Passion of a Witch: A Wicked Series - Book 1

by K. D. Friedrich

“Now that is how you fight for a mate.” Tristan rose. Kian took a step forward. “Easy, boy, she's not the one I want to sink my fangs into and you damn well know it. I had to say something to wake you up.”

  Kian stopped, but power continued to flow through him with little restraint. He lifted his eyes and locked them on Tristan. “Go near her, and I swear to God, I'll kill you.”

  “And yet you'll let Malcolm Campbell have access to her body for a lifetime.” Tristan rose and stalked back over to him. He gripped Kian's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “You question her feelings for you when you have the power to know the truth.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You and Summer have formed a partial bond, Kian. How can you not sense it?”

  His eyes snapped up. For the past few days, he'd been lost, unsure of the array of emotions playing war in his head. “I haven't been exactly sober for the last few days.”

  “My father said he smelled you on her the other night. You had sex with Summer, correct?”

  Kian gave a stiff nod. He didn't like the words sex and Summer coming from the man's lips. Kian took a step back, his magic still volatile.

  “When witches, shifters, and vampires have sex, a bond can form. For shifter and vamps, the urge to bite drives us crazy. We must fight the compulsion for a blood exchange during sex, especially with our mates. There's nothing worse than mating due to a lack of control. But witches merge their powers. It isn't something we do on a whim, because the link is permanent. For whatever reason, your bond with Summer was initiated but didn't complete. Partial or not, it's there. You carry her scent and she carries yours. You'll recognize her emotions. You'll know if she's lying. If she's aroused.”

  Kian growled. “You shouldn't be thinking of her arousal.”

  Tristan rolled his eyes. “You know where my head and my heart is, man.”

  “Do I?” Kian scowled. “Shall I give an example of how a sexual reference made with a certain someone's name can piss a man or wolf off?”

  Tristan narrowed his gaze. A low growl rolled up his throat. “I see your point.”

  “Good.” Kian crossed his arms over his chest.

  “What I'm trying to say is you can sense her now. Did you believe her when she said she didn't want you? Did you sense deceit in her words?”

  His chest tightened. “I don't know.”

  “Maybe you should find out before you dismiss the best thing that ever happened to you. But you better figure it out quick. The ceremony is in a few days’ time.”

  “What am I supposed to do? How do I stop it? You know her parents have her wrapped up in their sense of duty.”

  “Tonight, she starts her meditation period. Kind of like a misguided bachelorette party, only she's the only one invited. She'll be spending the next few nights in the grove, alone.” Tristan must have noticed Kian's confused frown. “I don't know why they do it, sort of a cleansing of her mind and body so she'll enter her promising ready for her mate. The ceremony she's agreed to is an ancient one they rarely practice anymore.”

  Kian raked his fingers through his spiked hair. “So she'll be there tonight… alone?”

  “Yeah, you got this one shot to convince her to stop this ridiculous wedding. It's crunch time, Kian. Put on your best shirt and prepare yourself for one hell of a battle.” Tristan chuckled. “Because she's one hell of a stubborn woman.”

  Chapter 23

  “You look beautiful, my dear.”

  Summer glanced up from the flickering candles on the altar to find the Goddess floating across the room toward her.

  She dropped to her knee. “Goddess,” she gasped.

  Summer kept her face hidden beneath the gray veil her mother had draped over her, terrified the Goddess would notice her red, puffy eyes. The ceremonial gown made by her late grandmother was embroidered with specific incantations for her meditation night and left nothing to the imagination. The sheer, ashen gown flowed to the floor, leaving her body exposed to her deity's view.

  Tonight, she would cleanse her mind through meditation, or at least try, although she doubted anything would wash away the taint buried in her heart.

  Goddess be, she missed Kian.

  Pushing him from her life had left her empty. Her lies had trapped her within a deep cavern of cold darkness she'd never escape, not that she deserved freedom. To tell your mate they meant nothing to you deserved a lifetime of bitter torment.

  “Please rise,” the Goddess insisted, followed by a heavy sigh and a roll of her eyes. “I came to thank you.”

  “Thank me, Goddess?” Summer rose, yet kept her head bowed.

