Celia understood so much more about this woman and could see everything clearly. Mandy wanted redemption, but went about it the wrong way. But it was Owain who had given her the clue to closing this crazy show down. Sensing the power of the circle, she looked over to Deidra, who in turned released and broke it. Celia ran over to her mate, dive bombing into him.
“Oh my God! I didn’t know what to do. You saved me!” she said, between smothering him with kisses and hugs.
He laughed, allowing her to get her fill of him before he dare speak a word.
Celia only had eyes for her mate but could hear Deidra and her crew wrangling Jimmy.
When Owain was free of the cuffs and Jimmy secured in the back of one of the SUVs with a tidy spell, Deidra asked, “Celia, how did you manage to pull off that little diddy with Mandy?”
“Oh I didn’t. She did it. You told me not to kill her, but Owain showed me how to trap her.”
“Huh? I was right here. Owain stopped talking when we showed up,” Deidra said, allowing a little confusion to season her tone.
“I did stop talking outwardly. Then I started talking to my mate. I figured Mandy wouldn’t know that once a wolf mates, the pair share a telepathic bond. I knew Celia would be able to hear me, because she was my true mate.”
“Oh yeah, now I remember that about you shifters,” Deidra said nodding. “But that still doesn’t explain how that thing killed her.”
Celia spoke up. “Owain showed me that Mandy was trying to steal my claim on him as my mate. When I didn’t die—thank you for that everyone—I felt your collective power funneling to me, her claim became confused and formless. Spells need structure, form and purpose. Hers had none of them.”
“I see your grandmother’s training is coming back to you.”
“Yep, but what was blaring was that she didn’t know this. The very way she went about setting up her spell was sloppy and had too many ways for it to go wrong. I mean come on, using blood, twine, and a vow was overkill and asking for trouble. I decided to go with the low hanging fruit—the vow. Once it became a blob with no purpose, I just repurposed it and sent it back to her. Since my power was stronger than hers, I knew the command she gave it to act against me would backfire. Any woman should know to never come between true mates. It’s bad form and could end up getting you killed.”
“Amen sister,” Deidra said, high fiving her. “How about we get you and your fine ass mate back home.”
“Hey, that’s the last time I warn you about ogling my mate. Next time I start cutting.” Celia had to laugh at her own fake threat. She’d come to realize Deidra and her coven had always had her back and never meant her any harm. What these women did to save her and Owain today would be something she’d never forget. “But seriously, Deidra,” she paused to look around at all of the coven as she said, “And all of you. I owe you a life debt. I know what all of you did to save Owain’s and my life here today. From today on, I call you sisters.” Then she thought about it and didn’t want emotions to wrap her up in any promises she didn’t want to deliver on. So she amended it by saying, “And as all good sisters know, there are some rules and boundaries. Listen up! No, you cannot come crash with Owain and me. No, you cannot borrow Owain to make your man or mate jealous—she got a few curses for that one. No, you will not drop by anytime you feel like it without calling first. But yes, you will help me find a way to file a claim or make a claim against that bitch’s estate to replace Owain’s truck.”
“Wait—the truck—is it totaled?” Owain asked, not understanding that last part.
Celia looked at him with a smile so big her cheeks hurt and said, “Baby, I’ll explain it in detail later. Just know that your truck is sharing a piece of car heaven with Holly now.”
“Oh,” was all he could manage.
Celia looked around at everyone and with a nod from Deidra said, “Let’s roll bitches! I got a mate to get home and take care of. Peace!” With that, she threw up a peace sign and headed out, with the entire coven following behind her and Owain.
Driving down the road back to Blue Creek, she and Owain watched as a procession of cops raced back to the storage facility.
After being interrogated and realizing there was never an on-site accident. Jimmy confessed that he’d falling for Mandy. She’d promised to make him powerful and marry him. Once she taught him that little destruction spell, he’d used it to destroy Holly and the seat belt in Owain’s truck. This was enough for Celia to demand he be left at the storage facility to fend for himself.
Knowing that the coven had erased all evidence from the site and knowledge of them from Jimmy’s memory, they left him sitting next to the very dead Mandy.
***
At home that night, sharing a bath, Owain said, “Have I told you how proud I am of you?”
“Ah yeah, like a hundred times so far.”
