The Shifter's Soul

by R. A. Boyd

  She would if he stopped fucking around and teasing her.

  He twisted the dildo until the ridge nudged her G-spot, and kept it right there. He pulled the hardened bud of her nipple until it was just this side of painful, but all it did was fuel the orgasm building in her core.

  “Play with your nipples?” he demanded.

  Was that permission to take off the shirt?

  “Take it off,” Simon ground out.

  The brightness of the room blinded her as she freed herself from the shirt. The sight of his head moving between her legs brought a moan from her mouth. Her head fell back on the bed as she used one of her hands to tweak and tug on her beaded nipple, and she used the other to grab a handful of Simon’s hair and push him closer to her center.

  “Yes, yes,” she pleaded, moaning as Simon was bringing her closer to the brink of release.

  Still thrusting the vibe into her aching pussy, he took one finger and dragged it along her wet slit. Her core began to tighten with the oncoming orgasm. Simon drugged his now soaked finger lower and pushed it into the tight, puckered hole of her ass. The sensation of him fucking her pussy with the dildo, his large, thick finger in her ass, and the now steady rumble from his beast that was causing her entire center to vibrate and pulse, shoved her over the edge.

  “Oh, God!” she yelled, her voice a hoarse cry as she tightened the grips on her nipple and Simon’s hair. “Fuck, fuck,” she chanted, grinding her body against every bit of stimulation Simon was pouring down on her.

  Tears ran down her face as Simon forced the orgasm from her body. Bright lights flashed behind her eyelids like she’d been staring at the Sun too long. Her was her Sun and moon, and stars. Her body, wracked with shudders finally began to come down from its high as Simon pulled his finger from her ass and the vibe from her pussy.

  He kissed his way up her body, sucking and kneading one breast and then the other.

  By the time his face appeared in front of hers, Charlie had managed to catch her breath and quiet the sensual sobs that flowed from her mouth.

  He kissed her deeply, and she could taste her lust on his lips.

  Simon growled as he looked down at her. “You get so fucking drenched, I bet it’ll feel like your pussy is sucking my dick.”

  She snorted and covered her eyes. “You say such sweet things.”

  “Now,” he said, kissing her nose, and lips, and then her chin. “I’m going to suck all that sweetness from between your legs and start again.” He eyes lightened to the color of the Sun. “Sound good?”

  Absolutely.

  Chapter 7

  “What do you mean?” Simon asked Cass as she looked between him and Charlie.

  “What part didn’t you understand?” Cass mumbled through a mouth full of mashed potatoes. “We’re going out tonight. Just us ladies.” Cass sat on Jax’s lap as Damon ran his hand over her shoulder, sweeping her hair out of her face.

  This was why he didn’t want to bring Charlie home. All he wanted was a few days of her to himself. Isn’t that how healthy relationships started? Two people spending time together, sans nosy ass sisters who butted in way too much? It wasn’t a safe time for the Ghosts, and Charlie was vulnerable. She was human. Not only would she be a target for the Rogue clan who’d attacked him yesterday, but her father was trying to find her. And she didn’t want to be bitten. There were too many ways she could get hurt. Having her here in their community kept her safe.

  “Simon,” Cass called, her voice more serious than it had been. “I’ll keep her safe. I give you my word. Charlie will come back untouched. A little drunk, but untouched.” She switched her gaze to Charlie and winked. “You’re one of us now.”

  Simon trusted Cass just as much as he trusted his brethren. If there as anyone in this world that would rain down hell on those who meant harm to this clan, it was Cass. She took her job in the Triad serious. Hell, she still took food to Teague if he didn’t bring snacks to the firehouse when he worked twenty-four-hour shifts. His mate was usually the one to remind him, but they were both forgetful and busy. And Cass always made sure their cub Liv was safe.

  Charlie leaned over and bumped his shoulder with hers. “Don’t be that way. It sounds like fun. I don’t think I’ve ever had a ladies night. That’s a song, isn’t it?” She looked up at him through long lashes that fanned across her full cheeks when she blinked.

