Angel stopped ambling around and bowed once again. “With all due respect, Mother Stone, my ailments are not extreme enough to—”
“This is not up for negotiation,” Mother Stone snapped.
Mina flinched and she felt Bas’s arm flex, his clenched fist rubbing against her thigh.
“As you wish, Mother Stone.” Angel bowed again, then began her slow movement toward the doors.
But Mother Stone would have none of that. With an impatient sigh, she walked briskly to Angel, took her in hand and both of them disappeared.
“Thank fuck she’s gone,” Bas said, slumping as he let out a long sigh.
Mina chuckled awkwardly, trying to hide the fact that she felt the same way. “Not a fan of the surprise visits?” She moved into him, wrapping her arms around his torso, looking up at him.
He pinched her ass before lowering his lips to hers. “Guess that just leaves us alone…”
She pulled back a bit. “Work, Bas… To do work. We have a lot to get done.” Anxiety prodded at her but as usual, Bas stifled it with another kiss. His touch was a balm, keeping her raging emotions in check.
“Lots of work to do, uh huh.” He nodded, waggling his eyebrows as he rubbed his stiff cock against her belly.
Her body coiled, her pussy instantly wet. This man, boy, did he rev her up. But there really was no time—not right now. “How about we reward ourselves? We get the program spell going for the food and then we take a break…and a shower…together. I know this trick—”
He nodded, his eyes hooded, as he leaned down and kissed her again. A deep kiss this time—his tongue probing her mouth, devouring her. His hands gripping her ass, lifting her so that her tits crushed against this chest.
She could let him consume her. She wanted to, right now, on the counter… She could just pull her pants down, and unzip his and then—
Zeus bumped them so hard they stumbled to the side. Bas caught her arm, steadying her. The both looked down, chuckling at the cat’s look of anger, his yowl of a command setting them both straight. “Get to work!”
Mina laughed harder. “That cat of yours!”
“Get out of here, Zeus!” Bas kicked out his foot, not really much of a threat to the big cat who just jumped on the counter and glared more menacingly at them.
“Let’s get the food sorted, then we can play around with the temperature control. I need it to be a bit more humid at midday. We could get Telly in after lunch, see how the monkey likes it.” Mina kept talking even as she walked into the sanctuary, expecting Bas to follow with the cart.
“Hey, I thought you said we were going to have a break!”
She shook her head, the feeling of contentment edged with that ever-present whip of anxiety. For all the bliss she was experiencing, she knew that fate could flip it in an instant, take everything she enjoyed now and twist it. Eventually he’d have to find out that she was part human and that hung heavy on her most of the time.
She backtracked a step or two and looked over her shoulder at Bas, feigning nonchalance as she smiled. “I have this spell, Bas. It’ll make your dick feel like—”
He closed the distance between them in a heartbeat and pulled her into his arms. “Say no more.” His voice rumbled as he kissed along her throat. “I don’t know where you get these spells but I’m in.”
“Work first, big boy, and then I’ll reward you.”
“That, I believe.” He kissed her on the lips, stroking to her to the point that she almost, almost gave up the fight.
He smacked her ass as he pulled away.
“Let’s get to work, witchy woman, before you tempt me to spend the whole day between your thighs. Mother Stone might come back.” He shuddered. “And I’d rather not get on her bad side again.”
Mina nodded, kissed him one more time then stepped away. She could spend all day worshipping his body with her tongue. “You’re right. She didn’t even see the sanctuary. Maybe I should buzz her and invite—”
He smacked her ass harder. “That’ll be enough of that.”
20
Bas had never been a team kind of guy but working with Mina to construct and then cast the sanctuary spells had given him a better appreciation of it. She thought she wasn’t powerful or skilled but her natural talent with spell manipulation was on par with some of the most proficient witches in the program. He found it curious, how often she turned to dark spells, but he managed to tweak things his way with pure magic most of the time.
