. “How long does this last?” I ask.
“About eight hours. Sometimes longer.”
I take a deep breath as I wonder how I’ll endure pain for that long. “Okay.”
A zipper hums as Annie opens the duffel bag she brought. She pulls out leather cuffs, and when the chain rattles, I flash back to being in the cave. I wonder if I were still there, if I’d be dealing with a different kind of pain. I shudder a little as she says, “We’ll restrain you once you start to change. Otherwise, you’ll scratch and rip at yourself.”
She looks at Val. “Is she still modest?”
He chuckles. “Yeah.”
“Okay.” Annie smiles when she pulls out headphones. “I’ll listen to music until I hear her scream.” Her eyes twinkle with amusement.
“Wait--” Oh. I glance at Val. “You bite me during sex?”
“During orgasm, Kelsey,” says Val.
Annie says, “It’s an experience you don’t want to miss, and it may even be worth going through the change for.”
I open my mouth, but words fail me, so I snap my jaw shut as my cheeks burn with embarrassment. I’m going to have sex while Annie sits on the couch listening to music. But only until she hears me scream. I shake my head as I recall my recent adventure riding on a bear, and the fact I was held prisoner in a cage. “My life couldn’t get any weirder.”
“Wait until you’ve been changed. You’re going to feel as if your senses finally woke up,” says Annie. “Val, I hope you have bacon.”
They’re both smiling, and I realize I’m about to enter the secret world most humans don’t know exist. I gaze at Val, and the warmth of our love fills my heart as I thank the powers that be I found him. When he asks, “Ready for this?” I know I really am. I stand up and reach for his hand.
The three of us walk into the bedroom, where Annie and Val attach the four cuffs to the bed frame. I avert my gaze because I don’t want to imagine myself chained and thrashing. I walk over to stare out the window at the ocean, and the glass is cool under my fingers as I touch it. The sound of waves is faint, and I think about how after tonight I’ll hear the noise clearly with sensitive bear ears. I know that I’m going to taste, see, and smell things much better too, and I bet it will be something I’ll find hard to believe I lived without.
When the door snicks softly shut, I turn to Val, who is removing his shirt. I take in the light dusting of red hair on his chest and step closer to him. He takes my face in his hands and kisses me. Any awkwardness I was feeling leaves me as I let my physical desire take over. Val’s hands are warm on my skin as he slides them under my shirt to lift it over my head, and I unhook my bra to let it slip off my arms and to the floor.
“So beautiful,” he says as he cups my left breast and rubs his thumb over my nipple. A current of pleasure runs to my core, and I let out a soft moan before he kisses me again. His tongue brands mine as we begin to devour each other with our hands too. A metal button is hard in my fingers as I unfasten his pants, and cotton rasps against my hips as he drags off my shorts.
The mattress bounces beneath us when we tumble to the bed, and Val breaks away from our kiss to work his way down between my legs. I arch up when his mouth latches on to my sensitive folds, and now my entire body trembles as he pleasures me with his lapping. I’m on the verge of coming when he stops and crawls over me. “My god, Kelsey, I can’t get enough of you.”
“I hope that never changes.” I reach for his cock, and it’s thick and hard in my hand as I guide him toward my entrance.
“After tonight, it can’t, my love.” He groans as he sinks deep. And I open myself up further to pull him in. I want him to fill me so we can become one, and I know I’m about to get my wish.
Our bodies rock in a rhythm that is uniquely ours as my orgasm wells up in me. “So close,” I pant out, and I watch as Val shifts just enough to let his fangs lower. They gleam in the light, and I’m struck by their dangerous beauty. Soon I’ll have them too.
He says, “I love you so much.”
