Roused (Moon Claimed)

by Lilou Roux

  Tess did exactly what Joanne told her to do and Erin could feel the magic tingle along her skin to buzz inside of her like a second heart. Then Tess touched the dough, her hands leaving trails of golden dust that soon whirled in a cloud around them as she worked the dough. Tess finally opened her eyes and gasped. Sunlight filtered through the windows, the beams playing with the sparkles in the air, and simply watching this moment was…magic.

  “I did it. I did it.”Laughter, purest happy laughter, escaped her sister and Erin couldn’t help but smile in return.

  “You did. It’s beautiful.”

  Joanne looked at Erin when she nodded as well. “It’s love. Now, we don’t want you feeling excluded or anything, so sit down, I’ve got a little task for you too.”

  Erin arched an eyebrow, but stayed silent and obeyed. Joanne placed a white candle in front of her and said, “Light it. With your breath.”

  “Huh?” Had she heard right?

  “Light it with your breath. Your first magic was making your coffee boil, which makes me think you might have a penchant for fire magic.”

  Interesting. “What’s Tess’ penchant?”

  “Earth. Her first magic was making flowers bloom.”

  “Okay. What do I do?”

  “Our magic is tightly woven with our emotions. To control your magic, you have to control your feelings. And I don’t mean that you have to suppress them. No, to control them, to do magic, you have to understand and accept them.” Joanne’s voice grew lower, softer as she spoke from slightly behind Erin. “Fire magic speaks to the most passionate and most basic emotions that can grab you out of nowhere and make you feel alive in a way nothing else can. Anger, rage, fury, desire, love. Grab any one of those and close your eyes. Imagine it like a flame inside of you. Maybe blazing, roaring, or smoldering, but hot. Imagine it travel along your skin, inside of you. And then breathe it out of you.”

  Erin did exactly that. Since she wasn’t particularly angry at the moment she chose lust. It had worked the first time. And so she imagined herself, naked in bed with a man. Felt the lust tingle in her lower abdomen and tried to use the heat of it like Joanne told her to. But when she opened her eyes, the candle was as before. No flame.

  “Don’t worry. Just try again.”

  Erin concentrated on Joanne’s lyrical voice and on herself, trying to focus on herself. Guided step by step just like the first time, she wanted to be able to do this. Her brow furrowed in concentration.

  Suddenly warm breath hit her ear and his low, husky voice made her shiver in all the right spots as he whispered. “Imagine me behind you, spreading your legs and pushing deep.” His tongue touched her earlobe.

  Her breath left in a whoosh and the candle ignited, a twenty inch flame shooting up towards the ceiling.

  She hadn’t heard him come in. Was completely taken by surprise and couldn’t imagine how it was possible. In just one instant the room, her head, was filled only with him. There was no kitchen, no Tess, no Joanne. He took up all the space, all her thoughts. And the pure wave of magic swirling inside of her didn’t make things any easier on her. The male satisfaction, a wicked spark, in his eyes and the thought that maybe this man was more than she could handle cooled her down.

  SEVEN

  Three days later Erin could light all the candles in a room with just a thought – of Seth. And that annoyed the hell out of her. With just that one interference he had managed to push into her thoughts in a way that made it impossible for her to think of anything or anyone but him the moment she wanted to do some fire magic. It was as if he had conditioned her, with just that one picture he painted in her mind. It wasn’t even a scandalous one… to be honest it was a rather ordinary one for her - but quite efficient none the less. Especially with him in it, she had to admit.

  She was curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace a glass of red wine in her hand, trying to figure what to do about the Hawkins brothers. The last few days she had tried her best to be cool towards Nathan, to watch his every step, especially around her sister. But she couldn’t find a flaw – or whatever it was she was searching for. It was obvious that he was as crazy about Tess as she was about him. Still. Her vote wasn’t out yet, though she honestly doubted it would change her sister’s mind in any way. Maybe sadden her, but it surely wouldn’t be enough to make her change her mind about Nathan. Her sister was very much in love.

