Her shoulders were trembling. He didn’t notice it at first. When she looked up, her eyes were glassy and red. She rubbed at them, as if to pretend that it was nothing, that she wasn’t afraid. He’d pulled her into this situation. He shouldn’t have even been there. His presence was only going to make things worse.
“Alright, kitty cat. You should get back to bed.” He wasted no time plucking her from her seat. He carried her down a hall, guessing at where her bedroom might be.
She struggled against him, her long legs flailing, and complained that she had work. She was slippery, like a cat, but he managed to keep ahold of her.
“Work can wait. I’ll call them and let them know your car is still in the shop. You don’t have any way to get there. They can’t argue against that.”
“They can, and they will when they realize you aren’t me, which will be immediately. Strangers can’t call in to work for me. It could get me fired!”
“I’ll just have to tell them that I’m your new beau. Will they respond to your boyfriend?” He was digging the hole deeper and deeper. The word stuck in his mind and no matter how he tried he couldn’t shake it free. He attached himself to her before she could even kick him out the door.
They were both in a heap of trouble if he kept on this way. Hillary had already displayed her first warning. From here, it would only get worse. She would bring the house down upon Nessa’s head. The thought sent a spike of cold fear through Caz’s chest.
It faded when he saw Nessa’s bedroom. Layers of drapes hung over the windows, both guazy and opaque. A plush shag rug sat at the foot of her massive King-sized bed. The bed itself was layered with blankets and pillows, creating an opulent nest.
He laid her atop the bed and climbed in beside her. She put a hand on his chest, looking up at him with hesitation. His heart thundered in his ears. Even if she dared to speak, he wouldn’t have heard a thing. He waited for her to push him away, to remind him of Hillary’s magical meddling. Instead, her eyes became lidded.
His heart jumped into his throat when she glanced at his lips.
Chapter Eight
Nessa should have kicked him out. He was overstepping his boundaries, but her skin felt alive for the first time in her life. His presence was a sparking inferno, and she wanted to dive in head first. She couldn’t have defined what it was that drew her toward him. It could have been the sharp line of his cheekbones and the way his eyes penetrated her. It could have been the tenderness he showed, not only to strangers, but to her.
Either way, her hand slid up his chest to wrap around his neck. She pulled him toward herself. All the while, her head spun. It wasn’t until her lips met his that it steadied. She kissed him, soft and tentative as if he might push her away. He’d been the one to climb into bed with her, but that was no sign of consent.
Before she could do much more, he growled into her lips and gripped her. He yanked her into his body with a possessiveness that made her blood thunder. In response, she threaded her fingers through his soft hair. The hair-tie fell away as she tugged. His hands were already running up and down her bare skin, along the bottom of her ass and the tops of her thighs.
He rolled so that she straddled him. When she broke the kiss to look down at him, he was watching her with awe. Slowly, questioning, his hands slid beneath her t-shirt. He didn’t try to lift it. Instead, his calloused thumbs grazed the bottom of her breasts.
How long had it been since someone touched her like that? It had to have been since high school. She’d had so few lovers, none of them enamored with her the way Caz was at the moment. Atop him, she felt like a goddess. It was a strange and empowering feeling.
Until doubt crept in.
The events of the night unfolded like an accordion in her mind. She remembered waking in a panic, the sound of pain, and the fear that turned her inside out. All had been Hillary’s doing. Nothing Nessa could have done would have protected her against Hillary’s magic.
Just as suddenly as it started, Nessa rolled away from Caz. She gripped a nearby pillow, hugging it to her chest. She held it, fighting off fear as well as to keep her hands to herself. The urge to reach across the sudden space between them was stronger than she would have guessed.
He sat there, stunned. His lower lip was bruised. She’d kissed him harder than she remembered. He’d tasted like salt and coffee. She wanted more but knew if she kept going her life would only get worse. It made her heart ache and her stomach roll.