  She was excited. That made it a little bit better. All he wanted was to be close to her. With his soul being wherever the hell Miri was, his moral compass was all over the place. Anger was a constant tug in his middle, but Charlie was the only thing that made him feel like not being a complete and total ass.

  It wasn’t up to her to make him feel complete. He wouldn’t burden her with that responsibility.

  “I won’t go if you need me here with you,” Charlie whispered.

  That wouldn’t do at all.

  He kneaded the soft skin of her leg, loving the low whimper his touch brought from her when his fingers skirted too close to the apex of her thighs. Smiling, he said, “No. Go and have a good time.”

  Relief took over her face as her eyes lit up. She tucked a silver curl behind her ear and went back to eating her meatloaf.

  “Can I come?” Liv asked. “I’m a lady.”

  Riley looked at her sixteen-year-old daughter like she’d lost her mind. “You have school tomorrow, young lady. Besides, didn’t Willow give you some book she wants back by tomorrow?”

  Simon had to stifle a snicker as the girl’s eyes went wide. Willow was teaching her rudimentary witchcraft. It had been the only thing that kept her attention these days. Once the realization that her father was really dead had kicked in, she had fallen into a darkness that had even touched Simon’s heart. Willow gave her some shiny rock that helped Liv face her feelings about what her dad had done. What he tried to do to Riley and Teague, and the plans he’d had of having his daughter bitten.

  Even though Simon had never said anything, he was glad her piece of shit father was dead. All Liv had been to him was a pawn for him to use against Riley. She was better off without him.

  Charlie touched his hand. “Why are you growling? And smiling?”

  Damn. He’d missed most of the random conversations his people were having.

  Raising Charlie’s hand to his lips, he kissed each of her knuckles and smiled. “I’m happy.”

  Her hand in his sent a chill up his spine that gave him life. She was changing him, healing him from the inside out. Her love was so powerful he didn’t even need a soul to recognize the light of the Creator inside her. It was in everyone. That’s how living beings recognized a person’s intentions. Without a single word, how bright and pure that light shined was what kicked up someone’s instincts. It didn’t matter what beliefs they had or whether they believed in anything more significant than themselves at all. Good or bad, that light was enough to draw people to you or make them run in apprehension.

  Simon looked around the table and felt included for the first time in years. It wasn’t because he now had a mate just like most of his family here. No. Something was changing inside him, soul or no soul. It was as if the Creator had planted a seed inside him when he’d been cursed. That seed took millions of years to take root and now, the life-giving water of Charlie’s love and affection had been poured into him, making the seed grow and bloom into the most incredible flower ever known to man.

  He huffed out a laugh and made a blowing sound with his lips. When the hell did he start thinking in girly terms of flowers and blooming shit? Fuck that. He was a hard man who could kick ass.

  Charlie leaned in and kissed his cheek. “What are you laughing at?” she asked. To her, he must look like a damned fool.

  He shrugged up one shoulder. “Nothing. I’m just… I can breathe again.” He took a deep breath and felt it fill out his lungs and abdomen.

  “Aww,” Paige crooned out. “That is so sweet.”

  Before he even knew what was happening, Riley reached
over and smacked Simon’s hand before he raised it too high. “Paige, please stop before he gives you the finger.”

  “Because then I’ll have to rip that thing off his hand,” Aiden said, curling his hand around Paige and pulling her close. “Anyone heard from Cole?”

  “Yeah,” Damon said, pushing his empty plate away from him. His hazel eyes flashed gold as he shook his head. “He’s been with the other Ghosts, trying to convince them to come back.”

  “There are more of you?” Charlie blurted out. She slapped her hand over her mouth as if she was embarrassed.

  Simon pulled her hand away. “Yeah. There is another community of Ghost shifters that went to live alone and stay away from everyone. Humans included. Most don’t even think they deserve mates. They think they should live apart from everything as penance.”

