by Bianca D’Arc
Which hadn’t always been the case with the few men she’d shared intimacies with in the past. Only a couple had rated a return performance after a disappointing start. And those hadn’t lasted very long. Her longest relationship had been an on-again-off-again year of drama during her ill-fated college career. After that, she’d met a couple of guys she tried on for size, but none were keepers, and they never really made it past the audition into the role of boyfriend.
Ace, though… He was something altogether different. She didn’t know if they were seeing each other or what. So much had been compressed into such a short time. She wasn’t really sure what others might call what they had going on. An affair? A fling? Something more serious? For sure, it was the most intense relationship she’d ever had. Just like Ace was the most intensely masculine male she had ever had the pleasure of knowing…in the Biblical sense.
Maybe it was because he was a shifter. But…none of the wolves up in her last town had affected her like Ace. And none of the bears she’d met so far in Grizzly Cove had attracted her. Not like Ace. Maybe it was less a shifter thing and more an Ace kind of thing.
She smiled as that thought crossed her mind and dipped her head so she could lick his chest. He shuddered, and a soft growl sounded deep in his throat. She moved upward and licked the corded muscles of his throat, kissing her way upward to his jaw, where a five o’clock stubble was just rough enough to tease her senses.
“Mm,” she murmured against his lips. “I want more.”
“Your wish…” he kissed her briefly, then continued, “…is my command.” With one motion, he lifted her top off over her head, leaving her breathless and a little stunned, but more than ready to see where he would lead her this time.
Her bra followed in short order, and he wasted no time spreading her out on the bed, removing her pants and panties in one fell swoop. She was naked, stretched out before him. He still had his jeans on, but as she watched, he toed off his boots and began inching down his zipper.
Sabrina was salivating as his fingers move so damned slow over the zipper. Was he teasing her? A quick glance up to his eyes told her yes. He was definitely teasing her. Getting into the spirit of things, she licked her lips, reminding him subtly about things that had passed between them. When he growled, she knew her message had been received. Still, he took his time.
If there had been music, he probably would have strutted. As it was, he revealed himself one slow inch at a time. Her very own personal male stripper, doing all he could to please his audience. Sabrina was very, very appreciative.
By the time he kicked off his jeans and stepped closer to the bed, she was ready to accept whatever he had in mind to give her. He came down over her, making room for himself between her legs. He spread them, stroking up her inner thighs with gentle hands, making her shiver in anticipation.
He’d barely touched her and already her body was weeping, wanting to be filled. Possessed. Conquered and released. She would willingly be his slave.
“Do you want me?” he whispered as he moved over her, his head near hers, his lips by her ear. His chest brushed her nipples, and she had to stifle a moan.
“Yes,” she whispered back, unable to speak too loudly. Unwilling to break the mood with harsh tones. This was a magical time. A hushed silence surrounded them, waiting for what would come. What he would give her.
He rose up, settling between her wide-spread thighs, and then, he started stroking her body with his hands. Those big, warm, talented hands. They paused here and there on her skin, pinching, plumping and caressing every inch of her torso on his way to his ultimate goal. He spent a lot of time on her breasts, bending to lick and suck at the pointed nipples. Then, he kissed his way down to her belly button, then lower.
When he licked her clit, her hips jerked, but his big hands were there, holding her, taming her. He made her dance to his tune and brought her a delicious bit of pleasure on the way to something even better.
This time, when he rose over her, she was more than ready. She was eager, willing and oh-so-receptive. She accepted him into her body in one long, steady thrust. She gazed into his eyes as he filled her, loving the look of primal possession deep in his brown eyes.
Then, he began to move. Slow, at first, his motion was deep and penetrating, smooth and seductive. He took her along on a journey of discovery as each and every thrust brought her some new rapture, all leading up to an ultimate high that only Ace had ever shown her.
