“Landyn, I need you,” she purrs, but I shake my head in defiance. No, I want to play with her for a bit longer. I want to taste more of what is mine.
She leans up on her elbows and stares at me as I make my way down her body, placing kisses along her stomach to the patch of hair at the apex of her thighs. When I finally reach my destination, I drag my tongue across her seam, then stop at her clit to swirl my tongue. Her fingers immediately fly to my head and hold me in place as I tease her sensitive bundle, alternating between licking and sucking. Her legs begin to quiver, and her fingers dig into me as I slide two of my fingers inside her, sawing them in and out of her tight pussy. I suck her hard at the same time that I curl my fingers, hitting her g-spot, and she spirals. Her thighs tighten around me as she rides out her orgasm on my lips, and I lick up every drop. When I sit back up and meet her eyes, I feel that same tugging sensation inside me, demanding that I claim her. That I make her mine. I push the feelings down, edging closer to her as I stroke my painfully hard and swollen cock. The bulbous head feels as if it could burst, and there is a large amount of pre-cum on the tip. This is not going to last long.
But I have forever.
I shake that thought from my mind as I rub the head of my cock through her folds, teasing her clit a bit more. Once I find her entrance, I slam home with no preamble and groan as I bottom out. She chokes on a sob as I pound into her, her nails digging into my back. She moans my name over and over as she writhes beneath me.
Mine.
Mine.
Mine.
The mantra chants in my head with every thrust, and I feel my hands half shift into talons and rip them through the bed. I growl and whip my head, trying to keep control of my beast. My griffin is begging to be let out. To chase her and make her beg for me.
“Landyn, I’m close. Harder, Lan. Pleeeease—” she moans huskily, tears in her eyes. I give her what she wants, fucking her within an inch of my life, and she takes all I have to give gladly. I look down at her to see her skin has paled, her eyes have changed to an eerie black, and her ears have lengthened to a point. She looks up at me like I’m the gravity to hold her in place, that she sees my monster and welcomes him with open arms. That her darkness would forever embrace mine. I roar my climax as I feel her explode.
“Mine,” I growl, my voice sounding inhuman and my heart feeling as if it might burst. Her mouth drops open as she looks at me in surprise, her features returning to what I recognize. “You are mine, Calluna.”
Calluna
“What?” I ask, looking up at the man above me. “I—I don’t understand.”
“You’re my mate, Calluna,” Landyn says matter-of-factly, his softening cock still inside me. “I don’t understand why I didn’t realize it before, but it’s clear to me now. You’re mine.” His face looks as if he’s torn between resolution and pain. Pain.
I knew you had a thing for broken animals, but not broken men.
Lars’ words echo in my head as I gaze up at a man that looks as if he’s being given the whole world, only for it to be immediately taken away. The words are caught in my throat, as if they are surrounded by peanut butter. I can’t swallow them, and I can’t force them out. They’re just stuck. His face drops, and he pulls away from me to sit on the edge of the bed. “You don’t feel it.”
“No. No—I do,” I say, pulling myself up and wrapping my arms around the back of him. “I just don’t understand why this just kicked in tonight. Or why you look like someone gave you a present and shot your dog simultaneously.”
“I’m no good for you, Callie,” he groans and rubs his hand against his face. “I’m not good. I can’t make you happy.”
“What?” I ask, straightening up behind him. “What are you saying?” My voice cracks, and my heart drops into my stomach.
He continues to stare down, shaking his head. “I can’t do this. You deserve someone better for a mate.”
“How did we get here, Landyn? You were just claiming that I’m yours, saying that I’m your mate, and now what? You changed your mind?” I feel my chest clenching, and my throat burns with unshed tears.
He turns towards me, and his face looks completely devastated. “Calluna, do you know what I did to people? I captured and killed vampires. I tortured them, and I remember it all. My hands are stained with the blood of innocents.”
