by Lola Taylor
Home sweet mansion.
“What do you think is going to happen?”
“I don’t know,” he said after a while. He held her tighter, reminding her of his earlier promise, that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
She intended for that promise to work both ways.
She snuggled closer to him, spreading her fingers over the taut muscles in his chest. Exhaustion began overtaking her, turning the world blurry and her thoughts to mush.
“If this is what forever would look like with you, I can’t say I’d mind.”
She was asleep before she could hear his response, a smile on her face. For the first time in a while, she was content. Maybe she would have tried to savor it a little bit longer if she’d known it would all come crashing down the next day.
Gage didn’t sleep the entirety of the night for fear he’d doze off and wake to find this had all been a dream. As the early morning sunlight spilled through the window and onto the blond of his mate’s hair, he marveled at how angelic she looked. Her face was peaceful, that same tiny smile spread across her cherry lips that she’d had when she’d fallen asleep in his arms last night. She’d accepted him when he told her about his past, about the future she would face. And his brave she-wolf had taken it all with surprising grace and strength. She was more than he ever could have hoped for. His sweet, perfect Danica.
A stray curl of blond hair lay across her cheek. Gently, he stroked it back, his heart swelling as she whimpered and snuggled closer to him.
A soft knock at the door diverted his attention.
What is it? he said via their telepathic pack-link, not bothering to hide his irritability. Since Danica had come barreling into his life, he never wanted to be disturbed while in her presence. He never wanted to take another second with her for granted.
Sorry, man, Nik’s voice said in his mind. But we’ve got a lead on the witch who sold Onyx the cloaking charm.
Where?
She runs a private practice. Lives out in the boondocks about an hour from here.
Be right out. Have the car ready in ten. Fetch Erik. He’s coming with us.
Gage heard Nik hurry away. He hated rousing Danica, but he wasn’t about to leave her here. No, he was never going to let her out of his sight again.
He nuzzled her neck. She sighed and stretched out beside his mostly naked form. Slowly, her eyes opened and she smiled. With the light caught in her hair, she looked like sunshine. Hell, if every morning was going to be like this, he never wanted to get out of bed again.
“Morning,” she said sleepily.
“Morning,” he said gently. “I’m sorry to wake you, but we have a lead on the witch who helped Onyx.”
She sat straight up. “Well, what are we waiting for?”
He grinned, his admiration for her growing. Good lord, he was falling hard and fast for this one. He just hoped they didn’t crash before they were able to bond forever.
Gage had already prepared his room with a change of clothes for her. It seemed natural, with her being his future queen. They both got out of bed and dressed in a hurry before meeting Nik and Erik downstairs. Nik was wearing typical battle attire—sweatpants and a hoodie that had a picture of a bottle of moonshine and a caption that read “I got Moonstruck in Moonstruck.” Not the cleverest title, but he seemed to like wearing it, calling it his “lucky hoodie.”
Erik was dressed a little more practically. The older wolf had on camo, the dog tags from his army days dangling around his neck. Gage and Danica greeted them. “Thanks for coming,” Gage told Erik.
He chuckled, shaking his head. “After serving that prick Malachite for so long, I’m never going to get used to hearing my Alpha actually thanking me for doing something he could have easily commanded me to do.”
Danica looked at him curiously.
“Alphas can force their cohorts to do their bidding,” Gage explained. “Some abuse that power, turning their packmates into slaves.”
“That’s terrible.”
“It was,” Gage replied, then led her down the steps.
The car was waiting out front, the heater going full blast. Nik and Erik took the front seats while Gage and Danica crawled into the back. The car took off a moment later.
He stared out the window, brooding. The more he thought about it, the more taking Danica along seemed like a bad idea. But the thought of leaving her there, unprotected….
She wouldn’t be unprotected, though, would she? his conscience said slyly. She would just be where he couldn’t see her, which would drive him bonkers. He had no intention of hovering over her, but considering the situation, he failed to see how he could do anything but. He couldn’t afford to be reckless about this, not when it meant losing the thing he valued most on this earth.
“You’re worrying.”
Gage looked up to find Danica watching him curiously. “I’m fine. Just thinking,” he lied.
“You’re tapping your foot,” she said, pointing.
He looked down, finding his foot had begun patting out its own nervous rhythm. He hadn’t noticed.
“It’s the same habit I have when I get worked up over something. Drives my coworkers crazy when I’m wearing heels.”
I’ll be damned. He had the feeling she could read him like a book if she wanted to. The only other person who could do that was Nik.
Gage bit his lip, bouncing back and forth between his options and getting all the more anxious for it.
On the verge of telling Nik to turn around so Gage could place Danica under maximum security, he started to open his mouth when she reached over and grabbed his hand.
He blinked, looking down.
With a small, confident smile, she squeezed his hand, and his agitation slipped away. He squeezed back, enjoying her nearness and the strength it gave him.
“Teammates work together,” she said.
