“I’m right here, sweetheart. Meadow called and said you were going to need some help upstairs.”
“Meadow?” Meadow was there? She hadn’t seen her when she got home earlier. Hadn’t felt her presence in the house.
“She arrived while we were talking about fifteen minutes ago,” Emilia murmured, and Aurora felt a soft kiss on her forehead. “She could scent your fatigue, and was worried about how we would get you to bed. She hasn’t been around witches long enough to know we have our ways. Get some sleep, Aurora. Let your mate take care of you.”
“Mist.”
“Mist will be fine. She’s here with us, and no one is leaving,” Zara said. “We will protect her and try to figure out what to do about the two demon douchebags. You get some rest.”
Aurora wanted to argue, but she was beyond forming coherent sentences at that point. Grasping Noah’s shirt weakly, she whispered his name one more time before allowing the darkness to take her.
Chapter Six
Noah stared out the window in Aurora’s room, filled with a deep rage at what he’d overheard downstairs earlier. Someone else was trying to claim Aurora as his own. Fuck that. No one would be claiming his mate except him. She was his, dammit. Every single part of her. Even her witchy side. His! He would tear the son of a bitch apart if he came near his woman.
“Noah? What’s wrong?”
Aurora’s deep, husky tone reached him through his anger. She was supposed to be sleeping, a healing sleep from some potion her grandmother had given her. He didn’t care what is was, as long as it helped take her pain away.
Turning toward her, Noah forced a smile to his lips. “Nothing’s wrong, beautiful.” That was a lie. There was so much wrong, starting with the fucking demon he was going to be hunting very soon.
“Liar,” she whispered, a small smile on her lips. He was surprised to see her green eyes dancing with laughter as she looked at him.
He laughed, closing the distance between them, and sitting carefully on the bed beside her. Reaching out, he slid his fingers into her hair before bending over to place a gentle kiss on her lips. “You’re right. I’m lying.”
“About what?” she breathed against his mouth.
“It’s wrong that I’m not in this bed with you. Holding you. Keeping you safe and warm while you sleep.”
He heard Aurora catch her breath, before she whispered, “Why aren’t you?”
Noah groaned, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m not sure I could keep my hands to myself. You aren’t ready for that just yet.” When Aurora brought trembling fingers up to caress his jaw, he turned his head slightly to kiss them. “You need to get some rest.”
“I need you to hold me,” she said stubbornly.
Noah looked down into eyes turbulent with emotion. When she looked at him like that, her gaze darkened even more as her tongue snuck out to wet her lips and he could deny her nothing. Kicking off his boots, he slid under the covers and pulled her close, careful of the wound on her side. He silently thanked the Goddess that he’d thought to put a nightgown on her when he removed her clothing earlier. There was no way in hell he would be able to control himself if he was flush up against her soft, silky skin again. When she sighed and burrowed closer to him, he kissed her gently on the top of the head. He needed this contact with her. Had craved it for so long. The few hours he’d gotten the night before weren’t enough. “Sleep, sweetheart. You need to heal.”
“He will come for me,” Aurora whispered, her hand trembling against his chest. “He will never give me up.”
“He won’t have a choice,” Noah growled, his hold on her tightening. “You are mine.”
“I wish that were true. I want to be yours.”
Noah’s bear took notice of that, and he felt his fangs lengthening at the thought of sinking them into her skin and binding them together. He shoved the beast back down, forcing himself to be gentle as he began to run a handle lightly over her back. “I’ve really messed things up, haven’t I?” Resting his cheek against her head, he said, “I’m going to fix it, my sweet witch. I’m going to fix everything. For now, sleep. Let me protect you.”
“Noah?”
“Yeah?”
“Would you want me if I wasn’t a witch?”
Noah slid down deeper into the covers, cradling Aurora close. “I want you now. All of you.”
“That’s not true,” she whispered, and he heard the agony in her voice. “You don’t want the part of me that possesses magic. I can’t change who I am.”
