Beyond Bewitching

by Mellanie Szereto

  Each zig and zag made his stomach pitch, but they didn’t dare slow the pace. Someone—or something—was close on their trail, and he and John needed as many extra milliseconds as they could amass. They’d have to activate the alternate route to keep the chasers from slipping through the security charm surrounding the cavern with them.

  Waiting until ripples of magick sent an electric current through his skin, Tanner shouted the code word in his mind.

  Invaders!

  John’s mental yell blended with his own, and the echoes of the pursuers fell silent.

  Safe! Thank you, Goddess!

  Tanner braced for what was likely to be a rough landing. If they got lucky, they’d land on the bed or in the spring-fed pool in the living area. A soft mattress, or even cool water, beat the stone floor for comfort.

  He tensed as light flashed, and they dropped into the dimly lit cavern. A gentle bounce brought a sigh of relief. Glancing around, he got his bearings enough to focus on the high ceiling of the bedroom he and John had been preparing for their mate. They couldn’t have arrived at a more appropriate location in their home away from home.

  John’s whisper carried to his ears. “That was too damn close for comfort. At least Sarah slept through the trip.”

  Releasing his partner’s forearm, Tanner brushed several long strands of her thick black hair from her face. “She’s going to be pissed at us for screwing up her schedule.”

  “She already thinks we caused her collapse. I don’t care if she threatens to send us straight into Naga’s den. We protected her like we promised. For now, earning her trust is more important than making her happy.”

  “If we want to convince her we’re on her side, we’re going to have to tell her everything. The time has come.”

  A feminine groan sounded next to Tanner, and Sarah opened her eyes. “What ‘everything’ must you tell me?”

  Chapter 7

  Blinking to clear her vision, Sarah scanned her surroundings. Smooth stone formed the ceiling above her, and dim light cast shadows on the irregular walls. An earthy scent teased her nose, suggesting she was outside. Aromatic male pheromones mixed with the smell of nature in a subtle fragrance too inviting to ignore.

  She aimed her gaze to the left and then to the right. A handsome man lay on each side of her in the huge bed.

  John and Tanner.

  At least she remembered their names.

  But did I sleep with them? No, not sleep—well, maybe after sex. Did I have sex with them?

  Perhaps, that was the “everything” they referred to, but the part about convincing her they were on her side made no sense. Or had she misheard them?

  Trying to sit up, she struggled against the hard bodies on either side of her. Although heat seeped into her from Tanner and John, her legs didn’t come in direct contact with their skin.

  I’m still dressed. Why am I in bed with them?

  A hand steadied her as she straightened, and Tanner sat up next to her. “You should rest some more.”

  “I’m not tired.” She might be confused, but she wasn’t tired.

  John huffed out what sounded like an exasperated breath behind her. “You passed out, Sarah, and we barely got you out of Plainfield before somebody broke the door in on our motel room. That was a half hour ago at most. Please lie back down and rest.”

  She looked to Tanner in hopes of further explanation. Had Naga discovered her plan? “Who?”

  His taut frown and worried eyes spoke volumes.

  Lightly tugging her sleeve, John pulled her back into a reclining position. “Black Triad followers would be my guess, but we have more important things to talk about.”

  Tanner stretched out inches from her, propping his head on his hand. “You need know everything we saw in your markings.”

  The tattoo?

  She’d been certain they hadn’t revealed all they’d found in the intricate patterns. That she wasn’t truly one of the elders of the Triad should’ve been enough. The knowledge should’ve caused anxiety, but her heartbeat stayed calm and her nerves steady. “What else did you see?”

  The men flanking her stared down at her, and warmth spread from her breasts to the juncture of her thighs.

  No, not warmth. Heat. Desire. Lust.

  John stroked his fingertip along her jaw. “You are the prophesied woman. You hold the future of our clan in your hands.”

  His touch sent a rush of electrical pulses to her very core, making her eyes flutter closed to savor the sensations. Another caress traced the outer curve of her ear, and Tanner’s warm breath teased the sensitive skin on her neck. Wanton longing swam in her veins. She craved intimate contact with her rescuers, a connection beyond simply lying with them.

