Eternal Desire

by Kim Loraine

  “You don’t even know me.”

  “I want to. I want to know every damn thing about you, starting with your name.”

  She smiles, and my world changes. I want to own every one of her smiles. “I can’t tell you that yet.”

  Cupping the back of her neck, I pull her against me. “Fine, witch. But you’ll give me your mouth if you won’t give me your name.”

  A shuddering breath leaves her before she leans in and takes my mouth with hers. It’s everything right in the world, her lips on mine. Alarm shoots through me at the intensity of our connection. Does she feel it too? There’s more than attraction here. Something old and magical. Powerful and unbreakable.

  Her tongue dances with mine, soft moans and hitched breaths punctuating our kiss. I grip her thick hair and pull her tighter to me, needing the feel of her against me, as close as we can be without fucking. Why do I want this woman so badly?

  My beast roars in my head, causing my skin to itch with the need to shift. Fuck. I have to stop this. If I get her in the alley, I’ll fuck her, but it won’t be me. It’ll be my beast and he’ll ruin her. Just the thought of her seeing me in the throes of my change makes my stomach turn. I grip her shoulders and break the kiss, locking eyes with her as I work to calm my ragged breaths.

  “Soon you’ll be begging me to fuck you, lass. But I can’t tonight. I just had to see you once more, make sure this wasn’t a one-sided thing.” I trail my thumb over her bottom lip. “I’ve got to go.” I glance up at the heavy moon. “I’ll see you again soon.”

  She stares after me, her lips swollen from my kiss, nipples jutting out in hard little points through her shirt. I want to take those lush tits in my mouth, suck and kiss the pert buds and make her squirm under me before I sink my cock into her heat.

  A shudder of longing runs through me. I have to stop thinking about fucking her—of claiming her. But she’s like an intoxicating drug, deadly and delicious. One hit of her to my system might mean the end of life as I know it, but it might also be completely worth it.

  Izzy

  Scots. Fucking Scots. That sexy motherfucker left me hot and bothered after kissing the life out of me on the street. Now what am I supposed to do? I’d thought seeing Tristan had pushed all else to the background of my thoughts, but the burly, tattooed and pierced shifter just threw his hat in the ring in a big fucking way.

  William is gone, in true William fashion. There’s a reason I’ve never taken him up on his offers. He’s a twat. The walk home is short anyway. I don’t have anything to worry about though. I’m sure I’ve got a shifter watching over me as I make my way to my flat.

  Helena and Gwen are sitting at our small dining room table, wineglasses in hand, tarot cards on the worn wood of the secondhand table.

  “She appears,” Helena says, holding up her glass before taking a long drink. “Come on, then. We’ve been waiting for you.”

  “Waiting? For what?”

  Gwen grins. “To read your cards, of course.”

  I roll my eyes. “I don’t want to read my bloody cards. I want to go to bed. I’ve had the most exhausting day.”

  “You’ve become such a bore since we helped Sariel. Are you still angry he found his love?” Helena asks. “You know, he never was going to be yours. Fallen angels are tricky that way. They fixate on one thing only.”

  “No. I’m not upset about him. I’m tired of having to work a job I hate, of having to pretend to be a human because our powers aren’t returning as fast as they should, and I’m tired of the constant search for a way to break this curse when we know it isn’t possible.”

  My ears pop as the air around us changes. Gwen’s eyes go wide and Helena’s hold a level of annoyance that can only mean one thing.

  A smooth masculine voice fills the room. “Witches, how nice to see you again.”

  Gabriel, the archangel, messenger of God, and general pain in the arse stands before us, his handsome face that of a statue carved from stone.

  I sigh. “Gabriel, what are you doing here? It’s nearly two in the bleeding morning.”

  Eyebrows arched, he sighs. “You’d think since I was the one to summon and reunite you three, there’d be more gratitude or adoration when I come to call.”

