I take the chair across from him and pull oxygen into my lungs to calm myself. He needs to know what’s happening even if I don’t want him to. “This is a direct effect of us claiming each other as mates. You are pulling energy from me and I don’t understand how it works. But no, I don’t think you’re dying.”
He leans back against the couch and closes his eyes. I can’t help but admire the strong line of his jaw, the defined muscles bulging beneath his shirt, and… oh my. I look down and see the outline of his erection pushing against his jeans. I want him. Need him. He feels the same.
“You may be taking all my power,” I say in a ragged voice. It’s a scary thought. “You need to allow my touch. It’s the only way to possibly figure this out.”
One of his eyes peeks open. “I came to apologize and this is what I get?”
He’s sulking and I bite my lip to keep from laughing outright. “When my mother died, her power transferred to me. I felt as you do now. I’ve looked through the great texts trying to discover what’s happening. There is nothing that explains this. When I touched my mother while she was alive, I felt the energy link between us, though it never transferred.”
He closes his eye and splays his knees farther apart. His hands lift. “Come.”
I walk to him and just as I bend to touch his arm, he grips my hips and pulls me between his legs. The energy is tangible. I fall forward and stop myself with my hands on his shoulders. His lips are so close I can taste them. Slowly, he opens his eyes. “I need you before I die,” he whispers gruffly against my lips.
I ignore his dramatic declaration. It’s me who puts an end to our torture. I lean in and press my lips to his. Instantly, my entire being finds balance. The pull against my power equalizes. It’s now a steady link of energy between us. A low growl escapes his throat and his hands leave my hips so he can wrap them around my waist and pull me closer. His fingers skim upward until they stop at my breasts.
Too many clothes separate us and I growl in frustration. I open my eyes and he watches as he kisses me. I’m not sure if he’s reading my mind or feels the same way I do, but his hands grasp the material of my shirt and rip it apart so my breasts escape from the tear he created. Next, he rips my bra. It’s the only one I have and must be washed each night. I don’t care. I need to feel his bare skin against mine. I reach for his shirt. The material tears beneath my powerful fingers. His mouth never leaves mine.
Suddenly, he stands and lifts me. I wrap my legs around his hips and my arms around his shoulders. The kiss goes on and on. The taste of him rockets through my senses. He finally leans forward slightly as he unlocks my legs from his back so he’s able to discard my jeans. He walks me backward until I’m pressed to the wall. He lifts me and my legs circle his waist again. He fumbles between us and I hear the slide of his zipper. Then all I do is feel.
Each stroke.
His heat.
My need.
It consumes me. Consumes us both. His hands return to my breasts. They ache for his touch. He’s not gentle as he molds them with his palms. I don’t want gentle. I want all of him, including his beast.
I realize our power is building. We shouldn’t do this. And the thought flitters away as he slides back inside me, hitting just the right spot and driving me wild. I rake my nails down his back and growl deeply in answer to his snarl. We’re lost in desire, completely buried beneath the emotional need we feel. How do I know? His thoughts are mine. Our bodies are one with our minds.
The driving force builds and there’s nothing I can do but let the magic explode. We don’t shift. That’s a very different magical entity. The essence of our beasts collide and meld into one. The burn encompasses us, but there is no pain this time. We accept it because it is us. Mates. One person made from two.
When I’m finally aware of our surroundings again, we are lying on the wood floor. Well, I’m on top of Tyboll and his back is on the floor.
He smiles up at me. “I shall never call you woman again.”
Chapter Sixteen
Tyboll
The feelings running through me are impossible to comprehend. It took hours to drive to Dmitri’s club and another hour to track Veda’s scent and find the diner. The closer I came, the more insistent an inner… well… buzz intensified. When our eyes finally met, I felt as if a mountain had crumbled over me. I fought collapsing at her feet. I knew it was her witch’s power and wondered if she cast a spell that made it difficult for me to come close to her.
