by Kim Loraine
“I’m sorry. I have to go.” I dart for the door, not stopping until I’m hidden around the corner.
Summoning my power, I send myself home to my sisters. Something isn’t right, but I can’t tell what it is. Breathing hard, I work to will away the foggy feeling in my brain and slowly my senses return. That gnawing ache, the unreasonable need for Tristan fades, replaced by guilt that I’d let him touch me. “What’s happened?”
Helena grips the counter and narrows her eyes at me. “What’s happened? Are you serious? You mean to tell me, you don’t think that Tristan—your Tristan—being returned from the dead is a topic worth discussing?”
“Gwen told you?”
She cocks an eyebrow. “Yes. But only after she had a vision of Tristan and Grant fighting to the death.”
That thought makes my stomach churn. “I think he’s still under the love spell.”
A high laugh falls from her. “What? No. That can’t be. You’ve died many times over. It shouldn’t still be effective.”
“Well, it bloody well is. He just told me he thinks he’s in love with me.” I run my hand over my lips still swollen with his kisses. “I worry Calista has a hand in this. She used him to ruin me once before. Why not now?”
Gwen’s slight form appears in the doorway, her face still pale, but she looks better than she did. “She’s right. We need to be on our way.”
“But you—” Helena starts, but Gwen holds up a hand.
“I’ll be fine. If Gabriel said we’re safer with Grant, we need to listen to him.”
Helena rolls her eyes. “Angels. I swear, if they weren’t so gorgeous, they’d be more trouble than they’re worth.”
12
Grant
The itch under my skin as the moon rises makes me antsy as I wait for my beauty to return to me. She’s been gone far too long. I wanted to have her settled, let her know I’d have to leave for the night. I still have at most, a few hours until the need to change will be unbearable. After that, I won’t have much control over my instincts, and I don’t want to frighten her.
Shifting my shoulders in an attempt to alleviate my discomfort, I let out a groan of frustration as the silence in the house overwhelms me. I unbutton my shirt and pull it from my body, needing nothing but the air brushing my skin. Where the fuck is she? I’d know if something had happened. I’d feel her pain…her death. Wouldn’t I? The thought sends anguish through my chest. No. She’s with her sisters—her coven. She’s fine.
My body is too hot, a light sheen of sweat only adding to my need to run and feel the wind. I should have more control than this. I’ve been able to hold out until midnight in the past, but here it is, not even full moonrise and I’m falling apart. I run my fingers through my thick hair and growl as they get tangled in the strands. Everything is too intense, too sensitive. I’m a bloody danger to anyone around me. But, then again, I’m alone.
The sound of soft voices hits my ears much earlier than it should, but I know it’s her. My beauty is here and I’ll have her in my arms soon. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I force myself to stay calm. I can wait until she walks through the door. I can keep my beast from making an animal of me.
But then she’s there, standing in my doorway, her face pale, eyes haunted, and her blond hair cascading over her shoulders.
“Grant,” she starts, but I stop her by crossing the room in three long strides. My hands cup the back of her head and her waist as I pull her against my body. But then the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. She smells…different.
“Why do you smell like another man?” Now is not the time for something like this. I’m already barely hanging on. Jealousy won’t help my cause.
“I…I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. We had drinks and he kissed me—”
Rage boils my blood. “Kissed you? Some guy kissed you?”
“It’s not just some guy. It’s Tristan. Her lost knight.” The fierce wench who’d tried to stop me at the pub pushes past us with the third witch holding tight to her. The name Tristan sends a curl of fear through me, settling in my chest.
“What is she on about?” I ask, focusing on Izzy.
“He’s been brought back. And I can’t deny…I’m feeling things.”
“He can’t have you,” I growl, my heart breaking to pieces at the same time. She’s feeling things. What kind of things?
She stares into my soul, her fingers running across my brow. “It’s so strange. I don’t even think about him when I’m with you. I don’t want him. I only want you.”
The words ease my jealousy, but only by a small amount. I don’t want another man to think he can ever touch her, but to know it was Tristan…that makes it even worse. This man had her, he took her heart before I had a chance. And now he was back and trying to stake his claim. What’s worse is that she’s unsure. Tugging her tight to me, I drop my forehead until it presses against hers and I just breathe her in.
“Oh, get a bloody room,” one of the witches says.
I truly don’t give a damn who it was. I pay her no mind. Instead, I choose to gaze into my mate’s eyes and drink in the connection between us as though it gives me life.
Izzy’s hand slides across my abdomen, sending a rush of need straight between my legs. If she’s not careful, I’ll have her against the wall regardless of who else is here.
“Grant, you’re burning up.”
Letting out a shuddering breath, I nod. “Aye. It’s the full moon.”
Her eyes widen. “You’re going to change?”
“I am. Soon. But not before I take you to bed, little witch. You’ve been gone too long.”
“I’ve only been gone a day.”
My hand tightens around her waist. “Exactly. Far too long. Long enough for you to be kissing another fucking man.”
