by Boon, Elle
Noelle grabbed a mug before doing as he’d suggested. She took a sip and made a little hum. “This is delicious.”
He transferred the bacon from the oven onto a potholder on the island, then did the same with the eggs. He plopped a loaf of bread next to the toaster, made several slices, then with a plate he’d already made up for the both of them, he put both down and sat next to her. “Dig in, Katjie. I think we’ll work up an appetite this morning.”
Her cheeks pinkened, and her sweet orange spice kicked up a notch. “Female, you keep thinking about that and we won’t be eating or leaving my cabin,” he warned.
She opened her mouth then shook her head. “No sense in denying what I think since you’ve got a super sniffer.” Picking up a piece of bacon, she popped it into her mouth, smiling around the bit sticking out.
If he hadn’t already been head-over-tail in love with his little soon-to-be mate, he’d have fallen right then and there. They finished off the breakfast he’d made. He’d piled her plate with a huge heaping of bacon and cheesy eggs, an amount most shifter women would’ve demolished and still demanded more. Noelle ate almost half before pushing her plate toward him. He eyed her leftovers. “You done?” he asked before taking her offering.
Noelle patted her flat stomach. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”
He took her at her word, scooping her food onto his. When he’d eaten every last bite, he sat back with a sigh, realizing she was staring at him. “What?”
“Where do you put it all?”
Ridge stood up. “Shifting takes a lot of energy, Katjie.”
Noelle tilted her head in a very feline way. “Makes sense. Whenever I’ve tried to become one, I’ve been extremely exhausted afterward. I imagine you do a lot more than just become one.”
Her words didn’t startle him this time. “I’ve never heard of a non-shifter becoming one unless they’ve been bitten.”
“Oh, you mean you could turn me into one of you?” She stood up, gathering their plates.
He stopped the words that were on the tip of his tongue. His kind didn’t go around turning or talking about doing such. Hell, the entire situation had his leopard raking at him to make Noelle like them. Only she was a witch, she wasn’t a human, or was she? He’d have to talk to Baba Yaga and find out if it was against their rules.
“Come on, let’s go tear up some ground and have fun. We can think about all that later.” They had forever to think about what they’d do and wouldn’t do. Of course, turning her would be ideal since his life expectancy was longer than a normal human as were witches. Shit, he didn’t want to think about tomorrow. He wanted to have a fun-filled day with Noelle and his Crew.
Looking down at her surprisingly long legs in denim shorts that had been cut off at some point, he whistled through his teeth. “Can I just say how sexy I think you are? No scratch that. I think every male within a hundred-mile radius is gonna think the same thing.”
He was a tits-and ass- male and his mate, she had both in spades. Her ass was heart shaped and her tits, fuck, he wanted to lift the tank top she had on and see if her nipples were little bitty things, or if they were large. Either size would become his favorite.
The sound of ATVs broke through his thoughts of tits and ass and his mate, making him smile. “My Crew is here. You ready for some fun?”
“I’ve never driven any kind of mm...machine like that.”
“You’ll be behind me, baby. All you gotta do is wrap your arms around my waist and hold on tight.” He pulled her in close to his body, wrapping his arms around her. “See, just like this.” Unable to stop himself, he bent his head, covering her lips with his. The little kiss became heated between one heartbeat and the next. He didn’t realize he’d moved them until he no longer was bent and felt a solid wall behind Noelle. Her moan fueled his need. Using his hand to cushion her head, he maneuvered her so he had better access. Her little body wiggled until she had wrapped herself around him. His cock was so fucking hard he knew she felt it between their bodies.
“Yo, Alpha, you ready? Oh, damn, sorry,” Glock yelled.
Ridge pulled his lips away, breathing heavily. “I’d kill him, but he’s damn hard to kill.”
“Plus, he loves me. Come on, you two, kiss later, have fun now.”
“We were having fun, asshole.” Ridge moved so he could help Noelle settle her feet back onto the floor.