There were more men in this world, Nessa told herself. Caz was a bundle of steamy sex, but he didn’t belong to her. She watched as he gripped the bedding beneath him. His knuckles flashed white and then he let go. The bulge in his pants was unmistakable. Guilt hit her, but she turned away. He had to understand.
Nessa busied herself, studying the patterns on her bedding while she listened to Caz leave the bed. His feet were heavy on the floor. The urge to call him back rose in her throat, but she swallowed it down.
“I just want you to know,” Caz began. “I didn’t come here thinking to get something out of you. I don’t think you owe me sex. You don’t owe me shit. I get why you stopped, and I respect that.” Each word seemed to become tighter and tighter. She could hear the truth in his voice but felt the struggle it was to pull himself away.
There were other men in the world. There was a whole country of shifter men. She wouldn’t mind a woman, either. And, yet, the tug she felt in her core drew her closer to Caz. When she looked up, she found him lingering with his back to her. He watched her crawl across the bed from over his shoulder.
Nessa reached for him. She could have stopped herself, but she didn’t. Instead, she turned him around. He was pliant in her hands. Even kneeling on the bed, she had to look up at Caz. He touched her shoulders, letting his knuckles graze over her skin as if he was afraid to open his hands. She knew the feeling.
How long had it been since either of them made a connection with another shifter? Perhaps that was it, the beast’s longing to find another beast. It was that longing that made her reach for him. His facial hair was rough beneath her hands. It was real, as real as the look of painful longing that filled his eyes.
She lifted herself and pressed her lips to his. His mouth opened to her. Greedy and hungry, he pressed to steal a moment where their souls brushed together. It made her shudder. Her breath slipped from her and left her feeling empty as he pulled back.
“Go to sleep,” he whispered. “Don’t worry about work and don’t worry about your safety. I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”
She could feel her beast stretching and preparing for a nap. The thing was greedy for sleep, already dragging her toward the nest of pillows beneath her. “If you’re here, then who will fix my car?”
Her last vision was Caz’s smirk as he leaned over her to place a small kiss on her forehead. They were in trouble, she knew. She’d known it the moment he’d raced to her side.
***
The witch wasn’t far. Just as Caz stepped foot on the back patio, Hillary appeared. He could see the shadows beneath her eyes, wisps like smoke as she moved. He took an instinctive step back.
Wrong move. Hillary’s beguiling smile twisted into a frown almost immediately. She expected him to give himself over. That much was clear.
“You can’t take people hostage with your power,” Caz tried. The argument was draining. He already knew she wouldn’t understand. It was like talking to a wall. She would continue to harass Nessa until the shifter either lost her mind or her soul. “You don’t win any favors with me like that.”
Hillary let her fingers dance across his chest as she circled him. Her touch disgusted him at first. Slowly, the touch turned into something different. His body leaned into her, betraying him. What he felt in Nessa’s bedroom returned. She was using magic on him, that he knew. He needed to be free of her. If not forever, then just long enough to make sure his Pack could survive without him.
The bear inside him howled with rage. The beast thou
ght of the tiny woman sleeping inside, pictured her nestled in that extravagant bed. It roared against Hillary, the fury of the beast giving him the power to push aside the witch’s power. He was able to step away from Hillary, to her dismay.
“Remember that you won’t find a mate anywhere other than me. I’m the only woman meant for you.” Her words held a tinge of magic, but his beast’s rage helped him withstand it.
Both man and beast clung to the image of Nessa, to the taste of coffee that lingered on his tongue like the ghost of love. She deserved so much better than a disaster like him. He was a man with a short fuse, a man who couldn’t even keep his business running. Worst of all, he was a man caught in the snare of a witch.
The only good thing Caz had done with his life was the Pack. He’d made them strong. They could survive without him. He didn’t want to leave them, but he could see no other options as the world closed in on him. He would give Hillary what she wanted to protect them and Nessa.