I continued thinking this until her lips met mine. Now we’re on the floor and she’s wrapped in my arms. Words that turn me into an utter pussy slip from my mouth and I don’t care. If it bothers her so much that she leaves me, I won’t call her woman. Though, she is. A beautiful woman.
“I can hear your thoughts,” she sighs against my neck. “Maybe the word woman is not so bad.” She lifts up slightly and stares at me. “I’ve never done this, Tyboll. I’ve had very little interaction with anyone. I never thought to have a mate. You must help me.”
Of all the things she could say, her words are music. “You’re coming home with me, woman.” Her laughter trails over my skin and I love the way it tickles. “You need to inform your human you will not return to work. My mate belongs with me.” I tighten my arms and bring her closer.
“Another waitress will arrive shortly. Becky will understand when I don’t return. Please take me home.”
My shirt is torn and I could care less. Thankfully, Veda has a shirt she can change into. I’ve decided I don’t like female underclothes. At least not on her. I do like the fact that she wears none as we make our way to Dmitri’s club. We pick up my truck and I drive toward my cabin. We barely speak the entire way. Having her so close in the confines of the cab of my truck soothes me.
When we arrive at my cabin, she walks inside and rests her backpack beside the door. Patreous will remain with Mandy and Honey for a few more days. We need to talk about my son, but I will save that for later. Because she hears my thoughts, I’ve purposefully closed them down. There is a time and place for mind reading. Right now I need to think things through so I don’t chase her off again.
“The master bedroom is through here,” I wave my hand in the direction of my room. Her face goes pink and I turn away with a smile so she doesn’t see it. She’s asked for my help because she’s unfamiliar with the way of mates. If I play this right, I will train her to be the mate I desire in all things. I pick up her bag and lead the way.
A very large bed takes up most of the space in the room. There’s a dresser and a door that leads to my private bathroom. I open it and she walks in.
“Oh my.”
She’s looking at my tub. It’s much more luxurious than anything else in the cabin. She backs up and runs into my chest. I wrap my arms around her. “We will have a bath later. I’m hungry and we must find something to eat.” She presses her hands to my forearms, holding them there. I lean in and draw her scent into my lungs. She turns in my arms and reaches her hands to either side of my face.
I like her touching me.
She smiles and I realize I must have a very stupid grin on my face. “We must eat, woman, or I will have no strength to teach you the ways of mating.”
Her blush deepens. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done is release her. I’m thrown off—completely out of my element. I can feel the love swelling inside me. It’s similar to my protectiveness of Patreous. Then again, it’s completely different. I’m shaken up internally. I move out of her arms and charge to the kitchen.
I go through the pantry and toss items onto the counter. A woman should cook the meals, but I don’t say this. I like sex is what I keep repeating in my head. I have cheese, large rolls, and a slab of venison. I slice into the nearly raw meat and the delicious smell has my stomach rumbling. I glance at Veda out of the corner of my eye. Her face is no longer red, it’s green.
I stop mid-cut. “What’s wrong?” I watch her eyes grow larger.
“I… I d
on’t eat meat,” she huffs out before running toward my room. I put the knife down and follow. She’s in the bathroom and I hear her heaving.
I walk in and see her leaning over the toilet. “Bloody, Goddess, what have you done?” I mutter as I look skyward.
She wipes away a string of spit and glares at me. “Do not curse the Goddess. Witches do not eat meat. Animals are sacred to us.”
I scrape my fingers across my head and feel the itchy stubble of my too-short hair. “And I’m supposed to know this, how?” I’m doing my best to keep my frustration in check. All beastkind eat meat.
She hears my silent shout. “No, they do not. Witch shifters do not eat dead animals. We do not kill animals. If I’m to live here, there will be no dead animals in this house!”
I count silently in my head and make it to three. My voice pounds off the cabin walls. “There is no way in hell the Goddess would mate me to a woman who does not eat meat! And no way will I give up meat for any woman!”