He slowly smiled. “That they do.” He wasn’t used to sharing power. The closest confidante he had in his pack was Nik, but even he knew his place. With Danica, he would have to start thinking about her as a partner and not as her protector, though he intended never to stop that aspect. He already knew the first time he kissed her that he’d die for her.
Several cars followed them, about half his pack, a string of trucks, SUVs, and two-door sports cars that made an odd caravan. Witches were clever. If she became aware of their approach, she might call for help herself. They needed to be prepared for the worst, though he hoped through a little diplomacy, it wouldn’t come to blows, magical or otherwise. After dealing with so much death and destruction in the old regime of his pack, he’d vowed to work hard toward peace in any situation.
“Tell the others to wait about a mile out and to surround her property,” Gage said. “I don’t want her growing skittish.”
“Yes, sir,” Nik said. He pressed a button, giving Gage and Danica privacy as the opaque black glass scrolled up.
Danica looked tense. She was wringing the bottom of her blouse with her free hand, staring out the window while tapping her foot. He smiled at that. “What do you think will happen once we get there?” she asked.
He sighed. “It’s anyone’s guess. It depends on how hostile she is. I won’t draw first blood, but I will defend my own.” He squeezed her hand tighter.
She relaxed somewhat, staring at the back of her hand. “So, are all new werewolves made by Marks?”
“Yes. Though mates can only be marked by touch. All others have to be bitten by a werewolf in wolf form for the Mark to appear.”
“So you and your brothers…”
“Yes. We were attacked.”
Gage closed his eyes. He could still see the blood in the snow in the back of his mind, where he’d buried all other dark memories of his past. Like the possibility of his oldest brother, Elijah, dying in a pack brawl or in a gutter. He was always hanging around a rough crowd, even by were standards. No one had heard from him in forever. Gage and Nik had given up hope they’d find him alive. Hel
l, Gage wouldn’t know what he would say to him if they did find him. Some ghosts were better laid to rest.
He opened his eyes, banishing the thought of a once well-loved smile he’d grown to despise.
Danica cocked her head to the side. “You okay?”
He looked at her and smiled. “I am now.”
That pretty blush returned to her cheeks, and she stared at her lap. The skirt she wore was short, showing off her smooth, creamy thighs. He may or may not have planned it that way. He wanted to run his hands over her legs, feel their softness, and touch other parts of her.
“So we’re to be mated,” she said softly.
“Yes.” There was no beating around the bush. It was either going to happen or it wasn’t. Throat tight, he said, “I would never force you into something you didn’t want. The Change will still happen. I can’t do anything about that. But I can give you your freedom if you want to walk away from this pack… from me.”
Danica was silent for so long, his heart nearly pounded out of his chest waiting for her to respond. “I don’t want to walk away,” she whispered at last, meeting his gaze. “Even saying it out loud feels like I’m ripping my heart out, corny as it sounds.”
His own heart sped up a beat as relief flooded him. “I don’t want you to, either. I want this, more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”
He leaned in without realizing he was doing it. Her breath caught right before his lips covered hers in a questioning kiss. The question is, he thought to her, do you want it too? It wasn’t just permission to continue he sought. He needed to know she was committed to this, to him.
She responded, closing her eyes and kissing him back. For a few precious seconds, their kisses were innocent and sweet. Her tongue flicked out to meet his, and he deepened the kiss, reaching around her and pulling her close. She still had hold of his hand. Before he fully realized what she was doing, he felt his fingertips slide up her skirt and touch her soft curls. She was soaked—and not wearing any underwear from what he could feel.
He leaned back to look her in the eyes as he touched her. She gasped as his fingers caressed her, his thumb running along her sex. She arched her back, and he kissed her beautiful neck as his fingers went deeper, going a little farther each time.
“Yes,” she whispered raggedly, bucking her hips to his movements. “Just like that.”
“I can’t wait to be one with you,” he said into her ear.
A groan was his answer. He knew the two wolves up front could sense and hear everything going on, but hell if he cared. His mate was opening up to him, and it made him the happiest—and the horniest—he had been in years.
She laid her head back against the seat, sighing softly as he touched her. He wanted to please her, more so than any other woman he’d been with. He needed to make her happy. He wanted her to come with him inside her, sealing their bond permanently, but he knew he’d have to be patient.
That can wait.
He went deeper and deeper, reaching for her sweet spot. He knew he’d found it when she gasped sharply. Her nipples stood erect against the white blouse, showing through the sheer material of the thin, lacy bra she wore. She was so damn sexy. Her hip thrusts became more frantic as he reached into her, nipping her core, growing harder as he watched chills break out over her skin.
“Yes. More. Faster,” she breathed.
He obeyed, all too willing to give her what she wanted. Her panting steamed up the window, and sweat broke out over her chest. “Gage,” she whimpered.
“Come for me,” he said.
A strangled cry escaped her throat before she clamped down on her bottom lip, bucking several times before lounging like putty in his arms. She lay there panting.
He kissed her damp cheek. “Feel better?”
“Much. Thank you.”
“The pleasure was all mine.” Giving her one last stroke, he pulled his hand out of her and licked his fingertips, one by one.