“What are you talking about?” I shake my head, touching his shoulder gently. “That wasn’t you. Rose said that Shani manipulated you.”
“I almost killed Rose. I captured her, Sebastian, and Reg. They should have fucking killed me.” He puts his face in his hands, and his chest heaves as sobs wrack his body. “Even if she did manipulate me, why would you want someone with such a weak mind? How can I protect you as your mate, if I can’t even protect myself?”
“Landyn, this is stupid. I don’t need someone to protect me. I only need you. You said it yourself—we’re mates.”
“I think you should go, Calluna,” he says, his voice strangely flat.
“Landyn, stop this.” I clench my teeth together until it hurts, refusing to cry.
“Go,” he grates out again, coldly. I stand up from the bed and grab my clothes, then pull them onto my body. I look over at him, and he’s just sitting there with his face in his hands. After a sharp intake of breath, I open the door and walk back into Vee.
I push through the people still busy having their drunken fun and dancing in the strobe lights. Their bodies move almost robotically as I push through, and I feel as if I’m being suffocated by them. Everyone feels too close, too loud. I shove faceless bodies out of my way, the exit in sight. As I draw closer, I see Reggie standing up straight and gazing over the crowd with his hands folded in front of him, looking as intimidating as ever.
“Calluna. Find your man?” he asks with a knowing smile.
“Yeah, I found him. He needs help, Reggie, serious help,” I say, barely holding in the tears.
Reg’s face hardens, and he lifts his sunglasses to look at me closely. “What happened? Did he do something?”
“I’ve got to go. Tell Rose I said sorry that I couldn’t stay.” I push past him and out into the darkness. Once my feet hit the pavement, I start running down the street, needing to escape this place.
“Calluna!” Reggie yells out the door and into the night, but I ignore him, wanting nothing more than to be alone right now.
I only run for about a block, then stop because I’m not built for running. I walk towards my house, panting from exertion and begging the tears to wait. Just a couple more blocks. Almost there. Please, just don’t cry.
Once my hand grabs onto the handle of my apartment building, I can no longer hold in the tears. A sob rips from my throat as I dig in my purse for my keys, knowing better than to bother with the elevator that never works.
“Need me to fucking kill someone?”
I look up to see one of my neighbors, Juniper, staring at me and looking completely serious. “I-I–” I stutter as more tears come. When did I become this punk assed bitch? Crying over a man? Even if it does feel like he ripped my heart from my very chest and ground his damn boot into it.
“I have these new spelled dildos. Just say his name, and I can send them straight to him. They’ll fly straight through the air at him in a swarm, like the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz, and slap him right in the face. If he really fucked up, I could add in some extras.” She smiles at me, placing her hand on my shoulder. “Just say the word.”
“I’ll get back to you. Right now, I just need quiet.”
Juniper frowns, then nods. “You know, I had this book that I think would help you out right now. But I gave it to someone else.”
“A book?” I ask in confusion.
“Yeah, a stupid romance book. It had some interesting quirks though.”
“Wha—” My breathing becomes quicker, and I look towards the stairs. “I gotta go.”
“All I need is a name! Then flying dildo monkeys!” she yells after
me, and I just know that her crazy ass is serious. Maybe I’ll take her up on it, but first I need to get to that book.
I bust into my apartment and I’m immediately greeted by barks and other random noises, but I run straight to my bedroom and start crawling on the floor. Jake comes up behind me and gets onto my back, sitting on me like we’re playing horsey.
“Jake, get the fuck off!” I spit out, getting on my stomach to look under the bed. I see it lying there, open with its cover face up. “There you are!” I yell, just as Jake scuttles under the bed and pulls it out of my reach. He begins giggling like a mix between a hyena and a monkey, bouncing it in front of my fingers tauntingly.
“Jacob Black, you bring me that book or no supper!” I yell, completely bluffing. I pound my fist on the floor, and he immediately begins imitating me. An idea hits me, and I start banging both fists on the ground until he starts to do the same, dropping the book. With one quick swipe, I reach out and snatch the book away from him, fumbling for it before he can get his grubby little paws on it again. “Ah-ha!” I boast, and he begins hissing at me like a cat.