It was strange, his fierce desire to protect the small woman. Both had known of the other’s existence for years, but the moment their lives collided, Caz knew he’d found the thing he’d craved. Too bad he couldn’t love her the way she deserved. He could only hope that she would go on to find someone who would treat her nice.
“Give me a few days,” Caz bargained. “A few days and then I’m all yours. You can do whatever you want with me. I know you won’t keep me in your bed forever. At least I don’t think you’ll be able to buy a collar large enough to fit a bear.”
Hillary smiled, but her eyes narrowed. He didn’t know what was going on in her mind. In fact, he feared each thought that moved through her. She looked him up and down. The moment dragged out, and he worried she would try to take him right then and there.
“Deal,” she whispered. Her perfume burned his nose and closed his throat.
This was the life he’d bartered for. The only thing he could hold onto was the fact that he was saving so many more this way. Still, both man and beast mourned what could have been. He’d given so much to build the Pack he loved. Years of pain and sacrifice, for what? For the final sacrifice to be his soul.
Hillary claimed to love him, claimed to be his mate, but they both knew the witch only wanted one thing. She wanted his power. Once she tired of him in bed, she would use her power to chain his beast to her like a guard dog. The man in him would be lost, but perhaps that was for the best.
He glanced back one last time, catching a glimpse of green eyes and gray fur. His heart stopped, but before he could move, Hillary touched his cheek. Her fingers were ice cold. It seeped into his jaw, into his bones. The spell dug in its claws before his mind went blank.
The cold disappeared and Caz blinked. Before him was nothing more than a bench filled with potted plants.
Chapter Nine
Nessa watched as Caz’s eyes met hers. They flushed with fear and warmth. She opened her mouth to let out a meow of warning just as Hillary stepped toward him. Before she could make any sound, Hillary touched Caz’s cheek.
His eyes went flat, all light in them dying for a split second. When Hillary stepped back, he blinked. The man had returned, but he looked at Nessa as if he didn’t see her. He glanced around, confused. Where once he’d recognized her, it was now as if he didn’t recognize his surroundings at all.
Hillary hooked her arm in his, bent close to whisper in his ear, and turned him toward the path that led around the side of Nessa’s house.
Nessa should have been sleeping, but her mind wouldn’t let her drift off. Unable to face Caz after what had happened in bed, she’d shifted and let the cat out. The cat sat between a bench and the house, watching the scene before her unfold as her irritation intensified. The cat was not pleased with what had just taken place.
If anything, her cat was now bent on a path of revenge. The witch would regret ever having crossed her. Nessa worried that she was only a cat shifter. The small beast might be fearless, but Nessa was not. She was rightfully filled with concern. Yet, as she watched Hillary trail her finger over Caz’s shoulder, her concern bled into anger.
She was sure Hillary had not seen her watching. Nessa was not sure why she felt so strongly on Caz’s behalf. Perhaps it was because she’d seen a good man in him. Where once she’d seen a beast of a shifter, she now saw a man with a heart. He’d helped her when she called, even though she wasn’t pack to him. It was only right that she return the favor.
She only wished that the favor was not so great. Nessa didn’t know the first thing about taking on a witch. All she knew was that she had to try.
When she sniffed the air, a sour scent burned her nose. She crept forward to sniff it out. Tucked between two potted plants, nearly crushed beneath a stone was a small pouch. The closer Nessa stalked, the harsher the smell became. It made her skin crawl and her paws become numb.
Glancing over her shoulder, Caz was still cloudy-eyed. She didn’t know if this was the source of Hillary’s spell, but she did know this little pouch didn’t belong to her. So, she hooked her claw into it and yanked it out from where it’d been hidden. Using her teeth and claws, she tore it open and spilled its contents onto the patio bricks.
Small bones and herbs tumbled out. She flicked a tiny skull into the brush at the edge of her yard with a flick of her paw. The sour smell disappeared, and the air felt clearer. When she looked back, Caz shook himself. Pride swelled in her heart.