“If you twist that thread.” Bas pointed to a faint yellow streak of magic that was attempting to escape the confines of the spell. “It’ll pull the whole thing taut and keep it rotating through the cycles.”
Mina narrowed her eyes, her concentration was sexy—it furrowed her brow and made her pout a bit. He totally could kiss that away if he wasn’t worried he’d fuck up the spell by distracting her.
She quirked her mouth, sticking her tongue out just a little. She mumbled something he couldn’t quite catch then moved her fingers ever so slightly to capture the wayward tentacle. He was mesmerized by her movements and shook himself out of the trance.
Okay, yeah, he was falling for her. He wasn’t delusional enough to deny that. But what did that mean for him? He didn’t have time for relationships, not the kind that Mina deserved. He had a lot more training to do, long hours and gruelling work. That was, if Mother Stone allowed him to continue in the program.
“There, all done!” Mina’s expression relaxed. “Right? Looks good?”
Bas swallowed down his doubts and examined the spell. It was swirling in multicolour right now but that would fade to nothing with time. The infusion of magic at the birth of a spell like this was always intense and drew a lot of power. It didn’t need to stay that way to continue to work properly and with the residual stuff the familiars gave off, it would keep going with little witch intervention.
“Looks great!” He banished all remaining thoughts by pulling her into his arms. She yielded to him now that the work was done and the pressure off, draping her arms over his shoulders with a giggle.
“Shower time?” She winked.
He kissed her, softly, deeply, using his tongue to caress her, to show her how he felt. She moaned into his mouth, her body melting in his arms. He lifted her, moving her legs so that she straddled him as he carried her, using muscle memory to get them to her suite because he didn’t want to break the kiss.
He only bumped into the wall once.
Her shower wasn’t huge but it was big enough for both of them to stand comfortably. He adjusted the water with magic, not bothering to fuss with the taps and had a nice steam rolling round them in seconds. When he looked over his shoulder at her, she was already naked and goddess, she was beautiful. Her skin was flawless, creamy, smooth, and yes, freckles dotted all over her skin. He made it a goal to try to lick as many of them as he could. He didn’t think he would ever get enough of touching her.
She smirked at him. “Stare much?”
He smirked back, then reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms, kissing her again before slapping her ass. “Get in there and soap up!”
“Yes, sir!” She saluted him before giving him the finger, then giggled as she hopped into the shower and let the water sluice all over her.
Mmmm, wet Mina was even better than dry Mina. Her skin glistened.
“You keep watching me like that and I’ll have to take care of business myself.” She snaked her hand down her stomach, heading for her pussy.
Bas’s dick pulsed and as much as he’d love to see that, what he really wanted was to slip and slide his way inside her. With a snap of his fingers, his clothes disappeared.
Mina’s hand stopped roving, her eyes went comically wide. “Well, now, that’s a nifty trick!”
“I know, right?” He shooed her back as he stepped into the shower, shivering a little as the warm water enveloped him. Mina was there, her hot body pressed into his, her scent, that delicious honeysuckle wafting from he
r skin.
He backed her up against the wall, his lips on her lips, kissing her—goddess, he loved kissing her—while he ran his hands over her hips, her waist, her tits. Her curves made his dick so hard. She was soft and firm in all the right places. He cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over her hard little nipples.
She moaned into his mouth, gasping as he nudged her with his cock, encouraging her to open her legs, to let him rest there. She did one better though and lowered her hands to his shaft. Letting them slip and slide along his flesh, gripping tightly as she moved her palm to cup his tip, rub then glide back down again.
“Does that feel good, baby?” she cooed, leaning closer so that he had to let her tits go and move his hand to her ass. He nodded, bending down to kiss her again. Showing her just how good it felt. She lifted one leg, hooked it over his hip while she braced her arms over his shoulders. The water was nailing them from the side, steam billowing all around them. Each sensation amplified her touch on his skin—the brush of her tits against his chest, her hand holding on, hooked around his neck and her lips on his throat then his earlobe, licking, sucking. He shuddered then lifted her slightly so that he could thrust his dick into her pussy, and encased himself to the hilt with a groan.
