Traces of those memories trickled across her mind.
If she closed her eyes, she could still feel their tender touches along her body, the way Luke’s stubbled chin and Evan’s close shave teased her inner thighs into a pink flush they claimed to love. The scent of autumn and lavender incense and of two masculine men surrounding her. They’d made sweet love to her beneath the night sky, the moon as full that night as it was right now.
She cast a glance skyward, stumbling over a submerged root when a blast of cold wind rushed her and pulled at the ends of her robe, despite how tightly she had the lapels wrapped around her. She hunched deeper into the cotton warmth to escape another gust of wind.
Heated puffs of air billowed out in front of her in between her knocking teeth. Tropical beaches and palm trees sounded good right about now. Another step and a snow trap sucked her leg in up to mid-calf. She growled a little and tugged on her caught leg.
“Could this night get any worse?” Ambrosia forced herself to push forward, but half her mind told her to take it in the opposite direction. You have to do this. No turning back.
She shifted the heavy weight of her shoulder bag filled with her Book of Shadows and ingredients to her other shoulder and trudged ahead, careful not to clank the delicate glass bottles together.
She was supposed to go out that night, have some fun at the All Hallows gathering. Catch a breather from all the work of taking over her mother’s place within the council.
She edged left around another tree.
Both men had made it abundantly clear with their all-night loving just how much they wanted to take their shared attraction to something more. How they’d waited long enough.
Her world’s laws prohibited it. Her heart screamed foul.
Didn’t matter.
No mixing of the species for Council members. They were the example for their community… blah blah blah. No exceptions… yada yada.
She got it. Even shaped her life around them. All but this one rule. Hellz bellz, couldn’t she be more of a rebel instead of the goody two-shoe?
Reality colored her life a few shades different. If another Council member found out about her one moment of weakness with Evan and Luke, she’d lose her seat, no question. And given her royal blood, that also meant her magick too.
A few more quick steps brought her around a bend and to an opening in the woods. Her shoulders sagged in relief. She couldn’t imagine a more welcomed sight.
Not true, cried her inner witch. Two wolves, their warm bodies. Shafts in hands ready for her. Waiting. Now that would be true perfection. She’d never thought going for men in the doubles would be her thing, but there you go. Everything else about her life was unpredictable. Might as well throw in the extra powerful lust department too.
An illicit thrum of excitement stroked her.
Hades, she had it bad. Ambrosia clenched her shaking fists at her sides then thumped a fist to her forehead. “Get it together, Ambrosia. It’s just the bond working you over.”
In the summer she would hear the soft murmur of the stream to the north. Crickets hidden in the small clumps of grass and wildflowers.
The eerie silence of the coldest night Sweet Briar Hollow had seen all winter was deafening, driving her to pick up the pace despite the deep snow.
The ring of her protective spell outlined the boundaries of her wide circle in the clearing like a summer mirage nestled in the middle of mother nature’s frozen hell. All the previous night’s snow lay to the side, cleared from her space and looked like an oversized snow globe except the snow was on the outside.
With a steady inhalation, she forced a clear mind and focused.
Slowly, like her life depended on it—and the fact that she didn’t want to get zapped by her own wayward magick—she placed her palm out, calling on the source of her strongest power—the moon. Coolness flooded her palm seconds before gold and lavender ripples of energy danced a few inches from her outstretched hand then webbed over the sphere.
Her entwined magick flickered and dimmed. Gone.
Whispered words flitted along the edges of her hearing. She jerked around. “Who’s there?” The bond answered for her, sending her heart into a sporadic beat.
Her name danced on the wind, tendrils of magick crackled and popped.
Still, her mind raced with what else it could be. Shifters wouldn’t hurt her, rogues and the different, otherworldly creatures who liked to stir up trouble were another thing. With her magick tank sitting on empty and no way to defend herself… “You’re full of all kinds of great ideas lately, Ambrosia,” she muttered, trying to shove her heart back into place.
Howls jerked Ambrosia from her thoughts. “Hellz, I hate being right…” Her breath hitched and her heart paid no mind to her wishes—the thumping mass of muscle lurched in her chest.
They’d arrived.
Were they here to stop her? Keep her from freeing herself from their grasp? Or was she wrong, and the muddled senses and the night were playing tricks on her?
Mind in turmoil, she dragged in a lungful of cold air, all signs of her waning powers gone. Make up your mid already!
Her coven sisters and she had picked this spot for the powerful lay lines that crossed the land along the outer edge of her sister’s property. The natural energy boosted their magickal powers. Maybe other supernatural creatures sought it out for the same reason? Honor had mentioned once how the energy served like a balm to the pain shifters felt when shifting to wolf form. Yeah, that was it.
With a smoky sigh, eyes closed and mind calm, Ambrosia slipped one foot forward, then the other.
Summer-warmed air swept over her like the caress of a lover.
With a zing, energy rushed her, seeking out her powers. She loved that feeling of connection and belonging. Something she hadn’t felt since her time with Luke and Evan, if she wanted to be honest.
With a heavy heart Ambrosia moved deeper into her circle and placed her bag beside the large stump in the center.
