by Jenny Penn
Her big, doe eyes were a riot of emotions that matched the quiver of her perfectly puckered lips. She had the face of an angel and eyes honest enough to assure him he’d always know what she was thinking. Right then, she was stuck on shocked. Shocked and slightly aroused.
Kragen scented the air, savoring the alluring fragrance of his mate’s heat. She might be innocent, and from what Kragen guessed she was very innocent, but that didn’t change the fact that her body was reacting to his presence. It did, however, change his reaction to her.
Just the idea of being the first to introduce her to all the erotic delights he had planned for Jezie made Kragen harder than he’d ever been before. His balls swelled, filling with an ache that urged him to give into the moment and tackle the woman right there and then. It took all of his self-control to hold back and instead turn to the elder woman who was clearly the Matron of this coven.
“I’ve come for justice, Matron,” Kragen stated grimly, wiping the smile from his face as Jaxon sauntered into the doorway.
They’d already agreed on a plan. They were going to demand justice. They were going to demand Jezie be given to them for punishment. Then they were going to enslave the woman with pleasure that assured she would remain completely under their control even after she found out the truth.
The truth that they would do anything for her.
That was the kind of power Kragen didn’t revel giving any woman. He was going to make sure that Jezie didn’t abuse it by establishing the rules to their relationship up front. They were the Shardars. They were her masters. She was theirs to pleasure and protect. She would deny them nothing, and demand nothing in return.
That was how their relationship was going to work. That was why Kragen scowled down at the Matron and lashed her with her words.
“Your coven has attacked our pack. You know the payment for such brazenness.”
That threat had the elder woman stiffing up as her own gaze narrowed on him. “Nobody has been attacked. This is all just a mistake.”
“A mistake that has ended in much bloodshed, thanks to your witch’s mischievous magic,” Kragen snapped back, not about to give an inch. “And we will have our retribution.”
“Retribution is not justice,” the Matron dared to lecture him, causing Kragen to snort and smirk.
“It is in our world.”
* * * *
It took the better part of the day to set the town completely back to right. Jezie spent the whole time locked in a room and under guard by the Jaris, worrying over her future fate. There was no escaping it, though. Finally, near to dinnertime, the door to the bedroom serving as her prison opened.
Olivia stood there looking as solemn as if she were attending a funeral. Her tone was just as hushed.
“They’re waiting for you in the family room.”
Jezie nodded and gathered her strength around her as she started forward, but as she made to pass Olivia, the other woman reached out to latch onto her arm.
“I just want you to know how brave you are…and thank you, for this.” Olivia swallowed hard, and Jezie sensed her feeling of shame as she bowed her head. “I hope you don’t think too unkindly of the rest of us.”
“Never,” Jezie swore, covering Olivia’s hand with her own. “You are all my sisters, and I would do anything to keep you safe.”
Olivia could not say the same, and Jezie knew that weighed upon the other woman. That was her cross to bear, not Jezie’s. Her love was unconditional. With a sad sigh over the state of things, Jezie patted Olivia’s hand and then pulled free of her hold.
“It’s time.” Turning to the large Jaris watching their exchange silently, she nodded to him and repeated to herself, “It’s time. Take me to your leader.”
Walking with a calm dignity that was mostly for show, she followed the huge warrior down the hall and stairs to the great room. The massive family room was already crowded with people, divided by sides. On her right were the Jaris, on her left the coven. There was clearly tension in the room.
It went up a few notches as Jezie walked slowly down the center of the room to bow her head before the Matron, who stood before a large fireplace. The largest of the Jaris stood beside the Matron, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze hardened and narrowed on Jezie. Beside him stood his twin, the very man who had the arrogance to walk naked into a room full of women and claim her as his own.
Thankfully, he’d put on clothes since then. Unfortunately, the dark snug fabric did little to hide the powerful bulge of either his muscles or his cock. Jezie glanced quickly away from the bulge tenting his slacks and heard him snicker.
She felt a flush of heat at being the focus of such a man’s attention. Both he and his brother rose up over a head taller and a foot thicker than even the stoutest of their men. The hard flex of their muscles were highlighted by the ornate tribal tattoos that wove around them and proclaimed their status as the Shardars, alphas of their pack.
Strongest of the strong, hardest of the hard, the Shardars had once led Malsumis’s armies against the beast, making them some of the most feared warriors of their time. Of any time, because Jezie was certainly scared of them right then.
How could she not be?
Each brother was watching her like a predator did prey.
Daring to glance back up, Jezie felt her breath catch as she met the large warrior’s gaze and found herself instantly trapped within the swirling depths of his stormy eyes. It was forbidden amongst the coven for a woman to take a lover before she was wed. Most never wed. Jezie certainly hadn’t planned on it. Passion was a powerful force, and hers existed only for her craft…or it had until that moment.
In that second, as her eyes connected with the Jaris glowering at her, Jezie felt a strange stirring that only added to the heat filling her cheeks, and she quickly looked away, directing her attention at the Matron as she stepped forward to greet Jezie.
