Beyond The Veil: A Paranormal & Magical Romance Boxed Set
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“Callum!”
“Yes, baby. I know it’s good.” Glancing up at Marisol, he watched her lick her lips. Her eyes were almost half-closed. She looked so damn sensual and he was sure she didn’t even realize it. He cupped her round ass, lifted her higher, and touched his tongue to her glazed nub. Her scent, arousal, and taste teased the beast part of him. He wanted to shift, but he fought the urge. Wolves preferred to have sex while in their wolf form. He couldn’t do it with Marisol. He closed his eyes then sucked her nub, loving the feel of it between his tongue and the roof of his mouth. Using his two fingers, he penetrated her tight passage.
“Callum.” Marisol moved her hips in a thrusting motion, fucking his mouth.
Warm juices covered his lips and his slick tongue. “Hmm...yeah, baby.” It was too good; he couldn’t stop thrusting his hips on the bed. He wanted to fuck her now, feel her walls wrap around his dick while he move in and out of her. God, he so fucking wanted to come. Marisol quivered when he grazed her clitoris with his teeth. “I want you to come in my mouth. Oh fuck, you taste so great.”
Marisol’s sharp nails raked his scalp, but the pain only heightened his pleasure. Opening his mouth wide, he worshipped her body. Marisol’s breathing became faster and ragged. Her walls were tight around his fingers.
“Callum, oh my God. I’ve never... So good.”
She was close to reaching her orgasm. He could feel it. Callum gave her one long lick and then continued sucking her.
“Don’t stop. Oh my God. Don’t—Callum!”
“Hmm…” He didn’t stop sucking her and finger-fucking her until Marisol’s legs relaxed its grip on his head. Callum slid back up her supple body until his mouth was inches above her. “Baby, tonight you’re gonna be mine.”
Marisol’s eyes were half-closed and her breathing fast. She looked as aroused as any woman could be. “Take me.”
“Hang on to me. Wrap your legs around my waist. Marisol, I’m long and I’ll grow bigger once I’m inside of you. Tell me if you want me to stop.” He would, even if it killed him. Guiding his dick on her entry, he slowly thrust, feeling for her maidenhead.
“Mari, love.”
“More, Callum.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You’ll never hurt me, Callum. Not on purpose.”
He eased more of his length inside her until he felt her hymen. “Baby,” he said. And he drove home. She’d gone tight beneath him. “Are you okay?” Sweet, so sweet he wanted to howl. Marisol’s slit was so tight. “Baby, answer me.”
“Yes. I’m fine, Callum. Good God, you’re big.”
Callum wasn’t sure if she was complaining or complimenting him. “You want me to stop?”
“No. What I want you to do is move.”
“Off you?”
“No, silly. Like the way you’re supposed to move. Make love with me, Callum.”
“Now who’s the bossy bossington?” Shifting from his position, he straightened and pulled Marisol’s legs to rest them on his thighs. His eyes on Marisol, he penetrated her deeper. Her flesh squeezed his thick heavy erection. He repeated his movement. Slow at first, until he couldn’t handle the urge to go faster. He pulled out until the head of his cock was almost out of her entry then drove deeper until he saw stars.
The bed creaked beneath them. Marisol screamed in his ears, but he was beyond control. He fucked her hard and fast. What he was feeling was primitive. Screwing was never this good but then, he wasn’t just screwing Marisol. He was making love.
Callum slowed his tempo and looked at Marisol. A thin sheen of perspiration covered her forehead. Her hair was wild and tangled. He kissed her open mouth. God, she was so beautiful.
“This is wonderful.” She dug her heels on his ass and hugged him tight.
The tenderness in her voice was too much for his wolf’s soul. It seared him deeply. His mind, his heart. Planting kisses all over her face, he whispered, “You’re mine.” He withdrew his cock, touched her, spread her lips, and then buried his dick inside her over and over as her nails raked his back and his hands wrapped behind her shoulders.
They held each other, bodies hot and rippling with pleasure. Callum couldn’t think or speak, only move. He’d had sex many times in the past, but it was never this good. Never this good.