  “Maybe that’s what some of us need.” Jace sniffed and took a sip of his iced tea. He’d been different lately. Mostly staying to himself, not attending family dinners. “I’ve been thinking of going to stay with them lately,” he said, voice half whisper and all disappointment. “I’m not made for a mate. And why did I just blurt that shit out?”

  Everyone got quiet and looked at him. His ice blue eyes were haunted, and he looked more tired than Simon had ever seen him. Jace put his head down, and his blond hair fell in his eyes. He was never one to talk about his feelings, so letting everyone know he didn’t think he was worthy of a mate was a surprise.

  Out of the kindness of his heart, Simon slapped his hand on the table and then pointed at Jace. He was going to do his brother a favor. “You want to go outside and fight it out? Makes me feel better sometimes.”

  Simon cut an eye to Cass and snickered. He knew that talk of them fighting amongst themselves made her want to beat them all up just to make them be kind to each other.

  Giving an empty smile, Jace nodded his head a few times and massaged the bridge of his nose with two fingers. “Thanks, man. But I’m good.” He seemed to think it over for a few breaths and said, “Ask me again in a few days.”

  “What happened to Emma?” Audra asked from the kitchen counter. She sat along with her mate Zeke as they shared an entire apple pie.

  Jace’s body froze. “What about Emma?”

  “Weren’t you in love with her? I thought for sure she would have been the first one you’d check out after we started getting our grace back.” Audra pulled a potato chip from a bag and dipped it in the pie. She went to put it in her mouth but was interrupted when Zeke leaned forward and ate it. She poked him on the forehead with her fork.

  Zeke and Audra were fucking weird, and they loved the hell out of each other. Simon would have never appreciated a thought like that before he’d met Charlie. He’d been made for her millennia before humans even walked the earth.

  Jace took another sip of tea and wouldn’t meet Audra’s gaze. “Emma got married and has a kid. They separated a little while ago. The guy realized he didn’t want a kid after all.”

  “So she ain’t married.” Audra pulled her phone from her back pocket and started clicking away, her tiny fingers flying across the screen as she chewed. “Brother, don’t make me do something drastic.”

  A string of curse words started to fall from Jace’s lips as he stood up from the table. “Mind your own business, Audra. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

  Audra shrugged and put her phone back in her pocket. Just as Jace started to sit down, she said, “Drastic measures taken. She and I have been friends on that friend stalker site since Cass healed us. I told Emma you were picking her up for a lunch date next week.” She sat back and nuzzled her nose against Zeke’s chest. “Jace, you are so fucking welcome.”

  Rage ballooned through the room so fast, Simon barely had the time to jump up and stand in front of Charlie. Jace snarled, blue eyes burning like the blinding blast of a dying star. A shimmer appeared around him as if he was about to shift, and when Simon really looked at him, he could see his hands transforming to claws. A rolling snarl exploded from him as his canines began to lengthen into two, long, sharp, teeth that grew from his mouth.

  Holy shit. Jace had been bitten by his mate!

  Jax stood up and slammed his hand on the table, causing a ripple of dominance to fill the room that weighed down on them like a soaking wet blanket. “Stop it right now, Jace.” He stared down his nose at Jace until the man sat down in his chair and bared his neck to the alpha of the Ghost shifters.

  An eerily quiet filled the room, and all eyes were focused on Jace. Jax still towered over him, daring the man to do anything other than sit there and shut his face.

  “When, man?” Teague asked. He was standing protectively in front of Riley.

  Jace’s jaw worked as he chewed the inside of his cheek. “Don’t want to talk about it.” His voice was tired and raspy, filled with more pain than Simon had ever heard from the man. Jace tried to stand, but it was as if some invisible force kept him pinned to his seat. “I’d like to go home now and be left alone.”

  “Go on,” Jax said, nodding toward the door and still eyeing Jace as he slid his chair up to the table.

  Jace picked up his plate and took it to the sink. They all sat and watched him as he rinsed off his dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

  It wasn’t too often Simon pitied anyone, but right now, as much as they could, Simon’s insides ached for his brother. He’d been bitten, and the only reason he wasn’t with his mate right now was because she had rejected him. That had to be the only reason. Nothing else could keep a shifter from his or her mate.

