The Witch and the Wolf, page 13
I move so my gaze can continue its worshipful path. Her thighs are as plump as her ass and her calves are strong from crouching in the swamps as she gathers ingredients for her spells. Her feet are small and pretty, though sturdy, capable of standing firm.
My gaze travels up her body but doesn’t make it past the thing that entrances me most, her pool of desire. It lures me with its intoxicating fragrance and glistening lips.
“I want to eat you up.” My voice is so deep, so strained, it sounds foreign to my ears.
“Okay.” Her voice comes out in a squeak and her embarrassment drives her to cover her face with an arm, though she widens her legs in invitation.
I don’t need to be asked twice.
Diving in, I thrust myself nose first into the nirvana of her wet little pussy. Oh god. Oh fuck. It’s even better without the barrier of her panties. I bathe in her juices as I thrust my tongue as deep as it’ll go, my wolf’s encouragement echoing in my head.
“Ahhhh!” A tiny scream issues from her throat as my tongue delves into her tight passage, drilling through the tissue.
She bucks against my face, her round thighs coming up to grip my ears.
Yes, she loves it!
I do it again and again until strangled cries are spilling from her lips and her thighs are shaking against me, her knee catching me in the side of the head. I grab her thighs and force them wide, spreading her beneath me like a sacrifice.
“Rush!”
My name echoes through the room as I use my fingers to part her, giving me better access. I thumb her clitoris and feast on her, then fuck her with my tongue.
She screams her orgasm so loud I’m certain my brother must hear it. Silently begging him not to bust down the door and break up our tryst, I crawl up her body.
I want to ask her again if she’s sure she’s ready for me, but the words won’t leave my lips. I don’t know if I can stop anyway. I was obsessed with this woman before I formally met her. Now? I am her willing slave.
I free myself from the confines of my jeans, thanking god that I don’t wear underwear. My wolf howls his excitement, hurling himself against the invisible barrier of our psyche, snapping and growling with the desperate desire to fuck our little witch.
I don’t need to be told twice. I press my cock against her entrance, marveling at the tightness of her passage as I thrust into her. A white-hot explosion rocks my brain as her pussy strangles me, gripping me so tight, I’m positive she’ll never let go.
When I can pry my eyes open, her head is flung back and her mouth is shaped like an O in a silent scream. Her eyes are screwed up and the blood is draining from her face.
Oh god, I’ve killed her!
“Magdalene!” Still seated deep inside, I grip her head and force it up to mine. “Open your eyes. Look at me!”
Her crystal blue eyes pop open. I’ve never in my life been so happy to see them. I reach into her thoughts, trying to find out what’s wrong. Pain, there’s pain! But also… pleasure. She was enjoying herself, but my entry hurt her.
“Are you hurt?” I don’t know how I’m forcing the words out considering my wolf is howling so loud in my head, I can barely hear my own thoughts.
She blinks as if to clear her vision so she can hear me better. She licks her lips and I follow the movement like a hungry dog. Finally, her lips move. I have to dip my head to hear her.
“Don’t. Stop.”
Fuck yeah, she’s fine. She’s more than fine. She’s mine.
I pull almost all the way out before pushing myself home again, going slower this time. My wolf is desperate, begging me to tear into her and, I admit, it’s everything I can do to hold back, but I’m determined to protect my mate from injury at my hands.
“I don’t need protecting!” she’s gasps into my neck where she’s wrapped her arms around me and is clinging like a vine. “Fuck me like you mean it.”
Her words break the dam holding me back. I thrust into her over and over, my arms snaking around her, holding her so tight I worry she’ll snap, but we’re in too deep now. I can’t stop myself from fucking her like the animal I am.
I lose myself in her, insensible of how much time is passing. We lock eyes, hers glowing and fierce, her mouth open, her breath puffing out, her features twisted in agony and ecstasy.