“Yeah, that kinda fun is made for two sometimes three people. The fun we’re gonna have is for getting dirty and, well, that’s something you can do when naked, too. I’m just gonna go back out the way I came. Y’all coming out or what? If I have to tell the others you’re in here doing the dirty deed, then I can’t promise you won’t have a crowd coming in to see if you’re doing it right.”
Ridge pressed his forehead to Noelle’s, praying for strength, so he wouldn’t kill half his Crew. Although, he didn’t doubt it one little bit they’d be in his home within five minutes if he and Noelle weren’t outside and ready to roll. He really needed to set better boundaries. Were there any though, that his Crew would uphold? Nah, they were his family, big ass fuckers.
“We better get out there before the lot of them come rolling in here like they own the place. I’d then have to kill ‘em, which would fuck up my plans.”
Chapter Seven
NOELLE TRIED TO KEEP from laughing at Ridge’s statement. Only she was pretty sure he was serious about killing or maiming his Crew. “I think that would be a shame. Besides, I really do want to go riding with you guys.” And she did, Goddess she totally wanted to let loose and have fun.
They walked on to the back patio. She tried really hard not to gape at the dozen or so men and women gathered around Ridge’s backyard, all of whom were sitting on ATVs of some sort. She glanced from a four-wheeler to a cool looking vehicle that Glock had said was a pussy wheeler. She didn’t agree because in her opinion, they seemed safer, which totally didn’t make them less cool. Of course, she told him so and got a growl back, but she was counting that as his friendly way of talking.
“Glock, you’re gonna be in trouble if you don’t shut that trap you call a mouth.”
“That’s Shaydaya. She’s a fierce competitor and a straight-up killer if you piss her off. Hey, Shay.” Ridge waved at the woman sitting astride a four-wheeler, glaring at Glock.
“Hi, nice to meet you. Do I call you Shay or do you prefer Shaydaya?” As Noelle walked down the steps toward the other female, a slight rumble came from her left.
“Shut your grumbling, Quincy. Ignore him He’s thinking you might hurt me. Shay is good and no, I’m not shy like it might sound.”
Noelle laughed as the small woman hopped up onto the seat of her ride to a standing position, like an agile cat would, before launching herself the ten feet onto the ground in front of her. “I am not gonna say it.”
“You’re thinking how cool it is to be like me. I know, everyone thinks it.” Shay wrapped her up in a friendly hug. “If any of these boys messes with you, let me know, and I’ll piss in their shoes when we shift. They hate that.” Shay leaned back with a wink.
Knowing the others could hear everything that was said, Noelle laughed with her. “I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t any of you wear helmets?”
Ridge walked up to her, carrying a purple helmet with hearts on it. “This is one of Torrance’s. Most of us have hard heads, and a shift will normally heal a wound. We wear helmets if we’re riding our bikes, but out here we just go riding.”
It was another stark example of their differences. She took the helmet, wishing she didn’t have to be the only one wearing one. “Thank you,” she said in an overly bright tone.
Ridge tilted her face up toward him. “I’d say you didn’t have to wear one, but I want you to be protected. We’re gonna have fun, Katjie.”
“Ah, he has a nickname for you. This is it, y’all. Daddy’s got a girlfriend.” Shay jumped back onto her ATV, firing it up with an almost ear-splitting yell.
Noelle cou
ldn’t help but laugh at the antics. “I understand, and I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“Hey, I’m wearing a helmet. Unlike these fools, I like my head without bumps and shit.”
“That’s Hennessee. He don’t count because he’s been dropped on his head a few times,” Glock called from his ride.
Hennessee revved his own ride then did a spin, kicking up dirt all over a cursing Glock. Both shifters took off down the well ridden trail, with the others following.
“You good?” Ridge asked.
She gave him a thumbs up as she strapped the helmet on her head. “Let’s go have fun.” Already she could hear the others whooping and hollering. She hadn’t realized it had rained in the middle of the night, giving them just enough of a muddy terrain.
