Brett stood and removed his boxer briefs.
It was my turn to heat at the sight of him.
I exhaled slowly, feeling as if the bed might go up in flames around me.
He stroked himself. “Poppy, swear to me you want this—that you want me.”
I held up my hand, making a Scout’s Honor sign while I spoke. “George Michael and Richard Marx.”
Confusion coated his face. He stood there, holding himself, lifting a brow as he did. “What?”
“Nothing,” I said with a grin. “Just means I super-duper swear.”
“Good,” he returned, climbing onto the bed once more.
I opened my legs as if we’d done this together hundreds of times before. There were no awkward moments or feelings of uncertainty. I wanted him. He wanted me. And it was high time we did this together.
Brett locked gazes with me and slid home, making me cry out in his arms. The weight of his body settled over mine and I wrapped my legs around his waist, gasping and grabbing at his back. Never had I felt so full, so complete.
He moaned as his mouth captured mine.
He moved above me, finding a rhythm that left us both panting.
I countered his thrusts and tossed my head back as I reached culmination.
Growling, Brett stiffened above me. “Mine!”
The next I knew, he struck out, almost snake-like, at my neck. There was no pain. Only light pressure as intense pleasure racked my system.
Brett jerked above me.
I ran my fingers through his hair, holding his head to my neck as I came just short of seeing actual fireworks. Though I did see flashing white lights near the ceiling a second before it sounded as if the room was invaded by a swarm of locusts.
He held firm in me as the sounds of locusts grew to epic proportions. I thought the end of days were upon us.
Then suddenly, it was as if someone was there, weaving threads between Brett and myself. Sticking us together with invisible thread.
Pleasure the likes of which I’d never felt before struck me full on, bringing with it a sense that I was looking out of Brett’s eyes at myself. Seeing myself the way he viewed me.
To him, I really was the single most beautiful woman in all the world. And being with me made him feel whole. As if the other half of his being was with him. The love the man had for me, even after all these years, was enough to bring tears to my eyes as I clung to him. He was totally and completely committed to me—to us. And I knew that commitment level would never wane.
We were tethered together by fate and destiny.
I mentally slipped away from seeing through his eyes and laid there under him, holding him to me, totally shaken by what had happened between us.
He lifted his head from my shoulder and gasped. “You’re crying.”
He made a move to pull away.
I held him to me. “Happy tears.”
“Swear?”
“George Michael,” I said, making him laugh and then roll us over, putting him below me, never leaving my body as he did.
He stiffened under me. “Shit. My phone is ringing in the other room. At this time of night, it can only mean work.”
I eased off him. “Go. I understand.”
He caught my hip with one hand and ran his other into my hair.
Twenty-One
Brett
Brett stood out in the rain, in the dark, with Jeffrey by his side. When the call had come in about another body being found, Brett had planned to leave Jeffrey and Travis back at the house to protect the women. The second he was told that the victim was a fellow packmate, all bets were off.
Jeffrey had to drive out to the location with Brett. As pack alpha he needed to be there.
That left Travis alone at the house to guard Poppy, Dana, and Marcy. That was making Brett very anxious. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since she’d come careening back into his life—literally—and already she was his mate. And he was back on the scene of yet another murder.
He was beyond tired of being outwitted by the serial killer. And now that Poppy was in Grimm Cove, and was clearly a witch with magik as noted by what she’d done during the claiming, he was even more determined to catch the bastard responsible for all the death.
Then he’d need to sit his wife down and explain that she had magik in her, just like her grandparents. That it hadn’t skipped her generation after all. He’d known since he’d felt it rush over him while they were in the throes of passion. At first, he’d been confused and almost lost control of his wolf until he realized the power was radiating from Poppy. She was completing her side of the claiming ritual, weaving the threads of destiny between them as Fate had intended.
He’d then been gifted a glimpse of the depth of her feelings for him, her worry that he’d hurt her emotionally like he once had, that he’d not be pleased with her bedroom skills, and that he’d change his mind on things.
Not ever going to happen.
He loved her even more now that she was his wife and he hadn’t even realized that was possible. He’d thought his feelings for her couldn’t possibly deepen. Since they were already more than he’d ever felt for anyone or anything in his life.
Yet they had.
He’d do anything to keep her with him and to keep her safe.
They had so many things to discuss. Like the fact she possessed magik. Then they needed to tell their families that they were now married. That meant he’d need to officially meet the twins and at some point, when Poppy decided it was time, they’d have to explain to the twins about Grimm Cove and magik.
Worry spread through him momentarily as he wondered if the twins would resent him. If they’d think he was trying to replace Thomas as their father. He wasn’t. But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t already care about them greatly.
Explaining why that was would leave him having to be totally honest with Poppy about checking in on her over the years.
That, along with everything else, and the new murder left Brett feeling like he was fit to be tied.
He stared down at a man he considered a friend who’d had his life snuffed out by the serial killer. Anger bubbled up in him. Why in the hell couldn’t they catch the bastard?
