by Chloe Adler
When he guided his cock into me, it was slow and deliberate, first circling the entrance while tugging at my own cock. His dick was large and I wasn’t sure I could take it all but I so very much wanted to try. I pushed back into him, encouraging him. The first push of his head breaching my passage was incredible, sending pulses of electrical pleasure down to the tip of my cock.
“Fuck me,” I moaned and he complied, pushing slowly, all the way in.
We swayed together, keeping the harmony as he tethered me in place with his motions. I wasn’t normally able to get hard twice in such quick succession, let alone have two orgasms, but with Alec the rules didn’t apply. Here I was, a bottom, about to come again.
Alec kept one hand on my shaft while his other hand skimmed over my body, up my abs, down my arms. The contrast between the way he was touching me, so reverently, and the way he was owning me, pounding my ass from behind, heightened my senses. The orgasm built as I bucked harder, forcing him to bury himself inside. When I was close, I leaned my head back and twisted it to the side. His lips locked with mine as he held my body weight with his arm around my chest. We exploded together. Me spraying my sheets and Alec filling my cavity. The orgasm was white-hot, completely blinding my vision as electric sparks played over my nerve endings. We both fell forward in a heap, his body covering mine. And there we lay for a long while, gulping for air and giggling like teenage boys who’d just scored with their first crush.
Chapter Twenty-One
Rex’s barking woke us up a little later, and we quickly dressed in robes and padded out to the living room. The dog was standing at the front door, growling and barking without stopping. The other three roomies gathered with us, and we looked at one another questioningly.
“What’s going on?” Chrys asked and we all shrugged without answering.
Burgundy bared her fangs, motioning for Carter to back her up and then she opened the door, ready to strike.
On the doormat was a brick spray-painted with the word faggot and a note tied around it in red yarn. Burgundy looked around the yard, holding onto a straining Rex by his collar. She jutted her chin toward Carter, who leaned outside to pick up the brick, note and all. Back inside, we locked the door and soon after, Rex stopped barking.
“They’re gone,” said Burgundy, letting go of the dog’s collar. “Who wants to do the honors?” She looked at each of us in turn but Carter had already removed the note and was reading it.
“Aloud, please,” I said.
“You sure?” Burg asked and I nodded.
“There’s nothing I want to hide from any of you.”
“Okay,” Carter cleared his throat, “ ‘That faggot Alec and his father who dances with Satan will never be safe here. They will never be safe anywhere. As soon as you step out of this house, boy, we will be watching and we will destroy you.’ ” He turned the paper with its typewritten message over; there was nothing on the back.
Prickles of heat rose to my face. Those assholes. Making my man feel unsafe in my house? Internally I vowed to do whatever it took to stop them. I slid my arm around his shoulders and pulled him in.
“You’re safe here with us,” I motioned to the dog, “and with Rex.”
“We won’t let those lunatics hurt you,” agreed Carter and Burgundy nodded.
“You could go outside with the dog or one of the vampires as protection,” Chrys suggested but Burgundy shook her head.
“They’re armed with guns. They could easily kill Rex or Alec. Best to stay inside until we can figure out an alternative.”
“I’m not going to spend my life locked in your house,” Alec said. “I get a say in this. I’ve been running from them for years because my father did the right thing for the wrong reason.”
“You knew?” I asked him.
“Knew what?” Burgundy said.
“I suspected, but now I know,” Alec replied. “How’d you find out?”
“I spied on him and your mother. I was looking for a way to save you.”
“So you heard my dad tell my mom that he only helped that girl to piss them off?”
“No, he said he did it because he wanted to do whatever he could to leave one less Tracker in the world.”
“I’m sure that’s what he tells himself.” Alec rubbed his face. I put my arm around his shoulders and he let it rest there.
Was now the time to tell him that his mom had a secret? But I didn’t know what it was, and wasn’t it her place to tell him, not mine?
“What are you guys talking about?” asked Carter.
“It’s for Alec to say, not me.”
