Highland Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by Unknown

  She chastised herself for thinking of a future with someone so forbidden. They had tonight, and she shouldn’t think beyond it. Sneaking unseen out of the coven was a difficult endeavor, one she could only pull off so many times.

  Mason brought her focus to more carnal desires when he pressed his shaft against her. The head teased her opening, moving in and out an inch or two, before he finally entered her. Her channel tightened around him and he held back, waiting for her to grow accustomed to him. Once her muscles slackened, he drove into her with agonizing slowness until he reached the very brink. Pulling out almost the entire way, he then drove in so deeply, she thought his shaft would pierce right through her.

  She gasped and dug her nails into his back as he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around him as he pressed her against the tree, driving into her like a wild, untamed creature. He bucked into her, emitting a low roar like a fierce beast. She cried out from the pleasure and pain, but clung to him, begging for more. He paused, holding her aloft, before they fell onto the forest floor.

  He slid the skirt down over her hips and she kicked it off. Then he reached for her shirt and pulled it over her head.

  “I want to see you,” he said. “All of you.”

  She scrambled on top of him, mounting him and sliding down with a slow, steady movement.

  He gazed up at her. “You are so beautiful.”

  Mason caressed her breasts, his thumb and forefinger teasing the nipples with the deft hands of a talented guitarist. He then claimed one in his mouth, and she arched to grant him greater access. His tongue and gentle scraping with his teeth sent a new wave of pleasure floating through her. He used his hands and mouth to offer attention to her other breast. Pleasurable sensations soared through her.

  She slowly moved up and down his cock, savoring how every cell in her body responded to him. His hands and mouth covered her breasts while his thick shaft filled her almost to the point of pain. As she built up the pace, he grasped her hips, and raised his own with each thrust. By ramming into her most sensitive areas then increasing the tempo, he shot her to a rapturous height once again. She cried out his name as she came, her walls clenching around him and fluids drenching them both.

  He grabbed her shoulders with enough pressure to leave a mark as he pounded harder into her while her muscular contractions slowed.

  “Oh God, Kayla.”

  Hot liquid shot into her. He released his grasp, and she fell forward onto his smooth chest. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. His heart hammered beneath her ear. They lay panting for several minutes, neither uttering a word. She was in such a state of relaxation she thought she might fall asleep.

  Eventually, a dark thought crept into her blissful state. She had to return to reality, back to her coven at the Isle of Stone. If they knew what she had just done…

  “We have to leave,” she said with reluctance.

  “No. Not yet,” he said, holding her tighter.

  She lay on his chest for another minute, listening to his frenetic heart rate slow. “I have to,” she said. “They’ll come looking for me if I’m not there in the morning. And if they find out I’m with you—it won’t be good.”

  Mason took a long slow breath and exhaled. “If we must.”

  She stood and gathered her discarded clothes. After she dressed, he remained there naked still, hair disheveled, looking like the most delicious creature she had ever seen.

  “I could stay here with you forever.”

  She wasn’t sure which melted her heart more—his words or his devastating grin.

  * * * * *

  As much as she wanted to spend her afternoon remembering the night with Mason, Kayla had to do something about the situation with the wolves. She procrastinated at first, spending a few hours in the vegetable garden. The tomato plants needed support so she added branches as stakes to help support the growing plants. The afternoon sun beat down on her. She wiped sweat from her brow, wishing she’d come out here in the morning when it was cooler.

  To clear the dirt and sweat from her body, she walked down to the shore. Stripping off her clothes, she entered the ocean, letting the cool waters refresh her. She toweled off and dressed and then wandered further down the shore, thinking about her next step.

  Several witches around her age sat on large flat rocks by the water, where they often gathered when done with chores. They often shared what they’d learned about the human world, especially fascinated by their entertainment.

  “Kayla, where have you been?” her friend, Mia, said. “We never see you anymore.”

  Guilt hit her square in the chest. Why did she come here? To see her friends or avoid her mother. She looked down at the sand. “Oh, you know. With all the summer growth, I’ve had more work to do and am usually beat by the end of the day.”

  “Ah,” Mia said. “I imagine it’s hot under the sun, too.”

  “Aye,” Kayla replied. “What’s going on?”

  While Mia gave her updates on an argument with her boyfriend, Kayla tried to follow the he did this, he said that dialog. She made the appropriate noises to show she was listening and asked a couple of questions to cover up her distraction.

  She hated lying to them, but if they knew where she actually had been—sneaking over to spend her nights with a gargoyle—they would probably turn on her.

  Or maybe not. Should she tell them what was going on? Maybe they’d be more receptive to Ian’s plea and they could go en masse before the elders.

  No, it was too risky. Because if they turned on her now, she’d have even more witches against her. Best off to start with her mother. At least she was family and wouldn’t disown her.

  Hopefully.

  “Well, I better get back to help my mother for dinner,” she said. “See you.”

  She headed back to find her mother after avoiding her for much of the day. Her mother was crouched down, tending a fire under a cauldron. The scent of cinnamon filled Kayla’s nostrils, reminding her she’d forgotten to eat in all her contemplation.

  “Can I talk to you about something?”