  “You brought us together to help Sariel, that doesn’t mean we owe you anything now. We did our jobs—all of them. Do you know how hard it was to kidnap Sariel’s woman and not tell him that was your plan all along? He could have killed any of us,” I say, reminding him of the danger we’d put ourselves in to serve the greater good.

  “I understand. But you didn’t die, did you?” He looks me up and down. I swear, he must practice his look of indifference in the mirror. “Now, I’m here for a reason, not just to grace you with my presence.”

  I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “And what, pray-tell is that?”

  “Calista. She’s up to something, but we can’t get eyes on her. She’s cloaked herself from all who seek her, not just angels.”

  Helena stiffens across from me. “All? How has she amassed so much power over the centuries?”

  “We fear she’s working with the remaining fallen and demons. If that’s the case, she’s lost. But we still have to stop her.”

  “And if you can’t find her, how are we supposed to?” Helena crosses her arms over her chest. “We can’t just magic ourselves to her or summon her if she’s blocking her location.”

  “There will be opportunities presented in the next week. I’ve got Devin and some others working on diminishing the demon population. In the meantime, build your power and do what you must to stay safe. We’ll need you for much more than your pretty faces when the time comes.”

  Helena snickers. “Still working with that vampire? I thought you hated him.”

  “I don’t hate anyone. Besides, he’s got years of misdeeds to atone for. What better way to use him?”

  I can’t contain my eye roll. “You know, if you were nicer, maybe you wouldn’t need to hold people’s souls hostage to get them to help you.”

  The archangel cocks a blond eyebrow and stares me down. “A strange suggestion coming from the witch who kidnapped a pregnant woman and tried to kill her. Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, Isolt.”

  My gut clenches at the memory of that time. I can’t deny I’d been cold, uncaring, but I’d spent so much time cursed because of that fallen angel, Sariel. It seemed so unfair for him to have found his love and be on the brink of happiness while we still suffered for helping him. Closing my eyes, I push back those dark thoughts. Gabriel is right, envy is a sin I’m not willing to let control me.

  “Thank you for the reminder, Gabriel. Tell me, did Sariel ever find out it was you who summoned us before he called on us for help with Lucifer?”

  His mouth presses into a tight line. But he doesn’t answer.

  “Ah, so that’s a no, then. I’d say we all have plenty to be sorry for.” I pour myself a glass of wine and raise it to my lips. “So, how are we supposed to build our power? It’s growing at an unusually slow pace. Almost as though it’s been blocked.”

  “Calista must be onto you. Prophecies and such can be so inconvenient when the wrong parties are privy to them.”

  God save me, dealing with angels is the most frustrating thing I’ve ever experienced. “And you’ve no way of stopping her? Nothing to help us?”

  He shrugs and sighs. “Sorry. That’s not really my area.”

  “And what is your area, Gabriel? It seems to me all you do is pop in and deliver bad news.”

  Pushing off the wall, he stands to his full height and looms over me. “I am the messenger of God. Unfortunately for you, your destiny breeds bad news. Perhaps one day, I’ll return to deliver you some good fortune. Until then, be thankful I’m bothering to be here at all.”

  Before I can respond, he vanishes, leaving me and my sisters staring at an empty wall.

  “I hate it when he shows up like that,” Gwen says.

  “I suppose we’d better wo
rk on getting back our powers so the next time he shows his pretty face, he offers good news.” Helena’s voice is curiously optimistic.

  Lifting my glass, I clink the rim with hers and Gwen’s. “Slainte.”

  4

  Izzy

  I turn the cardboard coaster over in my hands, staring at the phone number scrawled across the top. It’s been days since I saw Tristan, and this thing calls to me like a bloody talisman. Just a few digits, no name, nothing more than numbers in ink. But these hold the key to a box I’m not certain I want to open. Tristan is being given a chance at a new life. And it’s quite possible that life should be without me. After all, I was the cause of his suffering hundreds of years ago. The stories say we’d been the victims of a love potion and tragic circumstances. They were partially right. But just because the love was a lie, that doesn’t mean we didn’t feel every ounce.