He stiffened.
Burgundy, missing nothing said, “No pressure to share anything you’re not ready to.”
“Hey,” said Chrys. All eyes turned toward her. “I’ve got an idea.”
Several hours later the two witchy sisters sat around our kitchen table with the rest of us. Sadie was looking through the grimoire, shaking her head.
“What’s up, babe?” Ryder stood behind her, reading over her shoulder.
“In order for this to work, we’ll need Iphi too.”
“Shit,” I said. “How are we going to get her?”
“I know how.” Carter picked up his phone and walked into the other room, Chrys following him.
A few minutes later she returned. “Okay, there’s a plan; we need to go.”
“I’m not going anywhere without Alec.” I reached for his hand.
“He’ll be safe here with Rex,” said Burgundy.
“No way,” I said. “I’ll stay here with him and wait for you guys.”
“I don’t like that either,” said Sadie. “They trashed your house once, they’re completely unpredictable, and if they know you two are home alone, there’s no telling what they may do. Remember, there are Signum on their payroll.”
“Like I could forget,” I grumbled. “Fine then. Figure out a way for Alec to come with us.”
“I’ve got an idea,” said Alec and we all turned to look at him. “Be right back.” I got up to follow him but he shook his head at me and then left the kitchen.
We all waited, talking about what we were going to do, when a gorgeous, bright red, green and blue snake slithered into the kitchen.
Chrys shrieked and ran behind Carter.
The snake slithered toward me, coiling itself around my ankle. Going through life as a shifter, I’d learned not to react poorly when strange animals appeared where they weren’t expected. Besides, I’d know my . . . mate even if I were blindfolded in a Vicks VapoRub warehouse filled to the rafters with San Diego’s entire homeless population.
I bent down to offer him my arm. He slithered up.
“Geez,” exclaimed Chrys rolling her eyes. “Not fair.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you could shift into a snake, Alec? You’d be perfect for my act. You’re gorgeous,” Burgundy exclaimed.
He made his way up my arm, winding himself around my neck, where he paused to pose.
“Ohhh.” Sadie clapped. “He can hide in my purse.”
“He stays on me,” I snapped, instantly regretting my tone but dammit, he wasn’t an accessory. “Sorry, but I don’t want him getting hurt.” I lowered my voice, talking to Alec. “Can you crawl under my shirt?”
A delicate forked tongue touched my nose before he slipped beneath my collar.
Burgundy agreed to loan Ryder her car to drive Chrys and Sadie back to their house and set up for the spell. We didn’t want to waste any time and this was a complicated casting. Plus, showing up at Aurelia’s with too many of us in tow didn’t seem like a good idea.
“Jared, why don’t you and Alec go with Sadie,” said Burg. “You’ll be safer.”
“I appreciate your concern but this mess is all mine. You’re all doing me a favor, so I’m going with you.”
Burgundy acquiesced and we got into Carter’s car. Stopping at Langdon Dock, he returned with Julian and Alistair following several paces behind.
Carter slid i
n first, whispering. “Julian practically jumped in the ocean to come with us but it took him a little while to convince our grandfather.”
“Hey,” Julian’s bright voice tickled our ears. “Can I sit in the middle?”
“In the back, yes,” said Burgundy from the front seat.
The boy bounded in next to me. Alistair, the distinguished gentleman vampire, climbed slowly in next to him.
“Greetings,” he said, looking dapper in his pinstriped suit and clutching a bouquet of wildflowers in one hand.
The man thought of everything.
When we pulled up in front of Aurelia’s, Alistair was fixing his cravat. The girl’s mother was gorgeous, there was no doubt about that, and since her husband had disappeared more than a year ago, she was technically available. It didn’t take much to convince Alistair that the woman was lonely and never got out.
“It’s my civic duty to entertain lovely female Signum,” Alistair had said.
According to Carter the poor man hadn’t been on a date in more than a decade and it wasn’t because of his looks. Would he have said no to this engagement if Chrys hadn’t singlehandedly saved his grandson’s life?
