by Cecilia Lane
The fortune teller licked the blood from the tip of the knife. “Concentrate on what it is you wish to know. Think it loud. Then whisper it into the universe.”
There was no hesitation before Mara whispered, “Will I ever be free?”
It was one thing to grow up knowing magic existed. The enclaves and her very nature were proof of that. The Broken slept under Bearden and put a wall around the town. Created a pocket universe, the scientists bandied about as a possibility. Vampires drained blood and lived as long as they avoided the sun. Fae courts held themselves apart, but they, more than anything else, were full of magic.
It was entirely different to have something unfamiliar done in front of her.
The air inside the tent heated to an unbearable level. The fortune teller slumped forward. Her hair, dancing on the edge of the table, turned from red to grey. The features of her face sank and wrinkled.
Her physical appearance wasn’t the only change. The light, bubbly scent of magic filled the air even over the stench of herbs.
The beautiful woman was replaced by a shriveled fae crone.
Becca and Mara shared a wide-eyed look before shooting to their feet. All joking dropped from Mara and fear edged into the stink of the tent.
Fae weren’t known for their kindness toward shifters. Bearden, especially, had a sore spot when it came to the magical folk. One of their kind revealed the existence of the supernatural to the human world. To find one and experience her tricks in the middle of the enclave could only mean danger.
They didn’t get far before the crone’s fingers twitched and nails dug into the tabletop. “Death. You bring me death.”
A low growl emitted from the crone. Her arm jerked, followed by a shoulder rising from the table. Her other side snapped upward. Her hands pressed into the table and she slowly lifted her head.
Cloudy eyes focused on Mara. “Everyone you love will shrivel and die for this one. Death follows her and will consume you with her.”
Becca tried to object, to make any noise. None pushed past her lips. All she could do was stand still and listen to the crone.
“No freedom exists for you while you let this one live.”
Becca followed the trail of thought that agreed whatever was happening in that tent was fucked up. She dug deep for her own will. She kicked and shoved at her fox to give her strength. She wouldn’t cower. Cowering was for girls who needed saving and she wasn’t going to be that girl. She could handle her own shit, sometimes, and not even a fae crone would strip that from her.
A feral growl worked its way out of her chest. Her fingers flexed, then her toes. She locked her legs and yanked Mara back a step. She pushed away from the table and took another stumbling step. Harsh, hollow laughter burst to life in her ears and made her want to fall to her knees.
She still pushed forward. One step. One more.
She and Mara burst out of the tent.
“What the fucking fuck was that?” Becca leaned down, hands on her knees, and struggled to catch her breath. The sun was too bright and the rushing sounds of cars moving on rickety tracks sounded faint and tinny. Her senses were all out of whack.
Mara’s eyes were wide. “I have no idea. That’s not what I was hoping for.”
“You gave her your blood!”
“You didn’t try to stop me!”
“I couldn’t. I didn’t even think to try.” She stood to her full height and eyed the tent. “Okay, new plan. Find the Mayor, who is supposed to approve all this shit, and tell her someone snuck some fae into town. We’re a little sensitive about that around here, you know, from the fae betrayal of our entire kind!” Becca yelled the last and kicked a leg in the direction of the tent. “And then we forget this ever happened. You’re not going to kill me, right?”
“What?” Mara asked shakily. “No! How could you even think that? I’m not a killer.”
Becca shivered. She didn’t know if the magic inside the tent still lingered around them, but there was hesitation and uncertainty in Mara’s voice.
Chapter 19
Nolan knew Becca needed a challenge. It kept her interested. She’d always been the one to push the envelope, even if it got her in trouble. That was why he kissed her at the Summertime Fest in front of everyone and their mothers. If he prodded at her, he could keep her on her toes and coming back for more.
But at that moment, Nolan was finding it challenging to form a complete thought.
