The Witch Is Back

by H. P. Mallory

  Which meant it was now just Jolie and me … and I had every intention of permanently wiping away the images of her with Sinjin that had now been plaguing me for over an hour.

  And as for you … I thought the words as I faced her.

  You never taught me how to paralyze someone, she responded, still trying to free herself from my power.

  I didn’t respond, but allowed my eyes to consume her body from head to toe, pausing at her bustline. I could feel myself growing heavier. I wanted her. No, I needed her.

  “There’s a lot I haven’t taught you,” I said in a gritty voice.

  “So do you plan to keep me stuck to this tree all night?”

  I shrugged, enjoying the fact that she was helpless against me. Or, at least, was pretending to be. “I could.”

  I took the few steps separating us, the need to touch her overwhelming me, and said nothing more as I trailed my fingers down her face and neck. She shuddered. “It might be fun …” I said, allowing my fingers to continue down her neck, into her cleavage.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be commanding the troops instead of teasing me?” Her voice was breathless.

  “Yes,” I answered, although I could honestly say I didn’t give a damn about my men at the moment. Instead, carnal thoughts and feelings raced through me. Claim her. Take her.

  Kiss me. It was her voice in my head.

  It was all the invitation I needed. I gripped both sides of her face and forced my mouth on hers, wanting her to feel just how badly I wanted her, how much she excited me. My tongue was demanding and rough as it lapped at hers. And she met me with the same urgency, the same burning need. I pulled away from her, suddenly needing to see her face, wanting to witness the flush that had already stolen over her cheeks.

  “Guess it doesn’t take much to get you excited,” she said with a jittery laugh, and pulled her knee up between my legs, rubbing her leg against the erection that was already straining against my pants. The breath caught in my throat. “Ah, I’m no longer frozen,” she added.

  I’d actually forgotten about maintaining my control over her for a while now. It was too difficult to focus on magic when all I wanted to do was bury myself in her.

  “It doesn’t take much to get me excited around you,” I answered and absolutely meant every word. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had excited me this much.

  Jolie beamed as if my words had pleased her immeasurably and threw her arms around my neck. I pulled her into my chest, wanting nothing more than to feel her against me, to relish her smell, feel her heat. “Rand, when was the last time you actually slept?”

  Well, I’d slept just recently but due to the fact that I hadn’t exactly slept well, visions of Sinjin arresting my mind, I didn’t suppose that counted. “A week ago. I plan to sleep this evening.”

  “Come to my bed tonight,” she answered coyly.

  I shook my head and her expression dropped, replaced with one of disappointment. “You come to mine,” I finished with a smile and kissed her again.

  “So this will be on your terms?” she asked with a flirtatious laugh.

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “And what should I expect will happen?”

  I trailed my fingers down the small of her back. “Just be open to the possibilities.”

  She pulled away from me and I suddenly felt cold, wanting nothing more than to feel her lush body pressed up against mine. “Give me twenty minutes.”

  Before I could argue, she waved and turned on her heel, jogging for the house. I watched her until she disappeared through the back door. Then it was just me and my thoughts. Tonight was going to be a night that I had looked forward to since I first met Jolie. Tonight I would exercise all the fantasies I’d been storing in my head. Tonight I would make love to Jolie. Tonight I would make her mine.

  It’s quite interesting how twenty minutes can exist as a mere flash when you find yourself busily occupied or it can seem an eternity. I found myself pacing back and forth in my room. I’d already scoured the perimeter, ensuring the surroundings were clean and there wasn’t anything out of place. All my clothes were hung up, my shoes put away, the bed made …

  There was a nervousness within me that wouldn’t abate. How long had it been since I’d been with a woman? I couldn’t recall. I’d lived the life of a solitary man, focused entirely on the governance of the Underworld, not bothered with subjects such as romance and intimacy. It was a bit of an epiphany, really—the fact that I hadn’t invested at all into my own personal life. That is, until I met Jolie.