We all waited out of sight around a hedge as he rang the doorbell, holding the flowers in trembling hands.
When the lady of the house opened the door, he bowed low and handed her the bouquet. One hand immediately flew to her well-endowed chest and she batted her long eyelashes at him. Alistair was extremely handsome and Aurelia hadn’t had male attention for a very long while. Probably because she was so prickly.
“What’s he saying?” Burgundy whispered.
“Would love to know,” I said, smiling over at her, “but they’re too far away.”
Carter shushed us, holding up his hand.
After another minute Alistair was escorted inside, and the front door closed behind them.
“Now what?” I asked Carter.
“Just wait,” he said. “Alistair is going to convince her to go to dinner with him.”
I scoffed. “Get that woman out of her house and into town? Doubtful.” But a few moments later the door opened again and the two of them headed over to Aurelia’s car. Alistair couldn’t drive. Still, he walked over and opened the door for her with a flourish, and a side of that woman I’d never seen before appeared. She acted almost kittenish, giggling and fanning herself as he closed the door after her.
“Gramps used to have all the ladies eating out of his hand,” Carter said. “Back in the day.”
Burgundy and I exchanged looks.
“And,” continued Carter, “if they were vampires, that would be literally.”
“I just hope she doesn’t find out he’s a vampire halfway through dinner and throw water in his face,” I said. We all knew how much she hated pretty much anyone who wasn’t a witch.
“I warned him, but he’s used to wooing racist Signum and humans. He may be rusty but he’s still an expert when it comes to females.”
“Yeah, with some of us that’s an innate sense,” Burgundy piped in and we shushed her, my head jutting to Julian. Luckily he was oblivious, staring longingly at the house, hoping for a peek of his beloved, no doubt.
As soon as the car drove away, we all made a beeline for the front door—and slammed right into an invisible force field. Of course, she had spelled us out.
“Julian, you try,” said Carter.
A force field spell had to be specific and we’d hoped that Aurelia hadn’t named Julian in particular. We were right. He strode up to the door and rang the bell. Nothing. He looked back at us and I motioned for him to go to Iphi’s bedroom window. It was the only side window with a light on.
At four and a half feet tall, he couldn’t reach her window. Nor could any of us could boost him up or get close enough to push a rock or carry a tree stump over. I pantomimed throwing rocks, and he did. Tentatively. A moment later, Iphi and her blond curls and rosy cheeks appeared, looking around. She couldn’t see below her so we all waved and Julian backed up, jumping. Iphi tried to open the window but, she pantomimed, it was locked.
“Looks like Julian will need to break it from the outside,” I told the gang and motioned for Iphi to step back.
Carter and Burg, our two He-Men, started gathering large rocks and piling them at the perimeter of the invisible wall for Julian. He had enough vampire strength, even for a kid, to hoist them up and throw.
Immediately the window shattered. Iphi placed her comforter over the jagged edges and climbed out. Julian helped her down and she fell on top of him, crushing the poor lovesick boy. She couldn’t properly leap to her feet with her cast and kept slipping and landing on top of him again, apologizing. The kid went bloodred, lifting her off him by the waist and propping her up against the side of the house.
“You’re gonna have to be her crutch, man,” I called out to him.
Julian offered Iphi his shoulder without making eye contact.
She threw her arm around him and he walked her back over to us. Iphi took in the posse, blinking. “This is quite the rescue party. I assume I’m needed but really, you could have called or texted first.”
“We did.” Burgundy held up her phone. “No response.”
Iphi looked down at hers, eyebrows drawn together. “Weird, nothing came in.” She flashed us the blank screen.
I shook my head. “Aurelia.”
“Well I hope you all have a plan because there’s no way she’ll let me back home after this stunt, at least not for a while,” said Iphi, hobbling toward the car with Julian’s help.
Sadie and Ryder’s house was decked out with multicolored fairy lights twinkling in invitation.