I look over the book more closely and flip through the pages. I run over to my cabinet, keeping the book in my hands and my eyes on Jake, and grab some of my crystals and candles. I set them up in the way I remember doing before and lay the crystals on the top of the cover. I close my eyes and concentrate, feeling the small ball of magic ignite in my chest. “Reveal,” I say quietly and open my eyes. It feels insane that I didn’t see it before, that I didn’t feel it before. Magic radiates off the book in waves. I stare at the color of the magic and grab a spell book off my nightstand. Love. Someone spelled this book. I read it and–
“Oh god,” I say quietly, the realization moving though my body. This book, this book did this.
Rhett
I wake up, and I’m practically bouncing. “Damian! Wake up! Let’s go!”
He groans and rolls over, picking up his phone and looking at the time. “What the hell, Rhett? It’s not even eight.”
“I want to stop by Jewels Cafe when they open, get some coffee for Calluna, and meet her at the shop when she gets there.”
He smiles at me sweetly, rubbing his eyes. “You’re too cute.”
I shove him, then lean down and kiss him. I am cute. “I’m excited, okay? Yesterday was amazing. I just want to see her. To kiss her.”
“You’re like a lovesick teenager,” he says to me, smiling and shaking his head. “Besides, I have to work today. I have a few appointments, and I told Calluna that I would send some of my kids to her to help her out in the shop.”
“Good,” I say, smiling even wider. “More help in the shop means more free time for her.”
He stands and walks towards the bathroom, yelling over his shoulder, “I don’t expect you to wait for me.”
“Wasn’t planning on it!” I yell back as I quickly pull on some clothes, then run into the bathroom behind him to brush my teeth while he showers. “See you later, babe!” I say, putting my head around the shower curtain and taking a peek at his tasty ass as I do.
“Tell her hi for me.” He grins, noticing my gaze and winking at me.
I walk to my garage, open it, and pull out my motorcycle. Maybe I can talk her into going on a ride with me. She seemed to like the dirt bike, maybe she’d like the bigger version even better. I put on my sunglasses and throw my leg over my beautiful black baby, then start her engine, living for the sound of her purr. I fly down the streets and get to Beastie Besties in no time, leaving my bike parked out front and walking to Jewels Cafe, as there is no way I can carry coffees on the bike. I get there quickly, run inside, and grab three coffees—one for me, one for Calluna, and one for Lars. Nothing wrong with getting in good with the bestie.
As I get back to the shop, I see that the ‘open’ sign is now facing the outside, so I walk up to the door, juggling the coffees as I walk inside. “Good morning, beautiful,” I say as I walk in and find myself alone with Lars.
“Why, thank you. I have to say, you’re really growing on me,” Lars says with a devilish smile. If it weren’t for Calluna and Damian, I would find his roguish good looks and charm attractive.
“No Calluna yet?” I ask, walking over to him and handing him one of the coffees. “I wanted to surprise her.”
“Thanks.” He raises the coffee to me with a nod before taking a big gulp. “No, she isn’t here yet. To be honest, I half expected her to be with you guys, though she did go to Vee last night.”
“Vee? Really?” I reply, a twinge of jealousy roaring through me. “I wonder why.”
“Not a clue. Said something about a ‘new and improved fucking Calluna’ and left. I have no idea what’s up with her lately,” Lars says thoughtfully.
I sit there with him and wait for over an hour, eventually getting up and playing with a variety of animals, as well as helping Lars clean cages and feed the animals. I can’t understand where she could be, or why she hasn’t at least called Lars. Fuck, I don’t even have her number.
I pull out my phone and send Damian a text, asking for her number, and he texts back immediately with her digits and another text asking if she’s alright. I text him back, telling him that she probably just overslept, then open a new message to text her.