  Not for the first time and since she was alone, Erin wondered what it felt like. Love. What was love? She had no idea. She had never been in love, had never wanted to be so close to someone, or to let someone come this close to her. She knew it existed and knew that there were good men, that there were couples that cherished and respected and loved each other – sometimes it even lasted a lifetime. And yet, she could only shake her head at the thought of putting not only a piece of you but all of yourself into someone else’s hands. Why would anyone do that? Why would anyone give that kind of power to someone else? Why would anyone want to be so vulnerable?

  But apparently it wasn’t them who were fucked up – she was.

  Come here, my little girl.

  The voice of her past sent chilly shivers down her spine. The ghost hands on her skin nauseated her. Her jaw clenched. Yeah, she was the fucked up one, alright. No news there. She’d had enough boys, and later men, tell her that.

  A knock on her door pulled her away from the dark path she was about to walk down and she was grateful for it. Setting her wine glass on the table she got up and walked over to open it.

  Seth was on her porch and behind him, at the bottom of the stairs, two horses waited. He looked at her and his brow furrowed, his piercing silver eyes probably seeing far too much. “Wanna get some fresh air?”

  Hell, yeah. Anything to get out of the cabin that would probably only fill up with even more ghosts. “Give me a minute.” She quickly ran into her bedroom and changed into her favorite pair of black, worn out jeans, pulled on her boots and grabbed her jacket before heading back out and closing the door behind her. She slowly walked down the steps and took in the horses. Seth’s was another gray one, but a little lighter in coloring and bigger than Ghost. At her inquiring gaze he said, “This is Hale, Ghost’s father.” Beside Hale was a rusty brown beauty. “And this is Caramella. She’s a rather lazy but absolutely sweet girl so you shouldn’t have any trouble with her.”

  Erin hadn’t been near – and much less on – a horse since she’d been a child. Swallowing the lump of nerves that had formed in her throat she walked over to Caramella and stroked her velvety big head and neck, and soon she wasn’t able to stop the smile tugging at her lips. Seth helped her into the saddle and Erin needed a moment to get used to the feeling. Seth was patient and gentle with her and the horse. His manner, quiet and yet in control, was reassuring and soon Erin felt herself relax into the moment.

  They kept it at a slow pace that allowed for Erin to not only enjoy the beautiful creature beneath her but also the forest around her. For a while she let herself be swept away. She forgot everything – her past and the world around her – and she was grateful for the companiable silence that Seth somehow knew she needed.

  Later after she mentioned the beauty surrounding them they started to talk. It felt surprisingly good and easy.

  “Tess said you’re a writer,” Seth soon said.

  “I am.”

  “What genre?”

  She looked at him directly. “Thriller and erotica.”

  A spark in those eyes, like lightning in silvery mist. “Interesting. Gotten any good ideas lately?”

  A sly smile tugged at her lips. “As a matter of fact, I have. Quite a few even.”

  “Wanna share?”

  God, not for the first time Erin wondered whether one could get addicted to the sound of a voice. His was not only sensual, it was almost physical. It was a touch, a caress all on its own. “Now where would be the fun in that. A little tease, okay, but to discover it all…you got to read the book. The only thing I’ll say
is that Nathan got a talent. That kitchen table in my cabin? It looks really …sturdy.”

  His sensual lips curving and his eyes glinting with some ideas of his own, that Erin was sure mirrored hers, he shook his head. “For the life of me, I can’t seem to remember.”

  Erin had to bite back a laugh and played along. “Oh no, what a shame. Well, I guess you have to come over and see for yourself.”

  “Guess so.”

  She wondered how long their gazes would have held, the air around them charged with sexual tension and sweet, breathless anticipation, if the trees around them hadn’t suddenly parted. Like a curtain, and then they stood at the edge of a meadow covered with late wildflowers, coloring autumn and defying winter as long as they could, blooming in fields of green. It was breathtaking, the peace and serenity of it.

