Wren comes barreling down the stairs, trips on the last two steps, and rolls across the floor, coming to a halt by the sofa.
“Cora has shampoo in her hair and the water’s stopped.” He looks at us, wide-eyed and expectant.
“Ah fuck.” Tor pulls himself to his feet. “Not again.”
The pipes in the cabin are temperamental, another reason we need to move to the main house asap.
Tor clomps up the stairs and I look down at Rune, both of us thinking the same thing…Tor might be about to see Cora naked.
Chapter Seventeen
Cora
There was shampoo in my hair, shower gel all over my body, and the fucking water had gone out. I smacked the stupid pipe with the shampoo bottle again. Come on! This happened once before and hitting the pipes usually worked; no idea why.
My skin pricked and the air in the tub behind me fizzed.
Hell no.
“Bubbles are a good look for you,” Jasper said from behind me.
I spun to face him, not bothering to hide my body. He’d seen it all before anyway. I waited for the rake-over, for him to devour the sight of my nakedness, but he kept his gaze on my face.
Not normal for him. “What is wrong with you?”
“With me?” He arched a brow. “You’re the one attempting to shower without water.”
He was still focused on my face, and my chest heated with… I didn’t even know what, because why the fuck wasn’t he being all lechy. “I’m naked, Jasper. Hoohaa and titties on display.” I held out my arms. “Free for all.”
“You want me to look at you?” He tilted his head and his eyes narrowed. “You think all I care about is your body. All I want is sex?” His gaze scanned my face, as if he was coming to some kind of revelation.
He took a step toward me.
I stepped back. “Don’t.” My pulse pounded in my throat even as my gaze devoured the harsh lines of his face and the hard lines of his mouth. I reveled in the cruel curl of his lips that could be so gentle when they wanted to be. I locked gazes with his emerald eyes, falling into the dark pupils as they expanded to draw me in.
“Jasper… don’t.”
He cupped my face. “Don’t what, Cora?”
Don’t touch me, don’t kiss me, don’t look at me like you care, like you l—
No. Don’t think it.
“This isn’t what it was, Cora,” he said. “It’s changed, and you feel it too. I…” For the first time since I’d known him, there was a vulnerable edge to his tone, confusion and doubt in his eyes. “I don’t understand what I’m feeling.” He dipped his head, one hand dropping to hug my throat, to caress my pulse with his thumb. “Help me understand.”
My heart was a hummingbird trapped in the cage of my ribs, and my lips throbbed and ached for the touch of his.
“Cora…” There was emotional pain in his tone. A need that echoed mine.
“One kiss.”
“Yes…”
The amulet warmed against my skin, recognizing the permission given, and then his mouth was on mine, tentative, questing, savoring me as if I were a fine wine. His hand tangled in my wet hair, diving into the suds to massage my scalp. My chest ached with a cacophony of twisted emotions. I shouldn’t be doing this. It was dangerous, but I wanted it. I wanted him. All of him, the destructive, evil motherfucker. I wanted him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, moaning into his mouth and devouring his sweet breath as he pressed my wet body to his. The kiss morphed into something hungry and desperate, as if we were two drowning people fighting to get to the surface of a lake.
He tore his mouth from mine and stared deep into my eyes. “What is this, Cora?”
This was fucked up, that’s what it was. I was falling for him and had been for some time. It had been easy to fight it when he’d been acting like a wanker, but everything was different now. He was different, and that made him even more dangerous.
My throat pinched and I pressed my forehead to his jaw and shook my head. “Nothing. It’s nothing. Now go. Please. Just go.” I pushed him away.
“Cora—”
“No, just go.”
Anger flashed across his face and he pushed into me, pinching my jaw and forcing me to look at him.
“Stop playing with me. Stop it.”
Yes, this was the Jasper I knew. The one I could pretend to hate. “Where would the fun be in that?” I allowed my lip to curl and injected a harshness into my tone.
His gaze bore into me. Reading me. But I filled my mind and heart with ice. I didn’t want him. I didn’t give a shit. That’s all he’d see. That’s all he’d feel.