Before he could see her again, she slunk back into the house. The witch had a weak spot. Nessa filed the thought away for later.
***
Caz blinked.
He scratched his head and peered around at his surroundings. He couldn’t recall where he was or how he’d even gotten there. In fact, his mind was a blank expanse of nothing. He scowled and turned just in time to see a small house cat bound away.
The beast inside him roared and slammed on something, an invisible barrier in his mind. It didn’t separate Caz from his bear. Instead, the barrier stood between him and something else. Something he should have known. The bear’s claws raked through it, feeling the magic start to fray. His stomach turned.
Hillary had returned.
Memories of the past few hours returned to him, spilling out of the cracks in the barrier. Vanessa and the curse Hillary had woven around the house. Caz should walk away, but he felt compelled to stay. Vanessa wasn’t safe anymore, and it was all his fault. Instead of stomping back toward his car, he made his way inside.
Vanessa’s office was covered with images of smiling faces. Some were familiar, his own Packmates who’d found love with the help of the packless kitty shifter. They smiled at him with joy from behind a plate of glass, as if to say this could be his, too. Without voices, they cajoled visitors to believe in love and destiny.
Caz shook his head. He knew everyone had a fated mate, but he’d done too much to screw up his own fate. There was no way he’d ever find his mate, let alone be able to give her what she deserved. His life was one of torment, and it was his own fault.
He didn’t get the luxury of love.
Yet, as he looked around, he realized there wasn’t a single image of Vanessa smiling. The only sign of her presence was the water ring on her coaster from the iced coffees she drank. It was as if she removed herself from her job as a matchmaker. Vanessa gave others the chance to love, but it wasn’t meant for her.
The idea sent a pang through his heart. Instead of letting the thought consume him while he stood in the empty office, he turned toward the stairs. Vanessa should have been napping in bed. She’d drunk an awfully large cup of coffee, but he had no doubt the cat in her would sleep it off.
Instead, she was lounging on the couch, still wearing nothing more than that oversized t-shirt. Their eyes met across the room, and he felt the urge to go to her and cover her body with his own. The couch wasn’t big enough for the both of them, but he would make it work if it meant touching her again.
The bear made him cross the floor. He was drawn toward h
er, inexplicably moved against his will, though his willpower was nothing in the presence of her piercing eyes and pouting lips. Her eyes searched him, darting across his face and touching his shoulder as if she expected to find a stain.
He scratched at his beard, knowing Hillary had touched him because her magic had been in his mind. What had once held him for months on end now only lasted moments. Hillary’s magic was strong, that he knew. Caz wanted to touch the fingers Vanessa curled atop her knees and see if it was her that broke through Hillary’s power.
He shook his head. No, it had to be that he was growing an immunity to it. Hillary had bewitched him too many times to count, and his body was withstanding it better and better. It had nothing to do with the small and nearly defenseless woman on the couch. Dragging her into this wasn’t fair, anyway.
Caz should have left right then and there. Hell, he shouldn’t have even entered the house. He should have walked through the yard and left without saying another word. Vanessa didn’t deserve the wrath Hillary was going to bring down onto her head. She had her own life, one he couldn’t fuck up.
“I think you owe me a date,” he said, instead. He couldn’t help himself. The words fell out, unbidden. Yet, once they entered the world, he couldn’t take them back.
“No. I think you owe me a fixed car.”
He shrugged and picked up a pillow to make room for himself on the couch. “How about we try the date first? I think we could both use a break after a morning like this.”
She wasn’t convinced, and, honestly, he couldn’t blame her. He wanted to pull her atop his lap again, to let his hands run up the line of her waist and memorize the shape of her in case he found himself pulled away from her again. He wanted to fall into her eyes and lose himself in her.
Maybe Hillary was less to blame, and the months he’d spent lost to her had been his own fault. The thought helped him keep his hands to himself. He was a weak man when it came to women. The stress of life made him want to give everything over to them.
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