  Turning first toward the fingers at her chin, she grasped them and guided them to her mouth. She eased her tongue out to lick the pad of John’s finger, drawing his length between her teeth. The long, tapered appendage triggered a need for more. She’d never taken a man’s cock in her mouth before, not even during her abusive marriage.

  Soon.

  She sucked on the digit as she slowly withdrew it. Then she shifted to press a kiss to Tanner’s irresistible lips, testing their softness. He opened for her, and the invitation was too tempting to refuse. His tongue glided along hers almost if he was afraid to hurt her, but she let her desire have free rein, aggressively demanding an equal response.

  A low groan vibrated through her head as he met her thrusts, stoking the raging wildfire spreading along her nerve endings. A hand followed the contour of her hip. Another plucked the pins from her hair, fingers furrowing through the strands. The flames of sexual want threatened to swallow her, and she sank into the depths of the inferno. For the first time in her three-century life, she was experiencing true pleasure.

  Dragging her mouth away, she gasped for breath and blinked at the spots dancing in front of her eyes. “I need you. Both of you. Please love me.”

  John wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her ass against his erection. It fit perfectly in the seam. “Are you sure, Sarah?”

  She fumbled for the zipper at her neck but only met with frustration. Did she have to beg? Arching into him, she cried out at the sudden tremor in her pussy. “Yes! Please now!”

  Tanner brushed her hands aside as he nibbled her earlobe, fanning the flames higher. “We’re here to please you. Tell us what you want.”

  Her brain searched for the words to describe everything she desired. “Make me…feel. I need you to touch and taste and fuck me. I want to do the same to both of you.”

  A stinging bite on the tender skin behind her ear had her moaning, and Tanner soothed the pleasurable pain with a lick. “Do you want John to eat your pussy while I play with your tits? I almost came in my pants when you took off your blouse in the woods. Those tight nipples peeking through that white lace. So fucking sexy.”

  “Yes. Oh, yes.” Her breasts ached, and she longed to escape the confining clothes.

  John slipped the neckline of her dress off one shoulder, sliding the bra strap with it as he kissed a path along her exposed skin. “When I was on my knees behind you in the woods, I could smell your womanly scent. I can’t wait to taste you.”

  His lips followed the sleeve down her arm as Tanner guided the other sleeve past her elbow. The cool air did little to lessen her fever, especially with two amazing men undressing her. They worked the fabric over her hips and down her legs, baring her to their assessing gazes. One at a time, each man lifted her foot to remove a shoe.

  Tanner rubbed his palm up her calf, inciting a new round of flutters in her inner muscles. “I guess panty hose didn’t exist in 1957. Lucky us. How about we leave the stockings on?”

  A whimper was all she could manage. The sooner they got down to business, the sooner the strange cravings would cease.

  He grinned and crawled up the bed to lie at her breast. “I think that means yes.”

  His lips closed over one lace-covered nipple, and she pushed her
tits upward to encourage him to pay attention to both. He locked gazes with her as he plucked at the other hard tip, his eyes darkening to a deep brown.

  Something cold grazed her hipbone, distracting her from Tanner’s ministrations.

  A moment later, John held her ruined panties to his nose. Both sides of the fabric had been cut. “Mm. Do you taste as good as you smell?”

  Before she could form an answer, he shouldered her thighs apart and buried his face in her cunt. His kiss was gentle. Then he swept his tongue through her slit, and she bucked off the mattress, the pleasure so intense she never wanted it to end. Grasping her ass, he licked again.

  Tanner released her nipple and tugged the lace down. “Damn, you’re beautiful. Come for us, Sarah. Let us help you feel.”

  He flicked his tongue back and forth across the hard tip as John did the same to her clit. Every muscle coiled tighter and tighter until she was sure she’d implode, and something only a hairsbreadth from her reach beckoned her.

  The world burst apart.