“I don’t want to change you, Aurora.”
Noah buried his face in Aurora’s neck, trying to figure out how he could fix what he’d clearly broken. He’d let his past get in the way of the present, and he was going to lose the one person who was supposed to be his future.
Aurora stayed quiet and it wasn’t long before he could tell she had fallen asleep. Noah held her for most of the afternoon, loving the way she felt in his arms before he silently slipped from the bed. Her coven was still gathered in the living room. Their soft murmurs sifted up the stairs. He could tell they were trying to keep their voices low so they wouldn’t disturb Aurora, but his shifter hearing allowed him to listen to most of what they were saying. They were planning, trying to figure out a way to release Mist and Aurora from the claws of the demons who had claimed them. It was a battle he was going to be involved in.
Noah slid his boots back on, and then sent a quick text to Knox. He wanted his family there with him, fighting for the woman he was beginning to care a great deal for. Pausing in the doorway, he glanced back at her. He more than cared for her. Aurora Lewellyn was quickly becoming everything to him. The more time he spent with her, the more he could see that she was the complete opposite of Josephine. His heart was beginning to open toward her, and it scared the hell out of him.
Noah let his gaze wander over her one last time before turning and leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind him. As much as he wanted to crawl back into that bed and hold his woman, he couldn’t right now. He had something else he had to do first. He was going hunting, and then he was coming back to face his own demons and claim his mate.
Chapter Seven
Aurora knew she was alone the moment she opened her eyes in the early morning light. Glancing at the clock on her nightstand, she saw it was just past eight, which meant she’d slept the rest of the day before away and all through the night. Her coven was gone. She would have felt them if they were still in the house. Mist would be hidden by now, to keep her safe from the prince, and her sisters would have begun devising a plan to track down the demon. The need to rise and fight with them was strong, but she knew she would be a liability. She was useless to them right now. As much as she hated the thought of her coven facing the demons on their own, she knew it was for the best.
Snuggling deep into her covers, Aurora closed her eyes as she remembered the way her bear’s arms had felt wrapped tightly around her, holding her close, so protective and almost loving. A small smile tilted the corners of her lips. Nothing had ever felt so right in her life. Even though a part of her was hurt that Noah left before she woke, another part was glad. She was confused. At first, the man made it perfectly clear he wanted nothing to do with her. Then, when she stayed away, doing everything she possibly could to avoid him, he started stopping by her home out of the blue. At first, she thought it was because she was his mate and the pull between them was too strong to resist, no matter how hard he might want to. But, the past couple of days he’d been acting so differently. Almost sweet and tender, as if he might really care about her. She wanted it to be true. More than anything, she wanted him to accept her as she was, and to start a life with her. Her heart was already his, he may as well have her soul, too. Unfortunately, she knew it would never work. She’d seen it.
Aurora paused, hope slowly beginning to bloom inside as a thought came to her. Unless… what if she could somehow alter her vision the way she had so many others? Maybe, just maybe, she
could figure out a way to get her bear to love her for who she was, witch and all. Her heart began to pound as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Could she do it? Was it possible? Could she somehow change the future she’d foreseen into the one she longed for?
Aurora rearranged the pillows behind her so that she could lean up against them as she tentatively moved her arms and legs, testing for pain. She still felt weak and tired, but the potion her grandmother gave her the day before helped relieve the horrible agony that had consumed her, even after Doc Freya removed the demon poison from her body. It was now more of a dull ache. She would need to clean her wounds and change the bandages, but they should be healing at a rapid rate. If she continued to drink the elixir, she would be fully healed within the next couple of days.
Closing her eyes, Aurora let her thoughts roam to the story her grandmother told them the night before. She had already known she and Emilia weren’t related by blood. When she turned sixteen, her grandmother told her that her mother was adopted, but revealed little else. The thought that Kyla was raised by demons, even if only for a few short years, was shocking. That she would put her life on the line to try and find Daniella even more so. There must have been a strong connection between the two of them, one that obviously couldn’t be severed, except by death.