The intimacy was intense. She knew she should be feeling vulnerable, but not with Ace. There was nothing she couldn’t give him. Nothing she couldn’t show him about her fear. He’d seen her at her worst and seen her through some incredibly dangerous scenarios. After all that, sex was easy. At least, sex with Ace had always been easy. Never had she known a man who made her feel like that.
He was special. Unique in every way. An original in her admittedly limited experience, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was him. And her. Together. Skin to skin. His cock inside her body, bringing her to new heights of pleasure. New avenues of discovery. He was with her and in her. He was her guide and her guest. And, together, they were unstoppable.
His motions lost their smooth glide and took on a more urgent tone as their passions rose together. She clutched at his shoulders as he pumped his hips in increasingly out-of-control motions. They were going to explode, and it was going to be together. Her passion rising in time with his.
“Sabrina!” He growled her name. So sexy. Pushing her to a new height of satisfaction as she climaxed amid a sea of stars, out in the stratosphere somewhere, floating on a cloud of near-painful bliss.
“Ace,” she whispered as she felt him join her. She held onto him throughout, encouraging, accepting, wanting to be with him always…
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A loud banging on the hotel room door woke Sabrina the next morning. Ace jumped out of bed, ready for anything, it seemed, as he stalked towards the door, apparently not caring that he was naked.
“Who is it?” Ace demanded in a loud voice.
“Ezra,” came the voice, shouting back. “Open up, man. There’s a big problem, and we need your help.”
Ace opened the door, pushing forward to make sure the other man stayed in the hallway. Sabrina got up and wrapped the sheet around herself like a toga. She could easily hear their conversation. She glanced at the clock, alarmed to see how early it was. Judging by the soft glow around the edges of the curtains, it was just barely dawn.
“What is it?” Ace demanded.
“One of the guys took his fishing boat out a little too far. He just had to go out and see how much the beast had been pushed back yesterday.” Ezra sounded pissed. “Only problem is, the leviathan’s little helpers have cut off the boat, and our boy can’t get back to shore. The big boy was last spotted heading straight for him, though it was still a ways out. John sent me to get you two. Urse thinks your lady might be able to help push the creatures back long enough for the boat to get through.”
Sabrina gasped. Someone was in danger of their life, and she had to help. A tiny frisson of fear made her wonder if she really could or if her magic was going to go all wonky, again, but she pushed those thoughts aside. She could do this. The work she’d done yesterday with that odd group of magic coaches had helped. She just needed to recreate that, and she could definitely help.
Ace looked back at her, and she nodded. “We’ll be right out,” he told Ezra and shut the door.
Neither of them wasted any time getting dressed. Sabrina threw on the first clothing she found and didn’t really care that her T-shirt was on backwards. There would be time to fix it after they saved the man who was in danger.
Ezra met them in the hall and escorted them out the nearest door on the side of the building. A truck was waiting there for them with its doors open and engine running. All three of them piled in and took off without a word being spoken. Ezra drove at top speed down the now-familiar dirt road that took them to the circle of
stones on the southern point of the cove.
Urse was already there, as was the shaman, Gus. He was chanting something, his eyes focused steadily on the little boat Sabrina could just see, far out on the water. When Urse saw them, she came right over, meeting them halfway between the truck and the stones. Everyone was jogging, urgency in the air.
“Thanks for coming. Gus is holding a protective barrier around the boat, but I don’t know how much longer he can hold it. I’ve tried everything I know, but it’s not working,” the Alpha bear’s mate told Sabrina in a rush. “I was hoping maybe you could blow them back, like you did yesterday.”
“The trick will be not to get the boat caught in the winds,” Sabrina thought aloud, already working on the problem in her mind. She could feel the winds already gathering, coming to her call. They would be there for her when she was ready to set them free.
Sabrina paused to gather herself before entering the circle of stones. Urse paused, as well. It was important to respect the way the stones focused power. She’d learned that yesterday. Ace was right beside her, and she reached out to take his hand as she took one calming breath. Then, she tugged him into the wide circle with her. His presence went a long way toward grounding her, both physically and magically.