Veda stands and places her hands on her hips. “Your use of ‘woman’ just pissed me off again. I have no home to go to. I left my job, but I’m sure I can get it back.” She glares so fiercely I’m surprised I don’t go up in smoke. Unfortunately, something does rise up. My witch is so damn sexy when she’s angry. I like it and take a step toward her.
Her eyes slowly travel to my erection. “If you think for one minute I’m mating with you after spilling my guts or after the things you just said, you need a lobotomy.” She lifts her head higher and glowers. “Or castration because with you it’s the same thing.”
A minute later, I storm to Honey and Mandy’s cabin. Throwing their front door open, I walk in and see Honey and Patreous sitting at the table eating a large meal. Mandy is curled up on a rug beside the table. Demetria is stretched out on top of her and fast asleep. Without a word, I grab a plate, pull out a chair and fill my plate with as much food as it will hold. This includes a huge helping of meat. I realize Honey and Patreous have stopped eating.
“I do not like sex,” I say into the silent room.
Chapter Seventeen
Veda
Stupid hare-brained bear, I mutter as I look the other way, pick up the slab of nearly raw meat, and toss it out of the cabin. Serving cooked meat was the hardest thing to do while I worked at the diner. The only blessing was that Becky didn’t prepare the blood-dripping horror I just got rid of. I look through the kitchen and there are no vegetables. I settle on bread and cheese, though I’m no longer hungry. I just know I need to eat.
“You stay here or when I find you I’ll lock you up,” were the last words Tyboll yelled before he left.
I thought about challenging his dictate, but right now I am too tired. I finish my meal and walk outside in the opposite direction from the barely cooked meat. My hope is that a wild animal will take it away in the night. This is what I did with all the meat given to me over the years by the bear clan as payment. My mother accepted their offering and then gave it to the wildlife, so I did the same. Maybe I should have said something, but politeness was ingrained. We took whatever someone was able to give and thanked the Goddess for the gift. I haven’t done that recently and that’s why I’m heading into the forest.
I find a spot and slowly remove my clothing. I fold them neatly and lay them at the base of a large tree. With a broken tree branch, I form my circle. It’s large enough that I can stretch out on the ground in the middle if I need to. As soon as the ends of the circle join, I feel the call of the Goddess. I stand in the center and lift my face to the sky. Slowly, I raise my arms with my palms up.
“Goddess of light. Goddess of darkness. Goddess of death. Goddess of life. Goddess of land and Goddess of sea. Thank you for the gifts you bestow upon me.”
Light swells as the Goddess accepts my thanks. It radiates from my body and shines outward past the circle. The beauty of the forest lights up as I absorb the energy the Goddess gives me. I slowly spin around, feeling as one with nature. Tyboll has not taken all my power. Right now, I cannot feel that he has any of it. I’m exhilarated and realize I am not meant to live with humans. I must have the forest.
When the light from the Goddess finally dims, I shift to my bear form. Using my powerful legs, I leap over the plants that have sprung up within the circle. Using my nose, I break the circle and head to a tall tree. I climb as high as the limbs will hold me and settle in. I’ve spent plenty of nights high in a tree. It feels right after I’ve connected with the Goddess. Within a few weeks the plants that sprout will provide food. Until then, I will forage.
“Did you poison my father again?”
I peer down and there is a young boy standing at the base of the tree. Strangely enough I didn’t hear him approach. “You must be Patreous, son of Tyboll, sister to Mandy,” I say telepathically, enjoying the fact that I can speak this way with someone other than Tyboll.
He crosses his arms in a very adult manner. “I am all those things and you are my new mother, a witch, and the poisoner of my father.”
Mother. I like the sound of that. “No, I did not poison your father again. What ails him other than stubbornness, stupidity, and an ego that fills an entire forest?”
Much like his father, he rolls his eyes. “He is ill and says you have poisoned him again.”
I shouldn’t be worried, but a niggling of alarm rolls through me. “He is wrong. What are his symptoms?”
