by Quinn Loftis
Stella met his stare, and there was more curiosity in her eyes than anything else. “Good to know,” she said with a small smile.
“Will you ladies please remain inside while we clean up?” Ciro asked.
All three of them saluted him. He couldn’t help but laugh.
“What?” Heather asked. “What happened?”
“You three seem to be very in sync with one another,” Ciro said.
“We all did the smart-ass salute,” Stella said.
Heather put a fist in the air. “Healer solidarity. It’s how we roll.”
Ciro’s brow drew down. “I’m going to have to learn a new language.” Half of what the girls said made no sense to him, but he wasn’t about to admit that out loud.
“That you will,” Heather agreed. “Or just pretend to understand. I’m pretty sure that’s what the other males do.”
“Yep,” Kara agreed.
As Ciro walked past Stella, he paused and held his hand out to her. He waited several heartbeats until she finally set her hand in his. Ciro leaned down and gently pressed a light kiss to the back of it. “I look forward to spending more time with you today,” he said. Ciro was trying to be cautious in his pursuit of his mate, but he also wanted to make it clear he had every intention of getting to know her and giving her time to get to know him.
Stella gave him a small smile. “I’m not going to lie,” she said. “I don’t envy the position you’re in. I’m not going to be an easy conquest.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “My dear, I have no desire to conquer you. Quite the opposite really. I want to see you soar and be there for you to give you a gentle push when you need it. I also want to be at your side should you come into trouble and need my help or protection. I simply want to be your partner, your equal.” Ciro released her hand and then headed upstairs to get cleaned up. He hoped his words would give her something to think about and that he’d planted seeds of hope in her heart.
“The look on your face right now is creeping me out,” Stella said to Heather.
“I have to agree with her,” Kara said.
“And I might care if I wasn’t floating on a cloud of Irish hotness.” Heather sighed. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Kale. He was intense. She’d never experienced with anyone else the kind of connection she felt to him. Not that she’d dated much in her short life. But she’d also never thought she’d meet someone like Kale. Both of her friends sputtered as they laughed at her words.
“A cloud of Irish hotness?” Stella said slowly. “And how exactly does that feel?”
“Yes, please do tell,” Kara added with a playful eagerness to her voice.
“I’m not sure you gals really want me to go there. Not unless you’re really okay with hearing me say things like tingling in my core and moisture flooding my—” Heather rubbed the palms of her hands down the arms of her chair letting her fingers curl over the edge.
“Whoa!”
“Stop!”
Stella and Kara both shouted at the same time, the cacophony of their mingled voices startled her. Heather bit her lip to keep from laughing.
“I don’t want to know what your two filthy minds were thinking. I was going to say moisture flooding my mouth with the need of his kiss. Y’all really need to get your minds out of the gutter.”
“Psht, please.” Stella huffed her Bronx accent magnified in her sarcasm. “Your mind is nothing but a system of interlocking gutters and sewer pipes. Your thoughts run through one gutter only to flow into a culvert, then drain into a ditch, which eventually makes its way to a swamp.”
“Just tell me this,” Heather said leaning forward. “Does he look as sexy as his accent sounds? I mean, do I have a reason to have tingling cores and flooding mouths? Lie to me if you have to.”
“He is,” said Kara breathed deeply and Heather wondered if it was to find the right words for the lie or because she was swooning. “Probably even better than you can imagine.”
Heather groaned as she slid down her chair in a melted version of a slouch.
“We don’t have to lie, honey,” said Stella. “He’s the real deal. But it’s not just yours. Every one of them is so…” Heather tilted her head to hear how she would describe them. Without sight, Stella’s words would have to be conjured in either descriptions of sounds, smells, or mouth-watering gutter talk. Stella already knew which way Heather preferred.
“Out-of-this-world, off-the-charts, so-smoking-hot-they-make-your-eyes-hurt good looking?” asked Kara. Heather squeezed her eyes shut to elicit a pain of just how good looking that could be. Maybe if she poked her eye…
“Not exactly how I was going to put it but, yes, he is as hot as his accent and so are the rest of them.” Stella’s affable tone underlined by mentioning Kale’s Irish accent shot Heather into a straight sitting position with excitement.
“I knew it.” Heather shivered. For the first time in a long time, she really wished she could see.
“Knew what?” Kale’s voice filled the room as his scent hit her. The night air right before the storm awakened her more than their gutter talk, but it was masked with smells of dirt, sweat, and a foreign body odor she assumed was Nick’s from their fight. Tackling would do that to a man.
Was it ridiculous that she wanted to throw herself into his arms and gush about how much she’d missed him in the past fifteen or so minutes that he was gone? Yes, yes, that was ridiculous, Heather thought to herself. She’d never imagined she would be one of those clingy women. But here she was, giving serious consideration to just climbing on his back and making him haul her around like some freaky, human backpack just so she wouldn’t have to spend a second away from him.