She went silent, staring at him. Her tongue ran over her lips, and she leaned forward, kissing him slowly. When she leaned back, she licked her lips again, tasting herself.
That alone was almost enough to make him jerk down his pants and thrust into her right there in the car. The ritual be damned. He needed to mate with her, and soon, otherwise he’d lose his mind.
The car came to a stop, and Nik’s voice spoke through the intercom. “We’re, er, here, sire,” he said, letting on he had heard them. “Not picking up on any paranormal signatures. I don’t think she’s here.”
“All the better. We’ll still scope her place out.”
Gage reached over and straightened Danica’s skirt and blouse. He helped her pull on her jacket, leaning in to kiss her one last time. “You don’t have to come in.”
“I want to. This whole thing started because of me.”
He cupped her face. “And I thank God it did, because it led me to you.”
She smiled, leaning into his hand and closing her eyes. Kissing his palm, she twined her fingers with his. He reluctantly let go to get out of the car, walk around to her side, and open the door for her. After helping her out, he pulled her close as they walked to the door with Nik on the other side of her. Erik stayed with the car in case something went down outside.
Nik and Gage listened by the front door of the old log cabin a moment before trying the knob. It was unlocked. Nik shoved the door open, both of them waiting to see if any wards would go off.
Nothing happened. The place had been abandoned.
Gage swore, feeling that crushing despair sinking in. They were already too late to catch the only lead they had.
“Let’s see what we can find,” he said gruffly.
“I’ll go first.” Nik went in without waiting for Gage’s response.
Gage slapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Be careful.”
“Aren’t I always, cupcake?” Nik said with a grin, and went inside.
Gage had never known a more loyal friend. They’d die for each other. Gage did owe him his life. Without Nik, he’d be lost, probably starving in a gutter somewhere. It was Nik who’d earned them the right to try out for the pack, being the stronger of the two brothers at the time.
After a moment, Nik reappeared and gestured them to come inside. “There’s not much here. Smells like a hundred cats took a piss in here.”
“So witches do keep cats,” Danica murmured as she and Gage stepped inside.
Gage smiled slightly. “Familiars, to be exact. A powerful witch or warlock can look through the eyes of her or his familiar, often using them as spies. The more familiars they have, the more powerful the witch or warlock tends to be.”
Danica looked fascinated by everything around her. Gage couldn’t imagine her hanging out in any New Age shops, so she probably was intrigued by all this. Pentagrams, cursing dolls, rows and rows of potions and dusty spell books took up every inch of free space in the tight cabin. One room was set off to the side, complete with a crystal ball and spooky lighting. It was cleaner than the rest of the place, probably where the reclusive witch met her clients and ripped them off. Most people didn’t believe in magic, thus falling prey to the more cunning witches and warlocks. All it took was one charm, and the client would get home only to discover their bank account was emptied and they couldn’t remember where they’d been.
Gage kept Danica close as they set about tearing the place apart for any clue as to whether Onyx had hired her, or if someone else had hired both witch and wolf. Nik wasn’t kidding when he said the place smelled like a gigantic litter box that hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. Danica was handling it surprisingly well, her cute little nose curled up in disgust the only indication it was bothering her. Her full wolf senses wouldn’t develop until after her first Change, bless her heart.
It became clear within the first few minutes this witch was anything but tidy. It also became apparent that as they sifted through her dusty junk it was going to be highly unlikely they’d find anything of any valu
e in here. Gage was about ready to call it quits when he moved aside a stack of papers and his eyes fixed on a familiar symbol. “Check this out.”
Nik walked over to where Danica and Gage stood. “It’s another one of those charms.”
“We’re at the right witch’s house, all right. It’s identical.” Gage frowned. “Now if we could just find a ledger or a receipt book.” Paranormals weren’t exempt from tax laws; the Underworld’s government didn’t differ much from the human’s on that note.
They nearly tore the place apart trying to find a receipt book, but at last they found one. They combed through it, not seeing Onyx’s name but finding a “Mistress Black” scrawled across several receipts. None of them indicated any patterns or gave any clue as to what the buyer was needing the spells for. Most were standard potions, though several advanced cloaking charms of the variety Gage found on Onyx had been purchased.
“Do you think this Mistress Black is connected to Onyx?” Nik asked.
“I’m not sure. Possibly. She could be involved in one of the witch mafias we’ve heard about being active around here lately.”
Danica’s eyes widened. “Witches have mafias?”
Gage grinned, nudging her. “Bet you didn’t expect that, did you?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t expect any of this. It’s a lot to take in.”
He winced, reminded of how different she was from him. When his eyes fell on the Mark, his regret went away. It didn’t matter where she’d come from—she belonged with him now.
Intending to hold onto the receipt book, Gage tucked it into his pocket, then checked his watch. “We should get going. Our scents will be all over this place, and though it looks abandoned, I don’t want to take any chances.” He reached for Danica’s waist and tucked her against him as he said it.
They walked quickly toward the door. The instant they set foot outside, Gage and Nik immediately tensed.