Supporting most of his weight with his one hand, Xander lifted up off her. His eyes raked down her body, groaning as his other hand found the seam of her panties. He slid them slowly down her legs, and flung them off the side of the bed. She followed their flight path across the room to somewhere in the middle of the kitchen, briefly amused until she returned her attention to the intensity on Xander’s face. His palm gripped her hips, and when he joined his mouth to hers again, she was consumed with need again.
Kiera whimpered as his fingers inched up the side of her body. His thumbs moved in leisurely, deliberate circles as he gently wandered across her stomach and up along her midline. He lingered at her cleavage, teasing the tops of her breasts with his touch until her hips moved all on their own, ready for more. His lips stretched into a smile, and she tilted her head up to keep the firm, tight contact. He took the hint and claimed her mouth, but only for a moment.
Xander tasted the skin along her jawline, moving his attention to her ear, nipping her lobe between his teeth. Tingles enveloped Kiera’s body. She moved her hips for more contact with his hardness, showing him with her body what she wanted. He made his way down from her ear to neck, biting, licking and sucking her skin. Every touch of his lips, tongue and teeth sent a thrill shooting straight to her core. Urgent need and delicious pleasure all balled up into one. Soon, he was at the tops of her breasts. He traced a finger down one shoulder while his tongue teased each nipple, one by one. She was aching, going mad, ready to beg him to take her. Xander blew hot breaths on one hardened peak, then the other, and she was sure a plea would escape her lips. He moved a hand over the other breast, palming it as he gently rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
Kiera was out of her mind. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and Xander shot her a look from his spot, seeming to smile with playful satisfaction at the effect he had on her.
He was enjoying this torture he inflicted.
But then again, she was loving it too.
Whimpering, she arched up to him, rubbing her center along his shaft, taking some of what she needed as he delivered what was sure to be the best night of her life. He lowered his mouth to her other nipple, pulling it between his teeth. Kiera groaned with pleasure. If he kept this up, she would hit her peak long before he got inside of her. Already, her hips were fatigued, muscles threatening to seize.
She could barely move, and when she slumped into the bed from the first wave of exhaustion, Xander lifted some of his weight off her, spreading her legs to wedge his body in tighter without breaking contact from her breast. He drew her nipple into his mouth with long, enthusiastic tugs, lighting her on fire. God, she wanted more. Right this instant. Gripping his big broad shoulders, she stiffened her body against his.
Xander let out a deep, low, rumble of a chuckle from the back of his throat. He lifted his head from her breasts, staring up into her eyes. “We have all night, sexy. I won’t rush, because you deserve the best. I will make your first time memorable, and then I’ll do it all over again.” He kissed her collarbone. “And again.”
His dark eyes seemed to pierce into her mind, sharing one focused assertion.
He knew exactly what she needed.
Claiming her mouth again, his hips began to grind against her. They both moaned when her fingers dug into his shoulders. Waves of pleasure overtook her core with every movement of his hips. She could not imagine how much better it would be when he finally took her completely. She did not want to wait, but God, she was sure Xander knew what he was doing.
As though reading her mind, Xander’s hand skimmed down her side, coming to rest under one hip and gripping her ass cheek. The throb in her core mounted. He slid his hand between her legs from behind, gripping her thighs as he continued to grind on her center. Taking a path down her midline, he kissed the top of her cleavage, between her breasts, down her stomach. He paused for a short time at her mound, then lower still to her hood, and his tongue found her tender, aching bud. She was panting, so close that as soon as his mouth clamped around her bud, she was swept away by a powerful wave of bliss that had her legs shaking and her insides tightening as she came.
Xander tore his mouth from her skin, and his hips moved in between her legs again. He positioned himself at her opening, but before he entered her, he rolled them both to one side until he had her on top with her legs straddling his hips. He grabbed her ass and lifted her up slightly to position himself, then he stopped. Running his hands through her hair, he lowered her head down to his forehead. “Take as much of me as you need,” he whispered in her ear.
He looked up at her face, nodding, handing control over to her, probably to be sure she was ready to take the next step.
Oh yes.
She was ready, all right.
Holding on to his thick, strong, biceps, Kiera rolled her hips, slowly lowering down his length, a fragment of an inch at a time. He took one nipple into his mouth, then the next, setting off another flood of pleasure through her body. She was out of control again, grinding against his groin until he was completely inside her.
The sensation of his length was incredible, filling her up, fitting so snugly that she could burst. He did not move his hips one inch, but his fingers dug into her hips, waiting for her to move when she was ready. Xander kissed along her neck, and she couldn’t resist moving up and down, building up to a pace that drove her mad yet filled her with pleasure she never knew was possible. With every stroke, her insides felt like fire, and her tender bud was teased over and over again by the coarse hair at his base and lower stomach. She sped up, moving frantically until the tip of his staff made contact with a spot somewhere deep inside her, causing her inner walls to tighten and pulse around him. Throwing her head back, she shut her eyes tight as another, more intense wave of decadent pleasure hit her hard.