Ridge regarded her, staring into her eyes for a moment then he nodded and took her hand, leading her to his four-wheeler. They took off after the others, speeding faster than she’d expected. She gripped him around the waist; her laughter bubbled up as the machine kicked mud all around them.
They flew down a hill where she saw a creek with water running through it.
“Hold on, baby, this is gonna be fun,” Ridge yelled.
Several others soared through the creek, water and mud spraying out each side of their vehicles as they laughed. Her stomach dropped as he hit the Creek; their ride did a little spin before he straightened them out. She held onto him as if her life depended on it, loving the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Never in all her life would she have thought she’d enjoy riding through a creek, getting covered in mud and whatever else being flung through the air. Her hair had to be coated in the stuff, and yet she was laughing and cheering as they headed up the next hill.
“Hey, wanna ride with me so your arms can rest a bit?” a female named Marjo asked, coming to a rocking stop next to Ridge’s ride.
Her ATV was a two-seater with gate-like doors, but it in no way was anyone’s version of a pussy vehicle as Glock had said. She still had no clue what the two muffler things by the windshield were for, but Ridge had said it kept them from getting bogged down if they went into water and shit. Noelle was a little worried until she’d seen the other woman take the thing through everything the other ATVs had done, every bit as recklessly, and come out smiling.
“You want to ride with Marjo?” he asked. Her name was pronounced as Mar and Joe, not to be lax on the Joe part or she’d smack you, Noelle had been informed.
“Yeah, sounds fun. Then can I drive yours?” She blinked innocently back at Ridge. The man was a little possessive of his things, she’d noticed.
The others were gathered in a circle, waiting as Ridge helped her walk over to where Marjo sat waiting. Noelle wasn’t too surprised when Ridge didn’t answer right away, but it still ticked her off a little. Wanting to mess with him, she decided to push him a bit more. “So, is that a yes?”
“Um, well, you see...” he mumbled, turning to stare backward, then down at her.
Noelle stood on the edge of Marjo’s ride. “I’m kidding. I’ll get one of my own, silly leopard.”
They stared at one another, and then he kissed her a bit awkwardly with the helmet on. “I should spank that ass of yours.”
“Oh, that sounds kinky, but I’d prefer you not say such things in my presence. I have delicate ears.” Marjo twitched her ears after speaking.
Noelle pushed Ridge away, or rather tried. “Go on. We can discuss things later. For now, let’s have fun.” She raised her hand in the air and whooped.
“I knew I liked you,” Marjo said, then she too whooped, followed by the rest of the Crew.
For the next couple of hours, she switched, riding with Marjo then Ridge, even hopped on behind Shay, who was crazier than any of them. They were just coming over a hill and heading for another creek when a rumble had Shay spinning the wheel. Her startled yell was Noelle’s only warning something was wrong.
The feel of flying had become normal in the hours she’d been riding, the sounds of ATVs no longer loud as her ears had become accustomed to the sounds. She sailed through the air, the silence deafening. Her heart pounded as she lost hold of the other woman, trees coming at her way too fast. She curled into a ball hoping she wouldn’t hit anything major.
“Umpf,” she groaned, hitting something hard, feeling pain ricochet up her spine. She took solace in the fact she felt pain. Pain meant she wasn’t dead or paralyzed.
Not wanting to move too quickly, she eased up into a sitting position. The action had the breath exploding out of her lungs as she noticed she was on the edge of a cliff. “Shit,” she whispered. The total lack of sound scared her more than the possibility of falling the twenty or so feet to her death. “You’re a witch. You can get yourself out of here.”
Only she couldn’t move her right hand when she tried to lift her arm—it wouldn’t budge. A quick glance down, and she saw the reason, which had her stomach rolling. The skin was torn away from the bone, showing the muscle and fractured part of her arm. Now that she’d recognized the injury, pain began to filter into her body. Goddess, where were Ridge and the others? Why couldn’t she hear them or the vehicles. For that matter, why couldn’t she hear the rustling of the leaves or...anything for that matter?