  Feeling as if my nerves would be the death of me, I searched for a distraction, something to take my thoughts from my own anxiety. Was there anything Jolie might need? Food or drink? Hmm, perhaps a bottle of water? Deciding that was a good enough reason for me to quit my room, I started downstairs.

  I didn’t encounter anyone on my trip to the kitchen, which was just as well. The last thing I wanted was an interruption—a question about battle tactics or an invitation to play the part of referee. No, tonight was about Jolie and me. It was our night—something that had been in the making for entirely too long.

  I opened the refrigerator, grabbed two bottles of water, and started for the stairs again. My heart hammered within my chest and I suddenly thought how ridiculous it was that I was nervous. Me, a grown man! A man who was in charge of hundreds of soldiers, a man who never backed away from challenge, and, instead, thrived on it. What would my men think of the fact that I was anxious about spending the evening with Jolie? I couldn’t help but smile to myself as I considered it. I’d been with countless women over the one hundred sixty plus years of my existence and yet I couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually felt this way, the last time I’d actually cared about someone …

  Reaching the top of the stairs, I noticed the door to my bedroom was already slightly ajar. Jolie had arrived while I was in the kitchen, on my silly mission to keep myself occupied. I approached the door stealthily, not wanting to alert her to the fact that I’d arrived. Instead, I wanted to merely observe her like an artist viewing his subject. I never tired of Jolie’s easy beauty or the way she talked to herself when she didn’t think anyone was around.

  I opened the door without making a sound and allowed myself to enter, immediately taking note of her on my bed. She was wearing blue-and-white-striped pajama shorts that happened to be incredibly short and showed off her lovely legs as, I’m certain, they were meant to. And on top, she wore a white camisole that strained against her ample breasts. Her nipples already stood at attention and I wondered if perhaps it was too cold in my bedroom.

  She sat cross-legged with a book in her lap. It was the one I’d left unattended on my bedside table, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. I didn’t say anything for a few seconds, just enjoyed the visual of Jolie wearing next to nothing while sitting on my bed and reading my book. And it felt right to have her there. Somehow she just fit. I swallowed hard as I realized I could apply that statement to my life as a whole. In fact, I couldn’t imagine my life without her; she had become such an enormous part of it. Really, there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think of her, didn’t laugh with her or, if apart, wonder what she was doing, what she was thinking. The realization frightened me because much though I cared for Jolie, I’d never really considered where these intense feelings would lead.

  “How do you like Dickens?” I asked, no longer wanting to focus on what the future might hold for us both. The future would work itself out.

  Jolie screamed in shock as she jumped and grabbed her chest, the book falling to the bed beside her. “You scared me to death!”

  I chuckled and locked the door behind me, then approached the bed. I focused on her, taking her in, reveling in the fact that she was just so lovely, so natural. She wasn’t a skinny woman—there was just the right balance of softness and muscle tone to her curves. I’d never before considered myself a man who had a “type” of woman he was attracted to, and y
et Jolie was the exact embodiment of everything I wanted in a woman. “You look delicious.”

  “Thanks,” she answered as her cheeks colored. Apparently I wasn’t the only one with short-circuiting nerves.

  I nodded and took the few steps separating us, taking the book from beside her and carelessly dropping it back on the night table. She stood up and moved closer to me, making a motion to drape her arms around my neck but I was suddenly all too aware that I’d been sparring with Odran and I hadn’t yet showered. All that time I’d wasted in my bedroom, aimlessly searching for something with which to occupy myself, and the one thing I’d forgotten to do was bathe! Sometimes I surprised myself.

  “I need to shower. I’m disgusting,” I said.

  Jolie smiled. “Okay, I’ll just be right here.” She lay back against the mound of pillows at the head of my bed. She never took her eyes from mine and I had to stop myself from jumping on top of her right then and there.

  She belongs in your bed. The thought penetrated my head and I couldn’t argue it, didn’t even try.