  “What is it, Kayla?” Her mother glanced up.

  “It’s about the other clans. I don’t think this division is healthy for any of us.”

  “It’s better than us fighting and killing each other, though, isn’t it?”

  “Who says we need to fight? We should live and work together in peace.”

  Her mother stood up. “Have you lost your mind?”

  “No.” She had to reveal the conversation with the alpha carefully since she couldn’t admit the part about meeting Mason. A flush rose in her when she thought of the time they’d spent alone, but she had to force it away to focus. “The alpha wolf approached me last night.”

  “In our territory?” Her mother’s mouth opened wide. “Where were you?”

  “No. In the moors.”

  Her mother responded in a lower tone. “Why would you venture beyond our borders?” Her mother than scanned her body. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No, of course not. Let me explain.”

  “All right.”

  “He told me the magical veil thinning has affected the wolves.” Kayla then summarized the conversation, leaving out the part about Mason being there. “He’s right. This division of our lands is ridiculous. And we can make them a potion to help them. The young ones need it the most.”

  “We will do no such thing, Kayla.”

  “Why not? What’s so wrong about helping the wolves?”

  “We’ve spent several years in peace staying apart from the other clans. Why would we destroy that by interacting with them?”

  “You’re being extremely narrow-minded. I don’t see any harm in brewing a potion to help another creature. Isn’t it part of our nature to use our magic for good, not ill will? And didn’t you tell me I should start to have a voice in the future of the coven?”

  Her mother stared at her a long moment. After an audible exhale, she said, “I’ll talk t
o the elders.”

  Kayla hugged her. “Thanks. They wouldn’t listen to me. They think I’m just some kid with crazy ideas.”

  “Oh, well that’s somewhat true, don’t you think?” Her mother cracked half a smile. “Don’t thank me yet. And you think I’m narrow-minded.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  They only had so much time until they were caught.

  Mason knew this. But he didn’t want it to end. Their night together in the Highlands had been unlike anything he’d experienced. Over a week had passed since that night, and each time he met her, he fell a little harder for her. All those women he’d seduced in the past had been nothing like this. He’d lose interest after sleeping with them, but making love to Kayla had only increased his feelings. He thought about her all the time. Something about her touched him deep within, a place he didn’t know existed. He wanted to share his world and everything in it with her.

  He was playing a dangerous game getting entangled with a tree witch, but he was willing to risk it. As long as he could see her again.

  After he played at the concert that evening, he flew from the stage and treaded through the moors to meet Kayla. Visions of her sweet face kept him company while he had spent the day in stone. She snuck out most nights to meet him at the copse, their special sanctuary in between their lands. The highlight of his day wasn’t the nightly concerts, the way it had been before he'd met Kayla, but knowing he might see her.

  While Mason searched for her as he crossed the moors, a twinge of panic rose the way it had every night. What if she couldn’t make it out to see him tonight? He knew how difficult it was for her to escape the coven each night. If she didn’t make it… A cold blackness descended through him. No, he wouldn’t think it.

  A glimpse of movement passed through the trees. It was her. It had to be. Either that or an animal, maybe a deer. He hurried closer and sniffed the air. Her delicate scent reached him, one fragrant with wildflowers. When he spotted her silhouette through the darkness, warmth spread through him.

  He stepped into the cover of trees, entering an earthly paradise. With a tree witch. A month ago, he would’ve hurled curses at the idea, never knowing how enraptured he’d become.

  He stepped behind her and held her around the waist. He stood too tall near her, towering over her petite frame like a statue mounted on a pedestal.

  Leaning in to smell her hair, he asked, “honeysuckle?”

  “Aye,” she answered. “You’re good. I was trimming the tendrils wrapping around a nearby rosebush.”

  Her smell alone quickened the flow of his blood.

  “My sweet Kayla.” He kissed her smooth neck, nuzzling the warm skin. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since last night.”

  She tipped her head to grant him more access, and the beast within him roared to life. He raised his hands to cup her breasts, letting the weight fill his palms. He had to touch more of her, all of her. Never had he craved a woman so much. Each hour spent with her solidified how mad he was about her, but since they’d made love, he was done for. She could wrap around him like a serpentine, and he’d die happy.

  He brushed her sensitive nipples with his thumbs, her gentle sighs encouraging his erotic exploration. Reaching under her peasant shirt, he found her satiny-soft breasts. He relished how she didn’t wear a bra like human woman did. Her breasts bounced free as they walked, the way they should be, not bound to her body in some cage. Natural as the gods had intended, an invitation for him to touch.

  Kissing her soft cheek, he sought her tempting mouth. Turning her toward him, he found her pink lips slightly parted and moist, as if she’d just licked them. So damn tempting. She peered up at him, sensuality burning in the sea-blue depths of her eyes.

  He couldn’t wait another moment to taste her; the hunger for her grew too intense. He covered her sweet mouth with his own, teasing and biting her full lower lip, and probing between them with his eager tongue. She softened against his hard chest in the way he loved, appealing to his protective nature as a gargoyle and his lustful nature as a man.