They’d been standing out in the rain nearly an hour and, so far, had more questions than answers.
“What was Robbie doing out here in the rain on a run?” asked Brett of Jeffrey. “None of us make a habit of shifting and running in wolf form when it’s raining. It’s been storming most of the night.”
Jeffrey bent near the body, lowering his head as he did. Robert “Robbie” Helens had been a good guy. He was trusted and high ranking in the pack, being one of Brett’s secondary enforcers. Robbie and his brother helped Brett with policing the pack. They were normally inseparable.
“He wouldn’t. Has anyone been able to reach his brother?” asked Jeffrey.
“Not that I know of,” said Brett, motioning to one of his officers. “Any word from Ryan?”
“None,” said the officer. “I sent a guy to his house like you told me to, Chief.”
“And did you send someone to watch the Proctor house like I told you too?” asked Brett.
The officer nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” Brett focused on Jeffrey who was staring up at him. “He check in yet?”
“Not yet,” said the man. “I’ll go call from up near the road. Cell reception is better there.”
“You’re acting more wound up than normal when it comes to Poppy,” said Jeffrey. “Want to tell me why? You were tight-lipped on the way here and I’m fairly certain I saw you coming out of her bedroom.”
“You did,” said Brett, glancing around to be sure there was no one listening. “I did it.”
Jeffrey’s eyes widened. “Are you telling me you told her what you are?”
“Yes. And I claimed her,” he said, wanting to shout it from the rooftops. He just wasn’t sure who all he could trust with the knowledge just yet.
Jeffrey was on him in a second, hugging him and patting his back. “Congrats, brother!”
Brett patted him back and then released him. “She’s my wife.”
“She understand that?” asked Jeffrey.
Brett stiffened. “I sure in the hell hope so. I didn’t get a lot of time to discuss it all. About thirty seconds after the deed was done I got the call about this.”
“Well, look at it this way, you already have the ring and now you have a lifetime to figure out how to explain the rest,” said Jeffrey with a wink.
Brett did another quick look around to be sure they were alone. The rest of his people were doing what needed to be done to get the scene locked down and processed. The rain wasn’t helping matters any. “Jeffrey, during it all, I felt magik rise around us. I think it was coming from Poppy.”
Jeffrey nodded. “Makes sense considering who her family is. Do you think she knows it was her power?”
“No. I was going to talk about it with her right after I spent more time with her if you catch my meaning,” said Brett with a grin.
“Oh yeah. Following fully.” Jeffrey nudged him. “Have her put in a good word for me with Dana, will ya? I get the feeling that with Poppy’s stamp of approval, Dana will be more likely to let me take her out to dinner or something.”
“Brother, that woman would geld you,” warned Brett.
Jeffrey got a lopsided grin on his face. “I know. Great. Right. She’s…like a tornado or something. Came zipping in and left me feeling dizzy.”
“So I noticed,” said Brett, his focus going to Robbie once more. “I want to find the asshole who is doing this and gut them myself.”
“You’re going to need to take a number,” said Jeffrey. “What is that smell?”
“What smell?” asked Brett just as his wolf side caught the smell of maple syrup mixed with something dangerous.
The same scent he’d caught at two of the crime scenes before and the same one he’d smelled outside of Poppy’s house when the window had come open tonight. He sniffed the air, drawing upon his wolf side. He didn’t care if it meant his eyes were shifting colors. He intended to track the asshole.
He caught the scent and motioned to Jeffrey for him to follow.
The pair took off running, following the trail. They ran deeper into the woods and the rain increased. Lightning returned, illuminating the sky in brief flashes as they kept going.
Whatever Poppy had given him helped his knee. Between the bad weather and running full force, he’d have been in a world of hurt. But it was just mildly painful now.
Jeffrey grabbed Brett’s arm and yanked him to a stop just before he’d have leaped over a culvert. “Look!”
He did and spotted Gilbert in the fetal position, totally naked. At first, he thought the deer-shifter was dead but then he heard a heartbeat.
“Gilbert!” yelled Brett, scurrying down the wet embankment to the shifter male. He turned Gilbert over to find a ceremonial dagger embedded in his chest.
His eyes snapped open. Confusion knit his brow. “Chief?”
Brett put his hand over the hilt of the dagger, worried Gilbert would try to pull it out in a state of shock. “Medic! I need a medic!”
Jeffrey nodded and took off running back toward the crime scene.
Brett remained bent near Gilbert. “What happened?”
“S-she did this,” said Gilbert, struggling to speak, clearly in pain.
“Who?”
“The succu-witch.”
“The what?” asked Brett, unsure he was following.
Gilbert winced, his hands moving over Brett’s. “She gets in your head. Well, most men’s heads. She controls your thoughts and actions. She’s hard to fight. But I did it. I beat it. She wanted me to hurt Poppy. But I refused.”
Brett’s blood ran cold. “What?”