When Val opens his jaw wide, I say, “I love you too.” I relax and welcome what’s to come as I let my climax race through me. I cry out as it begins, and Val’s teeth sink into the muscle where my neck meets my shoulder. As if it’s a tidal wave, my orgasm flies through me with an intensity that’s on the brink of too much. Now I scream as my entire being is drenched in ecstasy, but it quickly turns to cries of agony, because my pleasure is replaced with the white-hot pain of something flooding my bloodstream. The faint sound of chains rattling carries to me as I reach to rip veins out of my arm to escape my agony. A strong hand clamps down on my wrist, and Val leans in close. “I’ve got you, Kelsey, and I’ll be here when it’s over.”
I whimper. “Val, it hurts so ba--” My back arches up, and I scream in horror when my spine snaps. I have no control over my movements, and my body thrashes around as the horrible sounds of the evil that possesses me takes over. Oh god, I do want to die. Anything to escape what’s happening. Darkness begins to cloud my vision until it squeezes out consciousness. Val’s voice wavers as if he’s crying when he says, “I love you, Kelsey.” And then I welcome relief as a curtain of black takes over.
Chapter 18
Tally
Tally! Marcel’s hand is outstretched toward me, and my stomach drops as if I’m free-falling off a cliff. Wind whips my hair into my eyes as my clothing flaps around me. I’m being sucked into a tunnel of bright light, and I reach for Marcel as I scream--
Air rushes into my lungs as I gasp and sit up. Bella drops to her knees by the sofa where I was sleeping. “Tally.” Her hand is cool on my sweat-slicked arm. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head as I try to recall my dream, but I only remember what woke me up. “Nightmare.”
She squints at me. You can’t get away with excuses when you’re talking to another witch. Especially one who knows you well. She says, “Tell me what you remember.”
“Not much. I woke up because I was being sucked into a magical vortex and Marcel was trying to save me.”
“Premonition?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. It could just be worry over the spell we might have to perform.”
“Yeah, well, I won’t be surprised if I dream about all of us being sucked away too.” Bella lowers her voice. “What do you think? Can Lucian’s spell work?”
“In theory, yes.” I yawn as I fight the exhaustion that threatens to pull me under. “But I don’t like the idea of jeopardizing so many of us to find out.”
Bella grabs my pillow, and her hands thump on it as she fluffs it up before she puts it back. “Lie down again. Can I get you anything?”
I sink back as if I’ve been awake for days instead of seconds. “Marcel.”
She nods. “I’m on it. Should I wake you up when he gets here?”
My eyelids lose the battle with gravity, and I sigh. “Please. Thanks, Bella.”
I wake a while later to the concerned gaze of Marcel. “Baby, it’s killing me to see you like this.”
I smile as I realize he just used a term of endearment as if we’re a couple. “Seeing you makes me feel better already.”
A bowl of soup thumps on the coffee table as Bella sets it down, and when I sit up, she says in a stern tone, “You need to eat while Marcel talks. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
I nod as Marcel moves to sit on the coffee table and takes the soup. He lifts a spoonful toward my mouth as he talks. “Bella tells me you had a disturbing dream.”
The creamy flavor of fish chowder tantalizes my tongue, and I savor it a moment before swallowing. “I did, and I wanted to know if you’re having them too.”
“I am
, and I don’t like what I see.” The spoon clatters in the bowl as he lets it go to wipe a dribble off my chin. “You can’t go through with the spell Bella told me about. My dreams tell me it won’t go well.”
“Do you see anyone but me in danger?”
“No, but isn’t that enough?” Marcel stiffens. “Someone’s here.”
Bella comes into the living room and says, “It’s Jean Luc. He wants to talk to us about the spell since time is running out.” The door creaks as she pulls it open to let him in, and then she calls for Lucian and Leanne to come downstairs.
Marcel gets up off the coffee table to stand in respect of the alpha. Jean Luc says, “Marcel.” He comes over to me and takes Marcel’s previous spot. My alpha and friend takes my hand to wrap it in his warmth. “Tally.” He sighs. “This can’t continue.”
Bella asks, “Any word on Victor at all?”
“No,” says Jean Luc. “We suspect he’s involved with Cassandra now, because we’re finding nothing. It’s as if he, Lily, and Kimi disappeared off the face of the earth.”