Becca stepped out of Callum’s truck and Nolan stared. She’d tied her hair back so all her thick curls hung from a high ponytail. Dark sunglasses concealed half her face. A tank top clung to her curves and cutoff shorts did nothing to conceal legs he wanted to be wrapped between.
He felt like a teenager all over again. Some poignant music score should be playing as she slow-motion shook her hair out and pulled her tank top over her head to reveal the bikini underneath.
Rylee bounced through his line of sight and temporarily concealed Becca when she went in for a hug. Leah appeared a second later from her seat in the front. Callum caught his eye and threw him a shrug that said he didn’t know what the girls had planned.
He hadn’t thought to invite her to the cookout. It was supposed to be a day of clan bonding and a final send-off for Ephraim. The ashes from his funeral pyre would be scattered over the lake when the next generation of his clan had bellies full of food and beer, just like he wished. He’d want them to get on with their lives and continue making memories and connections.
Nolan wasn’t sure exactly where he stood with Becca. Oh, he knew where he hoped they were and what was just down the road. Keeping her interested was the plan and it was paying off. Something was growing between them again.
But she wasn’t a full Strathorn. Wouldn’t be until he laid his claiming mark on her. It was a delicate balance, like finding the right size of gift for a week old relationship that happened to start just before Christmas. And maybe a Strathorn gathering was akin to purchasing her entire wish list.
Whatever they were, he wasn’t going to push for too much too soon. He had her hooked and he needed to reel her in a little at a time. He just needed to ignore events like a fae witch showing up in town with no one’s knowledge, or Becca falling into the trap of magic. Easy.
His bear growled at the lie. At least he’d witnessed police descending on the tent and iron locking the woman’s magic down like silver did to shifters. She’d been shown to the edge of the territory and harshly warned from returning. He wanted to turn that warning permanent, but Becca and Mara weren’t harmed enough to warrant the response. Or so Mayor Gale claimed.
Becca took a full five minutes of giggling with Leah and Rylee before she approached him. “Fancy meeting you here,” she said with a broad grin. “I hear this is the new exclusive spot to hang. Funny, cause it looks like the same place you Strathorns have always gone when you wanted to lake time.”
“Wasn’t sure if you’d want to come hang out with the guys.”
“You’re not all bad. One or two of you are even a little cute.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief when she caught the growl that rattled in her throat. “Down, boy! I meant Leah and Rylee. Obviously.”
He reached for her then and pulled her hard against his chest. He traced the shell of her ear with his lips. “Yeah? Just them? No one else catches your eye?”
Her breath caught. “I think that’ll depend on who can make the best burgers. I have many desires that need attending.”
“I bet you do.” He pecked her lips and let her loose with a smack on her ass. “Show me what you’re wearing under those shorts and maybe I’ll feed you today.”
She stuck her tongue out and danced several feet away, slowly easing up her tank top to expose a burgundy bathing suit top covering her middle. Then she caught the hem of that and lifted it enough to show him an inch of her stomach before slamming it back down. “Peepshow over until you put some meat in me.”
Shaking his head, he watched her link arms with Leah. They p
ut their heads together, popped open the cooler with the drinks, then ambushed Rylee with a drink of her own. Those two would be a bad influence on Cole’s shy little mate.
Nolan had been wrong before. Nothing had grown between him and Becca. It’d blazed back to life. He needed to figure out how to keep that flame alive without burning them both to ash. She was good for him in the exact same way she was a bad influence on Rylee. She belonged.
He set to work doing the same prep he’d done for their tent at the Summertime Fest while the nearby dock was taken over by Strathorns. Some jumped in the water and others simply dipping in their toes. Cookouts by the lake demanded beer and burgers, and he was there to provide the burgers. He’d get time in the water after he made sure the clan was fed.
Gray slipped away to deposit his empty beer bottle with the half-dozen others that’d already been killed by the group. Instead of heading back to the dock, the other man lingered. “Don’t wait with her,” he said quietly.