No more avoiding the problem. Everything else would fall into place. It had to.
Ambrosia toed off one boot, then the other and wiggled her toes in the warm grass. Next she loosened the knot to her cloak and let the thick, heavy material pool around her feet to reveal her favorite black silk gown. There were no rules to what a witch wore for rituals, but there was something about the way the soft material moved over her body that made her feel connected to the ancient energies. As if the soft touch of the moon knew how to caress her just right.
She straightened her shoulders. “No turning back now.”
CHAPTER THREE
Ambrosia flipped back the flap of her satchel and pulled out her spell book, the various small bottles of herbs, and the essence needed for the ritual.
And the second vial she had to take.
The golden and indigo shimmering ingredients swirled with an intensity that mirrored her rampant heart. So beautiful no one would suspect the brew could kill her this eve.
And how did she forget that tiny detail? Honor had been so good at spitting it out on a muffled whisper before shoving it into her hands and pushing her out the door.
So, yeah, if she was too late and the bond too deep, well, she didn’t want to jinx anything.
She gently placed the teardrop-shaped bottle in the center of her altar, careful to leave the flip-style clasp closed until it was time.
Kneeling, she opened herself up, accepting the infusion of power from the shafts of moonlight that penetrated her body.
With ease, the words to a prayer for guidance from the goddesses slipped past her lips on a swirl of rhythmic eloquence. Welcomed fingers of light searched out the invisible threads bonding her with Luke and Evan. They were creatures of the moon, slaves to its power while she harnessed it for healing and protection. Interesting. It never crossed her mind how they shared a connection outside their bond. Clouds rolled across her vision. She blinked, but nothing. It was all-maddening and like trying to figure out the law of
physics. Hopeless.
With all four white candles in place to mark the four directions, she started the next phase.
She anointed first one with black cherry oil, another ginger, and the two remaining with witch hazel. For better or worse, she’d soon be swallowing the same ingredients.
Ambrosia wrapped her fingers around the rose quartz that hung around her neck and took a moment to soak in the still night, pushing out all thoughts of sinful alphas, their haunting eyes, and all the rules that bound her.
“Time to let it all go.” Easier said than done.
She reclined on her heels, let her head roll back and her eyes close.
Nothing to worry about. What could possibly go wrong?
She glided to her feet and in a soft voice began.
Guardians of air, fire, water, and earth,
I ask you into my circle
And may you bring your powers to help me this night
And keep me safe. Welcome.
Ambrosia turned her face skyward, the moon her only focus. Palms raised, she opened her mouth to begin, but the words didn’t come. She froze. Not from the loss of words but out of pain. Sizzling energy singed the fringes of her senses.
Pressure cranked to bone melting and pounded against her from all sides. A lightning bolt of white heat slammed into her core, shattering her. Blazing talons of fire clawed up her chest, then shot back out her hands, the force knocking her to the ground.
Tears sprang to her eyes and her lungs burned for air.
Blue flames traveled the length of her arms then burst from her palms with an iridescent glow. Barely contained energy swirled around her whipping her loose hair, each strand like a razor’s edge.
“No. No. NO.” Double damn. This was all wrong—fire was Honor’s power.
Flames licked against the walls of her circle, bound only by the shield of her magick. Thank the goddess for that. The last thing she needed was a witch’s flame escaping. Uncontrolled, the fire could last months, consuming everything in its path. Nothing could stop it, not even the Grand High Witch herself.
Energy swarmed.
She summoned her power, weak as it was. Hopefully she had enough juice to help with the foreign force of the flame, a beast in its own right.
Nothing happened. Not good.
Hellz... So. Not. Good.
Hands burning, the blue and orange flames slowly calmed to her will.
Starting another fire the size of the great inferno of London wouldn’t look good on her list of offenses.
Sweet goddesses. The inferno absorbed back into her body like Hades hadn’t done drive-by flaming, doubling her over.
Then nothing. Nada. Zilch.
The only signs of the total chaos were the deafening silence and a slight tingle to the underside of her hands. Her skin was totally unblemished.
“That was fun.” She inhaled faster than she could exhale.
Her magick had surprised her with a few weird tantrums, some borderline freakish in the last three months, but spontaneous combustion was a total first. She mentally checked that off her never-to-repeat list.
Was it the power of the moon? The bond sensing her intention? A combination of both?
She flicked the worry aside. With witches brooms crossed, the goddesses were in a helping mood this eve.
A familiar sound pricked her ears up and sent a chill along her spine. Alert, she froze and scanned the woods in the direction the noise came from.
There. To her right. A venereal plea snaked through the woods to reach her. It called again. Faint, but no mistaking the drawn-out howls of wolves. As if they were searching for something or someone.
Her.
She shook the thought from her head. “It’s only the bond.”
Her chest heaved and her heart did a funny jig in her chest. Ambrosia pushed her long hair over her shoulder and tied it back from her face. With shaky hands she lit each of the four anointed candles and in a soft voice recited the spell that swirled around her mind.
