by Ellie Pond
Duncan looked at the suit as if it could walk away on its own. A laugh burst out of him, too. He stood next to the bed naked, and his cock bounced with his laughter. The girl of his dreams, the one he thought he would never have, lay on the bed in front of him, bare from the waist up. She laughed, but, underneath the laughter, he saw a twinkle of fear and his wolf growled inside of him. He couldn’t bear the thought of his mate having any fear of him. He flexed his stomach, and his cock bobbed at Aurora. She burst into hysterics and rolled to the other side of the bed.
Duncan jumped on the bed, and Aurora launched up into the air before returning to the bed in a fit of laughter. He pulled her back into his front and wrapped her in his arms. With tender hands, he caressed her breasts and stomach. Aurora stopped laughing and purred. Her neck fell back onto his chest. Duncan pulled down her bikini bottoms with a quick tug of the strings. She wiggled, and they came off. A smaller splat landed them next to Duncan’s suit.
His cock nestled between her butt cheeks, and he ground into her. She sighed, and he nibbled on her neck.
Aurora rolled onto her back, her arm over her head, and her fingers ran through his hair as he played with her elongated nipples.
His hand slipped from her breast down to her flooded folds. With a thick finger, he opened her and played with her clit, drawing small circles as she ground against his hand. He found her core and inserted at first one finger and then two, while his thumb continued to massage her pert clit.
Aurora’s lips found his, and he caught her moaning orgasm. Her back arched off the bed with the forceful release.
Duncan flipped her onto her back and jumped off the bed, finding his day pack on the floor next to their soggy suits. He ripped open the condom package and rolled the condom onto his straining cock. This time, as she gazed at him from the bed, there was only desire. She reached for him as he finished putting on the condom. She nodded at it. Did she know that they wouldn’t be fully mated until they had nothing between them? He wanted that more than anything.
He hovered over her again, this time teasing her with little kisses around her flushed neck and chest. Aurora would have none of that. She thrust her core off the bed so that his cock positioned itself at her opening. In one motion, he seated himself in her warm channel. Nothing had been perfect in his life until that moment. The only thing that would be better would be bare. But his mate wasn’t ready for that yet. He wanted her to be sure.
“Move.” His mate's eyes flashed from brown to blue.
He followed her command. He pumped into her, and the sounds she made excited him more. When she moaned his name and came squeezing his cock, he followed her over the edge.
“Duncan.”
“Aurora.” He rolled them over so she lay half on top of him, half on her side. He didn’t want to leave her body before he had to. Her hands ran up and down his biceps. The soft touch comforted and aroused him. He began to harden again. Taking her lips with his, he kissed her until she fell back onto the pillow.
“I like your hair.” She ran her fingers through it. “I never see it.”
“Yours is prettier.” He wrapped a section around his finger and rubbed his thumb along it.
He left the bed and took care of their condom, then brought her a cloth.
“Aurora,” he whispered in the afternoon light, but his mate’s breathing let him know that she was already asleep. He crawled in next to her, pulling her close.
He needed to tell her about her eyes changing colors.
24
Eggs, Bacon and Magic
Duncan held Aurora’s hand on top of the tablecloth. She rubbed his knuckles and tried to send healing through her touch. She wanted to try. He clamped her hand with his other.
“What are you doing?” His eyes dilated, but he didn’t let go of her hand.
“I’m seeing how it works. Since you healed me, I thought I could try it, too.” Aurora moved her knee under the table and ran her foot along his leg.
“I don’t need it. I am good. You should save your strength.”
“And why, Mr. Larsen, should I save my strength?” She pushed harder to send energy towards him, and a spark shot out of their enclosed hands.
“Aurora.” He didn’t let go of her hand, though. His head hung, and the brim of his hat covered his eyes.
“What the heck was that?”
Naomi appeared. “The manager would like to remind you that there’s no magic or shifting in the dining rooms.” She filled their water glasses and took away their dirty plates.