  I pulled my T-shirt off, still watching her as she reclined there like a cat, just waking up and indulging in a long stretch. I watched Jolie’s eyes widen as she took in my naked chest. Her mouth dropped open as she scanned me from head to waistline.

  “God, you are so gorgeous,” she whispered.

  I smiled but the sudden need to tell her that my appearance paled in comparison to hers almost strangled me. Jolie needed to know how lovely she was, how absolutely beautiful, how I cherished her. I reached out and ran my fingers down the side of her face. “No, Jules, you are the gorgeous one.”

  It was the first time I’d ever called her by her nickname. I wasn’t sure why I had, perhaps because I wanted to be close to her, wanted to be accepted into her inner circle. She beamed as soon as I touched her but remembering my shower, I dropped my hand.

  “I’ll just be a second,” I said and slipped into the bathroom. I turned the water on and felt myself beginning to hum the old Beatles song “Norwegian Wood.” Yes, I was a shower singer. I always had been.

  I lathered myself quickly, not wanting to keep Jolie waiting. After I’d rinsed, I turned off the water, combed my hair, dried myself, and then wrapped the towel around my middle. I gargled some mouthwash and, looking in the mirror, told myself I was ready.

  I stepped into the bedroom and Jolie glanced up at me with a smile. “Have you been listening to my Beatles CD again?”

  I merely smiled in return as I couldn’t deny her accusation. She stood up and approached me, throwing her arms around my chest as she rested her head against me. I held her, loving the feel of her warmth, loving the fact that she was so petite and feminine. I pushed her away from me and tilted her chin up, kissing her as I lifted her into my arms. I would go slowly with her, I wanted to relish every moment we had together, be able to recall every second, every minute, every hour. I laid her on my bed and being careful not to crush her, settled myself atop her.

  “Rand, make love to me,” she whispered.

  A shudder coursed through me at her words and I could feel myself responding, growing larger and heavier. I smiled down at her, thinking that was response enough.

  I was absolutely going to make love to her and what was more, I was going to do so repeatedly.

  I kissed her again, moving her arms above her head. Starting at her fingers, I caressed her palms, moving down her arms until I reached her camisole. Gripping the fabric, I shifted it upward until her breasts were bare. I couldn’t tear my gaze from her alert nipples but my tongue grew envious, so I allowed my mouth to find purchase on one of them. She smelled like some exotic and sweet perfume and I grew heady on the scent and taste of her. She sighed, running her fingers through my hair.

  “I don’t know how long I can wait,” I whispered, feeling as if I might explode if I didn’t claim her quickly. “I’m not feeling especially patient.”

  “We’ve already waited too long.” Her voice betrayed her urgency, her need.

  Still sucking on her breast, I moved my other hand down her stomach and paused above her thigh.

  Slow down, Rand, I told myself.

  But there was something within me, something within both of us, that didn’t want me to slow down. Jolie was correct—we had waited too long. And now was not the time for delay, now was the time for action.

  I pushed her shorts to the side and, feeling the moist heat of her, pushed a finger inside her. She bucked against me, arching her back as she moaned in surprise and pleasure. I pushed a second finger inside her and started an eager dance of pushing in and pulling back out again. She felt so incredibly eager, so excited. I wanted nothing more than to fill her with myself.

  “Rand,” she moaned and suddenly it was as if someone had driven a blade right through my eye.

  I clenched my eyes shut and pulled my fingers from her, cradling my head as I willed the feeling to go away.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  I opened my eyes and forced a smile as the pain began to fade away, leaving a mere imprint of itself. I was clueless as to what had just happened but I also wasn’t about to let it ruin my evening. I glanced down at her almost naked body again and wanted nothing more than to taste her, to replace my fingers with my tongue. I pulled her shorts down her legs, discarding them on the floor. “I’m more than okay.”