The advice and the volume were equally surprising. Gray was loud and wild in the same way as Becca. Something changed after the occupation, though. Gray looked tired more often than not and smelled strongly of fur like he’d just shifted. “Believe me, I’m not letting her go again.”
“Maybe. But you’re waiting for something. You’re not going to get a sign. She’s not going to tell you what to do or when. Don’t make the same mistake as last time. You still got that ring, don’t you?”
Gray was one of his closest friends back in the day. Still was, to be honest. And he was probably the only soul that knew about that stupid ring he planned to give Becca when he asked her to marry him and make a proper family. He’d sat on the thing too long and Becca slipped from his life.
Nolan dipped his chin once.
“Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Make it. Otherwise, she’s going to see it as reluctance. Again.”
“It’s too soon. A couple of nights isn’t what a future is made of.”
Gray snorted. “You two were circling each other since kindergarten. Schoolyard crushes like that don’t exist for everyone. Both of you need to stop being so stubborn.”
“Dare you to tell her that.”
“That’s your job, not mine. I’m aiming to keep all my limbs.”
“And I’m not?”
Gray cocked his head. “I think you’ll look just fine without an arm or a leg. Keep your dick guarded so she doesn’t go for that.”
“Helpful as always.”
He whistled sharply and snagged the attention of his clan. Gray made up his plate first and received his stack of burger patties without another word. Cole arrived next, with Callum not far behind.
Nolan glanced up and saw Sawyer and Hudson still leaning against pillars at the end of the dock. Trapped, more like it. The women pranced to the music blasting out of an old radio. Neither man wanted to risk tripping the mates into the lake. Feminine anger or punches from their men were equally frightening.
Becca turned and reached to include Hudson in their circle. Nolan froze in the middle of serving up a burger to Cole’s waiting plate.
Hudson met his eyes over Becca’s head. He knew the danger she was heaping on him and wanted no part. He simply took her wrists in his and put space between them.
It wasn’t enough to keep Nolan’s bear contained. A growl rolled up and out of him. An unmated male was touching his woman. His mate. If he could make it ten minutes without bleeding the man, it’d be a miracle.
Nolan dropped the burger back on the grill.
“Nolan!” Cole called after him.
For once since taking up the duty, he was happy to let someone else handle the cooking.
He marched straight for Becca and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Stop!” she yelled through her laugh.
“Can’t,” he rumbled.
Hudson had kept an eye on Becca for months and took all of Nolan’s abuse for it. He was a good man. He didn’t deserve another set of claw marked raked down his face.
Not when Nolan could finally do something about the trouble Becca stirred in him.
He carried her away from the cookout spot and back to where all their trucks were parked. It was a tiny lot, meant solely for their site. No one would surprise them by pulling into a spot. No one would dare disturb them by needing something from their truck.
He popped open the door of his truck and set her on the seat before dropping between her legs. He needed to mark her with his scent. He couldn’t claim her the way he wanted, but he could be damn sure she’d carry his scent on her. It wasn’t enough, but it was all he could manage.
Two-day-old stubble rasped against her inner thighs and sent a shiver through her body. He’d grow a beard long enough to toe the regulation lines if he kept getting that response from her.
Becca stared down at Nolan, lungs and heart already working overtime at the sight. She’d crossed the line with Hudson. Leah and Rylee had some leeway since they both bore mate marks on their shoulders. She wasn’t claimed, and Hudson hadn’t taken a mate. It was no wonder that Nolan responded so strongly.
He turned his head and bit her inner thigh. She swallowed down a moan. Maybe she’d wanted the reaction all along. More actionable proof to back up all his words.
And maybe, too, she wanted to feel powerful. She’d had a dirty trick played on her in that fae crone’s tent. Something dark inside her demanded appeasement. She was safe seeking it from Nolan. The price she’d pay was one she was more than willing to offer up again and again.
But that moment wasn’t the time to analyze everything that made her tick. She’d need years on a therapist’s couch to sort through all her damage. And Nolan’s nibbling mouth was distraction enough to keep her demons at bay and pool heat in her core.