Me: I hope you like cold coffee.
Beautiful: Cold coffee? Who is this?
Me: Your foxy lover ;)
Beautiful: Rhett?
Me: Of course, do you have any other foxy lovers? Now get your pretty ass to your shop so I can surprise you with cold coffee and my presence.
Beautiful: I’ll be in soon :)
I slide my phone back in my pocket, a smile plastered on my face.
“Is the princess planning to show up today?” Lars asks, obviously seeing my smile. “Or are you texting Prince Charming?”
“Why don’t I get to be Prince Charming?” I ask, pretending to be insulted. “But yes, she said she’ll be in soon.”
“Damian just seems more charming than you.” He smiles at me, then pauses, looking at me carefully. “Is she your mate?”
“What did she tell you?” I ask, curious as to why Calluna hasn’t shared this with her best friend already.
Lars frowns. “Not much. Asked me a lot of questions about mates around the time you two showed up. Is it both of you?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Don’t hurt her. I know that this mate bond is drawing you to her, both of you. But you and Damian are together. I can only assume this will end badly.” He continues to frown at me, his body rigid.
I shake my head. “We want her, both of us.”
“You can’t stop being gay. You’re just going to get her all tied up in this and then realize that you and Damian can’t do this anymore.”
I slam my fist on the table, stirring up some of the animals in the room. “That isn’t how this is going to end up.”
I look at him and see his rigidity, his fists clenching and unclenching. His jaw is tight as he grinds his teeth together. I don’t let my eyes leave his, glaring at him with all my intensity and showing him how serious I am about this. He knows nothing about Damian and me, or about our relationship with Calluna. The bell rings suddenly, indicating that someone has entered the shop, but neither of us pulls our attention away from the other.
“What’s going on here?” Calluna asks, her voice sounding raspy to my ears. I look over to her and see that her eyes are puffy and she looks exhausted. Her hair is in its usual messy bun, and she’s looking at us both in confusion.
“I was just letting foxy-boy here know the lay of the land,” Lars says with a fake smile plastered on his lips.
“Oh, I’d love to hear all about the lay of the land. Especially in regards to my land,” Calluna spits out.
“It’s nothing, beautiful. Here’s your coffee that was hot an hour ago.” I hand her the cup from Jewels Cafe and smile at her warmly.
“Thank you, Rhett. I’m sorry that I ruined your surprise, but I reall
y do appreciate it. It was sweet,” she says with a small smile. I push her bangs from her eyes and behind her ear, keeping my hand on her cheek. She smiles up at me, then pushes onto her toes and places a kiss on my lips.
“I do have to run somewhere really quick.” She bites her lip as she looks up at me. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” I ask, my brow creasing in concern.
“No, I’ll just be a bit.” She looks over to Lars and points at him, her eyes squinting into a glare. “You be nice. Damian should be sending those kids over soon, hopefully. I’ll be back beforehand, but if not, show them the ropes.”
“Aye-aye, captain,” Lars says with an exaggerated salute, causing her frown to deepen before she walks back out the door.
Calluna
My annoyance flares as I exit my shop. The freaking nerve of Lars is outrageous, trying to warn off Rhett. He acts like he wants me to do shit, then when I start doing shit, he gets all huffy. Fucking men. After my night with Landyn, the last thing I need is another huffy man, especially one that I’m not even getting the joy of fucking from.
Anger continues to pulse in my veins as I cross the street, barely taking the time to look both ways. My eyes zero in on Black Moon Magick, and I pick up my pace, ready to burst into the store and show Falcar the book. If anyone could tell me what kind of magic the book holds, it would be Falcar. I push open the door, and the bell rings, but I don’t see anyone around.
“Falcar?” I announce my presence as I survey the room. The sounds of humming draws my attention, and I begin walking towards the back of the store, listening carefully. It almost sounds as if magic is being done, so I step gently, trying not to disturb Falcar.
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