It’s better than anything I could have imagined and I never want it to end, but my mate is weakening. I feel her body growing limp and she’s no longer lifting her hips to meet mine. It’s time to finish.
I reach for my wolf, and he meets me halfway, ready to do our thing.
I turn my head away so I don’t give into the urge to bite, then I thrust several more times, the pressure building with each stroke, my cock growing inside her, pressing against the silken walls of her glorious pussy. I reach for my orgasm just as it blasts through me in an explosion of light and intense pleasure. My barb hooks inside her and she bucks against me.
I stare at her, memorizing everything. Her expression, the colour of her eyes in this moment, the sound of her voice. Her head is thrown back and her scream is still echoing through the room. Her eyelids slide shut and she passes out in my arms.
Chapter 19
Happily ever… oops!
MAGDALENE
“Can you show me the one for keeping creepers out of the house?”
Lyra Good Witch chastises me as she shakes her head. “You modern witches and your finicky pickiness. Imagine wanting the creepers outta the house. How’ll you get cobwebs for your spell bag?” Still, she nods toward the stick I’m holding and explains how to draw the symbol meant to keep creepy crawlies at bay.
“I see your point, Lyra. And I do like a good spider infestation. We’ll make it a temporary eviction.”
It’s been six days since I summoned the two Lyras and mated with Rush. Though I can’t call my Great Aunt back into our realm of existence, I’ve been spending time with Lyra Good Witch. She’s a good sport and doesn’t mind when I summon her for some entertainment. She sees me the same way, a welcome relief from the afterlife.
Lyra was born 402 years ago and died during the witch trials. She was one of the unlucky witches caught up in the human frenzy of witch killings. Very few witches were actually captured during that terrible time. It was mostly humans killing humans they suspected of witchcraft.
“That’ll do it,” she says as I complete the drawing.
We’re sitting on the floor in the corner. Well, I’m sitting. Lyra is floating cross-legged next to me. We watch in fascination as a tiny lineup of bugs and arachnids forms on the stone floor. One by one, they march to the nearest window and make their way outdoors.
“Awesome!” I exclaim, clapping my hands.
Pleasure floods through me and I look up, my gaze going to the stairs leading up the tower. It’s not the freshly evicted creepers making me happy, it’s my mate. I can feel the moment his brain wakes up and know that he’ll be reaching out, searching for me in bed.
He’s spent every night with me since our first night together. He doesn’t like when I leave the bed before he wakes up, but after the first morning, after I laid awake for hours waiting for him, I decided if he wants to sleep the day away, he can do it alone.
I feel him leap from the bed and head for the stairs. He doesn’t stop to relieve his morning bladder, or even to put on pants. He just heads straight out the door in search of me.
Each step that brings him closer has my heart pounding a little faster.
Lyra gives me a knowing look and floats to her feet, heading for the hearth. “Your young man’s coming, don’t I know that look on your eager face. I remember those days meself, when a beau came a courting. I’ll get outta your way. Summon me later?”
I grin and nod. “Of course, you’re my ghost bestie now. I’ll call you next time I need a second opinion on an outfit.”
Lyra claps her hands joyously before disappearing. She loves going through my modern wardrobe and picking out clothes. It’s too bad she can’t try them on herself, but she insists its good enough to watch me do it.
I push myself to my feet as Rush reaches the bottom of the stairs and brace myself, despite knowing it’s an unnecessary precaution. As he envelops me in his arms, he knocks me off my feet before smashing me into his chest in a frantic embrace.
This has been our morning ritual since I discovered the Wolven-North brothers are not morning canines and started leaving the bedroom early. Though he can reach out through our bond and ensure himself of my safety, he must set eyes and paws on me before he’s okay to go about his day.
This mating stuff is a lot more intense than I’d ever imagined, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Rush has been an extremely attentive lover, if not gentle. He tries though.