Sadie opened her front door before we knocked, tossing her fiery mane and bestowing all of us with that enigmatic smile.
“I’m glad to see the plan worked,” she said, stepping aside for us to enter. When it was Iphi’s turn, she threw her arms around her sister and held her tightly.
“I don’t want to go back,” Iphi whispered into her hair.
“I know, you’ll stay with us,” said Sadie.
Iphi pulled away and nodded tightly. A surge of empathy shot through me. I knew what it was like to leave all of your belongings behind, to lose your family and move somewhere that felt nothing like home.
“I have everything we need,” said Sadie, motioning toward the coffee table, which was cluttered with candles, jars of herbs and her athame. I helped Iphi hobble over to Chrys, who was organizing everything. Julian brought up the rear.
“Non-witches sit here.” Sadie pointed to one of her couches, which had been pushed up against the sliding glass door. The other couch had been pushed away from the table so they had room to stand or kneel around it, clasping hands to form the circle.
“Alec goes here.” Chrys patted the center of the coffee table.
I carefully unwrapped my man, who had been clinging to my neck, and placed him gently down. He helped, slithering off my hands with one look and one tongue flick directed my way. Then he curled into a compact coil and lay in wait.
“Alec,” Sadie said and nodded her head at him. “Welcome. I’m so sorry you’ve been through hell recently.”
Alec stuck his tongue out in acknowledgement.
Sadie turned to me. “Wow, he’s still gorgeous, even in snake form.” I rolled my eyes and nodded.
Us non-witches did as we had been told and retired to the couch for a front-row seat. Ryder dragged an ottoman over for Iphi to sit on with her leg jutting out, and then Sadie cast the circle while Chrys kneeled, waiting.
“We’re really going for invisibility?” Sadie asked me and I nodded.
“Unless there’s something better, like off the radar or having the Trackers forget he even exists,” I added.
Iphi giggled.
Sadie shook her head. “Not that I know of, but Ryder’s family is trying to figure something out to rid the town of them.”
“I hope they find something soon.” I checked my watch. “Alec c
an change back now.”
“Stay in your snake form a bit longer if you can,” Sadie said to him. “It’ll be easier for us.”
Tongue.
Sadie lit a charcoal disc in an ashtray. It sputtered and spit until the thing ignited all the way through. “First we add the herbs. I’ll call them out. Just a pinch of each. Then we repeat the incantation three times.”
Her sisters nodded and Chrys opened the jar lids.
“Lemon balm.” Sadie held her hands out in front of her, one on either side of Alec.
Chrys sprinkled a pinch of lemon balm on the charcoal. It ignited instantly and the room grew pungent with the smell.
“Heliotrope.”
Sprinkle. Pop. Aroma.
“Edelweiss.”
Then, “Wolf’s bane.”
Sadie finished calling out the herbs as a thick haze of smoke rose from the disc. Unlike real smoke, it didn’t choke us. But soon enough the room was filled in a dense fog and I could no longer see Alec, the girls or even the table. The couch watchers exchanged looks.
“In inuisibilitas pallium,” called out Sadie, the girls repeating it three times.
There was a loud crash, and almost instantly the smoke fog cleared. Sadie’s lovely coffee table had collapsed. Alec was nowhere to be seen and everyone looked unhurt, but dazed. The girls were on the floor and we rushed to help them up.
“Ouch!” yelped Alec, who was definitely invisible.
We scrambled around, trying not to step on him but we didn’t know where he was.
“Quit it, stand still,” he cried out and we all stopped moving. There were sounds of shuffling as he got out of the way. “Fine, I’m in a corner. Don’t come over here,” he said from the far wall by the front door.
We helped the girls up, with Julian seeing to Iphi. “Let’s get this cleaned up,” said Ryder. I expected Sadie to disagree and have other plans but she still looked pretty dazed.
“I can’t believe it worked,” she hissed. “If I’d known this spell earlier, it would have saved all of us a world of grief.” She exchanged looks with her sisters.