  A scream erupted from her throat, the tension suddenly gone, leaving her weightless and floating. Wave after wave of bliss carried her farther from reality. Even the wall around her emotions crumbled, sending a stream of tears down her cheeks. The scream became a sob, three hundred years of seclusion and isolation vanishing in an instant.

  Pulling away from John and Tanner, she tucked her knees to her chest and curled into a ball to hide from them. Too much of her private self had been exposed. No matter the pleasure they’d given her, she couldn’t allow them to bridge the distance she put between herself and the human race.

  One of the men draped a cover over her, but they’d already seen far more than she should’ve shown them. What had happened to her usual ability to maintain an aloof demeanor? Why had she begged them to touch her?

  I don’t want to feel.

  A male body curved around her back, and fingers combed through her wild mane. The mattress shifted as her other protector settled on the opposite side. He cradled her hand in his and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

  Neither spoke, the silence more comforting than anything they might’ve said.

  * * * *

  Sarah’s breathing had slowed to a steady rhythm, but John couldn’t force himself out of bed. He’d hoped for the scream, but he hadn’t expected tears when her orgasm hit. Her reaction suggested he and Tanner had moved too quickly, even if she’d initiated their sexual encounter. Having traveled from a different year, month, and day to the present could’ve triggered her fertility cycle. She was the right age. Why hadn’t he bothered to research her birthday and its correspondence to the moon cycle?

  Because I didn’t consider that she could be our mate.

  How could he have known? A woman he’d believed to be an elder of the Black Triad wasn’t exactly what he’d had in mind when he and Tanner had learned they would share the witch who would bear their children.

  Glancing over Sarah’s shoulder, he was tempted to send his thoughts to his frowning partner. Tanner still held her hand, concern written all over his face. She’d gotten upset when they communicated without speaking, and he and Tanner had agreed not to use those means in front of her unless absolutely necessary.

  Besides, what could John say? They obviously both had regrets about succumbing to Sarah’s sexual demands. She hadn’t been ready, and causing her pain—physical or emotional—hadn’t been part of the plan.

  He smoothed her silky hair away from her cheek, content to simply comfort her for now. Soon, he’d have to go prepare the evening meal and check in with the leader of the Xanthus clan. They should’ve reported their progress that morning, but the trail had taken them on a wild adventure to their target.

  How much information could he withhold without raising suspicions? The matriarch would only accept Sarah’s story with an abundance of proof. While his word was good enough in most cases, this situation carried the weight of generations to come—not only if she’d been a true elder, but also if she proved to be the savior of the clan’s very existence. Sarah was the end-all or be-all.

  “We should phone home while she’s sleeping.” Not surprisingly, Tanner’s whisper echoed John’s thoughts.

  Pushing aside his reluctance to even temporarily leave Sarah alone, John nodded and rolled to the edge of the bed. “Meet you in the outer chamber in five minutes.”

  He headed to the bathroom, unwilling to wash the tangy flavor of Sarah’s lovely cunt from his lips but needing to rid himself of the distraction. The splash of cool water washed away some of the exhaustion from jumping from the Old West to the age of mafia wars and world wars to the mid-twentieth century and the present—all in the span of twelve hours. Too bad he couldn’t afford twelve hours of sleep to recoup his energy. Her taste still lingered.

  Shedding his wrinkled suit jacket, he tossed it on the suitcases at the bottom of the bed as he checked on Sarah one last time. He aimed for the corridor to the outer chamber.

  Tanner paced the large living area, his own suit coat draped over the back of the couch. “All anyone needs to know is that we’re tracking down a lead.”

  “Agreed. Without seeing the tattoo firsthand, no one would believe she isn’t what she seems.” John dropped into one chair and then dragged the other closer with his foot. “Sit. Your pacing is driving me nuts.”

  “Fine, but you have to stop cracking your knuckles.” Lifting his eyebrows, Tanner grinned as he sat across from John. “You didn’t even know you were doing it, did you?”

