“Get them both and bring them back to the palace.”
“By who’s orders?” Desi demanded, moving closer to Aurora, now in full demon form.
“The king,” one of the demons snarled, as they began stalking closer to Aurora and Desi.
“My father would never…”
“Your father is no longer our king.”
The words had no sooner left the demon’s mouth then he lunged for Aurora. Right before he would have grabbed her, a huge, white ball of energy slammed into him, and he burst apart into thousands of pieces.
“Nice to see you again, sister.”
Aurora grinned at the raven-haired beauty. “You, too, my friend!”
Zara grinned, then turned and hopped right into the fight. Witches and bears versus the monsters of the underworld. Aurora felt tears sting her eyes. Not only had Noah and her sisters come for her, but Noah’s brothers were there as well. The massive beasts were in the process of tearing the demons limb from limb, leaving very little behind. Deciding she wanted in on some of the action, Aurora let her own energy leave her hand and find a demon who appeared to her left. It barely brushed him, and he kept coming on strong. Suddenly, Desi was there, in all of her flames and glory. Grabbing him by the neck, she held him high and let out a loud, pissed-off yell before snapping the demon’s neck and then tearing his heart out of his chest and tossing it aside. When the male lay there in his human form, she lit both his heart and body on fire, and then he was gone as if he’d never been.
As quickly as it started, the fight was over, and Aurora stood with her coven and two sweaty, very naked, men.
“Dammit, Noah, would you quit fucking with him and just get this over with?”
Aurora looked over at Knox in surprise, and saw Nolan shaking his head beside him. Fucking with him? Her eyes went back to her mate, and her eyes narrowed. The fight was still going strong, but as she watched, she realized that Knox was right. Gerard was no match for her bear. He was slowly tearing him down, causing as much pain as possible in the process. “You know he isn’t going to stop until the demon is in small pieces. I didn’t.”
“I know.” Knox sighed, shaking his head. Ignoring the loud scream that split through the air as an arm went flying, he walked over to Aurora. “You okay?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes on her mate, “but the king might be in trouble.”
“My dad will be fine.”
As if she had called him to her, the king appeared out of nowhere. He was still in demon form and as intimidating as hell. Stalking across the clearing, he reached into the fighting mess that was a bear and a demon and yanked out what was left of Gerard. Holding him up with one hand, he held a hand out to Noah. “Back off, bear! He is one of mine to punish as I see fit.”
Noah’s entire body shook, and he roared in anger.
“Noah, it’s okay. He is the king. He saved me.”
Noah swung his huge head in her direction, cocking it to the side. She knew he could understand her. Shifters were cognizant in their animal form. He knew what she was saying, he was just pissed at the bastard who had threatened her. Finally, he let out one last roar, and then lumbered over to where she stood, rubbing up against her.
The king waited a moment before turning to his daughter. “Tell me what happened, Desdemona.”
Desi shifted to look at everyone crowding in around her, and Aurora could practically feel the trepidation falling off her. She was such a contradiction. So fierce one moment, and then timid and almost shy the next. “It’s okay,” she said softly, holding a hand out to the young woman. “They’re with me. No one will hurt you.”
She expected Desi to argue, say she wasn’t afraid, but the demoness didn’t. Slowly, as Aurora watched, the flames fell away from her body and her human form appeared again. Desi swallowed hard, her deep brown eyes sweeping over the area.
“Wow.”
Desi’s gaze swung to Brayden, where the man eyed her in appreciation. A tentative smile crossed her lips before she looked back over at her father. “Gerard came for Aurora. He was going to take her against your orders. Others showed up with him, and said you were no longer their king.” When the king raised an eyebrow in question, she grinned, “They will no longer be a problem. Our new friends took care of them.”
When she didn’t go on, Aurora said, “Gerard said he was coming back for Desi, King.”
“Coming back for her?”
“Yes.” She didn’t say anything else. She didn’t have to.
The king’s body shook with fury, and he threw Gerard to the ground at his feet. The once powerful man reduced to nothing. He was back in his human form, bits and pieces of his flesh missing. He whimpered and moaned as he struggled to crawl away from the imposing figure above him. “Gerard Riorden, you have gone against everything I’ve built my kingdom on since I took over after the death of my predecessor. You have kidnapped, raped, and murdered innocents. You threatened a member of the royal family, which is a death sentence in itself. You are finished.”
“Go to hell,” Gerard hissed, glaring at the king, still sliding across the grass and leaving small pieces of himself behind.
The king sighed, shaking his head. “I’m already there, Nephew.”
Raising a hand, he waved it in the direction of the man who seemed to be withering away in front of them. In seconds, all that was left was a pile of ashes.
“Daddy,” Desi whispered, slipping her arm through her father’s and looking up at him through big doe eyes, “what happened to Darius?”
The king leaned down to kiss her gently on the forehead, and then looked apologetically at Aurora. “He got away.” His gaze went to her coven and he vowed, “I will find him. I will not allow him to hurt your sister, but you need to keep her hidden until I can track him down. I’ll put my best demons on it.”
“I’ll help,” Desi whispered, leaning into him. “It’s not right what he’s doing. What he’s done.”
