The Beltane Witch (Cloudburst Colorado)

by Muir, Siobhan

  At least Marty Robinson no longer presented a threat. Sabrina had almost run into him at the grocery store. He’d apologized and helped her pick up the apples she dropped before walking away as if they’d never met. It appeared the Fae had followed through with Darius’s request.

  Oh, Goddess. Darius. She shook her head fiercely. Dammit. Think of something happy…

  Her gaze rose to the set of horned masks she’d placed on the mantle. She’d found Darius’s mask in her van the morning after Beltane and she couldn’t bring herself to throw it away. The tall antlers reminded her of the spectacular night she’d spent with the May Lord. The virile, handsome, sexy, strong man who made her feel like a goddess, and brought her more pleasure than any lover before him.

  Her throat closed and tears overflowed her eyes. It didn’t matter. He’d picked honor and duty over her. She wished it could be different. She wished he hadn’t been a lying sack of shit. She wished…

  Someone knocked on the door before she could finish the last thought and she stilled. Who the heck would stop by at this hour? Sabrina wiped her eyes with her shirt hem and stood, taking deep breaths. Maybe she could blame the puffiness of her face on the pregnancy. A pregnancy she’d told no one about.

  Ah hell.

  Sabrina squared her shoulders and strode to the door. I’m fine. I’m good. See? She opened the door and her breath left her. A groan of fury burst from her chest as she tried to slam it shut on the backswing.

  “Sabrina! Please, wait, hear me out.” Darius braced his foot in the doorjamb and his hands against the panel.

  “No, I don’t want to hear it, Darius.”

  “Please. I need to explain. If I haven’t convinced you of my honesty when I’m done, then I will go. Please, Sabrina.”

  The sound of his voice made her heart ache and she leaned her forehead against the door. She didn’t want to want him. He’d tricked her into believing he loved her and traded her help for his career. But he asked me to trust him. He said it might take him some time, but he’d quit the Court and come back.

  Sabrina gritted her teeth and looked around the door at Darius. The earnestness on his face and in his eyes made her pause. He looked gaunt and haunted as if he’d pushed himself beyond his limits.

  I’m just imagining things.

  But her traitorous heart agreed to hear his petition, and she stepped back, allowing him to enter. “Fine. Come in.”

  “Thank you.” He stepped inside and set a large duffle bag on the floor.

  “You have ten minutes. Then you will go.”

  “If I can’t convince you otherwise.”

  Ah, the old Darius she knew and loved. Always so sure he’d get what he wanted. Never mind that she wanted the same.

  “Clock’s ticking, Darius.”

  “Please, Sabrina.” He gestured to her living room. “Sit with me and let me explain.”

  She sat in her favorite chair as he removed his long jacket and she noted he no longer wore the sword scabbard with the oak leaf embroidery. At least he didn’t bring the nasty thing into my house. He sat down on her couch and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he gathered his defense.

  “When I first arrived here in Cloudburst, I thought I knew what I could expect.” He spread his hands. “Another place for strengthening the wards, another witch upon whom to bestow the honor of the Beltane rituals, another task to perform for the Queen. It seemed simple enough.

  “But you weren’t anything like I expected, Sabrina.” He raised his gaze from the floor and met her own. “You didn’t want the honor or the recognition. You didn’t even want me in your home, and you forced me to learn your way of life. You never backed down from your duties or responsibilities, yet you refused to take on more.” He chuckled. “You alternately frustrated and impressed me over it.”

  Sabrina sat back and crossed her arms over her chest.

  He cleared his throat. “My task was to get you to do the rituals and I thought it would be easy. But you refused and each time I spoke with the Queen, she insisted on your participation. As it turned out, your abilities justified her faith.”

  Sabrina snorted and unfolded her hands to lay one on her belly. Too bad I misjudged you. “You made a deal with her, Darius.”

  “Originally, yes.” He nodded. “The Queen threatened me with a loss I wasn’t prepared to make. She threatened to dismiss me from my duties, banish my family from Court, strike our names from the records, and take the sword held in my family since my grandfather’s grandfather. I couldn’t take such a legacy away from my family.” Darius sighed. “But as I got to know you and your family, I couldn’t force you into performing the rituals.”