She purred into his ear, her hips moving with his as he pulled out then pumped her slowly, moving so that he could grind against her clit. He glided his finger over her asshole, pressing just enough to pop the digit in. She moaned, holding onto him harder, her fingers clenching now. He pumped her ass with his finger to the same tempo as he pounded her pussy with his dick.
She pulled back enough to look up at him, her eyes locked on his. He didn’t flinch, not even when he saw what was there, the emotions swirling, making his heart swell. Terrifying but he couldn’t stop. Not now. Just a little more.
She smiled, muttered some words and then a ripple of pressure rolled over his dick, her pussy massaging him like a hand.
“Ohhhhhh, fuuuuuuck….” he moaned.
She kissed along his jaw, nipping him. “Told you.”
It didn’t take long for his balls to tighten and his cum to rise. As her pussy began to spasm around him, he came hard, pumping her full with each thrust until he had nothing left to give. She broke away from him first, crumpling down to his chest, her head resting so she could probably hear his raging heart. He pulled his finger out of her ass and embraced her tightly, kissing the top of her head.
“We should probably get some soap involved, huh?”
Mina laughed. “Soap could be fun.” She lifted her head from his chest and tweaked his nipple.
He smacked her ass. “Soap makes everything really slick.”
She laughed again then turned around and picked up a bottle of body wash. Turning her back to him, she poured a dollop down her back so it started to glide toward her ass. She angled herself so her ass was in the air. “You don’t say?”
His dick pulsed, hardening instantly. Oh goddess…this woman was going to kill him. He gripped her hips and pulled her closer. “No way I’m going to turn down that invitation.”
Mina felt completely satiated. Sex with Bas was more than amazing…over and over again she found herself overwhelmed by how her body reacted to his. How she pulsed and throbbed for him. She wanted more, more, more. She couldn’t get enough. It wasn’t just the sex either—there was an electricity, a connection that zapped her every time they locked eyes.
Who was this man? Where had he come from? Why did she feel so intensely about him?
She suspected Angel had something to do with it. That there was some kind of magical push that kept bringing her and Bas together. Not a love spell—she knew those things never worked the way they were intended—but Angel had made it clear that she thought Mina and Bas had things in common, that they could work together well. If there was magic at play, Mina wasn’t going to complain. She was enjoying herself and yeah, she was developing strong feelings for Bas, feelings she knew had nothing to do with magic. He filled a gap in her…that constant craving she had for a connection. The loneliness was gone it was intoxicating to have someone there who responded to her like he did.
Wrapped up in a warm housecoat and curled up with a cup of tea, she waited for Croft to contact her. Bas needed to shave, which she suspected was more about giving her some privacy while she chatted with her friend. They hadn’t exactly gotten anything practical done in the shower other than getting soapy. Her body was purring from his attention. After she talked to Croft, all she wanted to do was curl up with Bas and have a long, deep sleep.
The scrying bowl was in her lap, the water shimmering as it did when magic was at play, far more reliable than any technology available at White Willow. Witches and cell phones didn’t always work well together.
The witching hour approached. Croft, as always, didn’t keep her waiting.
“Mina!” Croft’s face warbled into view, the water rippling for a few seconds as the connection solidified.
“It’s so good to see you!” Mina was relieved to see her friend in one piece. He tended to get himself into trouble. Not because he was stupid, but because he was a little on the gullible side. He believed and trusted his fellow witches a little too much and it usually led him into the path of danger.
His smile was infectious and she couldn’t help but beam back at him.
“We’ve got the Saviors! And, Mina, wait until you see them. They’re gorgeous! So powerful and all kinds of creatures!”
“Are they healthy then? No major issues?”