Lucian says, “If they are involved with Cassandra, she could easily hide them from us.”
Bella says, “Then that’s all the more reason not to perform the spell.”
Lucian snaps back. “If we don’t, Tally will most certainly die, and we’ll likely lose Kimi too.”
I hold up my hand. “Stop.” Neither Marcel nor I see anyone in danger but me, and I know I must make a sacrifice now. Everyone turns their gaze toward me. “We must perform the spell. I won’t have a woman like Cassandra and her coven destroy us using one of your own kind.”
Marcel says, “Tally. No.”
Leanne cries out, “This is insane! We’re risking the magic of the four powerful witches in this room, and the powers of two werebear if we do this.”
Jean Luc gazes at me. “Tally, how great is the risk?”
I want to tell him the truth. If Marcel and I both had dreams that foresee danger, I’m sure the spell is going to go wrong in a way that affects me. But I’m also sure the spell needs to happen to save the clan, and I take a deep breath to stall. I’m bound by my promise to keep my clan safe, even at the expense of myself, and I need to make a decision based on my oath. My fear is Jean Luc won’t let us go through with it once he realizes I could die, and if that happens, the Ouellettes and all the clans of the Northeast Kingdom will have much bigger problems than a dead witch.
Before I can answer, Lucian says, “We won’t lose Tally. We’ve got the strength of a magical alpha from the Le Roux clan and your powerful wife, sir. They’ll be the anchors that keep our magic on our side. I do admit Tally could be in danger, but she’s not going to die.”
“You can’t know that!” says Bella.
Jean Luc holds up his hand and asks, “Could she lose her magic?”
Lucian nods.
“Please,” I say. “That’s a small price to pay, and I’m willing to risk it.”
Jean Luc stares at me with an intensity that flashes in his eyes. “Tally, you and I came into power about the same time.” I smile at him as I recall the way we stumbled those first few years. But we had each had the other’s back and formed a strong friendship along with a strong working relationship. “I’ve always trusted you to know what’s best for our clan in these matters. I’m putting my faith in you for this decision.”
“We need to stop Victor,” I say. I swallow hard as my weakness makes it hard for me to speak. “With his knowledge, the power of a coven”--I close my eyes for a second to muster up more energy--“and the brute force of the Eradicators, werebear would be in grave danger if we don’t.”
Jean Luc releases me, and I slump back against the couch. He stands. “I’ll get Carly Le Roux here and”--his voice switches over to his alpha tone--“you’ll perform the spell tomorrow night.”
Bella inhales sharply behind me as her hands land on my shoulders, and I hear a small whimper from Leanne, but it’s Marcel’s anger seething that scares me. His knuckles are white as he clenches his hands into fists, and the way his chest heaves makes me think he’s fighting a shift. But he can’t do anything, because Jean Luc’s alpha order is something no werebear in the clan can disobey. I realize that’s exactly why Jean Luc used it, because it doesn’t work on the humans in the room.
Once Jean Luc leaves, Marcel comes to me. He sits on the couch and pulls me into his lap. His arms are firm around me as he wraps me up in an embrace. “I can’t lose you, Tally, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe tonight.”
I gaze into his eyes. “In my dream, you were reaching out to me. Maybe this means you are meant to save me.”
“I see that too. I’ll pull you back. I promise.”
I snuggle into the man I love more than anything and close my eyes in an attempt to keep my tears at bay. I want to believe he can save me, but I’m afraid nobody can. Tomorrow night, I’m going to die.
Chapter 19
Kelsey
A seagull’s call is so loud it makes me open my eyes to check if it’s right overhead. Instead I see the ceiling of Val’s bedroom and marvel at how I can detect the fine details of the stucco. “Kelsey.” I wince at the volume of Val’s voice. He whispers, “Sorry. It’s going to take some time for you to get used to your new senses.”
The aroma of coffee is strong on his breath, and it makes me crave some. I remember I changed last night, and I lift my hand up to inspect it. After what I went through, I’d expect it to be covered in scabs or at least bruised, but my fingers appear normal. “Did I really change?”
