by May Sage
When her sister disappeared from view, Rain groaned, letting her face fall.
By all the gods, keeping that fake smile up all evening had taken a lot of fucking effort.
"What now?" Luke asked, glancing at his watch. "It's still early."
"Bed. Maybe a bath, with candlelight and music. I definitely want a book, too. Are you any good at massages?"
Luke smiled slowly, wickedly. "Aye, lass. I'm very, very good at massages. But are you ready to find out what would happen between you, me, a bottle of massage oil, and a flat surface?"
Her clit tingled. Very. She was very, very ready to find out what would happen, especially when he spoke that way, whispering low.
She smiled like she'd won the lottery, which she basically had. She knew he wasn't joking, it was an offer, and she wasn't about to pass it up.
"Never mind the bath. Let's go straight for the massage oil, shall we?"
Shifters could be very casual about sex. Rain had seen it firsthand. When Ace wanted sex, back when she'd been single, she'd walk up to a guy she fancied and inform him of everything she'd to do to his dick if he got his cute ass in the passenger seat of her car. Vivicia was a man- and woman-eater. Basically, every shifter she knew treated sex as something natural and simple, unless it was with their life partner, would that be someone they were married to, bonded with, or mated to.
Rain didn't doubt that Luke wouldn't make this awkward. He'd just fuck her brains out, and they'd go back to being friends right after.
They walked side by side in a silence full of tension and sensuality. When they got to the closest adequate store, she stared at the aisle, despairing at the amount of choices in front of her, but Luke picked a massage bar, winking. He also picked up a box of condoms. Magnum size. Of course.
"Do you know how many guys actually need magnum size?" she felt compelled to tell him.
"Oh, but you know I do. You watched me quite closely this afternoon."
Shit, the man had a point. And now, she was thinking about his huge, hard dick. She bit her lip and tried not to combust in place.
Her skin was burning by the time they walked up the stairs of Ma Curtis' place. Her nipples were already hardening in expectation.
Luke followed her to her room and closed the door behind him. He threw the small shopping bag on her bed and stared down at her, smiling.
"I'm going to kiss you, Rain White-Phillips."
Was he? Oh, good.
She nodded, in case he needed permission, and Luke got to his knees.
"What are you…?"
He grabbed one of her thighs and placed it on his broad shoulder before burying his head under her skirt. Oh. He was going to kiss her there.
Shit.
Luke's lips ran from her knee up her sensitive inner thigh, before kissing her hipbone, and then lower, on top of her panties.
Luke chuckled.
"Nice lingerie."
Shit. Of course, she was wearing her ratty weekday panties. And, if memory served, she had Monday on, although it was Wednesday.
She was going to say something smart, but then he pushed the fabric of her panties aside and ran his tongue on the lips of her pussy, before sliding one finger inside her soaked heat.
Luke sucked on her clit, playing her pussy like an instrument with two fingers curled inside her. She moaned in pleasure as her muscles clenched and her insides turned to molten lava.
Just a few minutes, and she was almost ready to come. Then Luke got to his feet, and walked over to the bed, opening the bag to pull out the massage bar.
She watched him, open-mouthed. Seriously? He got her worked up like that, and now he was done?
As if feeling her indignation, he turned to her, shrugging. "I just wanted to break the ice, lass. Now you won't go all tense when I shove something in your pussy during your massage. And trust me, I will. Come here."
Feeling petulant, but not quite willing to tell him to fuck off, she obeyed. He got her close and helped her to remove her top, his hands caressing her torso slowly, taking their time when they got to her breasts. The skirt was next, and then, the bra. Finally, he slid her panties down her legs, while kissing her inner thighs.
She stood there, entirely naked, and he took his time watching her, his eyes bright and amber like they were when he was about to shift.
"Now, you do me," he told her, his voice almost harsh.
She undressed him, taking her time too, so he could feel just how infuriating his slow teasing really was.
When she pulled his trousers down his thick thighs, his dick jumped out, ending up right in her face, hot and so fucking hard. Rain tilted her head and licked at the top playfully, before concentrating on removing the trousers.
Given the way he looked at her, she half expected Luke to just throw her on the bed and slam right into her, but he ordered her to lie down on her stomach.
Fuck, this slow torture was killing her. And whatever it was, it certainly didn't feel like a quick, casual fuck. At all.
Particularly when Luke straddled her, and, all his weight on one arm, using his sweet and spicy massage bar, he worked all of her tense muscles, massaging her stress away.
Shit, he was good at that. One moment she moaned and twitched on her bed because he'd gotten to one super-tight knot and pressed down on it, the next, she moaned harder, because his finger was deep inside her. When he got to her shoulders, his dick was aligned with her pussy and slid between her thighs. He made small movements with his hips, pushing the hot length between her wet folds as his hands worked her shoulders, too.
She didn't think she could take any more, she was about to beg him to either stop or end her torment and fuck her when his dick plunged right into her. It was so big, but wet as she was, she took it all in with a releived sighed, her hips inching up to curve against him.
Luke never stopped massaging her shoulders as he moved his hips back and thrust in again, and again, and again, slow and deep.