It doesn’t bother me. I love his fierce lovemaking and he hasn’t hurt me much. A shiver runs down my spine as I remember the care he took last night when he ran those razor-sharp claws over my curves, through my folds, drawing the nectar from me…
Rush groans in my ear, tightening his embrace. “Stop those thoughts, mate, or we’ll be going right back upstairs.”
I giggle. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“This tower’ll fall down around us if all we do is fuck all day every day.”
“Okay… but I’m not hearing a downside yet.” I grin at him to show I’m joking.
I’ve come to discover that Rush has an emotional attachment to his tower. He purchased the land it sits on around 100 years ago and it has been his home ever since. He was responsible for installing running water, electricity, and heating. He’s quite a handy wolf, as it turns out.
“Why don’t you go and put some pants on while I make us breakfast? Then we can fix that broken stonework you pointed out yesterday.” I run my hands down his bare back, catching him with my nails and drawing a shudder from him. “After, maybe we can talk about the fucking part.”
He grips my face, tilting my head back before laying a kiss on me that clearly speaks to his intentions when we do finally get to the fucking part. He thrusts his tongue into my mouth while shoving his now fully erect cock against me. I’m so much shorter than he is that he has to hunch over to kiss me.
Without a word, he breaks the kiss and stalks away, though I feel the satisfaction in his mind. He loves my idea.
These past few days have been the best I’ve ever had, and I know Rush feels the same. We’ve discovered the definition of contentment in our cozy nest. The only dim spot on the horizon of our mating is Fallon. Not that he’s difficult.
Now that he’s getting regular nutritious meals, we’ve been able to risk taking him out for walks. Rush won’t allow him to shift in case he catches the scent of a human and takes off, but Fallon doesn’t seem to mind. He’s pleased with the addition of exercise to his relatively unchanging routine.
No, the hard part of having Fallon around is the reason he’s here -- our inability to figure out how to break the spell cast by my ancestor. It breaks my heart to see my mate’s sadness when he gazes upon his once great sibling. Perhaps if I can convince Rush to reconcile himself to Fallon as he is, we can live a happy life with the three of us in our tower together.
I hum to myself as I scramble eggs for my wolf pack. Rush was surprised when he found out I eat eggs and dairy, but I explained to him that I have no problem with animal byproducts as long as they’re ethically gathered. Unfortunately, my explanation sent him down a spiraling path of worry over whether it’s ethical to murder and devour woodland creatures. Or more accurately, he was less worried about the ethics and more concerned with my perception of his diet.
Cute wolf.
I’d let him stew for several minutes before putting him out of his misery. “We’re two different species with different biological needs. I don’t judge you for eating the things you do.” After that conversation, his attitude toward my food preferences changed. Now, he’s happy to help me search out the food I need, so long as he gets to go for a hunt after.
I finish scrambling the eggs, adding some wild onion and mushrooms I found, then dish it up. Balancing the three plates on my arms, I head back into the common room.
“Good morning,” I say to Fallon, who’s sitting at another door-turned-table, wearing his leather trousers, a yawn stretching his lips.
He grunts in response and reaches for the plate I set in front of him. Not waiting for a fork, he shoves egg into his mouth with his fingers. I look him over like a proud parent, pleased to note a healthy glow to his complexation and fewer ribs poking out from under his skin. He’s a long way from being okay, but he’s better than he was when I arrived.
Rush enters the room, zeroing in on me as he strides toward us. His focus is like a laser-beam to the brain, wonderful and intense. He steals my breath and my senses when he’s near me and I never want the feeling to end.
He drops into the chair next to mine, widening his knees until his thigh is pressed to mine.
“Looks delicious,” he says in his low, sexy voice, his eyes on my face.
I blush and grin at him, reaching for my fork. We eat in silence until everyone is satisfied. Both Fallon and Rush eat a dozen eggs each in a single sitting. Rush barters with a nearby human farm for the eggs and a few other food items, like cream, milk, and honey. He added vegetables to the list when I arrived. I asked if I could go meet the farmers, but he said it’s too dangerous.