  “Oh, God.”

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “More than that. It’s…I can’t find words.”

  He smiled. “The best kind of praise from a writer.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, probably.”

  He jumped out of the saddle and came around to help her out of hers. Swinging one leg over she let herself fall into his arms that were sure around her as he grabbed her. They ended up close, their bodies brushing and Erin didn’t mind it one bit as she tingled all over and heat flooded her. This man was fire to her senses and it excited her.

  “You still want to see the wolf?”

  “Yes.”

  He took a step back and started to take of his clothes, pulling of his leather jacket and shirt, revealing his bare chest. Oh damn. Perfect, broad and yet not too heavy with muscle it made her want to lick every inch of him. His pants and briefs soon followed, leaving him naked in the afternoon sun, without any shame or discomfort regarding his nudity – not that he’d any reason to. She had to swallow as desire viciously slammed into her and wetness pooled between her legs. Just the sight of him and she was ready.

  And then he started to blur, like a silvery golden fog lifting from the ground and enveloping him, until there was a wolf in place of the man standing in front of her.

  Erin couldn’t help staring. Knowing she was a witch, knowing he was a man who could turn into a wolf was one thing – seeing it, quite another. But by God, he was magnificent. Dark gray with streaks of lighter fur that glinted like silver silk and golden eyes with a circle of green bleeding into it from around the pupil, the wolf was big, his shoulder probably reaching her hips.

  Erin was so absorbed in looking at him that when he stepped forward, she was so surprised that she fell on her ass as she jumped a step back.

  Suddenly he was looming over her, his golden eyes laughing at her until it was the wolfish smile of the naked man above her that had her catch her breath. “I knew you’d fall for me. But damn, that was fast.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re such an arrogant ass. What the hell kind of women have you been with to have such an inflated ego anyway?”

  His voice was low, his eyes intense on her, never leaving her face but drinking it all in instead. Her eyes, her mouth. “There was nothing wrong with those women. They knew what was good for them.”

  She snorted, trying to ignore his incredible pull and the heat of him – and the fact that he was naked and close, very close. “Oh please. They probably had not the slightest idea how to handle you.”

  One eyebrow arched up in a way that made her all hot and shivery inside as he leaned down. “But you think you can handle me, don’t you.” He brought his hand up and his thumb traced her lip. “Well, I sure as hell can’t wait for you to practice what you preach… with that sweet, big mouth of yours.”

  Ice flooded her at his innuendo, robbing her of all her heat, and she had to struggle to find the familiar numbness that was her only hope against the voices of the past that she knew would quickly follow. Like a blanket Erin pulled it over her heart and soul as she pushed him away.

  Her voice hard and quipped she said, “Not even when hell freezes over.”

  She got up as fast as she could and got into the saddle. Not caring where she was headed, only knowing she had to get away as fast as possible, she urged Caramella and disappeared into the forest, ignoring his shouts.

  As always Erin tried to close herself off against the past. Tried to forget. Tried to forget the nightmares that came and haunted her in her sleep. Tried to forget that awful voice of the past.

  Come here, my little girl. Open wide.

  She tried to forget because she didn’t know what else to do. But she knew they would only come back stronger than before, and so she stripped out of her clothes once she was back in her cabin and stepped under a scalding hot shower and let the voices in. And let the tears fall.

  EIGHT

  As she had hoped and known the purging had helped and had kept the old demons at bay once she had let them get a bite out of her. Her sleep had been dreamless and restful.

  However, the moment she opened the door of her cabin to step outside she realized that her waking hours might not. Seth was standing on her porch, dressed only in jeans and a black shirt that hugged his chest a bit too nicely for her comfort. His dark hair was sexily tousled as if he’d repeatedly run his hand through it, and his eyes were dark, like storm clouds, and a little menacing and tired.

  He pushed past her and walked into the cabin.

  She ground her teeth. “Good morning to you, too, and sure, come on in.”