“Magic? How did you make that happen?”
Duncan said nothing.
“Dunc? Don’t you think that’s a weird thing for her to say?”
He chewed on his lip. “So. I’m not sure where to start with this? That wasn’t me. But not here.”
He stood, and Aurora followed him out of the dining room. She pretended not to notice the dining room manager give her the side eye. Duncan walked them up the stairs and down a hallway to an empty corridor that had benches in large portholes at regular intervals. He pulled her in tight to him.
“You have MAGIC?” Granted, all shifters had magic—you don’t shift into an animal and deny magic.
“Not so loud, Rory.”
“You want me to whisper? What does it matter?” She glanced down at the deserted hallway.
“It matters a lot. Wolves and witches aren’t on good terms right now.”
“Since before we were born, I’ve heard the stories.” Not all of them, but enough to piece things together when a little would slip.
They attacked the pack twenty-eight years ago. It left Duncan’s grandfather and then their uncle dead. His dad became alpha and was alpha for sixteen years before, in an unprecedented announcement, he turned alpha over to Spencer in an alpha challenge match. One that Spencer didn’t want to do, but that his father forced on him.
“I didn’t make that blast, Rory; you did.”
Aurora waited for him to say more. When he raised his head, he held back tears.
“I wanted to talk to you a long time ago, but I thought maybe I had imagined it. And Spencer couldn’t know. I mentioned it to Aunt Lara, and she told me I was wrong. It upset her if anyone even mentioned you being told anything. But Auntie is one, too. Although she thinks we don’t know. I imagine she’s afraid you would slip and tell Spencer.”
“Tell Spencer what?”
Duncan turned back to Aurora and in one breath said, “Your mom’s a witch, you’re a witch, and Auntie’s a witch.”
“What the hockey sticks are you talking about? My mother is not a witch! She was the PTA president! She worked as a cafeteria school lady for 23 years before she retired and moved to Florida with my dad.”
“She is also a witch.”
“She's a cafeteria lady; Dad drove a bread truck. I can’t … what are you talking about?” She dropped his hand.
“Your dad’s human, Rory. I am not sure your mom’s even told him. You need to understand: if Spencer finds out, the council will challenge him. Some members of the council want war with witches. Not all of them, but enough. The peace deal that happened after shifters were exposed is not a great one.”
They sat silently next to each other in the large porthole seat as a family strolled by. Pieces of her past moved around in a new context. Things her mother said to her took on new meaning. All the things that happened around their family came to mind, things that didn't happen to others. They weren't the richest; they didn’t live some extraordinarily extravagant lifestyle or have the best luck. Why wouldn't her mother have told her about this? But an even better question was: how could her dad have never mentioned anything about it at all? Or not know? He was the one who didn't like her hanging out with the wolf pack, so in some way that maybe made sense? Her mother said nothing, never questioned her friendship with Spencer or any of the Larsens. Even when she'd returned home with her Bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Pittsburgh and worked for the Larsens with Lara
, her mother never said a word. If they were witches, why wouldn’t she want her to stay away from a wolf pack?
Part of Aurora wanted to jump up and run to the lobby and find the closest landline so she could call her mother. And the other part, that part worried that, not only would Spencer not mate Lauren, he might not let her and Duncan be together when he found out. Because all secrets come out. This one would, too. For years, Spencer told her about how horrible witches were. Aurora looked up into Duncan's eyes. His wolf glowed just beneath the surface. She lay her head on his shoulder.
25
Which Sense, Witch Since
In a daze, she meandered towards the ballroom and the game competition.