“My child, please come forward.” Matron Mariam extended a hand toward Jezie, beckoning her closer to the men trying to pound her into the ground with their glares. It did not seem wise to take that step, but Jezie would never disobey her Matron. So she took it, feeling small and plain next to the large men.
“Matron.” Jezie forced herself to turn her attention toward Mariam and tried not to let her voice betray her fear as she turned her back on the Shardar. “You sent word that you wanted to speak to me.”
“Yes, child.” The Matron took a deep breath and frowned, clearly having no liking for what came next. “We must discuss the events of the previous evening. Is there anything you would like to say before we begin?”
Not really, but neither did Jezie want to drag out this moment. So, she confessed and saved everybody the time of trying to prove her guilt. “I’m sorry, Matron. I made a mistake last night.”
“A mistake?” Mariam didn’t sound as if she believed that at all, but it was sort of the truth.
“Yes, Matron. I mixed up a love potion, and as you know, I’ve been trying to strengthen my potions…I guess I succeeded.” That was an understatement.
“And why would you make such a potion?” the Matron asked, though it sounded more like she was talking to herself, regretting Jezie’s poor judgment. “Did you intend to cause chaos?”
Jezie never did, but Layla and Darla always seemed to drag her into it. This time it was bad. Real bad. Now all she had were excuses that she doubted would matter much to the wolven gathered around and listening intently.
“It was my hope to lower the dosage for…some clients, who need the help with…you know,” Jezie whispered, feeling her blush racing all over her body as she prayed that Mariam wouldn’t make her say it aloud, but it wasn’t the Matron who responded.
“No.” One of the Shardars broke his silence as he pinned Jezie with a harsh look. “Explain what you hoped to accomplish with such a potion.”
Jezie bit her lip and glanced at Mariam, not certain she could get it said in a room of mixed company. She beseeched the Matron
to answer for her, but the other woman stood silent, and Jezie knew it was up to her to answer the man.
“Some of my clients have difficulties as they age in…in…”
“Yes?” the man prompted with clear impatience. “In what?”
“Satisfying their partners?” Jezie had meant to say that like a statement, but it came out as a question that held the optimistic hope that the man would be satisfied with that.
“You mean for men who can’t get it up?”
That was a crude way of putting it, but Jezie nodded and moved quickly to safe subjects. “Yes. I have many patients that complain of stomach cramps due to the potion’s more toxic elements, so I was trying to rebalance things.”
“And last night, you were what? Experimenting on us?”
Jezie swallowed, frightened of the venom the man managed to infuse into his tone, and tried desperately to sound confident, but her voice squeaked out, betraying her unease. “It was an accident.”
It really wasn’t.
“An accident? As in you accidently poisoned the whole damn tap at the bar?”
“Yes?”
“You’re lying.” That came from the other Shardar as leaned down to pointedly sniff her shoulder. “I can smell it on you.”
“That is enough!” The Matron stepped in, forcing the Shardar back and drawing his dark gaze to her. “Jezie would never lie. She is as honest and pure as any witch in my coven.”
“And that is supposed to impress me, witch?”
“Your tone is as insulting as your words, Shardar. Do you have no manners?”
“I have no patience,” the man snapped back. “Especially not for the games women like to play. Your girl lies. She was not at the bar last night.”
“She never said she was,” Mariam snapped back. “She said it was an accident.”
The Shardars exchanged a look that unnerved Jezie to the core. It was as if they spoke in some silent language and had come to an agreement that had the Jaris turning their attention back on Jezie.
“And how did this accident happen?”
“I…I will not answer.” Jezie had planned on lying, but Mariam’s defense of her had her feeling too guilty over the lie she had told to add another to the pile. Instead, she gathered her strength and straightened up, trying boldly to not appear intimidated by the glares she was receiving from everybody, including Mariam.
“Jezie, you must answer,” Mariam insisted, but Jezie shook her head.
To answer would be to betray her sisters, and that Jezie would not do. She could tell the Matron knew and understood perfectly Jezie’s dilemma. She sighed heavily and shook her head at Jezie before asking the question Jezie dreaded.
“And where are Layla and Darla?”
“Who?” The Jaris frowned at the mention of Jezie’s sisters, his frown betraying his annoyance at the sudden shift in conversation.
“Layla and Darla,” Mariam repeated slowly. “They’re both about six feet tall, very attractive, and actively looking for husbands. I imagine they were at the bar.”
Everybody looked at Jezie, clearly wanting confirmation, but she refused to give it. Instead, she let her silence speak for her, and it seemed to be all any needed to find her sisters guilty.
“And did they poison the tap at the bar?” Mariam pressed, clearly eager to have the blame shifted to Jezie’s sisters. Mariam didn’t care much for Layla or Darla, but Jezie did.
“It was an accident,” Jezie insisted. “They didn’t know I’d tampered with the potion.”
“But they did know they were poisoning us.” The Shardar growled his words, giving a clear indication of just what he’d do if he got his hands on her sisters. That would not be happening.
“It’s not poison,” Jezie retorted. “It’s a potion. It’s medicine.”
“We’re not sick, wench,” the Jaris snapped back. “Now tell us the rest. How did we all come to be put to sleep? Was that your sisters, too?”