  John laid his palms on his thighs to halt the involuntary habit. His partner knew him too damn well. “Telling the matriarch we tracked a path to our target will suffice for now. It’s more than we’ve had to report in the two years we’ve been searching for Sarah.”

  Their arms met in the middle, right hand clasping right forearm and left hand clasping left to form an X over their legs. Linking their minds, Tanner’s thoughts joined with John’s to call to the matriarch.

  Leader of the Xanthus clan, the horse shifters ask an audience of thee for guidance and a blessing. Will you share your wisdom?

  Seldom did they receive an immediate response, and this night was no different. The matriarch met with the others in their clan almost every evening, so they’d simply have to wait their turn.

  Neither he nor Tanner relaxed the grip that completed the connection, keeping their minds clear and ready for when they were summoned. The minutes silently ticked by until John had to wonder if they’d been able to penetrate the protection spells guarding the cavern and the compound. He was just about to break the link when a familiar voice sounded in his head.

  You do not trust your instincts such that you seek my wisdom? Ah, well. I offer you both my greatest blessings and whatever knowledge I can impart to those who have been gone far too long. How are you, my sweet boys?

  Tanner’s snort brought a smile to John’s lips. Sweet? We are ruffians, dear lady, and we wouldn’t tolerate anything other than being well.

  And you, Johnathon? Does Tanner speak for you?

  John cringed at her use of his given name. I speak for myself, matriarch. Though I should like to be home, I too am well.

  Is there a chance you will return soon? The vague question was as close as she ever came to asking how their search progressed.

  Since Tanner didn’t seem inclined to answer, John responded. We have found her trail. She was present at the Macska joining after Kazmer’s demise.

  You must be careful. She is dangerous, and I should not like to mourn the loss of either of you. Your destiny awaits you yet as well.

  He didn’t need the reminder. His destiny lay sleeping in the next room. We will take care. Our training has always preserved us.

  His mind was devoid of conversation for several seconds.

  The matriarch’s slight hesitation was out of the norm. Her thoughts never failed to come with succinct timing. You must be extra wary, my dear boys. Should she travel to the present, the dang
er will strike where men are weakest. Her birthday is two days past, and the fertility cycle of a Pennymead witch encompasses all the lunar phases. Her Black Triad power may allow impregnation by any man, not only her mate. To produce a child of the Triad…I dare not think of the consequences.

  The information stole John’s ability to create a single thought, but Tanner managed to reply. This is a helpful bit of knowledge. Rest assured, matriarch, we will not forget it as we continue our journey.

  Be safe, my boys.

  Chapter 8

  The inviting aroma of a hearty stew permeated Sarah’s half-asleep brain. How had she gotten back to Wyndham House?

  Not ready to open her eyes, she rolled over, bumping into an immovable wall.

  A wall?

  Where was the luxurious velvet curtain surrounding her bed?

  She forced herself into consciousness. A pair of dark eyes stared down at her, and her heart almost leapt out of her chest.

  “Are you hungry?” Tanner held out a bowl.

  The horrifying details of her meltdown sprang forward. She’d let John and Tanner touch her, bringing her to orgasm and making her lose control over her emotions. Tangled in a blanket, at least she wasn’t lying there naked and exposed.

  Panic set in a moment later, but she did her best to cover it. “Yes. Yes, please. Would you mind if I had a little privacy for a few minutes? I’d like to get dressed.”

  His smile nearly had her discarding that idea and seeking more sexual satisfaction, but luckily he slipped out of bed before she could act. He gestured to the left. “The bathroom is over there. When you’re done, why don’t you come out to the living area? It’s down that hall. John and I will be waiting for you.”

  At a loss for words, she nodded. Had she imagined the whole episode? Tanner didn’t seem to have any memory of it—unless he was pretending to help her save face. He disappeared into the hallway he’d indicated, leaving her alone.

  Struggling to escape the covers, she spotted the dress she’d been wearing. She reached for it rather than continuing the fight. Before she dressed, made a trip to the bathroom, or ate, one important task took precedence.