I’m not sure why he’s so worried about me meeting humans. I’ve met a few in my time but have never had more than a quick conversation. They don’t seem to enjoy swamps, ghosts, spiderwebs or anything else vital to a witch’s happiness.
When we finish eating, Rush picks up our plates and heads to the kitchen to wash up while Fallon shifts to his wolf form, walking out of his trousers as he makes his way to his favourite napping spot by the fire. I follow him in exasperation, picking up his discarded pants and folding them across the back of a chair.
I chew my lip as I glance toward the kitchen where Rush is whistling and banging dishes as he washes them. I could have those dishes washed, dried, and put away in thirty seconds, but that would mean admitting I have access to my magic.
We haven’t discussed the collar since he put it back on me the morning after we summoned Lyra. I’d felt a shaft of hurt that he didn’t trust me and he’d felt what I felt. Contrition had twisted his features and he’d lifted his hands to remove the collar, but I stopped him.
I could see everything in his mind. His desire to trust me, the massive leaps forward he’s taken in his thinking toward witches in general and me in particular. He’s trying and if it makes him more comfortable to believe that he’s leashing my spell casting abilities, then so be it. We’re immortals. When we’re past this bump in our relationship, we have endless years ahead in which I can make our lives easier with my magic.
“Ready?” he asks, striding from the kitchen while drying his hands on a cloth.
I could swoon over this man’s sexiness, but we have work to do.
He grins at me, catching my stray thought, and grips me around the waist, dipping me in his arms until my hair brushes the floor.
I laugh as he lays a smacking kiss on me.
“Enough goofing,” he says gruffly against my lips. “Time to work.”
I pretend to pout, but skip after him as he heads for the tower door. We leave it open in case Fallon wants to come outside when he finishes his nap.
I settle on the grass with a broken mosaic Rush gave me to work on. My job is to piece together the colourful bits of glass in the correct order, then glue them to a stone slab, which will be placed as a decoration on our doorstep. Rush told me it was original to the keep and would be a shame to lose. I agree.
“What’re you humming?” Rush asks, stepping past me toward the base of the tower where a ladder rests against its side.
“Oh, umm, just a song my mom used to sing when I was a child. It’s about thanking the Earth Mother before we take her resources.”
“Why don’t you sing it?” He launches himself up the ladder and I watch with admiration for a few seconds as he quickly finds the section he was working on yesterday.
“My gifts do not include channeling the voices of angels.”
“What’s that mean?” Using a trowel, he dips it into the bucket of plaster balanced on the ladder and pushes it between the stones before scraping it smooth.
“It means I can’t sing,” I call up to him, then demonstrate before his mating befuddled brain can insist that I must be an amazing singer because there can’t possibly be anything wrong with his mate.
A couple of bars into the song and he’s laughing so hard he has to grip the ladder to keep himself from falling off the tower.
For his continued amusement, I jump to my feet and show him my extremely uncoordinated dance moves as well. Unfortunately, I forget about the damage sharp rocks on bare feet can cause until one slices into the bottom of my foot.
I drop to the ground with a cry, twisting my leg like a pretzel to see the bottom. Sure enough, there’s a long bleeding gash along the heel. Automatically, I speak the words that will heal the gash.
The ground shakes as Rush leaps off the tower and lands next to me.
Oh shit.
I look up at him, but his eyes are on my foot as the skin mends itself and the blood disappears.
“Rush…”
When his eyes meet mine, my heart sinks. The heat in that bronze gaze is gone, now replaced by an icy anger that chills me to the bone.
Chapter 20
Wolf Behaving Badly
MAGDALENE
“You lied to me.”
The second my foot finishes healing, I push myself off the ground and stand. “I know it seems that way, but if you let me….”
“How long have you had your magic?” Rush interrupts, his hands balling into fists to keep from grabbing me and injuring me while he’s in a rage. I know this because he’s not trying to keep his thoughts from me.