  Seth walked into her kitchen as if he owned the place – briefly she wondered whether he actually did – grabbed a mug out of a cabinet and poured himself her coffee before leaning against the counter, his arms folded over his chest and his gaze hard on her.

  “Want to tell me what happened yesterday?”

  She didn’t meet his eyes as she leaned against the table and crossed her own arms under her chest. “Not particularly.”

  “Did you sleep well?”

  Erin shrugged, on guard now as she wondered why he didn’t push the matter. “Yes, I did as a matter of fact.”

  He set the mug on the counter and came slowly towards her, like the wolf he was. Stalking her, his eyes never leaving hers and keeping her trapped in place. Then he put his hands down on the table behind her, successfully caging her in with his body and forcing her to lean back. He radiated heat that had her body shivering, coiling with pleasure that was suddenly blazing as if never been doused. His scent, clean male touched with something earthy, primal even, that had her belly clench, made her want to taste every inch of him.

  “Well, I didn’t. Some woman left me in the middle of the forest with a raging hard-on.”

  Inwardly she very nearly sighed with relief. His questions she didn’t know how to deal with, but a hard-on she could manage. A smile spread across her lips. “That wasn’t very nice of her.”

  “Not at all.”

  “So what do you want to do?”

  “I think a little punishment is in order.”

  All her blood and every drop of moisture in her body rushed south. Her heart was a wild drum inside her chest. She tried to speak, but no sound would come out. However, words weren’t necessary when his mouth came crushing down on hers.

  He tasted even better than she had imagined and Erin moaned as his tongue tried to capture hers. The kiss was nothing gentle and sweet. No slow discovering of each other, no indulging in little nibbles and games. This kiss was a plunge into pleasure-hazed oblivion without questions asked, no excuses made. And Erin loved every second of it. He pushed her onto the table, his hand cupped her jaw, angling her for deeper access while the other roamed up her body, leaving a blazing trail from her hip to her breast.

  His hips were nestled between hers, his erection pressing where she wanted him without any barriers between them. He rocked against her, hitting her clit. She bit his lip and made him growl before he pinched her nipple so hard Erin moaned into his mouth, almost exploding under him from the sweet pleasure and pain.

  His voice wa
s low and hoarse. “You like it rough?”

  “Actually, I do.”

  A sound escaped him, somewhere between a groan and a purr and as devastating to her system. “God, you’re killing me woman.”

  Seth did it again, a hard pinch to her nipple and a rock and grind between her legs, and her whole body tensed with need. Erin was panting, amazed at how he could make her feel so much so fast. When she only wanted more, he suddenly pulled back.

  “What the hell?” She stared at him, speechless and utterly tense with unfulfilled pleasure. “Seth!”

  A wicked glint in his blazing eyes and a rather mean smile tugging at his lips he came back, looming above her and his hips rocked once more against her. She cried out, so close to that wonderful abyss her body was hurting with it. “Remember, Erin. Punishment.”

  Then he looked at her, a scalding fierceness in his eyes that took her breath, the bit that was left in her, completely away. “Though honestly, I have no idea anymore who I’m punishing. I’ve never wanted a witch of my own. Never wanted a mate that the fates or some other nasty bitch had designated for me. I wanted to chose, who and when. And then you knocked at my door. Still all I wanted to do was fuck you. Nothing more.” Erin had to swallow, feeling more and more vulnerable. The way he looked at her, as if there was nothing and no one else in the world, it made her heart clench so hard it scared her. “Yesterday, that wasn’t annoyance at my crudeness or at what I said. No, that was sheer fear and honest panic in your eyes.”

  “So?” She had to be flippant, had to at least pretend the walls around her weren’t crumbling just because of the way he looked at her. His eyes saw entirely too much, making her feel so naked, bared. If it had been just sex in his eyes, she would have known what to do. But the grim determination there, she couldn’t handle.

  “So? Yesterday there was fear here,” he gently tapped the corner of her eye with a finger. “Today the desire is back. So now I can’t stop thinking about you, now I want to get to know you. Inside and out.”