  “Fortunately for you, you didn’t have to, did you?”

  “Sabrina, you made the decision all on your own, but I would have given it all away even so.” He reached for her hand and wrapped his around it. “Court life is about appearances and position. Everyone wishes favoritism from the Queen, and I had it, as long as I fulfilled my task. But I wanted to tell her to go to hell to be with you. I’d grown tired of the posturing, and the last time I spoke with the Queen, I no longer felt compelled to do her bidding. Her magic had no effect on me.”

  Sabrina raised her eyebrow. “Come on, the Summer Queen, one of the strongest Fae out there, and her magic couldn’t suck you in? You must think I’m really back-woods.”

  “It’s true, acushla, and you’re not back-woods, as you call it. Your power surpasses hers.”

  “Don’t call me that.” Anger burned brighter as she shook his hands off. “I’m not your ‘dear heart.’ You don’t trick or hide the truth from those you care about.”

  “You didn’t give me a chance to explain!” Darius clenched his jaw. “You called me a deceitful man-whore and sent me away before I could tell you I’d made a different decision. The Queen’s deal no longer applied to me. But you believed her, a woman who has made a career of manipulation and division for her own entertainment.”

  “And you went, didn’t you? You must have really felt strongly about me if you left and didn’t fight for your choice to stay.” Tears threatened to slide down Sabrina’s cheeks again, fueling her anger. “Goddess, Darius! I believed you when you said you loved me and wanted me in your life forever. I believed you and I could be together as a family. And I wanted it. I wanted it so much.”

  “Oh, Sabrina.” He rose and gathered her into his arms. “I want it, too.”

  She struggled against his hold as the tears fell harder and harder. “Don’t touch me. Leave me alone.” She tried to ignore how good he smelled.

  “I have left you alone for far too long, acushla. And I’m sorry.” He only held on tighter, cradling her against his warm, wide chest. “But I’m fighting for what I want now. And I want to stay here with you, be your lover, your husband, whichever you desire, as long as I’m with you.”

  “But the Queen—”

  “No longer has any control over my whereabouts or actions.”

  Sabrina stopped struggling. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ve resigned my position as Chamberlain in her Court.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want to be with you.”

  “But what about your honor and your family?” Goddess, she wanted to believe him and just snuggle in his warm embrace, but this seemed too good to be true.

  He laughed softly. “My younger brother Phinnius reminded me the family could take care of itself and I only lost honor if I didn’t take care of my own needs and responsibilities. As for the sword, I bestowed it upon the male heir who became a soldier. Surely he needs a well balanced blade more than I.”

  Darius tipped her head up to look in her eyes. “But you, Sabrina, are what I want and need. You, and Tansy, and Holly.” He dropped a hand to her belly. “And the new little one growing here.”

  Sabrina gasped and pulled back to look at him. “How do you know I’m pregnant?”

  He studied her face for a few heartbeats before
he smiled ruefully. “Come sit with me on the div—couch.” He returned to his seat and pulled her down beside him, taking one hand in his. “I suspected we would make a child given all the renewal and fertility magic of the High Beltane rituals, but the Goddess’s words at the gateway to Tír na nÓg only make sense now with your confirmation.”

  Sabrina frowned. “What did She say?”

  “She told me I’d have to face some obstacles to my dreams, but they wouldn’t be insurmountable. She said to fight for what I wanted and follow my heart because my children would need my strength and guidance.”

  “Do you have any other children?”

  “No.” Darius squeezed her hand. “Only Tansy and Holly.”

  “But they’re not yours.”

  “They could be. If you’ll let me be your partner, lover…husband.”

  Sabrina’s heart leapt with hope, but she studied his face, searching for truth in all the pretty details. She needed him to give her honesty this time.

  “I’m trying to figure out what you want, Darius. What’s your motivation for coming back here? Is it only the child? Because I can take care of a child without a man’s help. I’ve been doing it for years.”