Sadness overwhelms my ability to speak. I was hoping our relationship could evolve to where he trusted me enough to take the collar off. Now it’s everything he can do not to attack me.
My gaze travels up her body but doesn’t make it past the thing that entrances me most, her pool of desire. It lures me with its intoxicating fragrance and glistening lips.
“I want to eat you up.” My voice is so deep, so strained, it sounds foreign to my ears.
“Okay.” Her voice comes out in a squeak and her embarrassment drives her to cover her face with an arm, though she widens her legs in invitation.
I don’t need to be asked twice.
Diving in, I thrust myself nose first into the nirvana of her wet little pussy. Oh god. Oh fuck. It’s even better without the barrier of her panties. I bathe in her juices as I thrust my tongue as deep as it’ll go, my wolf’s encouragement echoing in my head.
“Ahhhh!” A tiny scream issues from her throat as my tongue delves into her tight passage, drilling through the tissue.
She bucks against my face, her round thighs coming up to grip my ears.
Yes, she loves it!
I do it again and again until strangled cries are spilling from her lips and her thighs are shaking against me, her knee catching me in the side of the head. I grab her thighs and force them wide, spreading her beneath me like a sacrifice.
“Rush!”
My name echoes through the room as I use my fingers to part her, giving me better access. I thumb her clitoris and feast on her, then fuck her with my tongue.
She screams her orgasm so loud I’m certain my brother must hear it. Silently begging him not to bust down the door and break up our tryst, I crawl up her body.
I want to ask her again if she’s sure she’s ready for me, but the words won’t leave my lips. I don’t know if I can stop anyway. I was obsessed with this woman before I formally met her. Now? I am her willing slave.
I free myself from the confines of my jeans, thanking god that I don’t wear underwear. My wolf howls his excitement, hurling himself against the invisible barrier of our psyche, snapping and growling with the desperate desire to fuck our little witch.
I don’t need to be told twice. I press my cock against her entrance, marveling at the tightness of her passage as I thrust into her. A white-hot explosion rocks my brain as her pussy strangles me, gripping me so tight, I’m positive she’ll never let go.
When I can pry my eyes open, her head is flung back and her mouth is shaped like an O in a silent scream. Her eyes are screwed up and the blood is draining from her face.
Oh god, I’ve killed her!
“Magdalene!” Still seated deep inside, I grip her head and force it up to mine. “Open your eyes. Look at me!”
Her crystal blue eyes pop open. I’ve never in my life been so happy to see them. I reach into her thoughts, trying to find out what’s wrong. Pain, there’s pain! But also… pleasure. She was enjoying herself, but my entry hurt her.
“Are you hurt?” I don’t know how I’m forcing the words out considering my wolf is howling so loud in my head, I can barely hear my own thoughts.
She blinks as if to clear her vision so she can hear me better. She licks her lips and I follow the movement like a hungry dog. Finally, her lips move. I have to dip my head to hear her.
“Don’t. Stop.”
Fuck yeah, she’s fine. She’s more than fine. She’s mine.
I pull almost all the way out before pushing myself home again, going slower this time. My wolf is desperate, begging me to tear into her and, I admit, it’s everything I can do to hold back, but I’m determined to protect my mate from injury at my hands.
“I don’t need protecting!” she’s gasps into my neck where she’s wrapped her arms around me and is clinging like a vine. “Fuck me like you mean it.”
Her words break the dam holding me back. I thrust into her over and over, my arms snaking around her, holding her so tight I worry she’ll snap, but we’re in too deep now. I can’t stop myself from fucking her like the animal I am.
I lose myself in her, insensible of how much time is passing. We lock eyes, hers glowing and fierce, her mouth open, her breath puffing out, her features twisted in agony and ecstasy.
It’s better than anything I could have imagined and I never want it to end, but my mate is weakening. I feel her body growing limp and she’s no longer lifting her hips to meet mine. It’s time to finish.
I reach for my wolf, and he meets me halfway, ready to do our thing.