“You did.” Val sighs from a chair beside the bed. “It was the worst thing I’ve ever had to live through, so I’m not sure I can imagine how you must have felt.”
“Annie was right. I wanted to die.” The sound of my spine breaking echoes in my head. “How is it I didn’t?” I lift up to sit, and the wood headboard is hard on my back as I lean against it. I’m sore like after an intense workout, but it’s nothing like what I should be feeling. Someone dressed me in a T-shirt of Val’s, and the stench of my sweat wafts from the sheets as I tug them off to look at the rest of my body. I look perfectly normal, but I recall blood.
“Werebear have amazing healing abilities,” says Annie as she approaches me with a cup of coffee. “I made it weaker than usual so you wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the flavor.”
“Thanks.” I take the cup from her. “Is my new healing why I don’t have any marks? And where’s all the blood?”
“We cleaned you up,” says Val. “You really were a mess, and I had to throw the sheets away.”
Annie asks, “You don’t remember thanking me?”
I frown as I replay my strange dreams, and I do recall Annie washing my arm with a warm cloth. “Oh. Right.”
“You’re lucky. Not only did you heal faster than most, but you slept through most of the healing process. I’m told that right after the change is completed, it feels like you were hit by a tractor-trailer,” says Annie.
I smile at Val, who teases me about how much sleep I like to get. “See? It’s a good thing.”
“It certainly is.”
Annie asks, “Are you hungry? I can make you breakfast.” My stomach growls in reply, and she smiles. “I’m on it.”
Val slides forward and takes my hand. I’m used to his skin being searing hot, and notice that he feels human to me now. “What do you think so far?”
I sip on the coffee and let it sit on my tongue. Rich dairy flavor is strong amidst the bitterness. I swallow and say, “This is amazing.”
“Just wait until you shift into a bear and we run. Now that’s going to be amazing.”
“I hope I have an easy time of it.” I think back to when we tried to find out if I could shift before I changed and remember the ways you can initiate it. “And what if I can’t shift back?”
“Don’t worry. Hundreds of teenaged werebear figure it out, and you will too.”
“Okay.” I stretch out my legs and notice they look m
ore muscular than before. “Whoa.” I remove my hand from Val’s to lift my arm and flex. My bicep is definitely bigger. “Check me out.”
Val chuckles. “Another perk.”
“Wanna arm wrestle?”
Val gets up and takes my coffee from me to set it on the nightstand, and he crawls onto the bed. “I’d love to wrestle with my sexy new werebear.” While I should be falling into our kiss, I’m fixated on the fact I can taste what he ate for breakfast. I pull away. “We have donuts?”
He rolls his eyes at me. “I’ve created a monster.”
“Only if you ate all the donuts.” I push him away so I can swing my legs over the edge of the bed to get up. I inhale deeply when I recognize the scent of bacon sizzling. “I’m going to get fat. Food smells so good.”
Val slaps my bottom lightly. “Go ahead. I like curves.”
As I walk barefoot to the kitchen, I detect the faint grain of the wood floor under my toes. All the new sensations make me feel as if I’ve been living in a fog and suddenly the air cleared. I stop and inhale the tantalizing odors of food. The aromas swirl around me, and I’m almost dizzy as I take them in.
Annie grins at me as she hands me a piece of bacon. “Taste.”
I place the strip on my tongue to tear off a bite, and at first salt tingles before the rich fatty flavor takes over. I let out a moan that is usually reserved for sex as I chew. I swallow and say, “Wow. I can’t wait to eat the rest.”
Val chuckles as Annie hands me a plate overflowing with eggs, bacon, and two donuts, and I take it to the table to eat. As I devour the meal, Val and Annie tell me that the first order of business for me as a werebear is to learn to shift and control it when trigger situations like anger occur. Then I’ll be required to learn to fight. While I’ll likely never become a warrior, it’s important all clan members are able to defend themselves in case of an attack. And considering the current threat from the Eradicators, I’m happy to oblige.