“I think I have it figured out,” Sabrina said in a low voice, her mind more on the problem at hand than the people around her. She could feel Urse watching and worrying, splitting her attention between Sabrina, Gus—who was looking more than a little strained—and the little white boat bobbing in a sea filled with thrashing limbs that clearly wanted to crush it, just out of reach. Held there by Gus, Sabrina had no doubt. She let go of Ace’s hand and took a moment to look up at him. “Help Gus, if you can. I’ve got this.”
He smiled at her, and she felt his pride and confidence wash over her. It was like a benediction. A vote of confidence from the man her heart had chosen.
And, just like that, she knew she was deeply, truly, in love with him.
“Oh, no!” Urse sounded scared, and Sabrina looked where the other woman pointed.
The biggest of the sea monsters, the leviathan itself, was getting way too close to the boat. It had surfaced, its extra-long tentacles almost within reach of the fishing boat. The time to act had come.
A peacefulness settled over Sabrina as she prepared to loose her power. She felt Ace back off a bit, moving toward the other bear shifter in the circle. Gus would probably drop when he finally was able to release his hold on the boat. With all the stones around, it was probably best if someone could guide him safely to the ground. She trusted that Ace would do that. Ezra hovered on the shaman’s other side, so she let concern for Gus’s fate float away on the winds that now came to her like favored pets.
She felt the winds caressing her, lifting her hair and hugging her like an old friend. She greeted them with joy, thanked them for answering her call, and asked them to float over the little boat without harm. Then, she asked more of them. She didn’t put her request into words, but rather, showed the winds what she wanted of them with images in her mind.
She wasn’t sure if they were conscious or not, but something within the massive power of the sky and atmosphere seemed to understand. On her signal, it went out and sought the boat, protecting it while pushing relentlessly at the sea around it—and the monsters within the waves.
“It’s working!” Urse’s voice came to Sabrina as if from far away.
Sabrina opened her eyes. She hadn’t realized she’d closed them. Her hair was whipping around her head, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, and it didn’t get in her eyes, which was kind of a miracle in itself. She giggled as she raised her arms and directed the wind energy that seemed without end. It bounced in eager joy, reflecting her happiness that what she was doing seemed to be helping the bear shifter and his little boat. The monsters were being pushed away. Far away.
The boat seemed to come alive and started to move under its own power, zipping away from the creatures that thrashed and wailed in anger as their prey moved out of range. Sabrina was aware of Gus collapsing off to her side, but she was confident the guys would see that their friend came to no harm. Gus had done his part. He’d held the creatures at bay until a solution could be found.
That Sabrina’s winds had been the solution was humbling. She’d only just learned how to do this yesterday. It seemed striking that her new skill and ability would come to the rescue so soon. Maybe she would survive this massive escalation in her power, after all. And maybe—as had just happened—she would be able to use her new powers for good. To help people. To fight evil.
Wonder filled her. She’d always wanted to do important things, but her weather sense wasn’t much to work with. Now, she had plenty of power to summon, but her goals hadn’t changed. She still wanted to help people. She didn’t want the power for her own glory, but to stop people like the ones who had attacked her on the road. To help the good people of this town. People who had helped her without expectation of recompense. People who were on the side of Light, the side of good.
At last, she’d found her calling. Here, in the center of the sacred circle, she felt as if she’d just had an epiphany. She would continue to serve the Goddess. The Mother of All. She would use her power over the winds for good alone.
Sabrina went to her knees and sent the prayer skyward, up with the winds and down over the earth and sea. She sent the prayer to the Mother of All, wherever She was, and hoped She would hear. In that moment, Sabrina made a vow to the guardian of the Light. The Goddess. The Mother of All.
And She answered. Visibly.
