by Bianca D'Arc
She smiled, thinking of her aunt and uncle, two of her favorite people in the world. Their home had always been a haven for her when she needed it.
“That’s good to hear.” She looked up and was surprised to see a look of relief cross Keith’s handsome features. “I’ve never known Bill to stay with one woman so long. He hasn’t admitted it yet, but I think she’s his mate.”
“Mate?” Valerie was interested in the significance he put on the word. “I’ve heard only vague references to shifter mating. Is that like marriage?”
“It’s a bond stronger than marriage. You can divorce a spouse. You can never part from a mate. In the matings I have witnessed, there’s never any thought to one mate leaving the other. Not if they’re true mates.”
“But how do you know? How do you recognize him or her?” That was something that had always puzzled her, the few times she’d heard talk of such things.
“Many of us know the moment we meet our destined mate. The wolves say they can smell it. The scent of their mate makes the wolf inside stand up and take notice. A lot of cat shifters claim it’s the taste of their mate that either drives kitty wild or pacifies him. Or both, depending on the occasion.” He winked and she felt a strange heat slide over her senses.
She didn’t know what to say to that. Fighting a blush and failing, she looked down at her plate, surprised to find that she was nearly finished with her meal. A quick glance at Keith’s side of the table showed that he was done with his steak as well.
As if conjured by the realization, the waiter appeared at her elbow to remove the empty plates. Silence reigned while the human waiter did his job. Keith led the way in ordering a sinful desert and Valerie was in a devil-may-care mood of her own. She ordered the crème brulee and cappuccino, giving into temptation.
That seemed to be a theme for the night. Temptation was sitting directly across the table from her and if he gave the slightest invitation, she knew she would give in. She was practically panting to give in.
“So do you just go around randomly licking women to see if you can find your mate?” She lifted her wine glass to her lips, savoring the bite of the crisp white against her tongue.
Where was this flirtatious coyness coming from? She’d certainly never said anything like that to a man before. Maybe there was something to be said for this taking a walk on the wild side, as her cousin suggested. Keith, the sexy cat shifter certainly seemed to be bringing the female animal out in Valerie.
Keith laughed out loud at her playful banter and sipped his own wine. He’d ordered a peppery red to go with his steak, which she found intriguing. If she’d had to guess before sharing a meal with him, she would’ve pegged him for a suds man. But she was learning she’d been wrong about a lot of things where shifters were concerned.
Keith knew his wines. Did he know his women as well? She’d just bet he did. A man as sexy as this one was probably well acquainted with the fair sex. He certainly knew how to wine and dine her. And she was quickly falling under his spell.
“I’d like to think my technique is a little more refined than that,” he admitted with a sly smile that nearly stole her breath.
“So what do you do then?” She couldn’t believe how daring she was being.
He reached across the table and took her hand in his. The warmth of his fingers and the curious little zaps of magical energy that leapt between her palm and his made her want to squirm in her seat.
“I’ll tell you, but I want you to answer a question first.” His gaze dared her to follow him into the unknown.
“What’s your question?” Where was all her bravado coming from? Inside, she was shaking like a leaf, but outwardly, she strove to maintain her cool.
“How do witches know when they’ve met the warlock of their dreams?”
She wished she knew. Never in her life had she ever experienced first-hand the symptoms her friends had reported. Not once had she felt the blissful meshing of magical energies.
Although…
“Their magics spark off each other and twine together. One is usually stronger, but in a perfect union—like that of my aunt and uncle—the stronger protects and nurtures the weaker until they are both more powerful together than either one was apart. I’m told it’s something rare and beautiful, but few mages are so blessed. Most of the marriages in my clan, for example, are arranged based on political expediencies. Few of my parents’ generation got to find their soul mate like Aunt Marge and Uncle Featherstone.”
“Maybe it’s time to upset the apple cart,” Keith suggested with a wry smile. His thumb began to trace a pattern over the back of her hand, making her shiver before she could censor her reaction. “How does that feel? Does it tingle?” His query was laced with aroused interest.
“Yes,” she whispered, looking downward at their joined hands.
If she invoked her magesight—the special vision that allowed a magic user to literally see magic—she would see little sparks of magic bouncing between and around their clasped hands, writhing and twining, the way she imagined their bodies would do if she ever got him into her bed. That was becoming more imperative with every passing second.
“Can you See it?”
His words shocked her gaze back to his, but he was looking at their hands too. His eyes were slightly unfocused in a way that resembled someone using magesight.
“Can you?” She was shocked. She’d never heard of a shifter being able to use magic the way her people did. “Is that normal for a shifter?”
“Normal for me, I guess.” He shrugged, pulling back, removing his hand from hers and retreating to his own side of the table. She’d broken the spell with her question and kicked herself mentally for it.