“No.” Jezie would not allow them to heap any more blame on either of her sisters, especially when she was the guilty party. “That was me. I apologize for the strength of the spell, but I was a little panicked.”
That revelation drew a grumble of noise from the rest of the Jaris, and Jezie knew it pleased, as well as amused, the men that they had at least terrified her before she’d won the battle. Unable to control the urge, she shifted her eyes to the right, peeking at the Shardars to see if they could be counted as one of the amused. A slight curve of their lips didn’t equal a smile filled with humor but one of feral intent.
She caught the one she’d already seen naked eyeing her, his gaze slowly taking in her whole length as she stood there feeling stripped bare by the heat growing between them. It was almost tangible and altogether unnerving.
“And do you know where your sisters are?” Mariam pressed, drawing Jezie back to her.
“I don’t know. They went on a trip.”
“You mean they fled,” the Jaris translated for her, and Jezie could do nothing but nod. “And you know where they are headed.”
Like the crack of a whip, Jezie flinched under the hard growl of the Shardar. His smile disappeared in an instant, his gaze hardening with a demand that clearly threatened retribution if his wishes were not met. That she could not do, and Jezie had little hope that Mariam would save her from the beast.
“Answer.” His demand came fast on the heels of his statement, showing just how much tolerance the man had for these proceedings. The arrogance and presumption that he displayed ruffled the Matron’s own sense of self-importance, and she turned a regal glower on the big man.
“This is my questioning, Shardar.”
“Then I suggest, Matron, you ask more pertinent questions.”
“Are you challenging me?”
“Yes,” the man snarled with full bravo. “A crime has been committed, a crime against the Jaris, and we do not take such an event lightly. We demand revenge.”
“Are threatening me?” The air quivered around Mariam under the pressure of her fury.
Again, the crowd shifted behind Jezie. This time, though, they remained silent, fearing that any sound would draw the two powerful leaders’ attention to them. Jezie felt the building fight weighing heavily on her shoulders. She would not wish to cause any harm to her Matron.
“I know where they are headed.”
“And you will tell us,” the Shardar demanded.
Swallowing down the fear that threatened to send her running from the room, Jezie lifted her chin in the face of the Shardar’s anger. “I cannot.”
“You refuse to speak the truth?” A black brow lifted, though Jezie couldn’t help the feeling that the man wasn’t as astonished as he appeared. “You knowingly aid in the escape of criminals?”
“They’re my sisters.” Jezie could offer him nothing more than that and hope that the man had an ounce of mercy in him. “They meant no harm.”
The large warrior leaned down until his musky scent enveloped her in the warm odors of leather and earth. “That is not an excuse. There is no excuse from the law, healer.”
“And I am the law here, Shardar,” Mariam snapped back, apparently ruffled by the warrior’s arrogance.
The Shardar surged forward, stepping up to meet that challenge. “And what does your law say?”
Mariam dared to challenge the male’s word. “Jezie is a child of Iriria. She is under my authority. I will see to the fair measure of her punishment.”
“What measure is that?” the Shardar snarled. “The woman has already confessed to a crime against the Jaris. We are the victims, and so shall we be the punishers. I demand that you release her into my authority.”
Not about to be outdone by a man merely because he stretched two feet higher into the air, Mariam refused to back down. “And if Jezie does reveal her sisters’ direction? Would she not then be freed of her crime?”
“She has openly declined to consider such a revelation,” he roared, making the windows all but shudde
r with the force of his bellow.
Jezie felt like a twig in a storm as the Shardar’s words washed over her. It stirred the hairs on her head with its force. The molten blast brought every eye back toward her. Jezie felt herself shrinking under the scrutiny of so many. The only thing worse than being made a public spectacle was being made one while trapped between two raging tyrants.
That was just where Jezie found herself when Mariam latched onto her arm and actually dragged her around the Shardar. Caught unaware, Jezie stumbled over her own feet and bounced off the side of the warrior with enough force to make her grimace at the impact. The man was made of solid stone, and she really didn’t want to be the thing that he squashed beneath his footsteps.
“Perhaps a more subtle and calm approach would yield the information you seek, Shardar,” Mariam advised, sounding anything but soothing. “You will excuse us now, as I think this questioning would be better resumed in private.”
That was all she had to say before she began dragging Jezie right out of the main chamber. Nobody expected the Shardar to take that dismissal quietly, but his retort cut into Jezie instead of Mariam.
“Just remember, witch, it’s either you or your sisters. Somebody is going to pay.”
* * * *
“You just wanna make that little girl wet herself, don’t you?” Kahn asked the second the little witch blinked out of sight. Kragen didn’t bother to hide his grin any longer as he turned to watch Kahn shake his head at Jaxon and him. “I hate to agree with the Matron on this one, Kragen, but if you want that girl to tell you where her sisters are maybe we should try to tone things down.”
“What do I care about her sisters?” Kragen asked, not the least bit concerned by those two.
He and Jaxon had already figured out who they really wanted. Now it was just a matter of manipulating the situation so she fell neatly into their hands and bed. They hadn’t had a chance, though, to explain things to their commander and a room full of witches was probably not the best place, but Khan was clearly agitated.