  Darius’s jaw bunched as frustration flashed across his face, but it dissipated after a moment and he laughed ruefully. “I came back because I said I would. I came back because you’ve stolen my heart and tucked it away safely among your deviled eggs and bedtime stories, wrapped in the beauty of your smile and strength of your determination. My heart is here with you, and I can’t live without it.”

  He laid his hand over her belly and warmth seeped in through her clothes. “I know you can take care of a child without my help. But I want to be here to help raise our children. I want to read stories to Holly and help Tansy learn to dance, and teach our new child how to tie his shoes.”

  “His?” Sabrina quirked an eyebrow.

  “Ah, well, the Goddess is all about balance and I strive to follow Her example.” He winked and she chuckled. “Please, Sabrina. Give me this chance to fulfill my promises to you, and to help you with our family.”

  Sabrina tilted her head. “What promises are you talking about, Darius?”

  “The promises to take care of you should I get you pregnant. To move heaven and earth to stay with you and our child, and to stay in your life after Beltane as your husband.” He kissed the side of her head. “They weren’t just promises to you, acushla. They were also promises to me.”

  “Why?”

  “Do you recall when I asked you what you wanted if you could have anything?”

  “Yes, at the sacred circle when we visited the homestead.”

  “Correct. You told me you wanted a partner, a lover, a friend. Someone who loved you for you.” He shifted on the couch to face her. “I realized I wanted to be that person more than I wanted honor, a memorable name, or the Summer Queen’s regard. Because I loved you. I still love you.”

  “Then why did you make the deal with the Queen? And why did you leave?” Her questions held no logic, but the pain of his departure still burned.

  “The deal had been made before you told me you’d perform the rituals, but I’d already decided I wouldn’t push you into them.” Darius drew her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I meant to leave the Court, consequences be damned. But then you agreed on your own and I knew I had the freedom to choose. So I asked you to wait so I could resign my position.”

  He had asked her to wait, but she’d been furious when she’d thought he’d seduced her to keep his job.

  “As for why I left…” Darius grimaced and shook his head. “I’d never faced such anger from a woman I cared for and I didn’t know how to counteract it. But I do now.”

  Sabrina raised her eyebrows. “Oh, yeah? How?”

  He took her face in his hands and pressed an achingly soft kiss to her lips. “With love, truth, and honesty. I will never hide anything from you again, Sabrina. You are my heart, my soul, and the source of the joy in my life. I’ve come to you to beg your forgiveness for my mistakes, and allow me to cherish you and our children by letting me stay. Please.”

  He dipped his head and kissed her again, swiping his tongue across her bottom lip as he sought entrance. Sabrina wanted to resist him and her mind shouted, Can I really trust him? But her heart already knew the answer and she moaned as she opened her mouth to receive his delicious caress.

  “Please tell me I’m yours, acushla.” She’d never expected the proud and arrogant Chamberlain of the Summer Court to beg. “The past weeks have been torture without you.”

  She wanted to laugh but his kisses stole her breath and soaked her panties. Her pussy clenched with sense memories of his hot, silken flesh buried there, and she squirmed closer to him on the couch. Goddess, she wanted him. Had always wanted him, and he could be hers, if she accepted his words as truth.

  Sabrina pulled back from the kiss to look Darius in his teal eyes even as her body screamed not to stop. He stared at her with all his love and honesty shining through his gaze. She recalled his mastery of the artful look, but her gut told her he’d stopped playing. Sabrina inhaled a deep breath and took a chance.

  “Tell you what, I’ll promise you’re mine if you take me to bed. Right now.”

  It took a few moments for her words to sink in, but his eyes blazed with arousal and he whooped as he jerked her into his embrace. He secured one arm below her knees and the other around her ribs, hauling her off her feet.

  “You have yourself a deal, Sabrina Foxglove.”

  Darius carried her into her bedroom and tossed her on her bed, kicking the door shut behind him. He smirked as he yanked off his coat and unbuckled his leather belt. Sabrina lay where she’d bounced, watching as the sexiest man she’d ever loved revealed his glorious body.