Closing her eyes, she concentrated on healing her injury. With all the energy she’d been surrounded with earlier, she had a lot to work with. The bone that was protruding through the skin began to move back into place. “Oh, Goddess,” she cried.
Remdezevier had broken her young body many times, trying to find out how her physiology differed from his and other humans’. She hadn’t wanted to heal herself, not in front of him, but after he’d left her with a broken leg and bleeding on the cement floor with orders to heal or die, she’d had no choice.
The lack of noise began to clear. Rustling above her had her hurrying out of fear. Whatever it was that caused them to crash had to be big and scary. She’d heard the fear in the other woman’s voice and known whatever happened, wasn’t minor.
Where was Ridge? Finally, her arm was fixed. Her leg throbbed, but she didn’t think it was broken. Sweat dripped down her face, burning her eyes as it fell from her forehead. She wished more than ever she had the super hearing of a shifter, or the power of Zelda right about then. Mustering up more energy, she healed the leg that was throbbing along with the rib she was pretty sure had been cracked.
A huge shudder shook the ground from above. She worried the small outcropping she’d landed on would fall apart and toss her down below to her death. Another shudder, closer this time, had her scrambling to move, her breath sawing in and out of her. Goddess, she wondered what happened to her friends and Ridge. She wouldn’t allow herself to think they weren’t alright.
“She flew this way.”
Noelle froze at the familiar voice of her sister.
A grunt and chuff came next as the ground shuddered. Noelle held her breath, keeping completely still.
“Can’t you smell her or something? I can’t keep those idiots away for much longer. I stole this amulet from Baba Yaga’s house. She’ll kill me if she finds out. Come on, do your sniff thing,” Merry whined.
Noelle wanted to punch her sister in the face. Whoever, or whatever she was bossing around was obviously some kind of shifter, yet Merry was treating it like an animal.
The ground shook and shook then dirt fell on top of her head. She worked to make herself invisible, amazed when she couldn’t see her own hand. Garbled words were spoken in a deep voice and then her sister was speaking again.
“Yes, you did very good making that girl go flying and her ATV go boom. Now we just need to find my stupid sister so I can suck her powers into this necklace you and me can be powerful like that stupid heifer Zelda. Come on, do your sniff thing,” she coaxed.
Fear for Marjo and the others had her nearly losing her concentration. More grunting and garbled words, but this time she understood the thing. She also got the courage to look up, nearly screaming in fright at th
e hulking beast too close for her comfort. He resembled the thing from the eighties movie about swamp monsters. Wet greenery hung from his massive arms and...the rest of his body as well. Did her sister actually have a thing, with that thing? Was that Carlton? So many questions ran through her mind while she did her best to stay hidden.
Zelda had been working with her on reaching through a link to her and Sassy. However, she didn’t think she could do that and keep herself invisible. Gah, she hated feeling weak and useless. Power infused her at the memories of the years she’d been locked in the glass-and-concrete cage. A sliver of hope entered her being. With a little bit of magic, she sent a bubble out to the Goddess, praying it would reach either of the two witches in time. Her sister would see just how much of a heifer Zelda was if she popped in and zapped her and the ugly creature she was with.
More dirt farther down the way brought her attention back to her dire situation.
“Come on, Carlton, you can do better. If you don’t, your daddy’s friends will figure out you’re still alive and well. They think you died along with him. We can’t have that, can we? Of course, we could always offer up my sister to them. She’s the real prize,” Merry muttered.
A growl-grunt had Noelle’s hair rising on her arms. Why was Merry talking as if Carlton’s father was deceased, when she was pretty sure she’d met his mom and dad at the festivities before and after the wedding? Not that anything was making any sense right now with Merry. She’d thought her sister loved her, in her own selfish way.
She heard the angry sound of a leopard, followed by several more. Shit, Ridge and his Crew were on the prowl. While that made her tingle in excitement, it also frightened her to think of the danger they could face with the creature above her. “Time to put on your big-witch panties,” she whispered.
Noelle created a bubble around her, floating herself up until she was back on solid ground. Her body finished healing as she did so. Dang, witchy powers on point.