  Just as Jace reached the door, Audra spoke up. “Brother,” she said, her voice a mix of sweetness and malice. “Come at me like that again, you and I are going to dance. Trust me when I say that it will not work in your favor. I’ll text you the time and place to meet Emma.”

  “Fuck you, Audra,” Jace said over his shoulder.

  Bold man. Audra was not someone you fucked with. His sister’s temper could rival that of Lucifer if she were so inclined, and they all knew it. Even in her small form, Audra held the force of a hurricane inside. Simon knew all too well how focused Audra could be when she made it her business to make you pay for something you’d done to her.

  Cass urged Jax to sit back down. Once he was in his chair, she sat in his lap and rubbed his face a few times, whispering soft words to him only they could hear.

  Charlie leaned over and put her lips right up to Simon’s ear. His cock started to swell as her left tit brushed against his arm. “Is this all the time?” she asked, her sweet, warm breath flowing along his neck causing goosebumps to tickle his skin.

  She was intimidated. Not scared, just uneasy. She had no idea what pain he would take onto himself to keep her safe.

  He kissed her neck and tickled her ribs, making her bounce her feet up and down as she cradled his head against her. “No,” he said. “I’m usually the one starting shit. I think I’m done with that now.” He cupped her cheek and then looked at the door. “He’ll be fine. I remember Emma. She was nice.”

  Cass clapped her hands. “Ladies night starts in T-30 minutes. The guys, and Liv, will stay here and do whatever the heck it is they do when we’re not around, and we’re going out to have a great time. Agreed?” She looked at Liv and winked. “We’ll have an all-inclusive ladies afternoon this weekend.”

  A huge grin split open Liv’s face as she nodded. “Okay.”

  “I’ll stay here,” Willow said, picking up her plate. She tucked her hair behind her ear, and Simon could see the music note symbol tattooed there.

  With a determined stance and wide smile, Cass put her hands on her wide hips and nodded as if she were letting Willow off the hook. “So you’re coming.”

  Willow stopped. “But I’m—”

  “Coming with us?” Riley interrupted. “Because it’s ladies night and you stay here like an old lady. You need cats. Like a bunch of them.”

  “And we’re saving you from that,” Cass murmured. “Because you’re comin
g with us. Right?”

  Willow’s shoulders sagged. “Do I have a choice?”

  “I don’t think you do.” Charlie stood up and reached for Simon’s plate, but he pulled it from her grasping hands and then took her plate.

  The giddiness that surrounded Charlie was enough to fill Simon’s stomach and chest with whatever joy that was pouring from her body. She was happy, and he hoped that the women of the Ghost clan would go out every chance they got if it meant Charlie could be this happy. She deserved it.

  Being with his clan meant they had a lot of problems coming their way. The rogue clan was still active. The only reason he wouldn’t trail behind Charlie and his sisters was because Cass would be with her. Three saber-tooth cats, a flight shifter, and a fallen angel-witch would be with his woman, but Cass was the quiet muscle that could leverage any group who tried to start shit with them.

  She would be safe.

  “The ladies are gone,” Simon said as he walked to the kitchen. He was still uneasy about her not being near him, but he’d have to let that go. Charlie wasn’t the type of woman who wanted to be coddled. “Let’s do some dumb shit.”

  “One thing we need to take care of first, and he ain’t talking.” Teague poured gravy on a plate of food. “Willow gave him one of those anti-shift pills.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a clear bag with a small ball that looked like it was covered in powdered sugar. “And this is the truth spell.”

  Holy shit. Simon had forgotten about the rogue from yesterday. They had him locked in one of the cells below them in the community hall. He hadn’t even thought about him.

  Damon slapped a hand on his shoulder and chuckled. “Forgot you broke his buddy’s neck a few nights ago?”

  Simon blinked and gave a slow nod. Where the hell was his head? “Yeah. Didn’t even think about him.” He scratched his beard in thought. His mind should be on revenge.

  “Charlie on the brain?” Jax laughed.