She grabbed his chin in her hands. “There are better uses for that mouth.”
Thank fashion designers everywhere for tied bikini bottoms. He pulled the strings on either side of her bathing suit and let the air breathe against her skin.
“Say that again,” he commanded, taking a languid lick up her slit.
Tease. Tease! Two could play that game. “Please, Nolan,” she whispered breathlessly. Totally because she was playing a game. One hundred percent because of it. If she thought it enough she would believe it, right? “Please fuck me. I want you so damn bad I can taste it. I want to feel every inch of you inside me. I want to come all over your cock.”
“Fucking hell,” he growled and abandoned the treat between her thighs.
She stayed caught in his glowing green gaze as he stood and placed one hand beside her. He kicked off his shoes, and she reached for his trunks. She wasn’t the least bit surprised to find him hard and ready. One growl and he had her soaking wet.
He crawled over her, pushing her back as he went. His weight was perfect. Safe. He made her feel safe. None of her past monsters could get to her when Nolan was there to guard her.
Hands braced at either side of her head, Nolan gazed down at her like she was his entire world. Then he kissed her.
He wasn’t gentle or patient. He pushed his tongue past her lips and kissed her senseless. He dropped a little more of his weight on her and let his hands roam. His fingers dug into her hip, her thigh, squeezed her knee, and then moved back up her body. She loved it, love him like this. Wild and rough. Out of control. Because of her. Pulling a beast out of a man like Nolan sent her on a power trip that would only be satisfied with snapping his control entirely.
Careful, some small voice urged. Hers? Yeah, right. She was going to listen to that raging, insistent fox that drove her straight off the cliff.
Nolan’s hips rocked against her while his hands continued to explore. His kiss turned urgent, but that was perfect, too. She needed him just as badly. Their breath quickly turned to panting. Nails dragged along skin in an attempt to get closer.
He eased back enough to line their bodies up. His eyes lifted to hers and he pushed all the way inside her. Becca arched her back and whimper
ed when he reached the top of his thrust.
He stroked into her fast. Hard. There was no taking their time, no build up. Just like his kiss, gentle was gone. He was claiming her as his and she wanted it. Wanted to see where she’d pushed her bear.
This felt like the beginning and restarting and more. Important. Stolen moments in back seats were their thing in high school, and here they were again. Getting down and dirty while their friends partied on down at the edge of the lake. He was hers in that moment. There was no one to share him with. No one else grabbed at his attention. He chose her over everyone else.
Pressure built with each hard buck of his hips. Her skin felt tight and a growl that matched his rattled in her throat. She didn’t need to beg or direct. He knew what she wanted, where and how to touch her, and he kept steady when he felt the first tremblings of her impending explosion.
“Nolan!” she moaned, cutting the volume by pressing her face into the crook of his neck.
He flipped her over with ease, keeping her locked upright with an arm around her waist and a hand gently tugging her hair to expose her neck. Becca held her breath. The scent of him rolled over her, followed by the feeling of strength and power. His bear was close to the surface and wanted to possess her.
Nolan slid into her again and all the air in her lungs rushed out with his name on her lips. Again and again he thrust, no less wild than before.
“You’re mine,” he mouthed against her neck. His voice was thick and raw in her ears. “Not Hudson’s. Not Sawyer’s. Not Gray’s. Not anyone’s.”
“Yes,” she mewled. No one matched him. No one could compare. She’d taken far too long to realize it.
Nolan dropped his hand from around her throat and swept his fingers over her clit. Once was enough to send heat washing down her spine. A second pass slammed another climax into her. There was no hiding her cry as she fell forward, fingers digging into the seat, and tried to hang on to sanity.
Nolan bucked into her a handful more times as he rode through her release. He froze with a roar, then spilled warmth deep inside her. Only then did he ease up his pace, bringing them down slowly and planting kisses over her shoulders and the back of her neck.