I pulled away from him. “Now let me go.”
A growl erupted from behind Jasper and then he was torn from me and sent flying across the bathroom. He slammed into the cabinet and straightened, emerald eyes blazing with fury as they locked onto Tor.
The intention to hurt my mate was clear, and he could do it too. Now that I was anchor, even with the amulet in place, enough residual power filtered into him from me to allow him access to the majority of his abilities.
He could hurt my mates any time he wanted, but he hadn’t. He hadn’t…and I’d taken it for granted he wouldn’t because…Because he cared for me. I’d known he had for a while now.
But right now, in this moment, all bets were off. The air crackled with tension as Jasper’s eyes narrowed dangerously, the lines and planes of his face seeming sharper and lethally harsh. In this moment he looked truly malevolent. In this moment I was certain he meant true harm.
He raised his hand in Tor’s direction, and I leaped out of the tub and in front of Tor.
“Don’t!” I locked gazes with Jasper. “Please. Don’t hurt him.”
Tor growled, low and menacing. “Get out of the way, Cora.”
Heat blasted my naked wet back. Tor’s heat. His rage. But he didn’t get it. He couldn’t fight Jasper’s power with fangs and claws, and the curl of Jasper’s lip and the ice in his emerald eyes told me he knew it too.
“Yes, Cora,” Jasper said. “Get out of the way and let us settle this, malevolent to beast man.”
Like hell. “Jasper, just go.”
“It kills you, doesn’t it?” Jasper said to Tor. “That I’ve tasted her, been deep inside her, fucked her till she screams my name, and you… You’ll never get to know what her skin feels like against your tongue or how hard her cunt can milk a cock.”
My face was on fire, eyes burning with betrayal and rage. I shook my head. “Fuck you, Jasper. I hate you.”
But I didn’t, and it made everything worse because I knew what this was. This was his defense. His goading was his shield.
Tor’s snarl made my blood curdle. “Keep your memories because that’s all you’ll ever have. Cora belongs to us now and you’ll never touch her again.”
“She’ll never be fully yours,” Jasper said. “Not as long as I live and breathe.”
Tor made to push past me, but I spun and pressed my body to his chest, wrapping my arms around him and holding on for dear life so if he wanted to fight he’d have to take me with him.
Tor growled and tried to peel me off.
“Stop!” I looked over my shoulder. “Jasper, go. You’ve had your fun, now please just fucking go.”
He locked gazes with me, and the light in his eyes dimmed. “Damn you, Cora.” His tone was beaten and weary, then he was gone.
I sagged against Tor, forehead pressed to his shirt. “You can’t do that. You can’t challenge him, you have no—”
His hand tangled in my hair and he tugged, forcing me to look at him. His eyes blazed with fury, jaw tight with suppressed rage.
“Don’t ever do that again.”
“What?”
“You don’t get to pick my battles, Cora. No one does. You’re my mate. Mine, and if he touches you again, I’ll rip his arms off with my fucking teeth.”
Oh, God, was he that blinded by his alpha tunnel vision that he couldn’t see w
hat had almost happened?
Rage whiplashed in my chest. “You wouldn’t get close enough to rip anything off. You have no idea what Jasper is capable of. The only reason you’re still standing is because of me. He’s a malevolent entity with abilities beyond your imagination and he has access to the power of the cosmos through his connection to me.” I plucked at the amulet around my neck. “All this does now is stop him from intimate contact without permission. I’m tapped into so much power that even with our connection muted he’s getting more than enough to be himself. I’ve seen him incinerate outliers with a thought. This isn’t a battle of brawn, Tor. Magic will always trump brawn and I can’t lose you.”
Tor’s expression softened. “He’s a danger to the seal, Cora. You need to keep him at bay.”
“I know.” My heart sank. “I will. Just promise me you won’t try and fight him, please.”
Tor’s jaw ticked. “I promise.”