Izzy takes her bottom lip between her teeth as indecision flits across her face. “I don’t understand what’s making me feel like this.” She sighs and her brow furrows. “I shouldn’t want you both. Not with this level of intensity. But I do. When I’m with him, I want him.” That makes my chest burn with betrayal and anger. “But as soon as he’s gone, my heart calls out for you.”
“Is it a love spell?” I ask, desperate for something to save me from this pain.
She shakes her head. “That’s not how they work. They’re absolute. It’s unwavering.”
“So…you really have feelings for him.” I close my eyes against the hurt. “And you want me for what? To help you get off?”
“Grant, no. I mean, at first I tried to keep it that way, but now, being away from you is torture. I want you near me. I just…I can’t cut him out of my heart. He’s had a place there for lifetimes.”
She drops her forehead to my chest and heaves a shuddering breath. My beauty is crying. It breaks something inside me to see her in pain, no matter the reason. Gently, I turn up her face and stare down into those big eyes of hers. All I see is grief and guilt. I want to wash it away. If I’ve got competition, I’ll be doing my best to win her heart. “No, lass. Don’t think of anything but us. I need you, and you need me. It’s simple.”
Her brow furrows and before she can stop me, I crush my lips to hers and all is right in my world. My tongue presses inside as she lets out a moan. I’m vaguely aware of the annoyed huff from behind me, but I scoop my mate into my arms and carry her up the stairs. My beast is closer to the surface than I’d like as I take everything she has to offer, but I can’t deny myself her body.
“Grant, are you sure this is okay? Are you in control?”
“Aye. It’s exactly what I need right now.”
Her soft sighs and gasps as my lips trail along her neck urge me on. Kicking open the door to my room, I don’t bother closing the door, choosing to lay her across the bed instead. With a grin, she waves her finger and the door shuts. “You’re bloody fantastic, you are,” I growl in her ear.
She slides those perfect hands of hers across my back and down until she’s gripping
the waist of my joggers. Yes. I need us both to be naked right now. I need to take her hard and fast and make her mine even more than she already is. Shoving the fabric down, she gives a little groan when my hard-as-stone cock springs free.
“You…you’re bigger than I remember.”
I fight my need to stop all conversation and stare into her gorgeous face. “It’s the change. And the fact that I’ve found my mate. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d had to leave you without spending myself inside you before I changed. My instinct is to fill you and ensure you’re mine. It’s even stronger tonight.”
Arching one eyebrow, she reaches down and strokes the length of me. I can’t contain the guttural moan that falls from my lips at the feel of her. My control snaps when she whispers, “Then you’d better do it.”
Stepping away from her, I pull off her clothes as quickly as I can, not caring about making a mess. Right now, I want her under me, bare and beautiful.
Izzy
Grant’s gaze on my nude body does little to ease the need burning through my blood. He looks at me like I’m something delicious and he wants to feast. I wasn’t ready to let him go, I realize that now more than ever. Tristan isn’t present in my heart or mind at the moment. Everything in me calls out for Grant.
Taking his thick cock in my hand, I fight a moan at the feel of him, hard and heavy against my palm. When he sucks in a sharp breath as I squeeze and stroke, a shiver runs through my whole body. I’m ready for him.
“On the bed, lass.” His already deep voice takes on a primal level of growl that only amps up my desire.
Shaking my head, I slide my hands over his hips and drop to my knees, my eyes never leaving his. I’m going to take the lead this time, and I’m going to rock his world. With the tip of my tongue, I tease the head of his erection, the silver ball at the end proving too enticing for me to ignore. He hisses as my mouth closes over the crown and my teeth scrape along his tender skin. In an instant, his hands shove into my hair, gripping my blond tresses tightly as he tenses and groans.
“Don’t tease, little witch. I can’t bear it.”
That only urges me on. I grab his ass with both hands and swallow as much of his length as I can. My reward is the loud bark of surprise that escapes him in the form of unintelligible words. I move over him, sucking and rolling my tongue until he’s gasping and shuddering, hovering on the edge of release.
“Izzy, if you don’t stop, I won’t be able to take you. Oh God, I want to take you.”
I release him, needing to see his face, to witness the desperate longing I feel echoed in his expression. Standing, I press my palm to his bare chest and shove lightly, hoping he’ll understand my meaning.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“I want to ride you, Beast.”
His eyes are no longer the dark of the night. Now, they glow amber with the presence of his animal side. Part of me knows if I let him take charge this time I risk him giving in to the beast within and changing. If he does that, he could kill me. Then it occurs to me. I’m not twenty-seven yet, but I’m doomed to die by the time I reach that age. Nothing’s stopping me from dying now. Grant could be the very thing that brings about my end. Our end.
“I’m not going to deny you that. I can think of nothing better than your body writhing on top of mine.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding at his statement. Without another word, he wraps his arms around my waist and backs up until we fall onto the mattress. His big body is hard, firm with defined muscles, and that chest of his is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen. Both nipples pierced with steel barbells, swirling tattoos of dark ink lining his ribs, and a spray of dark hair across his pectorals, fading into a trail down to my prize.
“You’re beautiful,” I say on a sigh.