She was a witch. Now it made sense how her mom and Aunt Lara always seemed to be better friends without spending time together. And why her father wasn’t happy about her hanging around with the wolves, but her mother never stopped her. How could Lara have a nephew who stood against what she was? If what Duncan said was true, then her mother had lied to her her whole life, or omitted the truth. How did they keep this from her for so long? Even with the risk of Spencer finding out? Spencer’s dad turning the pack over to Spencer so early made a lot more sense now, too. If anyone found out about Lara, it would be an easy reason to get rid of the whole family. Aurora’s stomach clenched. She found herself in the lobby, randomly walking around, not trying to find the ballroom. She walked up the grand lobby stairs. Light refracted off of the chandelier. She stopped on the second landing and gazed at the chandelier’s flying dragons’ elaborate dance, when two of the little dragons stopped their pattern and flew in the opposite direction. They hovered near as she watched, before returning to their normal flight. She shook her head.
With slow steps, she walked backwards up the stairs, gawking at the crystal animals, when she ran into a tall woman with hair so dark it shimmered blue as it fell at her waist. The woman caught Aurora by her upper arms, steadying her from falling backwards.
“Oh.” Aurora caught her balance somewhat.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Where did you come from?”
“Well, that’s a long story, better saved for another day, but I am thinking you mean right now.” The girl smirked at her and let her arms down. “Sam. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. You’ve been a little busy though, meeting your mate and all. Well, in your case, that’s kind of wrong isn’t it? You’ve known each other a long time.”
Sam laughed, and Aurora’s face twisted. But Sam motioned upstairs. Aurora glanced back at the chandelier and the dragons.
“What do you mean that you have been looking forward to meeting me?” Aurora took her hand back.
Sam stopped at the top of the second landing and faced Aurora. “It means that I wanted to meet you and so does Violet.”
“Violet?” Aurora shook her head.
“Yes, Violet, my mentor. She’s … well … you’ll see. So I waited. You have questions?”
Sam settled on a large settee in front of a closed coffee shop. She patted the velvet upholstery next to her, but Aurora sat down across from her on the blue leather sofa.
“So, fire them at me.”
“How did you know I would be here?”
“Violet.”
“Right, you said that, but how did this Violet know that I was going to be here?”
“Do you mean here, or here?” Sam motioned her hands to show the empty coffee house and then the ship.
“Oh, I guess both.”
“She has visions.”
“Is she a witch?” Aurora had never asked that question before.
“Wow, just wow.”
“Oh, I am sorry. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to get anyone in trouble.” She understood the rules. You didn’t ask that question.
“Trouble? Trouble.” Sam tilted her head back and laughed. “No, little Aurora. Look around. We are in international waters, on a ship owned by a dragon who is at least 600 years old. Now, maybe don’t ask the captain how old he is. He’s a bit sensitive about his age. But … Yes, Violet is a witch. A witch like I am, like you are.”
“A witch? Are you sure?” Aurora rubbed her knees. “I mean, I would know if I was one, right? Wouldn’t I?”
“I am going to go with no, since you are and you didn’t.” Sam laughed again.
“Why did you want to meet me, or why would it matter that I am a witch?”
“Your best friend is a wolf. Your mate is a wolf. And you’re a witch.”
“So you say. So what?” Aurora glared at her.
“If you haven’t noticed, witches and wolves aren't exactly friendly out in the open world.” Sam pulled out a hair band and wrapped her loose hair up in a pony tail. “And Violet says you're the answer. There was hope that Spencer’s parents would be the change. But they were better at keeping a secret than anyone wanted, enough so they put their son in the hot seat.”
“How, how is any of this a secret? How is this not out there for anyone to know?”
“Protection spells. Complex stuff. But a small portion of the council thought it was important that he not know, for his own safety. And—” Sam stopped talking as a couple strolled by them. Aurora looked at her, and neither of them spoke until the couple sauntered into the hallway opening. “—And the safety of his pack. The world wasn’t ready for wolves and witches to be cross mixing. Heck, when we were little, shifters weren’t even out in the open. But that’s why this whole war started now, isn’t it?”
“I still don’t see how I can do anything about it. I don’t know any magic. I’ve never felt a pulse of it.”