He knew his infatuation with Marisol had gone deeper. What was so special about her? Whatever it was, it had him forgetting what he stood for.
“Marisol,” he breathed her name.
Marisol replied with a sexy moan. Her hold on him tightened and her muscles strained. She was nearing her peak again. Callum braced his arms on each side of her head and then began thrusting hard. He quickened his movement. “Fuck, baby. So good.”
Her hot wet grip on his cock undid him. They released their orgasms together. Their cries of pleasure mixed together like a chorus. It was only a miracle that he managed to pull out to spend his seed on her belly.
Gasping for breath, he collapsed on top of Marisol. “That was...”
“Perfect.”
They lay together, breathing fast as if they’d run a marathon, arms around each other’s hot body. He pulled Marisol tighter against him. “Yes. Perfect.”
Chapter Eleven
Rays of sunshine penetrated the white window blinds. He’d been awake for hours, lying in bed watching the yellow-orange hue dance on his white painted wall. An early riser, he couldn’t imagine wasting the morning away flat on his back. But this morning was different. Both he and Marisol welcomed the new day and fighting the Blood Robbers.
Callum turned his head slightly to the right to kiss the top of Marisol’s head. He’d almost forgotten how it felt to wake up with a woman on his side— howling great, romantic, arousing.
Last night changed everything. His life and hers. Especially hers. She wouldn’t be able to go back to her barn and use her pottery wheel without risking danger. Her Bisque It shop would remain closed until he made sure no danger would sneak up behind her. Marisol had made an enemy. Even when he restored her life, it would never be the same again.
Marisol shifted. The side of her knee lay on top of his groin and her slender arm wrapped around him—so trusting, innocent, fierce, sensual, and beautiful.
He was about to go back to sleep again when he heard the familiar sound of cars and motorcycles. The sound was faint, but audible. What took them so long?
Careful not to wake Marisol, he slowly moved her leg. He lifted her arm to his lips and kissed her soft skin. Marisol didn’t wake. She just curled on her side. He didn’t want to leave her, but if his brothers paid him a visit, they meant serious business.
Here we go. Ass whipping.
***
His brothers, Victor, Ty, Rodolf, and stepbrother Zambro, were already waiting in the living room. Callum had to laugh. Man, they need to find a different profession other than modeling for Abercrombie and Fitch. Tall and lithe, all four wore dark sunglasses, black shirt, shiny Chippewa boots, and low rider jeans. Unlike the models on television or magazines, his brothers were different. When provoked, they’d kill without blinking, without fear, without regret. Each one was skilled in his chosen weapon.
Like him, they were sentries living amongst the humans, bound by the ancient code they strictly followed. A code he’d recently ignored.
Except for Zambro, the only one in the family with shoulder-length blond hair, his other brothers sported the same gray-blond colored hair as his, cut unevenly, and shoulder length. Over six feet, his brothers seemed to fill the room. They were known as the Heartthrobs. As far as Callum was concerned, Heartbreakers would be more apt. Women were crazy about his brothers, but they never paid attention to any one of them. No. His brothers followed the Midnight Howl code the way their blood ran in their veins. They would never break the rules, including staying away from humans—beautiful or not. They only mingled with humans as sentries to get information, to spot Blood Robbers. It was part of their job. A job that they all took to heart.
“Hello, bros. To what do I owe this visit?”
“Your stupidity. What the fuck were you thinking?”
“I love you, too, Ty.” Callum met his brother’s angry stare.
“Cool it, Ty. Let our brother speak.” Victor, ever the peacemaker in the family, inclined his head at Callum. “You know why we’re here, Callum.”
“You got an email from Atos’s crib.”
“Yes. The asshole is livid about what happened to Pic.”
“He’d still be alive if he didn’t dare come to Marisol’s home. He and two other Blood Robbers came in search of the sword.”
“You stopped them from taking the sword, but now Atos wants your head.”
“That’s old news, Victor.”
“Callum, we thought you were dead. The snitch told us about Atos nearly cutting you in half.” Zambro’s gaze touched him from head to toe, as if trying to see the truth.
“He did. But as you can see, I’m still alive and kicking. Marisol helped me live. She used her poultice on me.”