“Not funny,” he said, frowning at how she kept using Jimmy’s phrase. “I almost lost you today and I don’t know what I would have done if that had happened.”
“Hey buddy, that went both ways. You don’t know how volatile those spells were Mandy was using. You could have died as collateral damage. I wasn’t kidding when I told Deidra and her coven how grateful I was to them.”
“See, I told you I was so very proud of you. You all worked it out like I knew you would.”
“Oh that. That was all a big ruse to get me to unlock my powers, but that’s a story for another day. The only energy I have left is enough to make love to my mate.” She raised up out of the cooling water and said, “Take me to bed wolf.”
Celia wasn’t ready for the howl he gave as he picked her up and ran to their bed. Climbing in with both of them still dripping wet, he said, “I’m so glad you suggested that. I didn’t want to be that kind of mate, but I’ve been wanting to get you into bed all night. I even took a soak bath to prove my love.”
“I know honey.” Celia tapped her temple and said, mate hearing. You’ll need to work on what you do and don’t allow me to hear.” He laughed and dove for her, going for her hair. “Uh-uh buddy. That’s another thing—your hair playing privileges are suspended until further notice. That’ll teach you for purposely tangling my hair up.”
“You heard that too?”
“Yep. Now hush up and make love to me.”
He looked down at her and cocked his head to the side.
She laughed in spite of herself and said, “Fine! Make love to me—please and thank you!”
Epilogue
Light from the full moon streamed through the bedroom, kissing their entangled limbs. A bite here, nip there. Owain enjoyed how much his mate played with him during their joining. Since coming into her power, Celia was… well more. More everything—loving, energetic, assertive, funny—and he absolutely loved it.
She rolled him over to his back, straddling him. He could see the gleam of love and passion in her eyes as she took him inside her with abandon. He marveled at how free she was. If he didn’t know better, he’d say his mate was she-wolf in how she engaged him now.
More and more, she pulled him into her entire being, giving as much as she took. There was no better sight than to watch her and be with her, as they made love. In their union, Owain’s senses heightened. The after affects were pretty damn awesome too. He was growing stronger and even wiser. His ability to see more options and strategies, access people’s true meanings and detect coming events had become keener—more precise.
He made no mistake about it though. This was part of his connection with his mate. This was her gift, shared to a certain extent with him. They’d talked extensively about all the new enhancements she encountered. Not only had Deidra become one of her closest friends, she also pushed Celia in brilliant ways to learn her craft and walk in her calling and heritage.
It was Deidra who learned more about Mandy’s past. It seems she was from a cursed line of witches from Georgia. As best she could tell, Mandy was a made up persona. Deidra believed the woman was actually
a very old witch originally named Lydia. Lydia had been searching for a wolf to break a curse her grandmother had cast over her two hundred years earlier.
Thoughts of Mandy aka Lydia, still gave Owain shivers. To think he’d come that close to that Crone—Deidra’s classification of her not his—made him want to hurl.
Celia’s family was more than an added bonus as well. And her mom—that woman could cook! He never knew when an overnight package was going to show up the next morning with freshly prepared meals. Momma, as she’d asked him to call her, said she didn’t want her daughter’s training with Deidra to be distracted with having to cook, but he knew it was simply her way. She’d had her only child with her for almost thirty years and old habits were hard to break. He was thankful that he got to be a recipient of her need to continuing “loving on my baby”.
“I’m coming!” Celia half-way growled as she continued to ride him.
Bracing for his own impending climax, he grabbed her waist as if attempting to lock them together. Then it was there. The collision of their bodies in ecstasy produced enough power to light a city, he was certain of it. He couldn’t stop thanking God for his mate. She never seemed to stop amazing and surely impressing him. She was truly his love and light.
Searing stings of pleasure raked over his shoulders to penetrate the spots just below his collar bones as they climaxed. Held frozen by the power they seemed to produce in lovemaking, he opened his eyes to watch his beautiful mate come down from that ledge of passion they both always seem to mount.
Tingles of a new magic pulsed and penetrated him as he stared up and into the glowing brown eyes of his mate. She glowed with power. Celia was Celia but now more… wolf-like. Owain reached a hand up to run the tip of his finger along the elongation of her nose. It was more like a snout. He noticed the immediate pain that had localized in those areas just below his collarbones intensified with the movement.
A quick glance to the pain points revealed Celia’s long claws embedded deep into his flesh.