  The pain returned but it was more of a dull ache, now relegated to the back of my head. It was something I could live with though. I slid my fingers into her again and she arched beneath me, pushing her pelvis down against my hand as if trying to encourage me to push deeper. I could feel her fingers running down my back, the sharp sensation of her nails biting into my flesh as she braced herself for the impact of my fingers. Shivers broke out over my skin.

  God, how I wanted her, how I had to have her.

  “Rand, I need you now,” she pleaded.

  I pulled the towel away from my midsection and nestled myself between her open legs. I glanced down at her flushed face and smiled. She was the epitome of feminine beauty and there was nothing I wanted more than to feel her from the inside. I didn’t have to look at myself to know I was fully engorged, ready to take her. I held my erection at her opening and made no motion to enter her. I wanted to tease her, to drive her to the point at which she begged me.

  She pushed her hips down against me. “Don’t tease me,” she pleaded.

  But I wasn’t teasing her at this point. Instead, I was reeling with the pain that had, again, attacked the space between my temples. I clamped my eyes shut, trying to magically ward off the frantic ache but, if anything, it hit me even stronger. My hands were now in fists at my side and I opened my eyes to find I was clutching the duvet cover.

  “Rand?”

  I stood up so suddenly, I nearly lost my balance. There was an inferno erupting in my head and the most frightening part was that I now knew exactly what was happening. It had dawned on me as soon as I’d come so close to entering her. I gripped my head and fought against the tide that was now reeling within me. I couldn’t allow this to happen—I had to fight it. And the ever increasing pain was due to the fact that my body was rebelling against me. The pain hit me doubly hard and I clenched my eyes shut again, feeling as if blades were going to come through my retinas.

  All I knew was that I needed to get away from Jolie. It was her body that was doing this to me, her body that was responsible, and I couldn’t fight it much longer. “You have to go now, Jolie,” I managed.

  I opened my eyes and watched her sit up in shock. I knew my sentiment hadn’t exactly come out correctly and I hated the fact that I couldn’t explain to her what was happening but the pain was just so intense, I could barely even focus on my words, let alone speak them.

  “What?” she demanded.

  “You just … you just have to go,” I said again as another bout of stabbing agony ricocheted through my head. I had to get away from her. I lumbered toward the washroom and closed the door behin
d me, thinking I needed a cold shower. Something to shock my senses, something to pull my mind from the fact that Jolie was in my bed and I wanted, no, I needed to have her.

  I heard the door open but I refused to look at her. I couldn’t. She would dissolve everything I’d just fought for.

  “Rand, are you okay?” she asked.

  The cold water actually helped to calm me and when I glanced down, I noticed my erection was completely gone. The pain in my head had since abated into a steady but dull ache. I breathed out a huge sigh of relief but continued bracing myself against the shower wall with both hands stretched out before me. I didn’t trust that I could stand up on my own. I leaned into the water and allowed it to splash off my head.

  “We almost bonded,” I answered, finally feeling as if I could string a sentence together.

  “Bonded?” she repeated. I could see the wheels in her head spinning as she realized what had almost happened, what it meant that we had come so close to bonding. When witches bonded, it was akin to marriage in the Underworld. Marriage, really, paled in comparison to bonding because bonding was forever. There was no divorce in the Underworld. But that wasn’t why I’d fought so hard against the bond. What I’d fought against was the fact that when two witches were bonded, if one of them died, it could mean death or insanity for the other. And in these uncertain times of battle and war, the last thing I was going to do was jeopardize Jolie’s life.

  “How?” she insisted and I could see the fear registering in her eyes. I wasn’t sure why but I was suddenly disappointed. I shook the feeling away, though, thinking I was ridiculous for even feeling it in the first place. I would never leave Jolie in the predicament that I had once been in—my lover had died and I’d nearly succumbed myself. If it hadn’t been for the magic of the fae, I never would have survived.

  “I just couldn’t restrain myself …” I said and sighed, still supporting myself against the shower wall. “The bonding pheromones were coming off you so strongly and my body was aligned with yours. I tried to resist …”