  “Yes, for helping Kian.” The sound of his name made her heart ache. Summer raised her eyes to find the Goddess's full lips lifted in a smile. “You have opened him up to our world and shown him who he is. Giving him back his identity is a gift he will never forget. My child, you have stoked hope. Although my children have far to go, they have already come so far.”

  Summer dipped her head. “It was an honor to serve you, Goddess, and to help Kian.”

  The Goddess floated toward the door, but stopped and glanced over her shoulder. She cleared her throat as if amused. “How is Kian?”

  Summer stuttered, surprised by the sudden inquiry. “I… he… I do not know, Goddess,” she lied.

  Summer's gaze fell to the floor. She sought for him through their bond, allowing his pain to creep inside her mind. She shuttered. His pain had become her connection to him and she refused to relinquish it. No matter how much it broke her heart.

  “It is a shame to lose one's heart when you fought so hard to find it.”

  “I'm sure Kian will be fine.”

  “I wasn't talking about Kian.” The Goddess vanished.

  ***

  Bright silvery beams shot through the branches, lighting Kian's way through the dark forest. He glanced up past the holes in the canopy. The brilliant full moon glowed with an ominous ashen light against a starry night's sky, a stark reminder of the importance of this mission.

  A soft breeze brushed his face, yet the leaves all around him didn't move. The branches sat dormant, as if frozen with anticipation.

  Did the forest know what he had planned? The energy humming all around him pulsated as if to say yes.

  With his new found power flowing through his veins, he sensed the energy surrounding him. These woods were more than sticks, leaves, and dirt. An ancient soul existed here.

  Life… a thousand lives merged together to create a community. The beautiful elemental collaboration existing in these woodlands deserved his respect and his protection. In return, they would offer him unlimited power. It was a delicate balance, a trust he would no longer take for granted.

  Kian continued forward, led through the thick bush by an incessant yearning, his desire building with each step. Within his chest, his heart raced. Adrenaline raged through his veins. His eyes, wide and alert, focused on the dark, winding trail before him.

  “I'm coming, baby,” he whispered. “And when I get there, you're mine.” He spoke with absolute confidence.

  He ducked beneath a low, thick branch as he continued up the narrow shortcut through the forest. Kian memorized Tristan's instruction word for word. This meeting with Summer was too important not to.

  Golden light flickered up ahead, peeking in and out of the swaying branches. Although no one had used it over the years, the overgrowth had not swallowed the path mapped out by Tristan.

  He broke through a wall of vines to find the fork Tristan warned him about and went left toward the grove as instructed. Thank God the wolf went over the area with Kian in detail. Without his directions, Kian would have gotten lost in the maze of trees, trails, and bushes in no time.

  He swatted away a large spider web blocking his way. With a scowl, he pulled the thin, sticky strands from his hair and cringed. Damn, he'd need a shower by the time he got there.

  With a predator’s stride, he marched on. His senses ignited the moment he e
ntered the woods, making him more in tune to his surroundings than ever before. He inhaled the fresh scent of the forest, a combination of honeysuckle, oak, pine, and some unfamiliar spice.

  He faltered the second the sweet scent of his woman struck him. For a moment, he clung to a nearby branch, waiting until the rush of arousal crested and the air once again expelled from his lungs.

  She was close.

  Her despair, like an ice storm, left him cold and battered. The dark, frozen cloud of her hopelessness pleaded for warmth, begged for comfort. He had no choice but to oblige.

  “I'm coming, Summer.”

  He'd be damned if he let her go again. Tonight, he would cement their bond. Whether the link took hours, days, or a single beautiful moment, he'd lock them together with an unbreakable tie nothing and no one could sever. After tonight, Summer would be his.

  Sticks cracked beyond the shadows. He stopped short, scanning the black woodland, and saw nothing… no one. Convinced he'd imagined the sound, Kian continued on.

  Paranoia rode him hard. He couldn't afford to be discovered. Throwing Tristan across his garage without lifting a finger proved how powerful he had become. His gifts were too new and volatile. He didn't want to risk hurting anyone she cared about, but he would fight them if he had to. He'd die before he let her marry his cousin.