I turn my head away so I don’t give into the urge to bite, then I thrust several more times, the pressure building with each stroke, my cock growing inside her, pressing against the silken walls of her glorious pussy. I reach for my orgasm just as it blasts through me in an explosion of light and intense pleasure. My barb hooks inside her and she bucks against me.
I stare at her, memorizing everything. Her expression, the colour of her eyes in this moment, the sound of her voice. Her head is thrown back and her scream is still echoing through the room. Her eyelids slide shut and she passes out in my arms.
Chapter 19
Happily ever… oops!
MAGDALENE
“Can you show me the one for keeping creepers out of the house?”
Lyra Good Witch chastises me as she shakes her head. “You modern witches and your finicky pickiness. Imagine wanting the creepers outta the house. How’ll you get cobwebs for your spell bag?” Still, she nods toward the stick I’m holding and explains how to draw the symbol meant to keep creepy crawlies at bay.
“I see your point, Lyra. And I do like a good spider infestation. We’ll make it a temporary eviction.”
It’s been six days since I summoned the two Lyras and mated with Rush. Though I can’t call my Great Aunt back into our realm of existence, I’ve been spending time with Lyra Good Witch. She’s a good sport and doesn’t mind when I summon her for some entertainment. She sees me the same way, a welcome relief from the afterlife.
Lyra was born 402 years ago and died during the witch trials. She was one of the unlucky witches caught up in the human frenzy of witch killings. Very few witches were actually captured during that terrible time. It was mostly humans killing humans they suspected of witchcraft.
“That’ll do it,” she says as I complete the drawing.
We’re sitting on the floor in the corner. Well, I’m sitting. Lyra is floating cross-legged next to me. We watch in fascination as a tiny lineup of bugs and arachnids forms on the stone floor. One by one, they march to the nearest window and make their way outdoors.
“Awesome!” I exclaim, clapping my hands.
Pleasure floods through me and I look up, my gaze going to the stairs leading up the tower. It’s not the freshly evicted creepers making me happy, it’s my mate. I can feel the moment his brain wakes up and know that he’ll be reaching out, searching for me in bed.
He’s spent every night with me since our first night together. He doesn’t like when I leave the bed before he wakes up, but after the first morning, after I laid awake for hours waiting for him, I decided if he wants to sleep the day away, he can do it alone.
I feel him leap from the bed and head for the stairs. He doesn’t stop to relieve his morning bladder, or even to put on pants. He just heads straight out the door in search of me.
Each step that brings him closer has my heart pounding a little faster.
Lyra gives me a knowing look and floats to her feet, heading for the hearth. “Your young man’s coming, don’t I know that look on your eager face. I remember those days meself, when a beau came a courting. I’ll get outta your way. Summon me later?”
I grin and nod. “Of course, you’re my ghost bestie now. I’ll call you next time I need a second opinion on an outfit.”
Lyra claps her hands joyously before disappearing. She loves going through my modern wardrobe and picking out clothes. It’s too bad she can’t try them on herself, but she insists its good enough to watch me do it.
I push myself to my feet as Rush reaches the bottom of the stairs and brace myself, despite knowing it’s an unnecessary precaution. As he envelops me in his arms, he knocks me off my feet before smashing me into his chest in a frantic embrace.
This has been our morning ritual since I discovered the Wolven-North brothers are not morning canines and started leaving the bedroom early. Though he can reach out through our bond and ensure himself of my safety, he must set eyes and paws on me before he’s okay to go about his day.
This mating stuff is a lot more intense than I’d ever imagined, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Rush has been an extremely attentive lover, if not gentle. He tries though.
It doesn’t bother me. I love his fierce lovemaking and he hasn’t hurt me much. A shiver runs down my spine as I remember the care he took last night when he ran those razor-sharp claws over my curves, through my folds, drawing the nectar from me…
Rush groans in my ear, tightening his embrace. “Stop those thoughts, mate, or we’ll be going right back upstairs.”
