by R. E. Butler
The kitten had belonged to a young warlock. The boy had sent the familiar away with a spell, and Sirano had been furious. He’d searched for it, checking any and every report of a found kitten, particularly a magical one, that he could.
“Who brought the kitten to us?” Delaney asked.
“I don’t know.”
Delaney knew he was telling the truth, which was frustrating. She wanted to know who’d brought the kitten to them and why they hadn’t told them what was going on.
“I think that’s everything,” Hadlee said. “Let’s get him ready for transport.”
They sent him into a deep sleep through a spell, his head rolling forward to rest on his chest, his shoulders relaxing as he drifted off. The Convention’s security team would take him and put him in a magical prison which would negate his powers while he waited trial.
“I wish we knew who brought the kitten to us,” Delaney said, putting her hands on her hips. She really, really wanted to know. It felt like an important loose end.
“I’m certain we’ll figure it out in time,” Mother Gibson said.
“I sure hope so,” Delaney said.
Chapter Thirteen
While Venice and Brody worked at prying off one of the anti-sun shutters, Brody’s mind raced. He felt entirely energized by Delaney’s blood, like he could do anything. Except, apparently, remove the shutter. The damn thing was meant to be impenetrable. He just hadn’t counted on ever needing to get into the house any way other than the front door. Which was hopelessly melted and fused into the house itself. The backdoor was covered with shutters as well, so there was literally no way inside.
Frustrated, he released his hold on the edge and blew out a sharp breath. “There has to be a way to get inside.”
“We could get a bulldozer,” Venice said.
“Be serious,” Brody said.
“No, wait, hear me out. We could just take out a corner of the house so we can get inside. We don’t have to take out the whole place.”
“We’re not bulldozing my house. Not even a corner of it.”
“Fine, fine, shoot down my good idea.”
“How is that a good idea? I have to live here.”
Venice craned his neck to the roof and Brody knew he wasn’t going to like what he said next. “What if we get a crane...”
“No!” he roared.
A sweet, perfect voice sounded behind him. “No to what?” He spun and faced Delaney, who looked amused.
“Whatever asinine thing was going to come out of his mouth,” he said, gesturing to Venice.
“I wondered if you’d made any progress getting to the kitten,” she said.
“Not yet,” Brody answered. He rubbed the back of his neck.
“We think we can get through the front door. Since there’s another security door beyond it, the house will still be light-tight,” Delaney said.
“I’m open to whatever you can do to get us inside.”
She called over the other witches. Brody had never had many dealings with Mother Gibson, but he liked her immensely. Not only did she radiate goodness, but she was willing to help when called on and gave of herself freely.
“We can rip the door off,” Delaney said. “But it’ll ruin this front portion of the house.” She gestured to the door and surrounding area.
“That’s fine,” he said.
“Why is it okay for them to magically blast off the door but I can’t bring in a bulldozer to take out a tiny corner of the house?” Venice asked.
“Seriously? You have to ask?” Brody said, shaking his head.
“Stand back,” Delaney said. “This’ll get bright.”
He and Venice moved off the porch, and the women clasped hands again, raising them high and speaking a spell. The walls of the house began to shake, and for a moment he thought the whole thing might collapse. A bright light emanated in front of the women, and he and Venice had to shield their eyes. It was hot and bright like the sun, and Brody winced and squeezed his eyes shut tighter.
Something banged loudly, and the light disappeared. Brody blinked rapidly to dispel the dots of light that blurred his vision, and when he could see clearly his brows rose in surprise. The entire front door was laying on the ground next to the house, a neat rectangle cut into the front wall where it had been. They’d not only taken out the door but about a foot all around as well, leaving exposed drywall and wood, and wires where the security pad to unlock the door had been.
“Damn,” he said. “Pretty spectacular.”
Delaney grinned.
He moved up onto the porch, dropped his hand to her waist and gave it a squeeze, then walked into the foyer. He had to override the security protocols because the foyer door wouldn’t open without the exterior door being closed. Once he was able to hack his way into his own system from the keypad, the door unlocked and he pushed it open. The others followed except for Venice, who stayed outside to stand guard over Sirano.
Delaney rushed to the bedroom door and waited for him to join her so he could unlock it.
Flora lifted her head from where she’d been curled up in the center of his pillow. “Oh, baby, you’re okay!” Delaney crooned as she climbed onto the bed and scooped her up in her arms. “I was so worried.”
She gave the kitten a kiss on her head and climbed off the bed. “Mother Gibson said we can access Flora’s memories the same way we did with Sirano.”
“That hurt him, though.”
“Because he didn’t want to give us his memories. He fought our spell. Flora won’t. She’s good and on our side, so she’ll willingly share her memories.”
“Good,” he said. She moved to walk past him, and he caught her arm. “After this?”
She gave him a coy look. “You did invite me to stay the night, right?”
“I did.”
“The offer still stands?”
“Of course.”
“Then when this is settled, and it’s just the two of us, we can talk.”