“No, child, it isn’t.” The king ran a hand gently down his daughter’s hair as he looked off into the distance. He was a good man. She would trust him to do what he said.
“Thank you, King.” She lowered her head, her hand holding tightly to Noah’s fur as she blinked, taking them home.
Chapter Thirteen
Noah held Aurora close, reveling in the feel of her silky skin against his. When they got home the day before, they’d taken a shower together, making love both in the shower and later when they fell into bed before exhaustion took over. He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head, a small sigh escaping. His mate was exactly where she was supposed to be, and he was never letting her go again.
“Noah.”
“Yeah?”
“Will you tell me about her?”
Noah stiffened, but didn’t pull away. He knew exactly who Aurora was talking about. It was time. She deserved the truth, and he needed to face the past so that he could put it behind him. Aurora was his future, and he was going to embrace it.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” Aurora hesitated before whispering, “I just saw her picture on your dresser, and I knew.”
“Knew what?” he asked quietly.
“That she was the reason you hate witches.”
His heart clenched at the pain and vulnerability in her voice. Slipping a finger under her chin, he tilted her head up until she met his gaze. “I don’t hate witches, Aurora.”
“Yes, you do,” she whispered, “and it’s okay. I understand.” She paused, “Okay, that’s a lie.” Her gaze softened, her deep green eyes full of compassion. “I don’t understand, but I want to.”
Leaning down, Noah covered her lips with his own. It was a soft, gentle kiss. One that he hoped showed how much he cared, and that there was no way he could hate her. Pulling back, he rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. “Her name was Marah. She was my best friend. We grew up together; were never far apart. She was always at my house, or I at hers. It was like she was one of the fami
ly. Another sister.”
“You loved her.”
“Very much,” he admitted quietly, unaware when the first tear slipped free. “When we were seniors, the school year started out normal. We walked to school together, ate lunch beside each other, studied at the library or a small café in town for tests. Until…”
Noah swallowed hard, leaning back against the pillow and shaking his head as the memories began to swamp him. How had he been so stupid? So gullible.
“Until what, Noah?”
“Until Josephine.”
He felt Aurora stir against him, then lay her head on his chest, rubbing it gently with her hand. “Tell me about Josephine.”
More tears spilled free as he muttered, “She showed up at school in the second quarter. Light blonde hair, big blue eyes, and sweet laughter that turned the head of every guy in the room when they heard it. Me included.” She’d been beautiful. Carefree and charming, a girl a boy was proud to have at his side. No one could resist her. Especially, not him. “I started pulling away from Marah and spending all my time with Josephine. It was as if Marah didn’t exist anymore. I forgot about her. Ignored her. Josephine was my life. I needed her. Had to be with her. It was a compulsion, one I couldn’t resist.”
“It was a spell,” Aurora whispered, her hand stilling on his chest. “She used black magic on you.”
“Yes,” he agreed, sliding a hand into the hair at the nape of her neck. He needed a connection to her. Wanted her close. “I didn’t know who Josephine was, what she was. Maybe, if I had, I could have changed things somehow. I didn’t know what was happening, but somehow Marah did.”
“She was a witch, too.”
Noah stiffened, his hand tightening in her hair. “Yes, but she never told me. I didn’t have a clue. I thought I knew everything about her, but that was a family secret. One her father forbade her to share.” He gritted his teeth, then continued, “Come to find out, Josephine and her sorcerer boy toy were using me against Marah and her family. Somehow getting things out of me that I didn’t even know that I knew about the Jenkins. We didn’t hang out at Marah’s house often, but there were things I saw when I was there that I didn’t realize were important. Josephine went fishing in my mind, Aurora. My fucking mind. Digging around and extracting whatever she could to use against them.” He inhaled deeply, breathing in his mate’s scent, needing it to center him. “I don’t fully understand it all. All I know is, by the time they were done with me, Marah and her parents were dead, and it was all my fault.”
Aurora looked up at him, reaching up to cup his cheek in the palm of her hand. “No, Noah, it wasn’t your fault. None of it.” When he would have argued, she leaned in and kissed him hard. “No. They were out to get Marah’s family for some reason. If they hadn’t used you, they would have found another way. There wasn’t a damn thing you could have done about it. You were just a boy. There was no way you could have fought against that kind of black magic.”
Noah clenched his jaw tightly before he said, “I’ve despised witches ever since. Blamed them for what happened to Marah. Loathed them for what they did to me. What they took from me.” When Aurora’s eyes lowered, Noah tightened his hold in her hair and brought her gaze back to his. “I don’t anymore, Aurora. I understand there are good and bad witches, just like there are good and bad demons, shifters, vampires, humans. We are who we are. Who we choose to be.”
“What are you saying, Noah?”
Noah slid down deeper into the covers, cradling Aurora close. “I want you, Aurora Lewellyn. Every part of you. The feisty, sassy woman who isn’t afraid to put me in my place when I need it. The beautiful, powerful witch who protects her charges at all cost. The sister who loves her coven with all of her heart and would do anything for them.” Noah froze when he felt wetness against his chest, and smelled tears in the air. “Aurora?”