“And you fucked her in exchange, out of gratitude?” Zambro growled the words.
“Oh? And you know that how?”
“Don’t insult my intelligence, Callum. I can smell her scent all over you. Why did you bring her here?”
“To keep her and the sword safe. She can’t stay in her house anymore. You’d have done the same if you were in my situation.”
“Wrong. Because unlike you, I’d never get involved with a human woman and break the principles that we stand for.”
Callum gritted his teeth. His brother was right. He’d grounded the Midnight Howl’s principles beneath his heel when he’d touched Marisol.
“Wow, bro.” Rodolf grinned. “You broke the code so many times in one day…and all because of a woman.”
“What, you listen outside my bedroom door now?”
Victor laughed. “Bro, Rodolf’s talking about your new habit of leaving the den alone, bringing a human to a shape-shifter’s home, and... Man, you just admitted that you slept with the woman.”
Callum wanted to wipe the grin off his brother’s face with his fist. “Bros, the sword is safe. Isn’t that what we care about?”
“Yes, the sword’s here, and so’s the woman who owns it. Guess you can’t fuck a sword, so you had to bring the woman too, eh?”
“Ty, got a bee in your bonnet?”
“Callum, you know where Ty’s coming from.” Victor gave him a sly smile.
“You’re living your last life, Callum. And you made a stupid move. If you die, you could turn. Do you think it would be fun for us to kill you if you became a Cancer?”
“No. You have to, though, Victor—if it happens.”
“See, that’s the thing. Ty’s angry because we don’t want to do anything to bring us closer to that possibility,” Rodolf said in his slow meticulous speech.
“I know, and I apologize for making you all worry about me.”
“Callum, by attaching yourself to Mark’s daughter, you’ve put her in a far worse situation than she’s in right now. She’s a liability. You won’t be able to fight with someone clinging on your pantaloons.”
“She knows how to fight. You should see how she swings her sword.”
“She’s still a human. Easily killed. She was lucky you were there to kill the Blood Robbers and save her.”
“Wrong, Ty. She killed two of them while I was fighting the third fucking Blood Robber. Pic included.”
“What?” his brothers asked in unison.
“You heard me. She killed the sons of bitches.”
“I’m sure there are more humans who can swing swords or throw spears.” Ty shrugged his wide shoulders.
“She’s capable of fighting.”
“Send her to Iraq or Afghanistan.”
“Ty, you’re testing my temper.”
“Callum, listen. We coexist with humans to protect them from the Blood Robbers. Not to get cozy with them. Getting involved with a woman is strictly prohibited. Our ancestors already made that mistake. We’re not going to have a repeat of that.”
“Victor, have you any idea how many Arcus and Crom married humans? How many children belong to our kind? Arcus’s and Crom’s descendants are everywhere. Including Marisol.”
“It has been thousands of years since the warlords prevented us from befriending humans,” Zambro interrupted. “The half-breeds are no longer half, but whole again. Marisol is human.”
“I will protect her at all cost. Mark was a good friend of mine, of our clan. How many lives did he save using his poultice? And his wife…she contributed too. They both died helping us. I’ll not renege on my promise.”
“You’re forgetting why you befriended Mark, Callum.”
“I didn’t forget. Didn’t I get the job done?”
“You did. So there’s no need to get too close to his daughter. Bro, protect the humans, but do not cross the line between friendship and your duty as a Midnight Howl. We’re here to stop the Blood Robbers from hurting them. If you really want to protect Marisol, take the sword now to keep the heat away from her.”
“With the Blood Robbers after her? How could I do that? She’s vulnerable.”
“And so is the rest of humanity. We can’t save each and every one of them.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Rodolf?”
“The friendship between humans and shape-shifters was the reason why Arcus and Crom clans fought each other. Don’t go soft on us.”
“Wrong, Rodolf. Humans were just the first step for Valdo. If the humans weren’t around, he would’ve gone after the Arcus instead.”
“He wouldn’t, because Youven owned a sword as powerful as his.”
“He was a greedy son of a bitch, Rodolf. Just like Atos. That’s why he’s after Youven’s sword.”