I giggle. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“This tower’ll fall down around us if all we do is fuck all day every day.”
“Okay… but I’m not hearing a downside yet.” I grin at him to show I’m joking.
I’ve come to discover that Rush has an emotional attachment to his tower. He purchased the land it sits on around 100 years ago and it has been his home ever since. He was responsible for installing running water, electricity, and heating. He’s quite a handy wolf, as it turns out.
“Why don’t you go and put some pants on while I make us breakfast? Then we can fix that broken stonework you pointed out yesterday.” I run my hands down his bare back, catching him with my nails and drawing a shudder from him. “After, maybe we can talk about the fucking part.”
He grips my face, tilting my head back before laying a kiss on me that clearly speaks to his intentions when we do finally get to the fucking part. He thrusts his tongue into my mouth while shoving his now fully erect cock against me. I’m so much shorter than he is that he has to hunch over to kiss me.
Without a word, he breaks the kiss and stalks away, though I feel the satisfaction in his mind. He loves my idea.
These past few days have been the best I’ve ever had, and I know Rush feels the same. We’ve discovered the definition of contentment in our cozy nest. The only dim spot on the horizon of our mating is Fallon. Not that he’s difficult.
Now that he’s getting regular nutritious meals, we’ve been able to risk taking him out for walks. Rush won’t allow him to shift in case he catches the scent of a human and takes off, but Fallon doesn’t seem to mind. He’s pleased with the addition of exercise to his relatively unchanging routine.
No, the hard part of having Fallon around is the reason he’s here -- our inability to figure out how to break the spell cast by my ancestor. It breaks my heart to see my mate’s sadness when he gazes upon his once great sibling. Perhaps if I can convince Rush to reconcile himself to Fallon as he is, we can live a happy life with the three of us in our tower together.
I hum to myself as I scramble eggs for my wolf pack. Rush was surprised when he found out I eat eggs and dairy, but I explained to him that I have no problem with animal byproducts as long as they’re ethically gathered. Unfortunately, my explanation sent him down a spiraling path of worry over whether it’s ethical to murder and devour woodland creatures. Or more accurately, he was less worried about the ethics and more concerned with my perception of his diet.
Cute wolf.
I’d let him stew for several minutes before putting him out of his misery. “We’re two different species with different biological needs. I don’t judge you for eating the things you do.” After that conversation, his attitude toward my food preferences changed. Now, he’s happy to help me search out the food I need, so long as he gets to go for a hunt after.
I finish scrambling the eggs, adding some wild onion and mushrooms I found, then dish it up. Balancing the three plates on my arms, I head back into the common room.
“Good morning,” I say to Fallon, who’s sitting at another door-turned-table, wearing his leather trousers, a yawn stretching his lips.
He grunts in response and reaches for the plate I set in front of him. Not waiting for a fork, he shoves egg into his mouth with his fingers. I look him over like a proud parent, pleased to note a healthy glow to his complexation and fewer ribs poking out from under his skin. He’s a long way from being okay, but he’s better than he was when I arrived.
Rush enters the room, zeroing in on me as he strides toward us. His focus is like a laser-beam to the brain, wonderful and intense. He steals my breath and my senses when he’s near me and I never want the feeling to end.
He drops into the chair next to mine, widening his knees until his thigh is pressed to mine.
“Looks delicious,” he says in his low, sexy voice, his eyes on my face.
I blush and grin at him, reaching for my fork. We eat in silence until everyone is satisfied. Both Fallon and Rush eat a dozen eggs each in a single sitting. Rush barters with a nearby human farm for the eggs and a few other food items, like cream, milk, and honey. He added vegetables to the list when I arrived. I asked if I could go meet the farmers, but he said it’s too dangerous.
I’m not sure why he’s so worried about me meeting humans. I’ve met a few in my time but have never had more than a quick conversation. They don’t seem to enjoy swamps, ghosts, spiderwebs or anything else vital to a witch’s happiness.