His gaze dropped between us, and it hit me that I was standing there, wet, soapy, and completely naked.
His gaze darkened and his mouth parted in a soft exhalation. The bond between us flared to life, thrumming with magnetic energy, drawing us closer. Heat spiraled in my belly, licking and teasing. I was suddenly fully aware of how his wet cream tee molded to his defined torso. His scent, forest and pinecones, mingled with his citrusy shower gel and filled my head. I wanted to touch him, to slide my hands under the hem of his shirt and trace the ridges of his abs. I wanted to go south, into his waistband, to touch the silken shaft hidden there. I wanted to fall to my knees and take it in my mouth, taste him deep against the back of my throat.
His chest rose and fell, fast and shallow. “Fuck, Cora, what the fuck?”
I licked my lips, and he tracked the movement. “I know what I want, Cora, and if you don’t stop thinking your filthy thoughts, I’ll forget the boundaries and take it.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why wasn’t this easier? I closed my eyes and reined in the need.
He made a strangled sound, part protest, part exasperation, before grabbing a towel off the rack and handing it to me.
“Go use the shower in my room. Now, Cora, before I forget my promise.”
My stomach flipped hard, and for a moment I was tempted to hold my ground, to see what happened when Tor snapped, but the moment was fleeting. I’d asked for these boundaries and I needed to set the precedent.
I turned away quickly and left the room. I needed to put distance between us before I threw caution to the wind and changed my mind.
Shower and then the hunt. Time to burn off this pent-up tension.
Chapter Eighteen
Leif drove me to the meeting spot for the hunt in silence. Normally I’d be fine with silence, but this was a silence pregnant with tension. He was stewing on something. It thrummed between us, down the threads that bound us, and left an icky feeling in my chest.
“Leif?”
His grip on the wheel tightened. “I know. I’m just trying to find the right words. I don’t want to argue.”
Oh boy. “Just say what’s on your mind.”
He sighed and pulled the car onto the side of the road. “Jasper.”
My turn to sigh. “I know.”
“Do you?” He frowned. “I mean what do you actually know about him?”
His question threw me, because aside from the fact that Jasper had been a prisoner to a blood witch when Fee and I had freed him, not much.
“What is a malevolent spirit anyway?” Leif asked. “Was he human once? Is he something else?” He took my hand. “I know you care about him. Probably more than you care for us, but do you know him?”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand, cutting me off.
“No, hear me out. What we have is new. It’s…complicated. The whole bond thing versus all these emotions.” He made swirly motions with his hand. “But I can tell you one thing for certain. I’m falling for you, Cora. And that’s nothing to do with the fucking mating bond. It’s different. It’s here.” He touched his chest. “Not here.” He touched his solar plexus. “Tor, Rune, and I will protect you, honor your wishes, and make sure the seal remains intact. You can count on us to do that. You know what we are and who we are, but you don’t know who or what Jasper really is. You need to be wary.”
I knew this. But unfortunately it didn’t stop me from wanting or caring about his stupid malevolent ass. “I have the amulet. It’s fine. The seal is safe. He can’t do anything intimate without my permission.”
“And you won’t give him permission?” Leif tipped his head to the side slightly, studying me intensely.
The kiss Jasper and I’d shared in the shower filled my mind. I pushed it away. “No.”
“Okay. But promise me that if anything changes, if you feel you might slip, you’ll speak to me.” He grazed my cheek with the backs of his fingers. “I’ll never judge you, Cora. Our feelings aren’t always in our control. Tor might not understand your dynamic with Jasper, but Rune and I do, and we want to help.” He smiled. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think Jasper’s evil, but there are too many unknowns surrounding his existence for us to take risks. Just…Guard your heart.” He started the engine again. “And have fun on the hunt tonight.” He peeled back onto the road. “But save some energy for later; it’s my turn in your bed tonight…” He wiggled his eyebrows.
I ignored the skip in my pulse because we were talking about movie night, nothing more. Leif nights were movie nights. We usually fell asleep watching some golden oldie. He gave the best hugs.