“That you’re a stud muffin,” she answered. Heather thought for about five seconds that perhaps she should be embarrassed by her frankness, but then she remembered the dangers they were facing. Her amazing new life could very well be coming to an end in the not-too-distant future. She wasn’t about to waste the time she had left by being proper or self-conscious. If she had to spend that time as a human backpack, so be it. As long as she was wrapped around Kale, she’d be just fine.
“Does the muffin part of the statement have anything to do with why you’ve got flooding moisture in your mouth?” Kale asked her.
Heather self-consciously licked her lips.
“You heard that, did you?” Heather asked, feeling her face grow warm. Then she felt a finger brush across her cheek.
“You make my mouth water, too, lass. Never be embarrassed by what you feel for me,” Kale said, using their bond to speak to her. “And I’m sure we could work something out in regard to you climbing onto my back. I’m really never going to be opposed to the idea of you climbing on me in any way.”
Of course, he’d been listening to her inner dialog. “As long as you’re just as upfront with me about your feelings then we’re good,” she said. “And feel free to share any ridiculous thoughts you might have. Then I won’t feel so unhinged about my ludicrous thoughts about you.”
“All right then, up you go,” Kale said out loud as he suddenly scooped Heather up from her chair. A second later, she was sitting in his lap.
Reaching out to steady herself, her hands gripped his soft shirt away from a hard surface. Chasing the hardness outward was like dragging her hands of her family’s dining table, smooth with rounded edges. Rolling her hands over rounded shoulders, and down the hills and valleys of his arms, Heather smiled. Kara was right. Being blind and mated to a chiseled male like this would never cease to enthrall her.
“Were there no other seats left?” she asked, smiling like a fool. Turning her back to him in relaxation, the heat of his body loosened up muscles she hadn’t realized were bunched up with tension. Consumed by her favorite scent, his body was a contrast of hard and soft. As if she didn’t know how small she was in comparison to the wolf, he rested his chin on the top of her head.
“There are plenty of seats, b
ut none of them had you in them,” he replied.
His chest vibrated with the rise and fall of his lyrical voice.
“Smooth, Romaine, smooth.” Stella chuckled.
Heather could hear another set of footsteps and then another. The air shifted as two men, whom she assumed to be Nick and Ciro, passed.
“Now that we’re all here,” Kale began, “we have some things we need to discuss with you lasses.”
“Please tell me this isn’t an ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ kind of conversation,” Stella said dryly.
“Isn’t that the kind of talk you usually have in private?” Kara asked.
Her voice sounded from Heather’s left, and she turned to be a part of the conversation.
“I have no clue,” Stella answered. “I’ve never done the whole relationship thing.”
Stella sounded farther than Kara but on the same side of the room.
“Then how do you know about that kind of conversation?” Heather asked as she raised her eyebrow.
“I watch TV.”
“You shouldn’t,” Kara said. “It’s just the government’s way of brainwashing us.” Her tone told Heather Kara expected them to fully understand her conspiracy theory. Heather blinked as if it would clear her vision enough to make the link between television and relationships. It didn’t, but she blinked a few more times hoping it would help. Nope. Still dark.
“They’re brainwashing us into having the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ kind of conversations?” Stella asked.
“Broken relationships equal broken people. Broken people equal instability. Instability equals lack of commitment, which equals unsteady jobs, which equals dependency on government help,” Kara explained.
“You’re seven kinds of jaded for one so young,” Heather said shaking her head.
“I grew up dependent on the government through the foster care system. Believe me, my best interest was the last thing they cared about.”
The disgust and finality in Kara’s tone elicited a growl from Nick who was on the right side of the room.
“Okay, no more TV,” Stella announced. “From now on, we play board games.”
“Board games? And we are going to play these board games in between dealing with Volcan and worrying about Jewel and Anna. Not to mention, we are planning on becoming witches ourselves, while at the same time not becoming mindless slaves of Volcan,” Heather added.
Kale cleared his throat. “Speaking of witches, that’s what we need to talk to you about.”
Chapter 3
“I spent hundreds of years trapped in the dark forest. I don’t think I’m boasting when I say most other men wouldn’t have survived it. It took all of my strength, cunning, and patience. I had to fight countless creatures that would have torn lesser beings to pieces. After all, they don’t call it the dark forest for nothing. Who would have thought a creature outside of the dark forest would end up slaying me? And who would’ve guessed it’d be my own mate?” ~Lucian
Peri and Lucian sat alone in their bedroom. Well, Lucian sat while Peri paced and muttered to herself.
“How can I help you, my love?” he asked, sending visions of himself covering her with kisses through their bond. Propping himself up on his elbow in the center of the bed, he patted the space in front of him with a seductive smile.
“You can stop trying to distract me, for a start,” she replied as she turned from the alluring sight of her mate. She knew it was unfair to take her irritation out on Lucian, but unfortunately for him, he was the only person in her immediate vicinity and a myriad of problems weighed heavily on her mind.
“I’m not trying to distract you. I’m simply showing you what I’d like to do to you. If that somehow distracts you, well, that’s on you. I can’t be held responsible for everything that distracts you.”