He wanted that very much. Especially since he needed to talk to her about what it meant that he’d shared blood with her. Venice wasn’t happy about it, but Brody had been acting on instinct. He’d felt how exhausted Delaney was, first from the spell casting and then from feeding him. He’d thought only of her safety.
Shaking his thoughts back to the present, he followed her from the bedroom and watched as the witches set the kitten on the floor and sat around it, then cast a spell. He was witness to the kitten’s memories, and what he saw amazed him.
The kitten’s master had sent him away with a spell to someone who would keep him safe. The kitten hadn’t known who the woman was, only that she was connected to Sirano in some way. She’d traveled in secret with Flora and brought her to the rescue but had stayed off-camera.
“Well, hell,” Kinsley said. “We still can’t tell who the woman is who dropped off the kitten or why she wanted to stay off-camera.”
“She might have believed her life was in danger,” Mother Gibson said. “But what matters is that we have Sirano and he’s not going to come after Flora anymore.”
“That is good news,” Delaney said. “But if the woman was scared of Sirano, then I wish we could tell her she doesn’t have to be afraid anymore.”
Brody rubbed his chin. “I’ll do some more digging. I might be able to find her through social media.”
Delaney beamed at him.
They were interrupted by the Convention’s security team which arrived in a large, dark van. They parked at the back of his house and a handful of uniformed males and females got out. Brody and Venice stayed back as the girls spoke to them about what had occurred with Sirano.
The security team put Sirano inside the van. One of the males, who appeared to be the leader, came to shake his and Venice’s hands.
“Thank you for your assistance in apprehending this male. We’ve been on his trail for a while, but he was very crafty,” he said.
“We were happy to help,” Brody said.
“You might be called on to testify, but it would be on a video call so you wouldn’t need to appear in person. The same goes for the females. We’ll let you know if we need you.”
“Thanks for coming so quickly,” Brody said.
“Of course.”
The male said goodbye, and in moments the van was gone.
Kinsley said, “Do you want us to take Flora back to the rescue?”
“She can stay with us tonight. I’ll bring her by tomorrow morning,” Delaney said.
Kinsley nodded and the small group of witches embraced. Brody and Venice said goodbye to them.
“Well, this is the most exciting thing to happen in Sable Cove in ages,” Venice said. “You want me to take the rest of the night shift?”
“No, go get some rest. The station’s calls are already forwarded to my cell so I can handle anything that comes up.”
“You sure?” Venice eyed him.
“Positive. Thank you for your help. I don’t think it would’ve been successful without you being here.”
“I’m glad I was here for you guys.” He cleared his throat and said in a low voice, “You’re going to talk to her.”
It was a statement, not a question.
“Of course. Once we’re alone. Hint, hint.”
Venice smiled. “I’m going. See you at sunset.”
Brody watched Venice leave and then turned to Delaney.
“Shall we, sweetheart?” he asked, gesturing to the door.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
* * *
Once they were inside the house, Brody locked up and brought snacks and drinks out for them. Delaney was seated on the couch, her gaze expectant and the sweet fragrance of her arousal making his fangs throb.
He took a drink of sweet tea and set down the glass, then turned to face her. He had no idea how she’d react to what he had to say, but he was hoping for the best.
“First, I wanted to thank you for offering me your blood.”
“You were seriously injured. I would’ve done anything to help you.”
He linked their fingers. “I know, and I’m grateful for it. Do you remember when Venice got angry after you fed me?”
“Yeah. I thought that was weird.”
“It’s because I gave you some of my blood.”
“I don’t understand.”
He blew out a breath. “I was so badly injured, that I took too much of your blood. It’s why you were lightheaded. When I realized it, I cut my tongue on my fang and fed you my blood to help heal you. Among other things, it’s got accelerated healing properties which is why you felt better afterward.”
She looked at him with raised brows but didn’t say anything.
“If you were injured and I fed you to help you heal, it would be no big deal. But I’d just fed from you, so when I gave you my blood I... tied us together.”
Her brow furrowed. “Tied us together? What do you mean?”
“I mean, sweetheart, that we’re mated now.”
Her eyes went wide, and her mouth fell open. It was a long moment before she spoke. “Mated-mated? Liked mated? Are you serious?”
“Very. And I’m sorry. I was just running on instinct, and I meant to only heal you. It didn’t cross my mind what I’d done until after the fact.”
“Surely there’s more to be mated than just sharing blood.”
“Technically, no. There’s a ceremony and traditions my people have, but when it comes down to brass tacks, the only thing that’s needed to secure a mating is the sharing of blood. Everything else is just window dressing.”
“We’re mated.”
“Yes. I’m sorry,” he said, but she put up her hand and he stopped talking.
“Mated. You and me.”
He nodded.
“Wow. Give me a sec to wrap my head around this. I mean, I know we’re mates, but I thought we’d have time to get to know each other before we actually became mates.”