She watched, not knowing what to say as he signaled the waiter for the check and went through the motions of paying the bill. Apparently their dinner was over.
As he escorted her to the door she hardened her resolve with every step. No way was she letting him get away that easily. Not when she was attracted to a man for the first time in who knows how long.
He opened the door, politely letting her precede him out and she went quietly, biding her time. She planned to confront him, but she had to pick her moment.
“Are you parked in the lot?” Those were the first words he’d spoken to her since leaving the table.
Valerie stopped him in his tracks with a simple hand on his arm. He turned toward her, his expression hard to read. The look in his eyes, however, was…intense.
Her breath caught in her chest and she took a moment to gather her wits. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage too.
“Do you really want this night to end here?” Damn, that was ballsy. Especially for someone who had never propositioned a man before in her life.
Fire ignited in the back of his gaze. “What did you have in mind?”
“A nightcap?” She slid her hand down his arm to take his hand. “Maybe at my place?”
Keith stepped closer, right into her personal space. She didn’t mind in the least.
“I’d like that.” He moved closer, lowering his head. His lips were inches from hers and moving closer.
She didn’t object. She wanted this. She wanted him. No time for coyness. She wanted him to know that if he came back to her place, he’d be staying until morning. At least, that was her plan. Now all she had to do was get him to go along with it.
The first touch of his lips to hers was all it took to spin her mind into a foggy place where all she could do was feel. Feel his incredibly muscular body pressing into hers. Feel his mouth seducing her senses. Feel the tingles of magic sparking all up and down her body, twining with his innate shifter magic in some indefinable way.
She was lost. And it was only a kiss. The lightest brushing of lips and tongue.
She opened her mouth at his coaxing and then the real fun began. Little explosions of charged particles danced along her skin. It tickled in the most delicious way. She’d never felt anything like it before. And s
he wanted more. Much more.
Chapter Three
Damn if the little witch didn’t taste like someone he wanted to know better. No. Needed to know better. Much, much better.
The cougar inside him started to purr and a moment later he realized he felt the rumble in his chest. In his human chest. Sweet Mother of All.
He drew back, stunned.
He’d heard about the mythic phenomenon, but never thought it could be true. He never thought he would meet a woman who could make him purr in human form. It was said, such a woman was a cat shifter’s true mate. But it was rare. Damn rare. So rare that until this very moment, he’d thought it was only a story.
And she was human. More than that, she was a mage. A failed mage, by her own account, but still a magic user.
And didn’t that set all his beliefs on their ear?
Keith started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” She looked adorably dazed as he held her loosely in his arms.
He dropped a kiss on her forehead, then hugged her close, swaying side to side. His heart was so light he couldn’t keep still. He’d never been giddy before, but he figured that was the best word he had to describe the incredible feeling singing through his blood.
“All my life I’ve fought against magic,” he whispered near her ear, enjoying the feel of her soft body in his arms.
“And now?” She sounded worried enough that he felt the need to reassure her.
He drew back and looked deep into her eyes, wondering if she understood the importance of this moment. Disappointment filled him when he realized she probably didn’t. She was human after all. Of magic blood, but still human.
“I give in,” he replied, hoping she understood his meaning. He tried to think of a way to make her understand, but words failed him. She would figure it out in time. Hopefully sooner rather than later. He’d start tonight and do his best to make her realize the singular truth that kept running through his mind. “There’s no fighting fate.”
She smiled, an odd expression on her lovely face that said she wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about but was willing to see where he led. That was enough for now. Keith tucked her under his arm and walked toward the cars.
“I think it’s time for that nightcap.”
He didn’t give her the opportunity to move away. He wouldn’t let her out of his sight until morning if he had his way. And even then, not for long. He was a cat on a mission. He had a lady to win and the challenge had already begun.
“Shall we take your car?” He didn’t want to give her time to think.
He wanted to keep her in the compliant mood she was in. He didn’t want her having second thoughts. Not now. Not when she’d already made him purr with a simple little kiss.
What would happen when he was inside her? The anticipation made him impatient to learn and eager to begin the journey of discovery. He’d enjoy this. He’d enjoy her. And he’d make certain she enjoyed every single, memorable, life-altering moment, even if he had to use one of his nine lives to do it. She was going to scream his name in ecstasy before the night was through, even if it killed him.
“What about your car?”
“It’ll be safe enough here. I can always jog back to pick it up.”
“But you don’t even know how far away I live.” She was laughing at his eagerness, he knew, but it was the compliant laugh of a woman who was on the same wavelength.
They were simpatico in this adventure. He could smell it on the breeze and the delectable scent of her feminine arousal. She wanted him. And he wanted her more than any women he’d ever met.
He’d bedded his share, but if legend was to be believed, this might be the first night of the rest of his life. His first night with the lover he would keep ’til the end of their days.
Goddess willing.