Croft’s expression changed in an instant. “These ones are, yes. They were in the best possible condition because they haven’t yet fully bloodbonded to their masters yet. Who knows how many are out there suffering though. This operation is pretty big. Healer Rose has confiscated the computers and plans on running some spells to get at the encrypted contacts. I feel like this is just the beginning.” His voice sounded gruff, his brow furrowed. She imagined he was clenching his meaty fists, ready to knock something over in his frustration. “There were only three Breeders and they didn’t put up a fight, which is a shame because I would have liked to knock them out for what they’ve done. They were taken to the Scrub by Trappers before we even had the animals secured so at least they’ll get theirs.”
Only three Breeders? Mina frowned. The Trappers would no doubt give them a dose of pain on their way to the Scrub, a little pre-punishment before judgment. It wasn’t moral, but Mina couldn’t help feeling like they deserved whatever they got. Familiar abusers were horrible witches, undeserving of any sympathy. “Seems odd that they didn’t have more security around. Saviors are worth a lot of money.”
“I know, right?” Croft shook his head. “Everyone thought it was strange but it is possible to run an operation like this with a skeleton crew. Especially if they’re backed by a bigger organization.”
Mina sighed. “So this is probably just a tiny offshoot.” Not her fight though. She wasn’t the warrior type, chasing after the Breeders. She was the familiar guardian, taking care of the ones who survived.
“Yeah, but it’s on the radar now. The Trappers were telling us about some plans in the works to go after the Breeders.”
“You’re kidding.” Mina hadn’t much hope in actual progress being made where familiar justice was concerned. The council rarely dedicated the necessary funding to humanitarian efforts.
He was shaking his head, his smile back in play. “Nah, no joke. There’s a task force being assembled. Seems that Mother Stone’s focus on familiar healing has brought attention to the cause. Apparently she’s been talking to anyone who will listen about the sanctuary and the work we’ve been doing.”
Mina gasped, unable to respond with words.
“Close your mouth, dear.” He laughed. “You deserve all the recognition you get. The work you do…” He shook his head. “Anyway, we can talk more about this when I’m back.”
Mina closed her mouth and cleared her throat. “How many familiars are coming to us?�
��
“Thirty creatures, that’s why I’m calling. You need to set up more cages. While they’re all in good health, there’s no telling what kind of magic infections they may be carrying. We’ll need to quarantine them while we dose them with some anti-bacterial and vaccinations.”
Thirty!
“We’ve got some work to do!” Her heart ramped up, panic starting to rise.
“Stay calm!” Croft smiled. “If anyone can do it, it’s you, Mina.” He tried to look around the room but his angle in the scry didn’t give him a good view. “How’s things with Healer Frank?”
At the mention of Bas, Mina’s heart shifted gears, racing for an entirely different reason and knocking her out of the rising panic attack. She blushed, her cheeks so hot that she ducked her head and tried to cover up with her hair. “Good. Great. Yeah. Good.”
Croft chuckled. “Oh yeah? He’s working out there then?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“I’ve been replaced!”
“No, not that, come on, Croft I need you here.”
“Actually, I need to talk to you about that, too.” Croft’s smile dissolved. “I think that it’s possible I’ll get my wish and be back in surgical rotation after this trip. Mahdyia said—”
“Mahdyia, huh?” Mina winked, even though her heart was sinking. What would she do without Croft?
Now it was Croft’s turn to blush. “Yeah, I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.”
“So I’m going to lose you?” Mina’s throat caught. This was what he wanted—she’d known his time with her was temporary. “I’m happy for you, Croft, seriously. You deserve to have this ridiculous punishment lifted. It’s been too long as it is and I know your heart is in surgery.”
“Well, what I was thinking was that Healer Frank could take my place there on a more permanent basis. If things are working out that well between you two anyway, why not?”
Mina’s thoughts whirred around that possibility. Yeah, why not? Her heart flipped. “He’s really good with the animals. You remember Zeus?”
Feral Heart: A Witch Hospital Romance (The Witches of White Willow Book 2) Page 17