What should she do with the information? She could try to figure out what happened to her parents, but what good would that do now? They were gone, had been for years. Although, according to her grandmother, no bodies were found. Aurora frowned. Could they still be alive? Could Daniella? Shaking her head, she rubbed a hand over her face. In her heart, she knew her mother and father were dead. She may not have the link with them that Kyla and Daniella had once they formed a mother/daughter bond, but she knew deep down they were with the Goddess. What about Daniella, though? Had she survived? Could she have another grandmother out there, one who was suffering at the hands of her own species?
Sighing, Aurora shook her head. It was too much to think about at the moment. She needed to concentrate on gaining her strength and getting her ass out of bed so she could find out what her sisters were doing about the prince of demons. Right now, Mist should be her primary concern. Not her parents and what might have happened to them so long ago, not her demon grandmother, and definitely not Noah and the possibility of a real future with him.
Noah. Thoughts of her bear brought to mind hot, molten brown eyes she could drown in, a hard, chiseled jaw she wanted to lick, a mouth she wanted to taste. She’d waited so long to feel those lips on hers. Fire raced through her veins as she remembered the way his touch felt on her skin, and a deep groan of frustration slipped free. The bastard. Where was he? Why had he left when she needed him? Hell, she more than needed him. She wanted him. Wanted his touch, his lips on hers, his teeth sinking into her flesh, claiming her. She craved so many things she shouldn’t, but found herself beyond caring. She would alter the future, dammit. She would find a way. No matter what it took.
Aurora stiffened when there was a soft knock on the door, and then it was slowly pushed open and Meadow peeked inside. A small, tentative smile appeared when she saw that Aurora was awake, and she pushed the door open further. “May I come in?”
“Of course.” Aurora prayed the other woman couldn’t scent her arousal, knowing it was futile. All shifters had a great sense of smell, and from what she’d been told, Meadow would know how hot and bothered she was the moment she entered the room. Aurora stifled a laugh. She probably knew before she even knocked but was too polite to say anything or let that knowledge show on her delicate features.
The young woman entered, carrying a steaming mug with her. “Emilia sent this up for you. She said you are to have three of these a day for the next two days.”
Aurora accepted the drink, taking a small sip before motioning toward a chair next to the window. “Have a seat.” When Meadow hesitated, Aurora took another drink of the elixir, watching her friend closely. “Is there somewhere you need to be?”
Meadow bit her lip, looking away, a light pink flush making its way up her neck and into her cheeks. “No.”
Aurora didn’t need the ability a shifter had to scent a lie to know the pretty blonde in front of her was telling her one now. It was written all over her face. “Meadow,” Aurora said gently, sitting the hot mug on an end table and patting the bed beside her, “come talk to me.”
Meadow wrapped her arms tightly around her waist, staying where she was. “I’m sorry, Aurora. I can’t. Not yet.”
All thoughts of Noah fled Aurora’s mind as concern began to fill her. Meadow had been quiet lately, spending most of her time alone. Aurora hadn’t pushed her, thinking she was just trying to come to terms with everything that happened in her life recently. The poor woman had to be scared to death that her father was going to come back looking for her. Not that Aurora, her coven, or the Channing family would allow the bastard to take her. They’d already warned him to stay away from not only Emery, who he was trying to force a mating on at the time, but also Meadow, when they rescued his daughter from him. He’d run like the scared little rabbit he was during the battle that took place, and no one had heard from him since.
Now, as she watched the other woman closely, Aurora realized allowing Meadow to keep to herself was a mistake. Something was definitely going on with the young shifter. It was either her father, or… Aurora wanted to smack herself when the truth about what was going on hit her. With Meadow’s history, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was really going on. How could she not see it? It wasn’t fear from her father that was driving Meadow’s reactions right now. It was something else. Fear for someone else.