She was starting to pant and needed him to go harder, faster, but he kept his maddeningly sensual slow rhythm, his hands now caressing, kneading her breasts.
She tried to move her hips to speed him up, but the asshole just stopped moving.
"This isn't how it works, sweetheart."
"How does it work?" she yelled almost desperately.
"You tell me what you want, and I make all of your desires come true."
Oh. Well, that was rather simple. And a girl could get used to that.
"I want you to fuck me fast. I want you to make me come."
"As you wish."
The shifter held on to her hips, and madly plundered her, harder, faster, deeper than anyone ever had. It was all too much, she didn't think she could take it, half of her wanted to beg him to stop, but knowing he probably would, she bit down on her tongue to prevent herself from speaking. She would have come by now, she should have. When her body had tensed that much, she'd gone over the edge, but she was still holding on, waiting for something, wincing in frustration.
Luke groaned behind her with one last, hard thrust that hit just the right spot and made her finally, finally reach heaven.
Her head on her pillow, breathing hard, unable to move, Rain saw stars. She felt cum drip down her leg.
That's when it hit her. Not the fact that he'd never used the condom; that was, in fact, normal for a shifter. They didn't get the same diseases as regular humans, and it was impossible for them to get a female pregnant unless they'd formed a bond. Or unless they were fated mates.
She dismissed her concerns, falling asleep happily. He'd just bought it for her benefit because she wasn't a shifter, and he hadn't known she was aware of their health technicalities. That was all.
Cleansing
"You really don't need to be here for this," she repeated nervously, and somewhat shyly.
Everything about Rain's demeanor since he'd asked what time they should head down to the bayou for the cleansing said that he very much should be there.
Apparently, all witches who intended to take part in the midnight ritual had to start cleansing themselves four hours earlier.
"'Fess up. Why are you so twitchy?"
She groaned. "Okay, so, we literally dance naked in a circle around a campfire, okay? It's embarrassing as it is."
Okay, so now he really had to attend.
Luke shrugged. "I've seen you naked, remember."
He would have sworn she blushed. She definitely remembered. Good.
"It's not like I have anything else to do, and Michelle has cleared me as a bodyguard, anyway. It might be weird if I didn't show."
She didn't protest, but Luke could see she wasn't happy.
Shifters were used to nudity and didn't make a big deal out of it. The witches of NOLA didn't really seem to mind either, if Luke was to judge by the eighty-something Ma Curtis chatting with a bunch of guys, entirely naked.
Rain, however, did mind. Very much so. She was adorably trying her best not to touch anyone, catch anyone's eye, or even speak to anyone.
Luke wanted to laugh but wouldn't have liked to make her uncomfortable. He also very much wanted to throw her over his shoulder and do things that had nothing to do with cleansing all over again. Fuck, she was perfection from the tip of her toes to her long, thick hair.
They'd met at a clearing in the bayou, around a campfire. As Michelle had told Rain, there were a dozen shifters present, stationed all around the ceremonial ground.
Curious, Luke stepped toward the closest one. A wolf, if he wasn't mistaken.
"Hi, there."
The male, a tall, bulky submissive who didn't seem like he took any sort of shit from anyone, measured him with his gaze.
"Hi."
"So, I hear you guys rent out some of your territory to the witches?"
The wolf shrugged. "They pay well, and it's only once a month. Besides, they also ward the bayou as part of the deal."
Luke nodded his understanding. Having a huge clan like that protecting their borders was very valuable.
"And you?" the wolf asked him. "You're not from here."
And needless to say, shifters were wary of foreigners.
Luke tilted his head toward Rain. "I'm part of her best friend's pride. I came here to make sure she's safe." Lowering his voice, Luke asked, "Is she?"
If Rain and Charles had been right, whatever maleficent spirit had taken NOLA, it had no presence in the bayou. Maybe he could trust the wolf.
The guy stiffened.
"What makes you think she wouldn't be?"
"Things. Many things."
"Maybe you should listen to your instincts and take her out of here while you can."
The words had almost been whispered.
"I wish I could. But she would fight me tooth and nail. Her family—"
"I know who she is. Better than you. I grew up here. I went to school with Rain White."
Oh, interesting.
The wolf glanced toward the witches, who'd started humming slowly around the fire. He gestured Luke to follow him and stepped further away.
"Do you know why Nola has so many witches?"
Luke nodded. "I heard. Something about one of the original White witch sisters settling here."
"Yes. And do you know why they settled here?"
He frowned, pretty sure Rain had mentioned it, but he hadn't paid attention to the details of the story.
"Because there's a portal and it amplifies the magic around it. Being close to it is a form of power, of sorts."
Luke frowned. "A portal to where?"
The wolf shrugged. "Who knows. What we do know is, it is closed, by old magic, older than Schuyler White's, and far, far more powerful. Whatever sealed it wasn't human. And the source of power behind it isn't, either." He paused. "I've only been near it once. Most sups avoid it. But it feels..." The words failed him for a time. "Evil. Evil and seductive. Appealing. Like there's a little voice that tells me to step closer and open it."