Oh my God! She’d changed enough to mark him like a she-wolf would. She had claws and… He looked back to see her swaying over him.
“Smile for me baby,” he cooed, loving this beautiful transformation.
She obliged, never losing time with her sway or even opening her eyes. Sure enough, his love, his mate had—yes—fangs!
She was still caught up in the afterglow of arousal. He knew she hadn’t yet realized it, but he wanted to share this with her so much, it hurt. Or, was that the four inch claws currently sunken into his chest.
“Yep, those are going to be some pronounced mate marks there,” he said wincing a little at the pain and still loving them. He knew as soon as she retracted, the healing process would begin, but the marks would stay. They always did when made during a mating, in the throes of ecstasy. Celia was marking him. And he was damn proud of them. Hell, if he could, he’d go shirtless for at least a month until everyone had gotten a chance to see what his mate, his woman had done.
A month… hmm. It had been a month since they’d become mates and this was the first full moon since. Even though he didn’t need the moon to shift, he remembered that Celia and her clan were daughters of the… Moon! Yes, it made so much sense.
“Honey, I think… I think I need to go outside—now.” she said, voice tinged with a dreaminess to it.
Owain brought his focus back to her. She was coming out of whatever trance she’d been in. Yes, it might have been a trance more than the afterglow alone.
“Sure baby. I’m here. Just need you to do one little thing for me.” He kept his voice low and calm. He didn’t want to startle her.
“Hmm—what’s that?”
“I sort of need you to release me. I’m pinned to the bed… by your claws.”
He waited for his words to sink in.
“Oh yeah, sure babe,” she said, still unfazed.
He was stupefied.
She retracted her claws as if this was a normal occurrence, and got off the bed. When she stood, she reached out a hand to him and said, “Come to me, my love.” Her voice was huskier than he’d ever heard it and her face still held its partial change. Beautiful.
He obeyed.
Once outside in their private and hidden back yard, she took a seat on the plush grass. Owain gave her space as he watched. She looked up at the moon, gazing at it for the longest time. Then to the resounding joy of his heart, she bayed at the moon.
Magic engulfed her, casting off shimmering sparks of copper, bronze, gold and light. He jumped back in surprise, never taking his eyes off the magnificent display of pure magic. Through the display he could see his Celia still seated and serene.
Then it happened. Her body started the march down his people’s ancient path. She shifted!
“Hell yeah!” he yelled and pumped his fist. She’d done it!
Standing regal and beautiful, his Celia stood on all fours, adorned in the richest coat of sable fur he’d ever seen. She took steps toward him, moving with the grace of a magical being. He knew he’d just witnessed a miracle.
That’s when his wolf lost it. The closer she came, the harder it became for him to control his inner beast. It was like he was a pup again, trying to learn to make peace with this side of himself. This night he knew he’d lose.
Giving into it, he shifted to his wolf. Once in form, his mate connected with him on another level—her beast to his—as they took off for the run of their lives. His wolf was happy. When they were spent, deep in the woods of his domain, his mate presented herself to him. Under the fullness of the moon, his wolf took her as they joined as wolves, enthralled in the ancient dance of mated love.
Sated and certain he must be supremely blessed, he led her back to their home. He had so much to show and teach her wolf. But that would be for another time. For now, he enjoyed taking her through the dog door of the house as a wolf for the first time. It might seem silly, but it held symbolic meaning for him. They shared their lives together on all levels and forms. And… she’d come into their home as his mate in all forms.
Once inside, she transformed as easily as if she’d done it a thousand times.
“You, you utterly amaze me,” he said, loving her so much his heart hurt.
“You amaze me too.”
“How? How did you shift?” he asked, no longer able to hide his need to know.
“Because your wolf loves me, I prayed that I could be with him as much as I am with you. I love all of you—every part. Plus, you gave me the ability with your mate bite and mark.” She smiled and stepped into his arms, planting the sweetest kiss on his lips. Then with a sly smile and a wink, she said, “How about those new mate marks, eh?”
He looked down to where her eyes were fastened to see permanent claw marks on either side of his chest. They were magnificent and brilliantly placed.
“They defy words of compliment. You, my love…” he said, kissing her, “Are astoundingly awesome and badass.”
She kissed him back and growled.
He and his wolf loved her. MINE.
THE END
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