When we finish eating, Rush picks up our plates and heads to the kitchen to wash up while Fallon shifts to his wolf form, walking out of his trousers as he makes his way to his favourite napping spot by the fire. I follow him in exasperation, picking up his discarded pants and folding them across the back of a chair.
I chew my lip as I glance toward the kitchen where Rush is whistling and banging dishes as he washes them. I could have those dishes washed, dried, and put away in thirty seconds, but that would mean admitting I have access to my magic.
We haven’t discussed the collar since he put it back on me the morning after we summoned Lyra. I’d felt a shaft of hurt that he didn’t trust me and he’d felt what I felt. Contrition had twisted his features and he’d lifted his hands to remove the collar, but I stopped him.
I could see everything in his mind. His desire to trust me, the massive leaps forward he’s taken in his thinking toward witches in general and me in particular. He’s trying and if it makes him more comfortable to believe that he’s leashing my spell casting abilities, then so be it. We’re immortals. When we’re past this bump in our relationship, we have endless years ahead in which I can make our lives easier with my magic.
“Ready?” he asks, striding from the kitchen while drying his hands on a cloth.
I could swoon over this man’s sexiness, but we have work to do.
He grins at me, catching my stray thought, and grips me around the waist, dipping me in his arms until my hair brushes the floor.
I laugh as he lays a smacking kiss on me.
“Enough goofing,” he says gruffly against my lips. “Time to work.”
I pretend to pout, but skip after him as he heads for the tower door. We leave it open in case Fallon wants to come outside when he finishes his nap.
I settle on the grass with a broken mosaic Rush gave me to work on. My job is to piece together the colourful bits of glass in the correct order, then glue them to a stone slab, which will be placed as a decoration on our doorstep. Rush told me it was original to the keep and would be a shame to lose. I agree.
“What’re you humming?” Rush asks, stepping past me toward the base of the tower where a ladder rests against its side.
“Oh, umm, just a song my mom used to sing when I was a child. It’s about thanking the Earth Mother before we take her resources.”
“Why don’t you sing it?” He launches himself up the ladder and I watch with admiration for a few seconds as he quickly finds the section he was working on yesterday.
“My gifts do not include channeling the voices of angels.”
“What’s that mean?” Using a trowel, he dips it into the bucket of plaster balanced on the ladder and pushes it between the stones before scraping it smooth.
“It means I can’t sing,” I call up to him, then demonstrate before his mating befuddled brain can insist that I must be an amazing singer because there can’t possibly be anything wrong with his mate.
A couple of bars into the song and he’s laughing so hard he has to grip the ladder to keep himself from falling off the tower.
For his continued amusement, I jump to my feet and show him my extremely uncoordinated dance moves as well. Unfortunately, I forget about the damage sharp rocks on bare feet can cause until one slices into the bottom of my foot.
I drop to the ground with a cry, twisting my leg like a pretzel to see the bottom. Sure enough, there’s a long bleeding gash along the heel. Automatically, I speak the words that will heal the gash.
The ground shakes as Rush leaps off the tower and lands next to me.
Oh shit.
I look up at him, but his eyes are on my foot as the skin mends itself and the blood disappears.
“Rush…”
When his eyes meet mine, my heart sinks. The heat in that bronze gaze is gone, now replaced by an icy anger that chills me to the bone.
Chapter 20
Wolf Behaving Badly
MAGDALENE
“You lied to me.”
The second my foot finishes healing, I push myself off the ground and stand. “I know it seems that way, but if you let me….”
“How long have you had your magic?” Rush interrupts, his hands balling into fists to keep from grabbing me and injuring me while he’s in a rage. I know this because he’s not trying to keep his thoughts from me.
Sadness overwhelms my ability to speak. I was hoping our relationship could evolve to where he trusted me enough to take the collar off. Now it’s everything he can do not to attack me.