  “Cousin,” he spat, the word bitter on his lips.

  They were no family to him. The Campbell clan had forced his mother to abandon all she knew with their bigotry and closed minds, driving her into the arms of a selfish son of a bitch out of desperation. Had they shown more care for her freedom, maybe she would have made a different choice. Maybe she wouldn't have had to die.

  Even if he wanted to connect with them, they wouldn't accept him. He was a half-breed, a piece of crap on their shoe they needed to scrap off and discard. The idea of those pompous tight-asses stealing Summer's future made him move faster, made him more desperate to claim her.

  The wooden walkway leading to the grove peeked from behind a thick bush, just as a shadow rolled over the full moon. His gaze lifted. Thick clouds now crept across the bright, glowing sphere. He hadn't heard about rain in the forecast, but if the heavy clouds rolling in were any indication, there was a storm brewing to the north.

  He hurried toward the flickering glow of torches, burst into the grove, and froze.

  Kneeling in the center of emerald grass, he found his soul. A sheer veil draped over her face, flowing past her shoulders. His heart hammered in his chest. He licked his lips and tasted her scent. His cock throbbed. He lurched forward, pulled across the soft grass by a call he refused to deny.

  Summer sat motionless. So still, she reminded him of the beautiful marble statues he admired on a trip to Rome with his mom one year. She was a classic work of art. The type of figure an artist spent meticulous hours creating—so much time, the crafter went mad in an attempt to perfect her likeness.

  Her head lifted. She spun and fell to the side, catching herself with her hand on a thick patch of grass.

  Beneath the sheer curtain shielding her features, her eyes illuminated with the pearl glow of her magic. She wore of see-through dress. The material flowed over her curves the way water cascaded over the smooth, soft cliffs of a mountainside.

  “Kian, what are you doing here? You must leave. You can't be here.” He recognized her fear, but laced within her panic, he discovered joy and sweet traces of arousal.

  “I'm not leaving without you.”

  His emotions spun like a violent tornado within his mind. Above them, a distant crack of thunder rumbled, shaking the ground. Ominous clouds rolled in, bringing with it light rain.

  She rose before him, a vision draped in a sheer, glittering gown. Each curve from the swell of her breasts to the full curvature of her hips was exposed beneath the fabric. The sight of her sucked the air from his lungs. Each tan areola darkened before his eyes as her nipples grew taut and tempting. The soft nest of dark curls between her supple thighs glistened with her honey beneath the shroud covering her, offering him more proof how much his presence affected her.

  “No… no, it can't be between us. I told you—”

  Lightning flashed across the sky, igniting the anger in his eyes and the pain in hers.

  “My mother knew what you were to me, even though I didn't believe it. Her last wish was for me to fight for you. She didn't want me to give up the best thing that ever happened to me. I won't let her dying wish be in vain.”

  Summer's hand flew to her mouth, covering her shock. “Goddess be, your mother… She's gone. I'm so sorry, Kian. I wish I was there for you. I wish…” As she turned away from him, a sudden gust whipped her veil up. “But it's no use wishing for impossibilities. It's over, Kian.”

  “You will not turn your back on me.”

  He spun her around, fisted his fingers on the shroud covering her face, and tore the damn thing off. He refused to allow her to hide behind anything. Not the veil, her fear, or her sense of duty. He cupped her face, not giving her a chance to look away from him.

  “Please, Kian.”

  “I won't give you up. I will fight Malcolm, your family, your damn sense of loyalty, and anyone who tries to take you away from me.” Tears streamed down her face. He dropped his hands to her hips, pulling her against him. “You're scared, baby. I get it. Shit, so am I. I've never loved a woman the way—”

  “What did you say?” She brought her palms up to cup his cheeks.

  Drops of rain struck her face, mingling with her tears.

  “I love you, baby. I've loved you, Jesus, since I saw you all those years ago with your dad in the woods when I was being an asshole. I didn't see it, but when I think back… yeah, I knew, but I was angry and too rebellious to understand what I was feeling.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and rested her forehead to his. “Why couldn't things be different?”

  “They can be.”