Gilbert gave Brett’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I remember you with her when you were both just teens. She’s a sweet girl, Brett. Always smelled good, like light magik. Not sticky sweet like dark magik. And the succu-witch wants her hurt—wants her dead. She wants her power and the power that the Proctor house holds. It’s why she made me put dark magik symbols all over it. She wanted to draw power from it. But something stopped her.”
Brett fought to draw in air.
Gilbert stared up at him. “Tell Poppy I’m sorry about running her off the road. I was hoping she’d hit your tree just enough for you to run out and worry about her—that you being her mate and all would sense the danger she was in and get her away from Grimm Cove.”
“You know I’m her mate?” asked Brett.
Gilbert coughed and laughed softly. “Everyone knows, Kasper. We’ve always known.”
“Why does this witch succubus woman want my mate?” asked Brett, needing to understand who the enemy was and how to stop them.
“Because she feeds off a witch’s power base to stay young. Without it, she ages fast. She’s old. Like four hundred years or something. Too old to survive off just feeding that side of herself every so many years. She’s having to leech the power from witches every few days now. And even that isn’t working. She thinks using a witch like Poppy—one from one of the main lines—will do it. That it will fix her.”
Brett growled, his wolf rising fast. “If she even thinks of going near…”
“Brett, she puts men under her thrall. They obey. Do her bidding. She did some guy Poppy was with. Some Thomas something or other. She tried to use him to kill her but she couldn’t fully turn him for some reason. Then he turned on her. She’s frantic and worried he’ll get to Poppy and warn her. She even made a move against Poppy’s kids, but I guess someone has a lot of supernatural muscle around them, keeping them safe.”
Brett could barely hear anything over the sound of his heart beating rapidly.
“You have to stop Marla,” said Gilbert. “She’s sending her thrall after Poppy tonight. Something about the draining needing to happen now, on Poppy’s birthday, for it to be most effective. And she’s going to be there. If she touches Poppy, it will kill her instantly.”
Jeffrey was back with medical help for Gilbert in tow.
Brett stood fast, his mind racing as he put the pieces together. “Poppy’s ex-husband is or was dating a succubus who is also a witch. The bitch wants to drain Poppy and kill her. She’s the killer we’ve been hunting for. And she’s going after my mate right now!”
Just then the same officer whom Brett had tasked with checking on the detail at Poppy’s house came rushing over. “Chief, the detail…something happened. They were on the phone with me and Travis was out talking to them. Then I heard a commotion. Then nothing.”
Twenty-Two
Poppy
Dana entered the kitchen and joined me at the counter. “Want to tell me why you’re up? It’s crazy stupid late, or early depending on how you look at it.”
“I’m worried about Brett and Jeffrey,” I said.
The pair of them had torn out of the house like bats out of hell an hour ago. I hadn’t heard a word from either since then.
“What was all the commotion?” Dana asked.
“Something work related,” I added, keeping the fact Brett had mentioned it was pack related and that Jeffrey just happened to be pack alpha from Dana. I’d find a way to break the truth about Grimm Cove and Brett to her and Marcy, but not tonight.
“Happy birthday,” said Dana.
I grinned. “Thank you.”
My nerves were still frazzled but I did my best to appear to be happy and fine.
A huge clap of thunder left the two of us jumping in place and then laughing softly.
“Crazy storms tonight, huh?” she asked.
I went to answer only to have thunder roll through, drowning out my words.
She put a hand to her ear. “Say again? I’m having issues in my old age hearing you.”
The sound of thunder finally moved on, but it did sound as if the rain had increased tenfold.
“It’
s really coming down out there,” I said.
She went to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. “Want one?”
“No. I can’t. My stomach is in knots. I’m worried about Brett and Jeffrey.”
“Grimm Cove may be named after everything spooky and weird, but its crime rate is crazy low compared to New York City,” added Dana.
If she only knew the truth.
I nodded, pressing a smile to my face. “You’re right.”
Something banged against the back-porch door, sounding as if it had opened and closed, and I tensed before remembering Travis had gone out front to speak with someone.
Dana went on high alert.
I put a hand up. “Travis is outside talking to some of Brett’s police officers. They pulled up in a cruiser about forty minutes ago.”
“The fact you’re banging the chief of police is hot,” said Dana with a laugh.
I made a move to deny it only to have her give me a look that said she more than knew the truth. Okay, even I had to admit it was kind of hot.
“Your headboard was making a lot of noise. So were you, come to think of it,” she said. “Sounded like you had a very nice time. So, how was it?”
Unable to help myself, I nodded. “Good. Very good.”
“He sounded pretty darn pleased himself,” she added.
I blushed.
She laughed. “What now? Are you two officially an item again?”
“You could say that,” I returned. “I feel safe in saying it’s really serious.”
“Like serious enough that he’ll be getting that ring from his place for you?” she asked. “Also, will he be moving in with us? I know you keep insisting Marcy and I stay here with you in this house for good, but she and I were planning to make sure you got settled in and then find our own places in town.”
I grabbed her hands. “I want you here with me.”
“What if he proposes? Think Brett will want your besties living here too?” she asked.
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