Shifters in the Snow

by Jacqueline Sweet

  The friction of him increased as she got closer to that sought-out edge, a place no one had taken her to like he did. He moved in directions that made her squirm on top of him.

  Her orgasm hit her so hard that she thought she would fall into the deepest parts of the water and not get out. When she came, the whole world around them disappeared until there was nothing but the two of them.

  Her body shook and Blaine’s muscles tensed as he exploded inside of her, leaving her a mess of nerves around him. She could feel that he was a part of her just as she was a part of him. The feeling was so permanent that it rocked her to her depths.

  “You’re amazing, Danika,” he said. He kissed her shoulders and moved up to her neck, nuzzling her there for good measure.

  She smiled against his shoulder. Even then she could see the mark she gave him, a bite that made him hers just as much as she was his. Seeing the imprint made her happy for once, the best emotion that she had forgotten how to experience.

  Then it all had to disappear. What was she thinking?

  She was supposed to join with another wolf. Someone to strengthen her pack as Lance had said.

  She could never be happy, not when that happiness didn’t include the man who had just shown her what it was to begin with.

  She pushed away from him and felt him slip out of her, which made her understand emptiness in more ways than one. “I have to go,” she said.

  “What? Now?” He gave way to her departure, but his hands still lingered as if she would change her mind at any second and want them back on her.

  She did want him to envelop her, to make the pain go away, but that was just a fantasy. She couldn’t allow herself to be happy, not when others depended on her.

  “I’m sorry. I wish I didn’t have to, but I do.” She swam to shore with him right next to her.

  “After all this time, we can’t just leave it like this.”

  She turned to him when they were out of the water, and she regretted not coming to the water with decent clothes so she’d have something to cover herself. The vulnerability made her instinctually wrap her arms around herself, hiding away even after what they shared.

  “You don’t understand,” she said. “I’m promised to someone else.”

  “You’re engaged?” he asked.

  She sighed. “Something like that. My parents promised me to him years ago.”

  “They can’t just decide for you,” he said. “I’ll help you talk to them. Maybe if they met me they’d let you─”

  “They made the oath before they died, Blaine.” Her voice came out harsher than she wanted it to. She didn’t want to hurt him. That was the last thing she wanted, and still it was the only way they could leave each other.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. He tried to hold her, but she held her hand up to stop him.

  She needed those arms wrapped around her, and if he tried again, she didn’t know if she’d be strong enough to resist.

  “They died because of a pack rivalry, a fight that could have been stopped if we were stronger. They adopted me when I was a baby because the same thing happened to my real parents, and I still lost them too. That’s why I have to keep their promise, even if I hate it. I can’t let my brother or our people risk their lives because of me.”

  “Danika, listen to me. We can figure it all out together. We just found each other again. I can’t give you up now. I won’t do it.”

  “There’s no other choice. I wish it were different,” she said. She shifted before he could stop her and ran like she had never run before. This time she didn’t appreciate the feel of it or the atmosphere around her. She ran hard and fast, so even she couldn’t change her mind. For the first time, she was running away from someone she wanted nothing more than to run to.

  * * *

  Blaine never believed in Christmas miracles, but finding Danika made him actually have hope. Realistic hope that he wasn’t too far gone to receive something good, someone he could cherish and call his own. He didn’t think that was too much to ask.

  Until she ran away from him.

  He had never felt anything or anyone consume him so completely as much as she did in those few moments. It went beyond sex and lust. She felt like part of him, a significant piece to his whole, and without it, there was no hope for restoration.

  He had always thought he was useless. A half-breed that had no place of belonging, but being with her, merging his body with hers, had been the peak of his existence.

  He couldn’t chase her after she shifted. The woman was just too fast. His woman. It was weird to call her his, but somehow it felt right. It felt like the only right thing in his entire world, and he had to get her back.

  She’d said she couldn’t be with him. He’d been told he couldn’t do so much for most of his life, and he had started to believe it.

  Danika made everything else seem like nonsense. She made him want to fight for her.

  If he chased her, her pack would probably kill him. So be it. At least he could say he tried. He wasn’t going to retreat into his head anymore. Danika was his new safe place. He knew that just as much as he was living and breathing.

  Despite what she said, he knew that she felt the connection they shared, the magic that accepted them both, their wolves that intertwined as they became whole.

  Fuck those who stood in his way. He was going to get Danika and fight through any levels of hell to have her.

  He thought about his family’s grimoire. There had to be a locator spell he could use to find Danika and track her down.

  The Elemental Board knew where the wolves lived, but they kept it from the community to keep witches and warlocks from the shifters. They claimed it was to keep the both sides safe, but many didn’t care about the shifters. Blaine always thought it was to keep the magic community from mingling and making more half-breeds like him.