  She pulled away, shaking her head. “No, they can't. My father—”

  He yanked her back. No more running away from him. Not now. Not ever again.

  Trapping her against his chest, he peered straight into her eyes. “This isn't about them. This is about us. Do you love me?”

  “Please,” she begged.

  “If you can look me in the eye and tell me there's nothing between us… if you can tell me I mean nothing to you, I'll turn around and walk away. I'll let you go, dammit. Even though it will kill me, I'll let you go.” His hands tightened on her waist. “Do you love me, Summer?”

  Swirling, thick clouds swallowed the stars above them. The moon disappeared behind the gathering storm, deepening the cloak of darkness. All around them, thunder crashed and streaks of white light lit the sky in short bursts, igniting her soft flesh and her troubled gaze. Her silence terrified him.

  She scanned the heavens. Her lips lifted. “Of course,” she whispered.

  “What are you talking about? I asked you if you love me and you're looking at the sky.”

  She grinned. “Yes, Goddess help me, I love you.” Her glorious admission brought a drenching wall of rain upon them.

  He slammed his lips to hers, taking what he had wanted since he entered the grove. She melted into his embrace. Her passionate moans penetrated him soul deep at the same moment her tongue slipped past his lips. Desperate to run his hands over the softness of her bare flesh, he tore the fragile shroud from her body, leaving her slick skin to his touch.

  She yanked at his shirt, but the rain-soaked material offered her resistance. He growled and tore the material from his chest, exposing himself to her eager exploration.

  Her fingers fumbled on the button fly of his jeans. “Get these off,” Summer demanded. She struggled, but they offered the same resistance, the wet, heavy material sticking to his rock-hard thighs. As she groaned and cupped his face, a pulse of power rocketed through him. All of a sudden, his pants vanished. His cock sprang free, released from the prison of wet denim.

  “I have to lea
rn that trick.” He laughed, thanking the heavens for magic. Where his pants ended up, he didn't care. The obstruction was gone, they were both naked, and he wanted his woman.

  “I need you.”

  “Take what you need. I'm all yours, baby.”

  Her hand cupped his cock, stroking him in her grip. “I will never belong to another, Kian.”

  As he kissed her again, rain poured and the thunder crashed, sparring with the bright electric bolts streaking across the sky. He speared his fingers through her soaking-wet strands. He slid his other hand lower, cupping her behind, pressing her core against his aching cock.

  All of a sudden, Summer pushed him away. Lust lit her gaze and her wet skin glistened with each flash piercing the night sky. With slow precision, she lowered herself to the soft grass. Her eyes never left his. Like a predator eyeing her next meal, she watched him.

  She lay before him now, spread wide for his viewing pleasure and ready to take whatever passion he planned. Oh, and he intended to take her without restraint, tattooing their lovemaking on her soul until he left no doubt in her mind they belonged together.

  His gaze rolled over the smooth, full curves of her hips, the soft swell of her belly, and up to the swirling glow of her irises. He cupped his hard cock, eager to indulge in the sexy feast before him. She moaned, and her anticipation struck him bone deep.

  As he fisted his shaft, his gaze locked on Summer.

  She crooked her finger. “Come to me. I ache to have you inside me.”

  Power rushed through him. His lips parted as he threw his head back and groaned in tune with the thunder rolling across the grove. Up above, lightning flashed in explosive bursts. Each spark ignited the dense cover of clouds.

  This wasn't a wild night of fucking. Not to him.

  Once he sank inside her, he wouldn't stop until she was his. He'd brand her as his woman in the most primal, erotic way. He'd claim her.

  After tonight, no man would dare touch her.

  He dropped to his knees before her. “Get on your hands and knees, baby.” She rose and presented her beautiful ass to him. He settled himself behind her welcoming thighs, her skin slick from rain, yet soft as satin. He cupped her hips and caressed the smooth slope of each cheek. Her skin gave off a tremendous amount of heat, far more than he expected with the buckets of rain falling on them. He welcomed her warmth; let it seep into every pore, a fuel to his blazing desire. His hands glided over the slick hills and valleys of her frame. He found her tight slit and dipped a finger inside paradise.