Xander took her mouth, parting her lips for a deep kiss as she flew over the edge. She could hardly think now, but intuitively knew he had been holding back. He did not want to hurt her as it was her first time, and even now as she pulled from his kiss and collapsed on his chest from sheer exhaustion, he caressed her back and ran his hand through her hair.
After a few minutes, her contented body was still buzzing. She pulled apart from him and relaxed beside him. He pulled the bedsheets up their bodies and held her close, until she drifted off.
12
Xander
Xander was not supposed to fall for her, but that ship had just sailed. He had intended to seduce her. Right now, that was the last thing on his mind. No human or witch had seen him turn before, so in that respect, she was his first. And she found him perfect. The awe and wonder that shone in Kiera’s eyes when he stood before her as a polar bear blew him away. After he had returned to his human form, he had to fight every instinct not to claim her as his true mate. Now, she was sleeping beside him, snuggled up against his chest after she had given him her innocence, and he could think of nothing else.
It would not be enough to use her anymore.
He had to have her, to own her.
She was the one.
She made a cute little sound in the back of her throat as she slept. Smiling, he ran his hand through her hair.
“Mmmm,” she moaned. Her eyes took a while to open, and slowly tilted her head up to look at his face. “Is it morning yet?” she asked.
“Not quite. How are you feeling?”
“Sleepy.”
“Then rest.”
She kissed the side of his chest. “I will rest when I get home.” She stretched a leg over his knee, suggestively.
“And what do you want to do now?”
“Just what you said you would do to me all night…and again…and again,” she purred.
He took her in his arms, crushing her little body against his. She was so small, so fragile, so warm and soft and yielding. She lifted her head until they were face to face, slowly letting go. He pressed his lips to hers, and she moved beneath him, sighing as he plundered her mouth with
his tongue.
The need within beat at his chest, demanding to be let out, demanding to claim Kiera. Xander wrestled his urges into submission. He gritted his teeth and weathered another surge. Every muscle in his body rebelled at the idea of releasing all self-restraint with her. She was still too fragile. He did not want to hurt her, not when he was her first. Convincing himself there was much more time for that, he breathed in deeply, savoring her sweet scent.
Kiera threw her head back, and he tasted the skin, nipping along her long, slender throat. Every sound she made chipped away at his control, and every time her fingers clawed at his bare back, he was one step closer to lose the battle entirely. Pressing one arm around her back, he explored her with his mouth, aware of her pulse at her neck. Her excitement had him thick and throbbing in no time. He eased his hands down her sides, exploring her curves and smooth skin. She swayed her hips, hissing and whimpering that left him wanting more.
Xander ran his hand up the inside of her leg to where her thighs met, relishing her wet heat. Her soft whisper of his name was what did him in. With that sound still echoing in his ear, he rolled her onto her back and lowered himself on top of her. He cupped her slick heat, exploring her folds. Keira came alive beneath him, eyes wild and distant as she writhed against his finger. He could not wait any longer. Raising his fingers to his mouth, he tasted her sweetness. She smiled, reaching a hand up to kiss his lips. God, she was so free-spirited, it drove him wild.
He positioned himself between her legs, then nudged against her center, letting her movements guide him inside of her at her pace. She dug her sharp fingernails into the muscles of his shoulders until he was as deep inside of her as her tightness would allow, then she gave him an attentive nod. Xander pulled out slightly, and entered her again. Out, then in. A little at a time. She moved with him, whimpering in his ear, absently saying how good it felt. He rolled his hips, and she cried out against his shoulder and clung to him, stiffening all over before shuddering in climax.
Being inside of her was too sweet to hold back. He picked up the pace, slowly at first, and when she lifted her legs around his waist, he gave himself over to the need to let go of everything he had been holding back. Pressure built up at the base of his shaft. He was close. So close. He shut his eyes tight, wincing from the mix of need and pleasure. Kiera matched his strokes with undulations of her hips, and he only allowed himself to reach his final moment of release after she came again.
He took a while to catch his breath and come back to his senses, and when he opened his eyes, he had to blink a few times to believe what he saw. Christ, did Kiera even realize she had somehow managed to levitate them three feet above the bed?
“Kiera?” he called to her.
“Yes?” she answered, groaning tiredly.
“Uh, is it you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“Look around…slowly,” he told her, careful not to make any sudden moves.
“What?” She opened her eyes slowly, then flailed her arms in a panic. “How did I—”
Before she could finish her sentence, whatever magic it was coming from her mind, it came to a sudden stop, crashing them down to the mattress.
“Wow,” he muttered, moving to her side. “That was a sudden drop.”
“Yes,” Kiera answered, looking around, intrigued by what she had done.
“Has this happened before?”
“Uh...not that I have ever noticed.”
“Everything else okay?”
“I am not sure…”
“I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
She relaxed in his arms again. “No. You were amazing.”
He smiled to himself, staring contentedly at the ceiling as he stroked her long tresses. Here breathing changed and when he was sure she was asleep, he closed his eyes to get himself some rest.