“You’re trying to help someone, aren’t you? Someone in need.” Meadow may be shy and timid, but there were several shifters out there who owed their freedom and new lives to her. Including Emery, Knox Channing’s mate, from saving the bunny shifter from Meadow’s own father. If it wasn’t for Meadow, they would all still be living in hell. Meadow was a hero, even if she didn’t see herself that way. When it came to the people she saved, she had more courage than anyone else Aurora knew.
Meadow bit her lip, glancing down toward the floor.
“Meadow, it’s okay. You can trust me. You know I am always here to help you.”
Slowly, Meadow nodded, her gaze rising to meet Aurora’s before flitting around the room, and then coming back to meet Aurora’s again. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice so soft, Aurora had to strain to hear it, “but this time is different.”
“Different how?” When Meadow didn’t respond, Aurora said, “Please, I’m here to help you. Let me.” Meadow was one of her charges, and she would do anything for her charges. She lived to protect them, and to guide them onto the path they were supposed to be on. It was just taking a little longer where Meadow was concerned. Or maybe it wasn’t. Aurora tilted her head to the side, realization hitting her. Maybe Meadow was on the exact path she was supposed to be on, and Aurora was just supposed to help her along the way.
Meadow’s eyes misted with tears as she shook her head. “I can’t talk to you about her, Aurora. Not yet. I’m sorry.”
Aurora understood. Meadow never came to her until she was sure everyone involved was prepared to take that final step that would set them free. It was her way of protecting all involved. “When?”
“When she’s ready,” came the low response. “She isn’t there just yet. She will be soon, I hope, but…” Meadow hesitated before admitting, “it’s going to be very difficult this time.”
Aurora frowned. It was always difficult when removing someone from a horrible environment they were being forced to live in. Why would this time be any different? “I’m sure it’s nothing we haven’t gone through before.”
Meadow shook her head, her eyes meeting Aurora’s. “You don’t understand, Aurora. There are many factors involved, ones we’ve never come up against.”
“One’s you can’t tell me about just yet.” It wasn’t a question.
After a moment of silence, Aurora held her hand out to the shifter, waiting patiently until Meadow finally closed the distance between them and placed a small, trembling hand in hers. “Meadow, look at me.” It took a moment, but Meadow’s eyes finally raised to meet hers. “I promise you, no matter what is going on, no matter who it is that you are trying to free, I will help you. I will be here for you. You don’t even have to ask. All you need to do is let me know when.”
Meadow’s eyes filled with grateful tears, and she nodded. Leaning over, she hugged Aurora tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You don’t know what this means to me.”
A knock sounded loudly on the door, and Meadow jumped back away from Aurora, a small gasp slipping past her lips as she quickly scrubbed the tears from her cheeks. “I better go.”
The door began to open as she rushed across the room. Aurora didn’t have to ask who was on the other side. She knew. She could feel his presence in every bone of her body, making her heart race. Somehow, even without his bite binding them together, the mate bond was growing. The pull between them was stronger than before. She knew it was Noah, even before she watched Meadow slip past him and down the hall.
Noah watched Meadow go, his eyes narrowing slightly. “She okay?”
“She will be.”
Turning back to Aurora, he entered the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Slowly, he walked over to stand beside the bed. His eyes roamed over her, taking in every little detail before he rasped, “Hey, sweetheart.”
Lines of fatigue bracketed his eyes, his face filled with utter exhaustion. She’d never seen the man look so tired. Even so, heat began to race throughout her body, her nipples beading up and her pussy getting wet. “Hey yourself.” Aurora swallowed hard, her mind going blank for a moment. She’d missed him, she realized. It didn’t matter how much he annoyed her, or how his offhand comments made her want to grind her teeth sometimes, she had really missed him. “Where have you been?” She wanted to kick herself the moment the words left her mouth. What if he thought she’d been sitting in bed pining for him, wondering where the hell he was since the moment she woke up? So what if that was exactly what she’d been doing? He didn’t need to know it.
Accepting His Witch’s Sass (Sass And Growl Book 3) Page 6