The stones all around began to glow with pure white Light. Urse gasped, and Gus seemed to revive as the Light coalesced above Sabrina’s head, reaching downward like a benediction.
Then, it was gone. Winking out of existence as if it had never been. But the effects were there.
Gus got to his feet, his smile wide as he walked over to Sabrina. He held out a hand, and she took it, allowing the other man to help her to her feet.
“It is a good thing you have done here today, sister,” he said, putting one of his big hands over the top of her head as if in blessing, just for a moment.
Gus moved back, and Ace was there, watching, a slight frown on his handsome face. She wanted to hurl herself into his arms, but it looked like she had to explain a few things. She didn’t want to leave any doubt in his mind about her loyalties or feelings. She opened her mouth to explain, but Gus spoke, first.
“What you just saw…” Gus addressed himself to Ace and the others, as well, “…was Sabrina’s instinctual reach for the Light, and the Mother of All deemed fit to answer, blessing the promise Sabrina made, to use her powers only for good. In other words, Sabrina just dedicated herself and her abilities to the side of Light. There can be no doubt about her allegiance, now. Not when the Goddess manifested the Light on Sabrina’s behalf. I suspect that was for our benefit,” Gus added, nodding to the two other bear shifters. “So, we know, for sure, she’s one of the good guys.”
“Oh, I already knew that,” Urse said with a big grin. “Who else would get out of bed at the crack of dawn to help some idiot they don’t even know?”
“I’m telling Sig you called him an idiot,” Ezra said, clearly teasing the Alpha female.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be telling him myself when I see him,” Urse promised, shaking her head. “What was he thinking?”
The three men shared an amused look, but it was Gus that answered. “He was probably thinking he’s a grown bear and that makes him pretty much invincible.”
“Invincible?” Urse almost shouted.
“Well, in Sig’s defense, we usually are,” Ezra pointed out. “It takes a lot to take one of us down. We’re not used to being up against something like this.” He gestured out toward the water, which was still roiling in places, far out to sea.
Urse just shook her head. “Come on,” she said, her voice sounding both tired and triumphant. “Let’s all go back to town. Br
eakfast is on me. I think the bakery is probably open by now.”
Everyone agreed and piled into the trucks waiting just beyond the stone circle. Ezra turned over the wheel to Gus, surprisingly. Apparently, he’d borrowed Gus’s truck to come get Sabrina and Ace. Gus drove somewhat silently, inserting a comment, here and there, as Ezra and Ace caught up a bit since they’d last seen each other. Sabrina listened with one ear, watching the terrain out the window and trying to sort out the changes that had come over her in such a short time.
That Light had been an amazing experience when it was happening, but now, given a bit of time and space from the event to think about it, she found herself a bit in awe. Had that really been a manifestation of the Mother of All’s power? Had it really blessed her?
It had certainly felt that way. While her body and soul had been bathed in the Light, she’d felt pure and connected to the universe in a way she had never felt before. She’d felt…a welcoming presence within the Light. As if the Mother of All were smiling down on her in approval. It was a feeling like nothing else.
If that was what it felt like to be in the presence of the divine, Sabrina would work hard for the rest of her life for the chance to feel it, again. She thought she understood why some people devoted their lives to the endeavor. Sabrina had never felt any sort of calling, but if she had known this communion before, she probably would have given serious thought to following the priestess’s path. As it was, that road was most likely closed to her. She was…well…she was something else altogether.
Exactly what, she still wasn’t really sure. It had to do with the escalation of her power, and with a fine tuning and focus of it. Wind. That was her element. They’d tested her the day before and found she had no real inclinations toward any other kind of magic. Just wind. Air and the way it moved. That was her thing. Her only thing.
She would never be an all-around mage. She would never be trained or part of a fancy magic school or tradition. She was a one-trick pony. As she always had been. The only difference, now, was the scale of her power. She’d gone far and above any minor weather skills she’d had before. The winds came to her call in greater strength and number than ever before.