"Jackson?"
The wolf stiffened at hearing his name called out by a deep, authoritative voice. He and Luke turned to find a dominant wolf approaching, frowning. He looked like Jackson, although he was slimmer and taller; almost as tall as Luke.
"My brother," Jackson introduced. "Louis, the alpha of our pack."
The submissive didn't lower his eyes or cower, although Louis was shoving all of his dominance in their face. Luke didn't react either; he really wasn't all that intimidating. The alpha's dominance level was far lower than his own.
"Why aren't you at your post?" he barked at Jackson, who shrugged.
"I am. My post is from this tree," he said, pointing to the closest tree, "to that one." He gestured at the one where he'd stood a few moments ago.
Displeased that Jackson dared reply, anger flashed in Louis' eyes.
"And you? What are you doing here?" he demanded to know.
Luke shrugged. "Chill, man. I'm not pack." In other words, he had no authority whatsoever over him. "I was hired by one of the Whites, just like you."
The wolf sneered in distaste.
"Fine. Just don't get distracted from your actual job, Jackson."
He skulked away, leaving them to it.
"Don't judge me for being related to him, please. Mama threw him on his head a few times."
"I can tell." Luke didn't want to waste time talking about Louis, though. "So, you think that whatever's trying to come here is the thing that was sealed."
That didn't sound good, and unfortunately, it made an awful lot of sense.
"Do you have any inkling as to what it could be?"
Luke's gaze shifted.
"There are rumors, you know. Nothing more. Some say it's an evil voodoo priest, others, that it's an old vampire who drank everyone dry. But my Nona used to say it was something else."
"What?"
"A doorway to the land of the gods."
Shit.
Could he pick the murderous vampire?
The Ritual
When the witches were done with their cleansing, they got dressed in white clothing and headed back to town together by foot. Luke was glad to see that their werewolf friends were in the party, so there was nothing strange in his accompanying them.
To his surprise, they paraded in the city, chanting low. Some streets had been cleared for them and tourists were watching the whole thing from the sidewalks, taking pictures.
Once upon a time, the tourists would have believed that it was all for show, now they knew there would be some magic going on wherever they went, but it didn't seem to bother them.
Luke wished every city was as open as Nola.
It took a long time to get to the cemetery; by the time they'd made it, it was close to midnight.
The witches watched an altar at the center of the main crypt. Rain was kneeling in front of it, and Sara stood at her side. Behind the stone table, the doors of the crypt were open, and the inside was lit up.
"Where is she?" someone whispered.
"It's not like Michelle to be late, and tonight, of all nights!"
They waited, waited, and waited some more, for hours on end. Rain got up and stretched a couple of times.
The crowd was abuzz with restless energy, growing frustrated and angry.
But no amount of frustration or anger would make Michelle appear.
"Should we get someone else to perform the ritual."
"No. It must be a White. It won't be powerful enough if someone else does it."
The possessed witches plotted and planned; Luke had no problem hearing them with his shifter senses.
"But Rain could perform it, and Sara could anchor it," someone suggested.
That idea seemed to be popular.
Before anyone could voice it out loud for the full crowd, finally, Michelle came out of the crypt in a black robe.
She smiled, seeming quite satisfied with herself. Somehow, arriving a good three hours late had been part of her plan.
The question was, what plan was
that? Rain wanted to believe her sister was on her side, but from what he'd observed of their relationship, it wouldn't have surprised him if she'd double-crossed them.
Luke walked a little closer, as close as he could be to Rain with all those witches scattered between tombstones.
Michelle had a chalice in her hand, and she handed it to Rain, who drank from it, before lying down on the altar.
Everything in Luke tensed as she drifted out of consciousness.
Finally, Michelle spoke.
"Let us begin."
It was beautiful, in a way. Hundreds of witches, all performing as one, their movements, their scents, their chants one strong voice in the darkness.
Luke would just have greatly preferred if Rain hadn't been in the middle of it, and out of it, too. He knew she was fine, he felt it, but he still hated seeing her vulnerable like that in front of fanatics.
Suddenly, something changed in the air. Not being a witch didn't stop him from feeling the power around the cemetery. The previous day at noon, he'd been able to tell that there was something eerie about it, a presence he couldn't deny.
This wasn't just a feeling, an impression: he could hear, and see, the ghosts that came from the crypt behind the altar with his own eyes. Shadows dancing in the moonlight, specters rising from the ground.
And the witches danced for them, their song appeasing.
It wasn't working, not really. These weren't the ghosts of nice people. They were vengeful, resenting the living, wanting to come out and take the world.
Mostly. There were a few exceptions. The most notable was the old woman who appeared right in front of him, smiling. She said nothing at first, just watched him closely. Luke might have paid her more attention if he hadn't seen the witches slowly inching toward the altar, approaching Rain.
He ignored the ghost, focused on his mate until the old woman spoke.
"So you can see me now. You ain't as blind as I thought you were, young man."
Luke's mouth gaped open, and he looked behind him to see if the ghost was addressing someone else.