In the morning, Xander was still sleeping lightly when the bed shook. He opened his eyes to find Kiera sitting upright. In a split second, she sprang out of the bed, shaking like a leaf.
“Kiera. What’s wrong?”
“He knows,” she squeaked in a high-pitched voice.
“What? Who?”
“The Regent. He must know. I just sensed his thoughts.”
“What? That is not possible here.”
She scrambled around for her clothes, getting dressed quickly. “Um, I believe it is now.”
“Can he read yours?”
“I’m not sure.” She stopped dressing for a moment. “No! Oh my God. I can also tell Coco’s exact location in the Sector, but she is not reading my thoughts. Something is different. The enchantment around your camp walls…it has changed…or maybe I have. Goodness, no. That can’t be right.”
He got out of bed and gathered his clothes, putting on a piece at a time as he picked them up off the floor. “But how? Did Minassus do this?”
“I don’t…no, he did not. It may have been my magic. I am sorry. I do not know how it happened.” Eyes wide with terror, she sat at the kitchen table to put her shoes on. “Look, I need to get back to the fortress… right now.”
After returning Kiera to the Great Hall, Xander hurried back to camp. Alarm bells rang in his head. What the hell had happened last night and this morning? What did it mean? It was bad enough that he was conflicted, but on top of that, her abilities seemed to be changing. On the one hand, he wanted to continue getting to know her. The challenge was the fact that he was still responsible for a camp full of shifters, and over a hundred more men would be turned if he did not stick to his plan and focus. If she was responsible for changing the spell around the camp, could he even trust her?
He got back to his cabin, and Liam came running over.
“So?” his friend asked.
“You tell me.”
“What? The part about plans being on track, or about hearing her scream so loud from outside your cabin that I almost broke your door down to save her from you oversized dick?”
“Fuck off,” Xander told him, a tight smile on his face. “All should be well with our plans.”
“Should? That does not sound convincing.”
“Relax. I’m doing this for all of us.”
“Such a tedious sacrifice.” Liam placed a firm hand on his alpha’s shoulder. “Just don’t get too attached to the witch.”
Xander shook off Liam’s hand. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Says the dreamy-eyed man who looks like he’s fixing to claim a sorceress as his mate.”
“Did I ask for your opinion?”
“Not yet, but don’t come crying to me when the shit hits the fan. I’ll send you to the corner of shut the fuck up and I told you so.”
Xander laughed. “Get your ass to your station, you obnoxious, meddling bastard,” he told his friend, and headed off to get a message to his contact in the Nauru coven.
It was time to get answers about Kiera.
13
Kiera
All day long, Kiera made an effort to keep her mind clear and closed. Something had caused her to breach the Regent’s thoughts, and she had no idea whether the connection was two-directional. Thankfully, the Regent did not come looking for her the second she arrived. Perhaps he didn’t know?
Coco was no help at all. She made it clear she was ready to tell Kiera much. As soon as she and Aleena got back to her room, her familiar flew off out the window that very second, leaving Kiera with no one to ask. No one with experience that she could trust, anyway. Believing Reena might know, she went searching for her. The woman was not in her laboratory or the greenhouse, and her assistant was not sure of her whereabouts either.
God, was everyone at the fortress avoiding today?
From one moment to the next, she was either soaring on a cloud from her time with Xander, or frantic with worry about these overnight changes. How on earth did she manage to levitate both herself and Xander without even meaning to? How could she read the Regent’s mind with no effort, and from inside the shifter camp? Did any of these ea
rly morning events have anything to do with losing her innocence?
Because the questions would not stop, she spent the day in the library, nervously consulting numerous spell books and ancient grimoires for answers. She found nothing. If she could not figure out what was happening to her and why, it was only a matter of time before Regent Minassus would start asking questions.
If he knew anything about it at all.
At dinner in the main dining hall that night, her fear came to fruition.
She did her best not to attract any attention from the Regent, who sat in his usual spot at the head of the long table built for over twenty diners. The conversation around her was mostly gossip and polite banter. For a while it seemed like any other dinner, and fortunately, no one asked her to explain her absence over the past few days.
Everything changed when two young witches began to speak about preparations for the first winter storm. Kiera shivered slightly, hoping no one would address her. A part of her wanted to publicly ask the Regent whether each prior Chosen was dead, and why the new Chosen witches were never told. Whenever she focused on him, she got a flash of his thoughts. At the moment, they revolved around how busy he had been this past week, but every few minutes, the Regent’s mind would wander.
This glazed chicken is not as tasty as the last time it was served.
At least the bread is fresh.
Maybe I should bring in a few cooks from my village.
I wonder if that old hag next door to my mother’s house is still alive.
Ahhh. Yes. She is, and it appears her spicy rosemary glaze is still the talk of the town.
What are these young ladies yammering about tonight? I should be more strict with them at the dinner table. Or have dinner alone in my study. Too bad I need to show my face a minimum of one meal a day.
Mystic Storm: An Adult Paranormal Witch Romance: Othala Witch Collection (Sector 2) Page 10