  “What’s that?” Helena asks, her proximity making me jump.

  “Nothing. A customer gave me his number.”

  She laughs. “That’s not new. Although, they usually end up chucked in the bin rather than in your hands.”

  I don’t want to tell her about Tristan yet. I can’t face what I know she’ll tell me. That he’s dangerous. There’s a possibility he’s been brought back by God, but there’s also Calista to consider. “I liked this one. But, it doesn’t matter. You know as well as I, falling in love isn’t something any of us can risk.”

  “Which is why I wish you’d use your siren song. You and Gwen are missing out on some excellent sex without the entanglements of feelings.”

  I shake my head. “I’ve had a man love me because of magic once before. I’m not using my song to ensnare another.”

  Her eyes go gentle. “I know. I’m sorry.” She snatches the coaster from my hands. “Call him. Take a chance and have some fun with him.”

  Oh, if she only knew. My thoughts flit to the sexy Scottish shifter when I think of fun. He would be fun with no strings. That man stirs up plenty of feelings in me, none of them permanent. Tristan, though? I’d wanted forever with him.

  “Come on,” she says, gathering her long, dark hair up into a high ponytail. “I want to try something, but I need you to help.”

  I follow her into the living room where she’s set up a circle of salt poured on the table and a chalice in the center. “What’s this?”

  “I’m trying to set a protection spell for each of us beyond these four walls.”

  Gwen joins us, her expression dubious. “The last time you tried, you were in bed for three days.”

  “I know. But this time, I’ll have both of you to help me.”

  Taking a steadying breath, I position myself to her left and Gwen takes her seat on the right. We each take turns piercing our fingers and offering a single drop of blood in the wine filled glass. Then we link hands. Helena murmurs an unfamiliar incantation, and the two of us join in until we’re chanting in unison, soft whispers of ancient words. I can feel it building, the power, the magic. It’s working.

  My hair whips around in the wind we’ve created with the force of our spell. A hum of energy sings through my limbs, the vibration growing to a nearly impossible intensity. My teeth rattle, and the pressure in my head is stronger than I can handle. Something is wrong. This isn’t protection.

  “Helena,” I manage to whisper through the pain. “Stop.”

  Opening my eyes, I see a trail of blood coming from her nose and a look of intense pain on her face. But she’s not stopping. Her eyes are open, unseeing, power flowing through her, but it’s a forced power we’re drawing from somewhere we shouldn’t be accessing. It doesn’t belong to us.

  “Stop!” Gwen screams, breaking our connection and sending the three of us to the floor.

  My head is pounding, and when I wipe at the wetness on my upper lip, my hand comes away stained with blood.

  “Helena, what did you do?”

  She looks at me with desperate anger. “I’m trying anything I can. We can’t continue using up our power when the angels need us. How are we supposed to break the curse if we don’t have enough magic to find Calista?”

  “I don’t know, but stealing power from other covens isn’t the way to do this. Bloody hell, I could feel their anger.” I stand, pulling my sweater around me tighter. “And now, I have to go to work with a fucking migraine and bloody nose. Thanks a lot.”

  I can’t believe she lied to us, that she’d try something like this. She stands and tries to come to me, but I hold her off with an angry glare. I keep my limbs from trembling all the way to my room until I close the door and let the adrenaline take control. But only for a moment. Allowing myself to fall apart won’t do any good. I have to get to work, and I can’t do it with blood staining my clothes.

  My head still aches by the time I walk through the door to the pub. William isn’t here today, thank God for small favors. But my sexy Scot is. He’s parked on the same stool he’d been at when I first met him. I give him a flirty smile.

  “Hello there, beast. Can’t get enough of me, I see?”

  He smirks and tips back the last of his pint. “I suppose.”

  “Listen. I’ve had a really crap day. What do you think about taking me in the back and shagging me senseless to help me forget?”