I call on earth to set the scene
And ground me to stay serene
No matter what might come my way
Supporting me through night and day
A pair of howls weaved between the trees, carried along the wind, growing closer. Seeking her. Luring her attention from her task. She dragged air into her lungs and continued.
Goddess of light hear my plea
Chase from me such misery
Of Shadows, of Moondust
Darkness and light
With unity, bring forth this night a soul so bright
To release this bond
Forever from my sight
By my will, so mote it be.
Ambrosia grabbed the second elixir Ember concocted for her and tossed back the tangy contents of the small bottle before the devil on her shoulder convinced her otherwise.
A hint of rosemary lingered on her tongue longer than the other ingredients, their nasty taste hidden beneath a few extra drops of lemon to help it go down.
She swished her tongue around the confines of her mouth then swallowed again.
She moved to set the bottle back. There. Done. Now there would be no turning back for any of them.
Glass slipped through her fingers. Solid earth rushed forward and the whole world turned on its axis. She threw her arms out just in time to keep her shoulder from slamming into the stump.
Braced against the tree stump for support, waves of nausea rocked her from side to side and her stomach churned in the raging storm. Water rimmed her eyes and for one split second death seemed an easier way out than the pain shredding her throat and stomach.
Panting for air, instinct drove her head up just as two sets of eyes pierced the dense woods and rushed her with an overwhelming feeling of connection.
Beat after erratic beat of her heart pushed the elixir deeper to mesh with the first she’d downed earlier.
“Evan, Luke. How did yo—” No other two creatures on the planet shared such similar shades of amber eyes. Luke’s more whiskey golden with Evan’s tinged a shade lighter.
Both shifters moved in, their massive white wolves large against the black velvet of midnight.
Ambrosia’s heart tripped over every other beat, pounding frantically in her throat. What was going on? Blue waves of magick brushed along her skin to forge a ball of heat in her gut and spread until it consumed every extremity.
She fisted a handful of hair and rode the roller coaster, white-knuckling the invisible handlebar.
All thoughts of sweet lovemaking and naughty nights shoved into the box in the back of her mind where they belonged as past memories.
She leaned against the stump for support and turned to face both wolves that now stood as full humans.
Not even blurry vision could hide the dangerously handsome men who now prowled closer.
From her position on the ground she drank in the rugged men with roped muscles that tapered out to chiseled biceps and thighs made for holding a woman close. Real close.
Luke stood a few inches taller, while Evan was broader across the shoulders. Both were mouthwatering and she ached for them when she should want to run the opposite direction.
They moved with confident grace. Every powerful muscle in their bodies rippled with each step, reminding her of what it felt like to have her own thighs locked around them. Their lengths sheathed deep inside her.
A tremor gripped her. Elixir or desire, she didn’t care.
Heat flushed her cheeks and she barely managed to swallow past the sudden dry mouth before they came to a stop mere inches from her, their naked bodies on full display. She stilled, enamored by the sheer beauty. Michelangelo couldn’t have done better.
Partly shadowed moonlight showered across their bodies. The contrast between light and dark not lost on her.
The heavy length of their cocks stirred beneath her blatant drooling.
Did they know what they did to her? Or how fast they drove all sane thoughts from her hea
d the second she laid eyes on them? Hell, she didn’t even have to look at them to drive herself lust-crazed.
She’d bet every last drop of magick in her veins they knew exactly what their display of masculinity did to her.
Unabashed, she continued her silent appreciation before turning her gaze to theirs. Luke, his usual unreadable mask in place while Evan didn’t bother to hide the bite of irritation in his features. Like night and day, but they balanced each other.
Their stiff shoulders and clenched jaws screamed ticked off, but the way their gazes locked on her delivered a different message loud and clear. They had determination written all over them. And it was focused directly at her.
Snow had drifted down in small flakes and clung to their shoulders, slowly melting to drip along the contours of their unyielding bodies. What she wouldn’t give to lick every last drop of water off them.
She squinted against the fog that settled over her vision, but sighed with relief when the weight of the bond lightened. Did that mean the elixirs worked? She no longer was their intended?
“Oh, goddess help me,” she whispered on a prayer, not sure if it was relief that filled her or dread.
Did it really matter? She had responsibilities. She didn’t break laws—she wrote them, dammit.
Ambrosia curled her fingers around the rough edges of the stump and gathered all her strength to push up. Her arms gave.
The hard ground rushed forward but the pain of the impending fall never came. What the hell else did Ember put in that elixir anyway?
Strong arms engulfed her from the front, hauled her close, and pressed her against the finest male specimen, also known as half of her personal brand of Kryptonite. “Easy there, little witch, let me help.” Luke’s rough baritone coaxed her to relax into his hold. She was so going to lose her powers over this.
The other half of her undoing walked up behind her, his heat interlocking with Luke’s to create a vortex to weaken her resolve.
“You’re safe, sweetheart.” Evan’s worry mixed with the power of his sweet endearment sent a flush of anticipation along her skin. He held her close, but it was Luke’s gaze that captivated her.
Jinxing The Alphas: A Paranormal Werewolf Romance (Hex My Heart Book 2) Page 2