  It didn’t matter whether he had to find an Elemental Board member or do his own search. He was going to find Danika, no matter what he had to risk for him to find her and make her his.

  He was heading back home to start his search for her when a sharp pain shot through his limbs. The agony brought him to his knees.

  This was not part of his magic, but the pain felt otherworldly nonetheless. It was as if his body had been asleep for years and just figured out how to wake up.

  The pain shifted to a high level of discomfort as his magic entangled with the new attack to give him some relief. The magic worked with the merging of a new force but one that was still a part of Blaine.

  When he saw his skin give way to brown fur, he knew what was releasing from him.

  He was happy for it, but the damn thing had the worst damn timing. As it happened, he realized what brought his shift. Danika. He knew warlocks and witches bound themselves through sexual magic, but he never knew about half-breeds. No one was there to teach him. Not his biological father, who his mother didn’t even remember, and certainly not Pete.

  Maybe his lovemaking to Danika brought it on. He remembered seeing his wolf and her wolf together.

  The harshness of his first shift ceased when he stopped fighting it and allowed it to take over. It was like that itch you get but can’t seem to reach it. Instead of being in one place, it consumed him all over.

  Before his animal took over, he promised himself that he was going to use his wolf to find Danika, the woman he knew he was meant to be with for as long as she’d have him. She had saved him. Now it was his turn to save her.

  Chapter 5

  “Where were you, Danika? I couldn’t find you anywhere. I thought something had happened.” Lance hugged her tight when she appeared back in their community of houses in an area of Kala West that was open for them to use the land to run as wolves freely.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said.

  “So much lost over the years, I couldn’t lose you too,” he said. “I couldn’t bear it.”

  Danika took a long look at her brother. She never saw him as an
ything less, blood relation or not. He was her kin, and it comforted her to know that he felt the same too.

  She sat down at the most comfortable chair in his office, the ugly one she used to sit in when their father did business discussions in the same office.

  Lance slid a chair over to her, so they faced each other. “I didn’t mean what I said. You know I love you, right?”

  She nodded. “Yes, but it still hurts when you say it.”

  “I know. I would say it’s the stress of the job, but that’s no excuse. I’m sorry.”

  “You should be,” she said, jabbing at his arm.

  “I don’t know how dad handled this,” he said.

  “He had mom to help him,” she added.

  “Are you saying I need a mate?”

  “You said it. Not me.” She was happy they were back to bantering again. Without him, she didn’t know how she would be able to meet with her soon-to-be mate.

  After they stopped laughing, she said, “I’m ready to meet with Cole.”

  “Really? What changed?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it right now. Can you just set it up?”

  Before he could answer, the door to Lance’s office opened wide. One of his men who secured the community shuffled in. “Hate to disturb you, boss, but we have an issue.”

  “What kind of issue?

  “A wolf just got through the perimeter. We don’t think he’s one of ours.”

  “See what I mean, sis? It just keeps coming,” he said.

  Danika followed both men outside. She wasn’t expecting to see the wolf that stood in the large courtyard.

  “Blaine?” she asked.

  She recognized the wolf as the one she saw when they were together. She felt another connection to him that she couldn’t explain, one that told her he belonged to her.

  No, she couldn’t think that. He could never belong to her. She had a duty to her people first.

  Her brother looked at her. “You know him?”

  “Yes. Don’t hurt him, Lance. He doesn’t mean us any harm.”

  The wolf shifted to reveal a naked Blaine. Even though she knew she couldn’t have him, that didn’t stop her heart from beating faster just seeing him. Longing grew in the pit of her stomach as she watched the moonlight fall over his skin.

  “She’s right,” Blaine said. “I don’t mean you any harm. I just want to offer a solution to your problem.”

  “What problem is that?” Lance asked.

  Danika couldn’t think straight with Blaine naked like that. “Um, can we at least give him some pants first?” she asked, looking away.

  Lance beckoned to one of his men, and someone threw Blaine a pair of sweatpants.

  To Danika, he still looked yummy with no shirt, but at least she had some of her mental capacity back with him wearing pants.

  “The pack rivalries,” Blaine continued. “I believe I have a solution.”

  “Really? What would that be?” Her brother actually sounded interested.

  “I can only answer that if you allow me to be with your sister, if she’s willing to have me.”

  Danika stepped forward, so he could see her better. “I told you, Blaine. It’s no use.”

  “Things you care about are worth fighting for,” he said. “As alpha of the Kala West Pack, I’m sure your brother can respect that.”

  A sly grin filled the side of Blaine’s mouth, and damn did she think that was cute too. She was smitten already. She could admit that to herself at least, even if she didn’t want to think it was possible for them to be together just yet.

  Lance looked between them. “Does he have something to do with why you went missing?”