I sat back in my seat. “Make sure we have snacks.”
“Popcorn and chocolate-covered raisins?”
“You know it. And some cheese strings for Wren.”
“I stocked up.”
He steered the car off the road, onto a dirt track, and then into a field. A campfire flickered in the distance and several figures milled around it.
“Base camp,” Leif said. “The ladies like toasting marshmallows and drinking fruity cider after the hunt.”
A figure detached itself from the throng and hurried over. The moon peeked out from behind a cloud to light up Halle’s golden locks.
“Have fun,” Leif sing-songed.
God, he was cute, sexy, and funny. A surge of love filled me.
I leaned across the seat on impulse and pecked him on the cheek. “See you later.”
He gripped my nape as I pulled back and looked deep into my eyes. “I like you, Cora. A lot. Don’t get eaten by feywarg.”
“Yoo-hoo, Leif!” Astrid called from somewhere outside the Rover.
I returned Leif’s gaze with a serious one of my own. “I like you too, Leif. A lot. Don’t get eaten by Astrid.”
He groaned as I slipped away and out of the Rover. Astrid shot me a cold glare before reaching for the car door, but the engine flared to life and Leif reversed the Rover before her fingers could touch metal.
I caught the twitch of his mouth before he turned the vehicle and drove away.
Astrid spun on her heel to face me, hands on hips. “You can’t stop him, you know. You can’t poison him against me. All you’re doing is delaying the inevitable.”
“What?” Halle said. “When he finally snaps and tells you to fuck off?”
Astrid ground her teeth. “You don’t belong here,” she said to me. “You never will.”
I pressed my hand to my chest, plastering a look of hurt and horror on my face. “I don’t? Oh no, whatever will I do?”
She stared at me in confusion.
Seriously? Did she not get sarcasm? “Look, Astrid. Be a bitch to me if it makes you feel better, but I think we both know that if Leif is avoiding you, it’s not because of me. It’s because he wants to.”
She opened her mouth to retort but I held up my hand. “Now unless you’re going to tell me something useful, we’re done here.” I arched a brow, waiting.
Her gray eyes narrowed. “You can have him,” she said softly. “For now, but remember, he’s only
on loan. He’ll never belong to you, not really.”
She walked off, leaving her final words buried in my chest like invisible needles. Ouch.
“Don’t,” Halle said. “Not worth it.”
“But true.”
“Not true. The future is unwritten, Cora. Remember that. You can write it however you please.”
As long as fate didn’t get in the way.
The hunt was something females from all three packs took part in. A task and a bonding experience.
“The feywarg are a nuisance,” Halle said. “Their numbers grow exponentially if we don’t hunt them. Culling them monthly protects the livestock and helps keep our ecosystem balanced. They don’t belong here. They shouldn’t be hunting here, but they come into our world regardless.”
We strolled toward the campfire. “Do you know why?”
“Fucked-up faerie syndrome is what they call it.” Halle’s voice dropped. “They say the place is dying. So many fae have migrated into our world for good and integrated into society. But there are some that can’t live outside of the fae realm.”
“I honestly don’t know much about the place.”
“It’s huge, like multi-dimensional. They say that it exists outside of time, that past, present, and future run side by side. Some people even believe that the fae realm is an anchor, a hub that binds all realities.”
Okay, that sounded big. “And you say it’s dying?”
“That’s the rumor.”
“Then won’t that affect every reality it’s connected to?”
Halle stopped short and stared at me, wide-eyed. “Fuck.”
I ignored the oh shit feeling, because this was not my problem. I had enough on my plate. The Magiguard knew about the fae realm’s demise. They’d be doing something about it if they felt it would affect us, but Halle looked spooked.
I placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure it’s fine. Just stories, right?”
“Yeah. Stories.” Her expression remained pensive.
We reached the campfire and I spotted Heather. She held out her arms to me and I joined her, getting a hug for my efforts.
Witch Undecided: The Thirteenth Sign Book 2 Page 11