“No, you said it yourself. I’m a beast. Now…ride me, Beauty. I don’t have much time before I’ll have to leave you.”
The desperate longing I’d hoped to see earlier flashes in his eyes now. His large palms trail over my thighs as I straddle him and position myself over his rigid erection. In one smooth movement, I sink down on him, crying out in a delicious mixture of agony and pleasure as he stretches and fills me to my breaking point.
“Sweet lord,” I whimper as I still myself.
He shifts his hips, his entire body tensed and vibrating with the effort of holding himself back.
“Don’t move. Oh, God. I’ve never said this before, but I think you’re too fucking big this way.”
A smirk turns up his mouth, but then I roll my hips slowly forward and that expression turns to one of intense pleasure.
“Let me do the work. I need to adjust to you.”
His fingers dig into my hips as he groans and takes deep breaths. “Aye. But I need you to move more than you are.”
Slowly circling my hips, I moan as he hits every single spot I didn’t know I had. “Fucking hell, Grant.”
I rest my palms on his chest and begin sliding up and down, taking his length deep inside me each time and nearly crying from the intense pleasure building in my center. Shit. I’m going to come already. A deep growl fills the room, low and menacing. Turning to look behind me, I expect to see a wolf in our doorway, until I realize it’s coming from the beautiful man under me.
“Come on, Witch. Let go and take me over the edge with you.” He fights to get the words out. “I need to fill you.”
His beast is hovering at the gates, ready to take over. I can tell just by the roughness in his voice. When he tenses and begins to roll us over, I tighten my thighs and grab the piercings in his nipples, tugging enough to make him hiss, but it fights the animal back and brings my Grant to the forefront.
“No, Grant. I’m on top.”
Clenching his jaw, he nods and something in his gaze breaks my heart a little. There’s loss and trepidation behind the strength and stubbornness. Leaning over him, I cover his lips with mine as I move back and forth. Our tongues play along each other and our breaths mingle. Then, he’s thrusting upward and he hits the spot inside me that sends me hurtling off the cliff. I scream out in pleasure as I clench around him and his own release floods me.
His agonized cry of my name, makes something inside me ache. The protective wall around my heart cracks, and it’s just enough to let him in. Unfortunately, it’s not necessary to completely break down the barrier to breach the castle.
13
Grant
Fuck. I’m losing control. I have to get out of here. I can’t be with her when I change because I might hurt her and she knows it. I’ve never been with a woman when my change was so close and for a very good reason. I’ll kill her if my beast takes over. Not out of a need to hurt her, but out of a feral need to breed her like the animal I am. Unfortunately, her small body isn’t built to take me in that way.
The shifting of my bones as they reposition themselves, opening up space for the change I know is coming, makes me push her off of me.
“Hey!” Her annoyed shout sends a pang of guilt through me, but I can’t let myself stay.
Darting to the other side of the room, I fight the wolf clawing at my consciousness. It wants her. I can’t let it have her.
Izzy sits up, unabashedly naked, her full breasts swaying and tempting me. “Bloody hell, Witch. Put those away.”
She has the grace to look embarrassed, but when she stands and moves to come to me, I back up so fast my back hits the wall. A loud crack reverberates through the room at the force of my body hitting drywall.
“What are you doing?”
My vision tunnels as I hone in on her, on the scent of us, on the heat between her legs. “Don’t,” I say, my voice nearly unrecognizable.
Crossing her arms over her breasts, she backs away and pulls the sheet over her nakedness. “Go. Be careful, and come back to me.”
Those words, come back to me, bring me more clarity than anything else she could have said. Taking a deep breath, I push at the need to sh
ift before I cross the room and pull her into my arms. Her scent gives me a steady sense of calm. Staring down in to her bronze irises, I see my whole world. Her soft hair brushes over my bare skin and I can’t help myself. I have to kiss her. My lips feast on hers, tongue delving inside, savoring her taste and stealing her breath. When I reach the point of no return, my cock achingly hard and my heart pounding, I pull away and tug on my discarded pair of joggers.
“I’ll be back tomorrow, mo leannan. Don’t leave the house. It’s not safe outside.”
My gums itch and sting as my teeth threaten to shift to the canine-like fangs my beast form possesses. The same burn takes hold in my fingers, the nails already sharpening to claws. I can feel the blood in my veins rushing at an unnatural speed, traveling to supply the transformation of my muscles and organs. Breathing hard, I focus on keeping the change at bay as I leave the room and descend the stairs. Both Helena and Gwen stare at me as I burst into the foyer.
“Ah, the beast appears,” Helena mutters. The idiot witch is standing in front of the door. She’s the one thing keeping me from the freedom of the open air and the safety of the rolling country hills.
“Move aside,” I growl.
She stands a little straighter, her jaw set as though she means to challenge me, but Gwen coughs. “Don’t be stupid, Hel. He’s about to shift. You know as well as I do, he’ll tear you to pieces and it’ll be your own fault.”
Helena steps aside and I heave a sigh of relief as I pull open the door. The instant the cool air hits me, I let go and change. The pain gives way to euphoria as my wolf takes hold and I leave everything else behind.
Everything except Izzy.