Cats loved to roam, but at some point having a different woman every week grew old. Shifters were blessed with superior genetics and the big cat varieties seemed to be more suave than most. It hadn’t been hard for Keith to find playmates in the past, but he’d given up those youthful ways a few years ago in favor of building a home he’d be proud to share with his wife and family one day.
For the past few years he’d been concentrating on work and searching for that special someone among humans and shifters alike. He’d never dated a witch before, but he was willing to go to whatever lengths fate demanded to find his one true mate.
And find her he had. Or so he believed. He’d know for certain after tonight. After he’d made love to her and tasted her all over. Then, he would know for sure. Although he was willing to bet most of his personal fortune right here and now that this little failed witch was the only woman for him.
He let her lead him through the parking lot, following the subtle tugs on his arm as she headed for her car. If he guessed right, hers was the cream colored Jag in the corner of the dimly lit lot. How appropriate.
“Where do you live?” he asked, trying to keep her busy so she couldn’t possibly rethink inviting him into her home.
He wasn’t a bloodletter who needed an invitation to cross someone’s threshold, but he did have manners. If she said no at any point along the way, he’d have to respect her wishes, though he’d do his best to seduce her into changing her mind.
“Do you know the Ravenwood development?” She fished her keys out of her purse as they neared the expensive car. He’d been right. She drove a car named for a big cat species. What were the odds?
He started to laugh when she named the decade old upscale housing development. She looked at him oddly as he allowed her to escape from his loose embrace near the driver’s side door of the low-slung luxury car.
“Know it? I built it. Ravenwood was my first job in this area when I joined the Clan’s construction firm.”
“Redstone Construction.” Her voice held a note of discovery. “Of course your name sounded familiar.” She smiled in a way that eased his mind. Redstone was better than most firms, but there was the occasional homeowner that blamed every little problem on the guys who built the house. “I had no idea there were shapeshifters involved.”
“We’re more than involved. Almost everyone in the company is a shifter of one kind or another. My cousin, Grif, heads the firm and the Clan. He’s the Clan Alpha. I’m the local Alpha. There aren’t a lot of cougars here, but the few who call this little burg home answer to me.”
He felt some pride in that title and he was concerned it might sound like conceit. He wondered if she realized that not every man was cut out to be Alpha. Of course, he’d had to overcome more than most.
“You’re an Alpha?” She sounded suitably impressed, which stroked his ego, even if she wasn’t fully aware what the title entailed. Yet. She would be. That, he vowed.
“I don’t normally talk about these kinds of things with non-shifters, but I feel…” He paused as they stood by the driver’s side door, facing each other in the dim light of the parking lot.
“What do you feel, Keith?” Her voice was a throaty whisper that set his every last nerve ending on perilously sensual edge. If she kept that up, he wouldn’t be responsible for the show they’d put on in this very public place.
“I feel something between us, Valerie.” Dare he speak the unvarnished truth? He never had before with a woman. He’d always played the courtship game. But Valerie was different. So different. He had to start as he meant to go on with her. She was already too important to him—possibly to his future. “I think we could be on the brink of something momentous here.”
“You feel it too?” Her shocked whisper went right to his heart. And other places.
“Take me home, Valerie. Let’s see where this leads.” He wanted to say more, to coax her if necessary, but it wasn’t necessary.
She grabbed him by the collar and drew him down for a lingering kiss. She’d surprised him with the bold move but he was with her. He drew her close into his arms and locked lips in a way that sent them both skyrocketing toward the stars.
Headlights bouncing off the walls around them intruded on the moment. Keith drew back, far enough gone to want to pursue this boldness of hers as far as it would lead, but level headed enough to know that he didn’t want their first time to be in the corner of a dingy parking lot.
No. He wanted their first time to be special. He wanted to invade her lair and conquer her in her own bed, staking his claim. He wanted to let her know in the most primitive way possible that she would belong to him after this night. Forevermore.
There was that word again. Forever. She had to be the one. The purr pulsing through his human chest was back and it felt good. So damn good.
“Let’s go to your place.” He drew away reluctantly and she swayed satisfyingly on her feet.
“I thought you’d never ask.” Her giggle was girlish and enchanting. On her, every little feminine gesture was entrancing. She was like catnip to a housecat. A drug he never wanted to run out of.
Chapter Four
The drive to her place took less time than he would have imagined. Seems little Miss Prim had a lead foot and Indy 500 skills when she wanted to get somewhere. She waved her little fingers at the traffic lights and they all turned green. Now that was a neat trick.
Much to his satisfaction, the engine of the Jag purred like the beast it was proving to be under the hood. He really liked her choice of wheels. Almost as much as he liked the way she handled the expensive vehicle with cool competence and sexy confidence.
She pulled into the development he’d once known so well. It had changed significantly since he’d signed off on the last of the homes over a decade ago.