“He ate Mandy’s dinner and began vomiting immediately afterward. Honey picked him up and carried him outside because he made a mess of the cabin. Mandy is not happy. She told me to find you. His meal-hurling has woken up the devil child and none of us will sleep for many hours yet.”
His serious tone and the look on his face have me fighting a smile. This child is precious. Tyboll hurling—not so much. I was actually looking forward to spending the night in a tree. “I’m coming down and we will go and check on your father.”
“You are his mate and that is as it should be. I’ve never heard him groan so loudly.”
My mate is a wimp, but I like his son. I follow Patreous. I hear Tyboll much sooner than I actually see him.
“The witch has poisoned me all because I like sex. This is your fault. I should never have gone after her. She is…” He stops talking as his stomach rebels.
Honey, or at least the one I assume is Honey, is pacing when I finally see him. “What have you done, witch?” he demands.
I don’t like his tone. “I haven’t poisoned him, but did you ask your mate? I hear she has a way with mushrooms, much as I do.” I walk over to Tyboll, who is now slumped to the ground only a few inches from his last hurl.
“Do not touch me, witch,” he says when I place my hand down to check him.
“I didn’t poison you. Something has made you ill and if I touch you, I may be able to feel the energy of the illness and do something to help.”
He groans loudly before closing his eyes. “Do your worst,” he mutters.
I lean down and touch his hand. Cool, almost cold. That in itself is strange. “When did this begin?”
“About thirty minutes ago,” Honey answers.
“Are you in pain?” I ask Tyboll as I check his pulse.
“No, I just can’t stop tossing up my guts.” He jerks away from my touch, goes to his hands and knees and dry heaves.
I look at Honey. “Call your vampire.” Beastkind push everything through their system quickly. Honey and Patreous aren’t sick and this makes no sense. What worries me the most is my circle. Did I pull energy from Tyboll and cause this illness? The vampire can fix it if that is the case. I’m wading through the unknown at this point. My heart aches over the thought that I may not be able to generate a circle without harming my mate.
Dmitri’s voice brings me from my thoughts. “What have you done to my bear now, witch?”
Why does everyone think I’ve done something?
“She is trying to help, my liege.” Patreous’s voice shakes as he speaks to the vampire. “She was no
t here when this happened and she says she did not poison him.”
Dmitri’s eyebrows arch. He picks Tyboll up as if he weighs nothing. His eyes go amber as he slowly lowers his mouth to Tyboll’s throat. A second from feeding, his eyes snap to mine and then he looks down at the man he holds. “Tyboll, do you give blood freely?” he whispers, but with our acute hearing everyone knows that he asks.
“Just end this infernal suffering,” Tyboll groans with his eyes closed.
Dmitri watches me as he drinks. His amber eyes are hard and I know exactly why he isn’t happy.
Tyboll is witch.
Chapter Eighteen
Tyboll
I wake from what feels like a winter hibernation. I’m starving and the rumble in my stomach only enhances my need for food. Something smells wonderful. I’m naked in my bed and vaguely recall my illness the night before. I remember Dmitri coming to the rescue. I also remember my thoughts that Veda poisoned me again. Unlikely, because I ate nothing before going to Mandy’s. She is a witch, though, and there’s no telling what they’re capable of.
My nose leads me to the kitchen. Veda stirs a large pot on the stove. I peer over her shoulder to see what has such an amazing smell. Without looking at me she speaks, “Clothes or I will not feed you, bear.”
“Humph.” I wrap my arms around her and run my nose down the side of her face and stop at her neck. “I could eat you, woman, and I’d start right here.” She stops stirring the pot. I can smell her arousal. I bite down gently on the skin holding my attention. “How did you know I’m not dressed?” I breathe against the mark I’ve just left.
“My witchy ways. You need to eat and then we will talk.”
I cup one of her breasts, enjoying the soft flesh beneath her shirt. “Talking gets us in trouble. Fucking keeps us amiable.”
Fang Chronicles: Tyboll Page 7