His deep voice climbed up her spine like a living thing, burning every nerve ending with the very thing she couldn’t abide. Distraction.
“I’ll hold you responsible for the lives of those five girls if you don’t quit.” Narrowing her eyes at him, she pointed toward the door as if the five girls were pressing their ears against the wood to listen in.
“That’s a bit harsh,” he replied.
A taste of hurt leaked through their bond, and Peri stopped pacing. For a brief moment, she thought about telling him how harsh she could be, but then realized with a sigh how unfair she was being to her mate. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m just so frustrated. I was tasked with keeping these healers safe and I muffed it from the start. It seems like Volcan is always one step ahead of us. He’s put our Jewel in an impossible situation and dragged Anna along with her.”
“As always, beloved, you focus on the wrong things.” Lucian’s voice was deep, rich, and maddeningly calm. He sat up from his prone position.
Peri pinched the bridge of her nose. “Meaning?”
“Like the fact you saved three healers from his clutches. Imagine what would’ve happened if your sister had gotten to them before we did.”
Lorelle’s face appeared in her mind, a bedraggled zombie rising from the dead with the desire to feast on Peri’s flesh. It shouldn’t have brought Peri comfort when Dalton ripped her sister’s head from her body, but having one less enemy to worry about certainly lightened the load. “Ugh, don’t mention that gutter-tramp to me.”
“That’s your own flesh and blood, Peri.” Lucian’s cautious chiding didn’t comfort her. Instead, it stoked the anger that hovered just below the surface of her mind. Peri’s hands formed into fists.
“No,” she pointed at him, “she stopped being my sister when she chose to betray the council and serve Volcan. She got what was coming to her.” Peri pictured Lorelle’s head rolling on the ground in a tangle of dull blonde hair.
“Guard your heart, Perizada.” Low and gentle, her mate broke the memory’s hold on her. Lucian’s eyes glowed with his wolf, visible protection for an invisible enemy.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped.
Lucian rose from the bed with feline grace and placed his hands on her waist. The wolf continued to make his presence known, but he didn’t take the man’s voice yet. “It means you’ve fought the darkness for far too long.”
“And?”
“And I worry about you,” he pressed his forehead against hers and breathed in deeply of her scent. The simple press of skin-on-skin comforted her soul just as much as it did him. “I wonder how much the great Perizada can take before she, too, loses her way.”
“You think I’d turn evil?” Perizada whispered. Lucian’s admiration of her mind and heart poured through the bond as he squeezed her closer. As he nuzzled her neck, his awe at her strength filled up the corners where her quiet doubts lived. Pulling back, she looked into his silver eyes.
“Not at all,” he stroked her jaw. “But you might become too hardened against the evil you’re fighting to recognize the goodness in front of you.” He thought so highly of her, but still didn’t rely on the strength he was attracted to? With a scoff, she pulled out of his arms. He sighed and released her.
“It’s a chance I’m willing to take,” she said with a flex of power flowing through her veins. “But don’t worry. I’ve bested Volcan before. Have you forgotten I’m the one who imprisoned him in the dark forest?” Smirking at her man, her confidence died on her lips at the look in his eyes.
Lucian grunted. “How could I? You trapped me in there, too, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Unnatural darkness filtered through the bond. Taking a liberty she wouldn’t normally take, she peeked to into his mind. Black trees rose from scorched earth like claws digging from their graves. The heavy weight of unrest crept through the landscape, a mist of unnamed fear. Something rustled the dead brittle branches to her right. Peri closed her eyes and forced away the vision of the dark forest. It took several minutes for her breathing to return to normal.
“A mistake I will eternally regret, Lu
cian. You have every right to hate me for it.”
Running a hand through his hair, he leaned into the touch, forcing her nails to scratch his scalp. She poured love through the bond.
“I could never hate my beloved. You had no way of knowing what you were doing. If I held any bitterness, I’d have mentioned it long ago. I’m just saying it’s different this time. Volcan has had more time to prepare. He’s laid traps. Set up surprises. Forced you into a corner. Again and again, Peri, you’ve been called upon to sacrifice yourself to save your friends. That kind of thing wears on a person. I don’t want you to fall into one of Volcan’s traps because you’re too exhausted to see it coming.”
Comfort and strength lightened the burden on her mind, but no amount of Lucian’s love could take away the doom looming over them. Pushing away from him, she hardened herself against him and closed down the bond. He could still feel her in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t influence her emotions. Lucian growled but didn’t follow her as she resumed pacing.
“Well, who else will do it? Who else can do it?”
“That decision may have been taken out of your hands. It appears that Volcan’s going to require our gypsy healers pay the price this time.”
His words were a slap to the face. “And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let them pay it,” she replied.
“Which brings me to the elephant in the room.”
Peri was surprised Lucian’s wolf wasn’t speaking in guttural tones with how affected the man was. They were unified in their thoughts, the wolf willing for the man to maintain his interrogation of her. It spoke of Lucian’s strength, maturity, and power. If she wasn’t so annoyed by his words, she’d be proud.