“I didn’t picture it this way, Delaney, trust me. I didn’t mean to take your choice away from you, and I’m so terribly sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” she said. She leaned forward and kissed him, and he was too surprised to kiss her back. He’d thought she might be pissed, and she had every right to be.
“You’re okay with what happened?”
“Well, it’s not exactly how I thought it would go either. I mean, I didn’t even get a proposal or anything.” She tilted her head with a smile.
“I will absolutely ask you to be mine and to marry me. I don’t want you to think that I’m taking anything for granted when it comes to you.”
“Fair warning, I’m a little high maintenance,” she whispered, climbing into his lap.
“Bring it on, sweetheart.”
Chapter Fourteen
Brody picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He set her on the bed and then gently scooped Flora up and placed her on the floor. Delaney sat up on her elbows and smiled at him. He stood at the edge of the bed, his whole body rigid.
“Come here,” she said, crooking her finger at him.
He put a knee on the bed and leaned over, pushing up her shirt to expose her belly. He kissed her navel, the feather-light touch making her skin prickle. He kissed up her stomach a few inches, and she tugged her shirt over her head. He let out a soft growl, and his eyes darkened. He slipped a hand behind her back and twisted the clasp, releasing the bra. Pulling it free of her body, he stared down at her breasts for a moment and then leaned up and kissed her lips. She opened her mouth and moaned when his tongue slid against hers in a dance that drove her wild.
Cupping one breast, he rubbed his thumb around her nipple, playing with it lightly as they kissed. He left her lips and kissed across her jaw to her ear, nipping on the lobe. “You’re mine, sweetheart?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I’m yours, too.”
He nipped a line down her neck and across her chest, capturing a nipple between his lips. He sucked gently, alternating between the two, until she was writhing under him and desperate for more.
Moving down her body, he hooked his fingers into her leggings and panties and pulled them down her legs. He climbed from the bed and took off her shoes and socks, then stripped her fully. She watched as his gaze moved up her bare legs. She spread them apart slowly and bent her knees.
He growled again, but this time it was more animalistic.
She lifted her foot and pressed it to his chest when he tried to get on the bed again. “You’ve got too many clothes on.”
His fangs flashed as he grinned and stripped, his clothes flying. And then he was prowling up the bed, his gaze darting between the apex of her thighs and her face. He pushed her thighs wider apart to make room for his broad shoulders. His eyes flashed as he inhaled with a growling purr, and then he swiped his tongue up her folds. She bit her bottom lip as he spread her open and feasted on her, playing with her clit and sliding first one and then a second finger into her. Her stomach twisted and her body heated, pleasure pouring over her like a waterfall and making her toes curl. He found a place inside that made her eyes cross, and she slapped her hands on the bed as he held her in place and rubbed his finger over that spot again and again until she fell apart.
Her body locked up in a deep spiral of pleasure that made her ears ring and her skin prickle. She reached for him as shivers raced through her. He prowled up her body, kissing here and there along the way, and then he was sliding home inside her. He slid an arm underneath her hips and lifted her off the bed, changing the angle of his thrusts until he prolonged her orgasm with each thrust. Waves of pleasure flowed over her, from one great high to the next, as they moved together.
She cupped his face and drew him to her lips. Then she hooked her hands over his shoulders as she began to meet his thrusts in earnest, their moans of pleasure lost in the kiss. She broke from his lips to let out a sharp cry as another climax speared through her. He shouted her name as he came, thrusting into her a
few more times before stilling with his cock buried deep and his body trembling.
He dropped his head to her shoulder and let out a gusty groan as another shudder wove through him.
She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. “You’re amazing,” she said, her voice raw from screaming out her pleasure.
“I’m in excellent company,” he said. He kissed her cheek and rolled to his side. Their bodies separated, and she hated the loss.
Turning to her side, she let out a little gasp as he drew her close and curled her into his embrace. She smiled, resting her head on his biceps as they both came down from the heavens. No one had ever touched her the way Brody did. No one had ever made her feel so much.
She wished she hadn’t waited so long to talk to him, but she was sure glad they were together now.
“I didn’t know it could be like this,” she confessed.
He hummed. “Me either. But I think it’s supposed to be that way between true mates. If sex could be fantastic with anyone no matter the feelings or connection, then there’d be no reason to wait for your one right person.”
“That’s true. I wish we hadn’t waited so long to get together.”
“We’re together now, and that’s what matters. I feel so connected to you. I mean, I did before because we shared blood, and hell I felt drawn to you the minute I came to town, but right now it’s so much deeper than that.”
“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“What?”
She sat up on her elbow. “Well, if you hadn’t been turned down by that female vampire and exiled from your coven, then you wouldn’t have come to Sable Cove. I’ve never traveled to the west coast, so I wouldn’t have ever come to Washington. And considering your coven only like vampires hanging around, I wouldn’t have been welcome anyway. If the events of your life hadn’t happened, we probably would’ve never met.”
“I hadn’t really thought about it that way, but you’re right. I mourned the loss of my coven, but once I made it here, I knew I was supposed to come because of you. It just took me a while to get over myself.”