  Danika was happy that her skin was a darker shade than her brother’s to hide the warmth that filled in her cheeks. If he saw her blushing, that would be a dead giveaway. Sometimes her brother really did act like their father.

  Lance knew her too well for that to even be an issue.

  He shook his head, almost as if he was too tired to argue that point any further. “What are you asking, Blaine, is it? That we let a warlock into our pack?”

  “He’s part shifter too, Lance.” Danika said. She didn’t want to hope because that meant she could possibly get what she wanted.

  “Then what? After him, every witch and warlock will want to come live with us.”

  “Can I make a suggestion?” Blaine asked.

  “What?” Both Danika and Lance answered him. Despite them not being biologically related, Danika could see she and her brother shared similar personalities, which was unnerving at times.

  “You have a resource the other pacts don’t.”

  “What would that be?” Lance asked, moving out near Blaine.

  Danika stared at the two men as they talked.

  “The witches and warlocks of Kala West. Make a pact with us by allowing Danika and I to be together, and you’ll be one step ahead of the others.”

  “Your witches and warlocks don’t trust us. Why would they be willing to merge with us?”

  “A change in leadership is happening as we speak. I think the new board members will be willing if you are.”

  Lance looked between her and Blaine once more.

  “Do you care about this one?”

  Danika couldn’t help smiling. “I do.”

  Lance paced back and forth, which felt like an eternity to Danika.

  “All right, half-blood,” Lance said. “My sister’s happiness is important to me, so let’s see what you got.”

  ***

  Danika felt she needed to keep her eyes open for as long as possible, otherwise the man lying in bed beside her could disappear. It was a dream. It had to be, even though she could feel him as if he were a real living thing next to her. She couldn’t stop smiling to herself.

  “What are you grinning about?” Blaine asked her.

  Danika snuggled closer to him. She could get used to the way his arms felt around her, safe and cozy. “Just thinking.”

  “About?” he asked.

  “Christmas is tomorrow, which means I can’t get you anything. All the stores will be closed.”

  A small chuckle filled Danika’s ears. He was laughing at her reasonable idea. At least, she thought it made sense.

  “I’m serious,” she said. “I have nothing to give you.”

  “You don’t have to worry about getting me a gift for Christmas. I promise.”

  “I want to though. I need to get you something nice. Something you can remember always.”

  “You already gave me the best gift I could have hoped for. Multiple gifts, in fact.”

  “Care to share?”

  He leaned in and kissed her, a deep kiss that meant so much more than a cluster of words ever could. She loved how his magic sparked though her with each one too.

  “You, my own wolf, everything. There’s nothing you haven’t given me, Danika, my gorgeous wolf.”

  She giggled as he kissed along her neck. “Well, there are a few things I can still give you, and it may take a few long tries to get one.”

  He pulled back and looked at her. “Children already, huh? Good thing we have forever to practice.”

  “Far past forever,” she said, pulling him back to her until nothing mattered but the world they planned on sharing together.

  * * *

  Like Blaine? Meet Sexy Alpha Warlocks Kye and Warren!

  The Alpha Warlocks’ Claim (An Alpha Warlocks of Kala West Story #1)

  Cancel your plans, witches and warlocks! You're invited to tonight's Firewick Festival.

  Taking multiple lovers is a family tradition. Hell, it's a witch tradition, but Charice Brixton isn't having it. She doesn't have time for a man, let alone two powerful warlocks. She's perfectly fine running her magic shop in Kala West, Florida with her sisters.

  Until she's forced to attend the Firewick Festival, a biannual gathering with stuffy board members overseeing the match of witches and warlocks in hopes of creating the perfect triad.
Magical speed dating at its finest. Charice would rather have a root canal. She's willing to use her powers to keep from going, even if it means the wrath of those in charge. That is until two hotter-than-hell men walk into her shop and alter her plans.

  As powerful warlock enforcers, Kye and Warren carry out the laws within the magical community. It only makes sense for them to find a mate equally as strong. When they meet Charice, her magic calls to them. Only she can help complete their Mystical Triad, the binding ritual that increases all of their magic abilities. One that involves a lot of power and a lot of sex. Can the Alpha Warlocks convince her they're better as a threesome in both power and love?

  About the Author

  Auriella Skye dreams of becoming a powerful goddess and creating a whole pantheon of gods to do her naughty bidding. Until then, she happily spends her time weaving those fantasies into the erotic and fun tales that she enjoys reading as much as writing. She loves creating characters and worlds filled with the wonderful stuff reality lacks. Auriella resides in Central Florida and spends her days and nights surrounded by words in their various, spectacular forms.

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  Winter Solstice

  by Gen Géricault

  Chapter 1

  Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

  Winter Solstice, 2014