Sam took Aurora’s hand. “Trust me. It’s there. The vibrations are already radiating from you. You will harness your gift, and when you do, you’ll be amazed at what you can do. You broke your own binding. That’s a tough thing to do.” Sam held her hand an inch away from Aurora’s. The pulse thudded between their hands. It was tangible. It shook her breath, warmed her shoulders. The sparkle in Sam’s eyes mimicked her own. “Do you feel it now? That’s your magic pulsing towards mine. All yours.”
“Why didn’t my mother tell me?”
“Before you were even a notion, before your parents had even met, Violet saw this, in bits and pieces. It was obvious that the Larsens weren’t going to be the change that some of the council had hoped for. Violet saw you and your mother and her best friend. Your best friend, your mate, all of it. And all that is to come.”
“What? My mother’s best friend?”
Sam laughed. “I am sure it must have been hard for friends who had spent every minute together to act as strangers, but they must have done a good job to fool their children and their husbands.”
“My mom and Lara?”
“Yes.”
“And they knew I was Duncan’s mate this whole time?”
“No, passion, no. If either of them had thought you being near Duncan would have made him that sick, they would never have let you near him. You’ve met them, right?”
Aurora nodded.
“No, a few in the council, those who understand the balance, were told by Violet.”
“What do you mean I made him sick? How could I have made him sick?”
“Spencer’s alpha waves masked your mating scent. Don’t you understand? When Spencer touched Lauren, his intent toward you as a possible mate vanished, allowing Duncan’s bond to settle. It freed him of his illnesses.”
“I made him sick?” Aurora knew that Spencer meeting his mate had let Duncan know she was his. That made sense. But it was more than Spencer’s Alpha waves; if she hadn’t been around Duncan and Spencer, he wouldn’t have been sick. She felt like everything in her life had been turned around and that she couldn’t breathe. The empty coffee cup on the table next to the sofa she sat on started to vibrate. Aurora jumped.
“Relax, Aurora. You didn’t make him sick on purpose.” Speaking of Duncan, Sam looked up to the third-floor balcony. Aurora followed Sam’s sightline. Duncan leaned against the b
rass railing. His glare bored down on Sam. His presence, even irritated as he was, calmed her, and the cup ceased moving. Aurora’s eyes went wide as the cup stopped.
“But now that you are with your mate, even though you’re not mated yet, your magic is going to push at its bounds. And you must control it. The binding spell is coming undone. You must be careful with how you think and express emotions.”
“Aurora?” Duncan’s voice was lower in timber than normal. He stood near the top step. “Everything okay?”
Aurora looked back and forth between Duncan and Sam. No. There was no way she was okay. Everything in her life had changed in the last twenty-four hours. “Yes, I’m … I’m okay.”
“Alright.” He walked over to the sofa and sat so that their thighs touched. Duncan didn’t take his eyes off of Sam.
“If you want to talk more, I’ll be around. The coven will want to talk to you, too.” Sam’s long hair flung over her shoulder as she went down the hallway.
26
Shift a Lot
“Are you okay?” Duncan asked again and squeezed her hand.
“Yes.”
She brushed his chin. Her touch soothed his wolf. His hand found her waist, and he pulled her closer. “Yes, but you’re lying.”
“How do you know? Is it the mate link?”
He laughed. “No, your poker face is horrible.” He rubbed the lines on her forehead. “And it makes sense.”
She nodded, and her head found his shoulder. They melted together for a second. “My poker face is perfect—how else do I win at poker night?”
“You’re perfect.” He didn’t want to tell her they let her win because she needed the money and wouldn’t take a bonus.
She put her head back on his shoulder. “You’re a smart wolf.”
“I’m your smart wolf.” His wolf was strutting. “But, Aurora, you know that you don’t have to join a coven and you don’t have to listen to witches like Sam, right? You don’t have to use your magic if you don’t want to.”