  “Oh, aye, little witch. I can do that and more for you.”

  Grant

  My phone rings, vibrating across the glossy bar and tearing my gaze from the beautiful blonde in front of me. Letting out an annoyed breath, I leave my empty beer on the counter and make my way outside into the cool night air.

  “Lachlan, do you have any idea what you just pulled me away from?” I ask, disdain clear in my tone.

  My pack leader sighs and I can hear the distinct sound of him taking a deep drag on a cigarette. “The rest of the pack will be here soon, but I wanted to talk to you first since you’re out on watch.”

  Leaning against the brick facade of the pub, I work to fight the need to return to my blonde. She was interested, and I don’t plan to let this night end without her in my arms. “What’s going on?”

  “There’s been a development with the fallen angels.”

  We’ve been following the potential war between Heaven and Hell for years, staying in the shadows, ready to interfere if the vampires and the fallen angel Sariel, who’d aligned with the archangel Gabriel, failed. “Are we needed?”

  “Lucifer has been caged. It’s over…for now.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing. Why do you sound so grave?”

  “The Three have been reunited.”

  “The Three?”

  “Witches. Witches with more than enough power to end the world if they get the chance.”

  My skin crawls at the thought. “How did they get reunited?”

  “They provided the spell to imprison Lucifer. The archangel Gabriel brought them together so when Sariel needed them they’d have the power to help. He’s lucky they didn’t turn on him.”

  Annoyance races through me, making me ball my hands into fists. “And what do we have to do with it?”

  “We’ve been hired to take them out.”

  “But—“

  He doesn’t let me finish, instead his voice holds a sharp, scolding edge. “They helped—this time. They are notoriously self-serving and can’t be allowed to remain together. They've been reunited months now. Their power grows every day and soon, they’ll be unstoppable. We have to separate them, and kill them.”

  “And I suppose you want me to do this?”

  “Aye. You’re our best tracker and you’ve protected this pack better than most.”

  Nodding even though he can’t see me, I shove off the wall. “What do these Three look like?”

  “I’ve no clue. I’m sure you’ll find them together. Just be wary. They’re seductive and heartless.”

  “And the paycheck that goes along with this job?”

  “Substantial.”

  “Fine. I’ll get started right away.”


  “Good man.”

  I hang up and head back inside, already formulating my plan for these witches and I wonder if my beauty can help me find them.

  She’s waiting, seated at my stool, legs crossed at the knee, skirt high enough to showcase a generous view of toned thigh. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for close to a week now. Her scent draws me to her, begging me to drive myself inside her.

  “Come on, lass. Let’s get you feeling better.”

  I thread my fingers through hers and tug her against me. She doesn’t resist, her free hand sliding around my waist and under my shirt as we walk. God, I want her. I don’t care if she’s a witch. This woman is mine.

  Pressing her against the wall, I take her face between my hands and kiss her long and deep. Tasting her. I break the kiss and stare into her bronze eyes. “I’m going to fuck you, hard and fast.”

  She nods and groans when I run my palms down her neck and shoulders until I grip her hips and lift her. I ruck up her skirt, tear her knickers off her body and sink two fingers into her wet heat.

  “Holy fuck,” she cries.

  Holy fuck, indeed. She’s as perfect as I remember. My thumb caresses the swollen nub of her clit and she bucks against me. “Come on, lass. Give me your screams.”

  I’m hard as steel when she grips my cock through my jeans. She unfastens my belt and makes quick work of my zipper. But then she stops and her sex clenches around my fingers as she begins to orgasm. “Please, I need you. I want to come with you inside me.”

  Removing my fingers from her body, I free myself fully and drive inside her. It’s perfection. A feeling of rightness settles over me and in that instant, I know.

  Holding her face in my hands as I slide deep and pull back over and over, I stare into her startling bronze irises. I know what I’m going to find there and I’m not ready for it.

  “What are you doing?” she asks, her brow furrowing.