“You really want me?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. I want you.” When she slowly met his gaze, tears glistening her eyes, he said, “I love you, Aurora.”
A smile trembled on Aurora’s lips and she whispered, “I love you, too, Noah. So much.”
Noah closed the distance between them, capturing her lips with his. The kiss was hard, but quickly changed to tender as he traced her mouth lightly with his tongue. Biting gently at her lower lip, he growled, “I think it’s time, Aurora.”
“Time?” she gasped, arching into him.
“Time,” he groaned, pressing his aching cock into her. “I’m going to claim you. I want you to wear my mark.”
***
A low moan slipped free, and Aurora clenched her thighs together tightly as a rush of pure pleasure shot through her core. He wanted her. Noah was accepting her, witch and all. Her vision of the future was shattered, blown apart into teeny tiny little pieces. There was no way it would come true now. Happiness filled her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, laughter spilling free. “Yes,” she said, grinning widely at him. “Bite me.”
A low growl built in his chest, and he groaned her name as he pressed his lips to hers again, harder this time. Demanding. A small yelp slipped out when she felt one of his large fangs with her tongue. And then a thought struck her. Pulling back, her eyes widened as she asked, “Noah, what happens after you bite me? Do I go furry, like you?”
Noah stared down at her, a gleam in his eyes. “Possibly,” he admitted. “There’s a good chance.”
“Oh!” Aurora grinned. “I’d be a fierce bear. That could be cool!”
He grinned. “Better than a skunk?”
Her eyes widened. “Noah, there is no such thing as a skunk shifter. That’s just something you made up to tease Emery.”
“Is it?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Noah,” she said in warning, and then let out a squeal when he flipped her over on her stomach and smacked her lightly on the ass.
“Skunk, bear, it doesn’t matter,” he said, pushing his cock up into her butt cheeks as he ran a hand down her back, making a shudder run through her body. “No one can hold a candle to my witch.”
“Noah!” His name was a scream on her lips as he began to nip and suck at the back of her neck. Parting her legs, he slid an arm around her and lifted her up until she was on her knees. Grasping her hips, he tilted her ass up, and then slid deep inside her from behind. He was thick, and long, stretching her and reaching deep inside her. Filling her. Then, he pulled back out slowly. She felt his lips at her neck again, his tongue tracing its way over her shoulder and circling around the rose tattooed there, then back up to stop on the sensitive flesh in the crook of her neck. She screamed his name as he started moving, back and forth, while he licked and sucked at her skin. Aurora arched back into him, and reached around to grab his head, holding it to her. “More!” she cried. “Faster!”
Noah gave her what she wanted, snarling her name against her shoulder. Biting down, but not quite breaking skin. He pushed her higher and higher, pleasure swamping her.
“Aurora!”
She knew what he wanted. She wanted it, too. She had claimed him in the way of her people, now it was his turn. She wanted nothing more than to feel his teeth in her shoulder as he bound them even closer together. One of his hands moved around to touch her clit, his fingers pressing and moving in fast circles, driving her insane. “Do it!”
Noah sank his fangs deep into her flesh, and she broke apart, coming all around his thick cock, clamping down on it and squeezing his release from him. He snarled and growled around his bite, still moving inside her, spilling his seed until there was nothing left. They stayed like that for several minutes, bound together in more ways than one before he gently removed his fangs, his tongue stroking over the bite several times before he slid from her, collapsing on the bed beside her.
Aurora laughed softly as she glanced down at the large gashes in the mattress next to her pillow left by his claws. “We are going to go through a lot of beds in the future, aren’t we?”
Noah grinned, reaching out to
trail a finger down her cheek. “I hope so.”
She sighed, laying back against the pillow. “Promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“If I wake up furry, you won’t let me eat the cat.”
Noah burst out laughing, shaking his head at her. “You won’t eat the cat, sweetheart.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Chapter Fourteen
Aurora materialized in front of her door, a sigh of exhaustion breaking free. She’d been gone for the past two days helping one of her charges, and all she wanted to do was crawl into bed next to her bear and sleep for the next twenty-four hours. She smiled when she imagined Noah waiting for her upstairs, naked in their bed. He’d moved in with her immediately after he claimed her, stating he couldn’t be apart from her any longer. She let him, because she felt the same. It still bothered him when she left to help a charge, and she’d learned after the first time not to blink into their room when she arrived home because it wasn’t a good idea to surprise a bear in their own bedroom, but they were falling into a sort of pattern. A life together. One she enjoyed.
Smiling, thinking about slipping into bed with her sexy mate, Aurora turned the knob, stepped into her house, and froze. She sensed people there besides Noah when no one else should be. It was midnight. Way past the time for visitors. Going into protective mode, she immediately began calling energy to her. She loved Noah and would protect him with her life.
Noah walked out of the living room, pausing when he saw her. “Aurora?” She stood in the hallway, a large ball of fire in one hand as she met his gaze.
Noah grinned. “Put away your toys, love, we have guests.”
“Oh, fire!” Aurora’s eyes widened when Desi slipped into the hallway with them and gave her a wink. “A demon’s favorite thing!”
Accepting His Witch’s Sass (Sass And Growl Book 3) Page 10