“That’s beside the point. The Midnight Howl was formed under the principle of sticking to our own kind. Protect the humans from the Blood Robbers, but don’t sit at the same dining table with them or spend a fucking night in bed. We’re of different breeding. Wolves and humans do not mix. Haven’t you learned anything from your history?”
“You’re being a hypocrite, Ty. You knew Mark as well as I did. He helped more than a handful of Midnight Howls.”
“And we’re doing the same thing. Every night we put ourselves at risk of stepping on animal traps, of getting killed by the Blood Robbers, or of turning into Cancers. As for Mark, we didn’t ask for his help. He took it upon himself to continue his wife’s work.”
Callum took a step closer to Ty. “Mark died helping our kind. It doesn’t matter if he volunteered or not, you fucking dick.”
“Fine! Yeah, I’m grateful for his help. We’re doing our job watching after them, but I didn’t get physically involved and fuck his daughter.”
“You son of a bitch. Don’t talk about Marisol like—”
“Callum, enough.”
Victor’s voice was soft, devoid of anger. The opposite of what Callum felt at the moment. He wanted to punch, kick, and hurt someone, but deep inside his brain, he knew his brothers were right.
“Stick to your purpose and that is to bring the sword to us. We need to keep it safe, away from the Blood Robbers.”
“Marisol has the right to keep it.”
“Oh fuck! Now you’ve changed your mind about the sword, too?” Ty shook his head.
“Ty, you ass. Did I say I changed my mind?”
“Talk to Marisol. Tell her we’ll keep the sword for her. She’s not strong enough to keep the Blood Robbers from taking it from her.”
“And where would she go? How will she defend herself if she doesn’t have the sword? She’s Atos’s target now, Victor. I can’t just leave her alone.”
“This is exactly what we’re trying to avoid happening,”
Zambro said, shaking his head.
“Somebody’s in love.” All heads turned to Rodolf. “What? Just stating the obvious.”
Callum didn’t comment. He didn’t know what to say. Mentally, he repeated what Rodolf said. In love? Impossible. He cared. In love? Most definitely not. Who’d fall in love in such a short time? He’d known Viola since he was a pup; they’d mated many fucking times, but in the end he realized it wasn’t love that had kept him awake all night. It was a strong case of infatuation. So how could Rodolf say he was in love?
“Brothers, our job is to protect the humans. Marisol is in need of protection, as well as Callum here. They’ll need all the help they can get. Us.”
“Thanks, bro.”
“Don’t thank me, Callum. After what you’ve done, I should just let the council kick you out without a trial. But I can’t do that, can I?”
Shit. How could he forget about that? Callum looked at his brothers. Fuck, he couldn’t imagine the shame he’d brought on their heads, especially Zambro’s.
“Sorry, guys.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the others, Callum, but Zambro will have to face Salazar and the other council members. If he fails to plead your case, you’re out of the Bluff. On your own.”
“I’ll make this work. Bring the sword to the Bluff, Callum. It might help the council’s decision about your action. And I’ll find a safe place for Marisol.”
“Thanks, Zam. I’ll call if I need help.”
“I hope so. One more thing. Don’t expect a warm welcome when you visit the chapters.”
Callum nodded. They had chapters, or dens, in different states and cities. Each one had a leader and a council member. Zambro was the head of the Turtle Bluff Den. He hoped he hadn’t fucked up his brother’s reputation because of a woman. His thoughts went back to Marisol, sleeping upstairs. Was she worth all of this trouble?
Questions, plans about how to stop the Blood Robbers from coming to town and preying on domestic animals and humans, covered their topic of conversation. Callum returned his brothers’ jabs, answered their threats seriously, but with half a mind. He kept thinking about the warm spot beside Marisol and what he could be doing to her right now. For the first time, Callum didn’t enjoy his brothers’ visit. Two hours with them seemed like an eternity. But an hour after his brothers left, Callum remained standing in the middle of the room. He’d never been in this position before. God damn it. His emotions roiled like a sea in the midst of a violent storm. How could he forget what the Midnight Howl stood for? What his callous actions would do to his brothers? Callum turned on his heel and well-nigh ran back to his bedroom, only to find an empty bed.