  His fingers traveled up her arm and down again, her skin had a magical effect on him. Being near her, touching her, calmed him in a way hours as stone never did. It brought something deeper to his soul. Brought him closer to peace. Happiness. Completeness.

  He pulled her shirt over her head and removed her skirt and sandals until she stood before him naked, her smooth skin glowing radiant under the sliver of moon piercing through the trees and starlit sky. Her firm breasts rose and fell with her breath. His eyes traveled over her feminine shape, memorizing the way her waist tapered in and curved out with her luscious hips. A gentle breeze brought the scent of her arousal to his sensitive nostrils, and he stiffened, ready to pounce on her. It took all his self-control not to throw her onto the ground and bury himself deep within her.

  Her fingers tapped a nervous rhythm on her belly.

  “You’re beautiful. Such a bonny sight.” He stepped forward and took that hand, kissing her slim fingers, before placing them on his chest. Her gaze traveled down, watching her fingers trace the indentations on his torso. He puffed his chest out under her admiration.

  When he lifted her in his arms, cupping her rounded buttocks, she yelped in surprise. “I’ve got you,” he assured her before lowering onto the soft moss carpet.

  He tasted her mouth again while his hands wandered over her skin. Her flesh was as smooth as rose petals. He nibbled and kissed her shoulders, licking over the mounds of her delicious breasts. Her hard nipples pointed straight to the stars, a tempting invitation. He took one of the delicate morsels in his mouth, feasting on it. Kayla arched upward and sighed. He claimed the other nipple while his hands moved down her body, over the flatness of her belly to the super soft area between her thighs. Heat radiated from her, driving his need even higher. He managed to hold on to a shred of control as he moved down the length of her body, to her glistening pink folds, letting his heated breath signal what he meant to do.

  Wetting his fingers in her slick heat, he stroked her sensitive flesh before dropping his head to taste her. She moaned in pleasure, running her fingers through his hair. Another bolt of energy shot straight to his cock, urging him to take her. He licked every savory inch, a sensual exploration of her most secret spots. Slow licks turned into increased pressure on her sensitive nub. She arched beneath him, coaxing him for more. He slid his fingers into her channel, probing her while sucking the bundle of nerves until she cried out his name, covering his tongue with her honey.

  Mason rose to his knees, watching her beautiful face with awe, before kissing her. She quivered beneath him when he teased her entry with the head of his cock. Although she was so wet, he still met with resistance as he penetrated her heat. She was so tight, wrapped around him like the most pleasurable vice. She grabbed his shoulder blades and bit her lip as her walls relaxed, granting him deeper access.

  He lifted her rear off the ground and gave her everything he had. As heavenly as this sensation was, he wanted more of her. All of her. He wouldn’t stop until their bodies connected on the deepest level possible. She gasped with each thrust, her breasts bouncing. Her nails scraped from his shoulder blades down his back until they settled at the top of his buttocks. The sweet pain excited him, quickening the fiery heat coursing through his veins right into to his shaft.

  Kayla rose higher off the ground, meeting his thrusts with an increasing tempo while grasping on to him. Her muscles clamped tighter on his swollen cock, the blood flow furiously pounding through it. Her moans grew louder, her grip tightened, and she turned her face onto the mossy groundcover. Her contractions pulsed around him, and she cried out as she covered him with her delicious fluids.

  He paused, savoring the moment still swollen deep inside her as her contractions slowed. If he kept fucking her like that, he would come and he didn’t want their time together to end, yet.

  “Wow,” she said with a heavenly sigh. “That was brilliant.”

>   He beamed under her appraisal. “Turn around.”

  She raised her eyebrow with a smoldering gaze, before turning over onto all fours. Her tempting round cheeks were visible in the candle-like glow from the night sky. He swatted one playfully and she turned to cast him a surprised look.

  “Ouch!”

  “You like it,” he retorted. “I know you do.” And smacked the other cheek. “Don’t you?”

  She yelped and then said, “Maybe a wee bit.”

  He leaned over her and reached between her legs to touch her glistening pussy, easily slipping his finger into her wet heat. “Maybe a lot.”

  The beast inside him roared louder, leaving him with only a shard of control. Making love to her on the forest floor was one thing, exquisite, but fucking her like an animal in the cool night air was a different sensation that threatened to rock his being from the inside out. He wanted to taste her again, touch every inch of her, pound into her slick heat until she was begging for mercy.

  “Yesss,” she agreed through a voice that came out with a rasp.

  She leaned forward, her breasts hanging low. He had to touch them.

  He coated the head of his dick with her slick fluids before sliding into her wet channel. She gripped him again with her tight muscles in the way he loved and then relaxed, easing his entry. The deeper he went, the louder the beast inside him roared. When fully in, he moved in and out, pumping her harder with each stroke.

  Her head dropped closer to the grass as he drove into her, pants and moans escaping her each time he drove in. The beast had fully woken, this was what he wanted, and he couldn’t be denied this exquisite pleasure.

  Her moans turned into cries with each frantic thrust. She grasped the grass, pulling at it as her head thrashed from one side and then the other as he pounded into her without restraint.

  “No,” she uttered. “I can’t take it.”