  “Tonight I will see you naked and revel in those lovely breasts of yours.” He pulled off one boot then the other before shucking his pants to the floor. The scent of hot, spicy, aroused male filled the room, contrasting with her own vanilla and pine scents, and her pussy spasmed. “I will worship you as my own personal embodiment of the Goddess.”

  His sexy words only drove her arousal higher as he stood naked before her. His cock rose stiffly to his belly and drops of precum slid over the head. Sabrina licked her lips and rolled forward onto her hands and knees, wanting to take his dripping cock in her mouth and taste him.

  He grasped his hard shaft with one hand and stroked it in short motions. “Is this what you want, Sabrina?”

  Arousal surged and cream leaked between her thighs as she watched his hand. She nodded and reached for him, but he stood back with a smirk.

  “Then strip. I want to see your glorious body. Only then will I give you my cock.”

  Sabrina tore off her shirt and yanked off her sweatpants, dragging her panties with her in her rush to taste him. But then she paused as a delicious idea slid through her mind. Turning her back, she pushed the straps of her bra off her shoulders one at a time until she freed her arms. Then she stopped.

  “Will you help me unhook my bra, Darius? I can’t quite reach.” She glanced over her shoulder at him.

  He groaned as he stepped behind her, unhooking the garment. The lycra cups fell off her chest and he slid his hands around to fill his palms with her breasts. They both moaned as he rubbed his straining cock against her ass and bent down to kiss her shoulders.

  “Sweet mercy, Sabrina. You’re lovelier than I remembered.” He plucked her nipples sending pleasure shooting straight to her pussy. “I’ve dreamed of holding you thus.”

  His choice of words always made her smile, but accompanied with his tender ministrations, they melted her heart. She arched her back, shoving her breasts harder into his hands and her ass against his cock. The hot, stiff flesh burned across her cheeks and she squirmed, hoping to feel more.

  He growled and dropped a hand to her mound, holding her tight against him as he rubbed his cock into her. His fingers dipped between her t
highs, sliding through her slick folds and massaging her clit in tight circles. Sabrina gasped as more fluid flooded her pussy, soaking his hand.

  “You’re so wet for me and I’ve dreamed of tasting your cream again.” Darius rubbed her clit a little harder, spiking her arousal until her breath came in short pants. “Do you want my tongue on you, Sabrina?”

  “Oh, yes, Darius. Give me your tongue.”

  He pulled his hand away from her clit making her mewl in protest, but he pushed her forward until she bent over the bed. Then he knelt behind her, running his hands over her hips and buttocks until he gripped her thighs with gentle fingers.

  “Spread for me, acushla.”

  Sabrina shifted her feet apart as her pussy dripped with anticipation. Just the idea of him licking her folds from behind had her arousal swamping her mind. Her nipples pebbled into aching peaks and she rubbed them on her coverlet, thrusting her ass back at him.

  “You smell so sweet.” His breath tickled the damp flesh of her pussy and she whimpered. “Let me see if your flavor matches your scent.”

  Hot slickness seared her nether lips as he licked from her clit to core. She squealed and squirmed, but his hands held her still as he moaned with ecstatic joy. His breath on her sensitive flesh excited her as much as his caresses and she wriggled her ass for more.

  “Please, Darius, lick me more.”

  “As you wish, my lady.”

  His lips sealed to her pussy and his tongue explored her folds with loving attention. Slick heat seared through her and drove her closer to the edge of orgasm. Sabrina writhed in his grip, but he held her to his mouth and lapped up her juices. Teasing sparks ignited her fire and she squealed again as he suckled her clit, pulling on the hard little nub.

  “Oh, Goddess, yes, Darius. Suck my clit!”

  He didn’t bother to reply, but tightened his mouth around her clit and sucked hard. She rocked her hips to increase the friction as he slid a thick finger into her pussy and rubbed her inner walls. Sabrina wailed as her arousal shot for the precipice of ecstasy and Darius added another finger, pumping in and out of her while he suckled.