Magical Redemption

by Corinne Davies

  He suckled on her soft breast, rolling her nipple against the back of his teeth hard enough to give her a little edge to their play but nothing close to pain. Dani reacted beautifully, moaning in her throat and rubbing her pussy against his leg. He could feel her juices soaking through the fabric of his pants. She was so incredibly responsive.

  Shifting his weight, Maddoc changed the angle of the pressure on her pussy, increasing the friction on her clit. He released her breast with a pop and then immediately focused on her other breast, treating that one the same while rhythmically rocking against Dani. She moaned and gripped a handful of his hair. The sharp prickles of his hair being pulled hardly registered as he manipulated her nipple with his lips and then flicked his tongue over the tip while rolling her other one with his fingers.

  “Maddoc,” Dani moaned as she released his hair only to grip it again a second later. Her other hand kept an iron grip on the arm he was leaning on.

  That’s not even close to screaming yet. Maddoc released her breasts and reached for the tie that kept the robe closed. Not that there was much left hidden. Dani had kicked the material away from her legs when she wrapped them around his thigh, and he’d pulled the top back to feast on her breasts.

  Still, seeing her nude from head to toe took his breath away. She was exquisite. “You’re perfect, Dannika.”

  “Whatever,” she muttered and reached up to tug on some of his hair. “Kiss me.”

  “Not a chance.” Maddoc refused to bow to her demand because he wanted to indulge himself visually for a bit. “Look at you. Your breasts are a perfect fit for my hand, full enough to play a little rough with but not hurt you.”

  He trailed his hand between her breasts and down over her stomach. “You have a cute little inny and are soft and cushiony like a woman should be.”

  “You already have me naked, Maddoc. You don’t have to compliment me now.”

  Maddoc looked up and saw the insecurity she tried so hard to hide. It was like a dark shadow trying to douse her passionate nature. He could understand how some idiot men wouldn’t be able to handle her honesty. He and Gavin had been burned by lies in the past, and Dannika’s honesty was a trait he respected and adored.

  “You don’t trust us yet, but you will, and then you’ll know that Gavin and I would never lie to you.” He caressed the silky skin on her hips before running his thumb across her hip bone and tracing the natural dip where her leg met her pelvis. He knew that they needed to tell her the truth about them, but that was a conversation for another time. He rolled over top of her, wrapping his hands around her waist. He slid her higher on the bed and parted her legs to make room for himself.

  “Do you have any idea how delicious you smell?”

  She gasped and her cheeks flamed red again. She immediately tried to close her legs and cover her pussy with her hands. “Maddoc!”

  “Yelling is close to screaming, but we’re not there yet.” He never understood a woman’s embarrassment about her own arousal. Dannika’s natural scent made his mouth water. She smelled sultry and wicked. If she was a siren, he’d have jumped ship without a second thought. He grabbed her hands, pulled them away from her pussy, and put them on his shoulders as he settled down between her legs. “Keep them there, Dannika.”

  “Why? No, you don’t want to do this.”

  “Oh, you couldn’t be more wrong about that.” He stroked the tight curls between her legs, dipping one finger to the edge of her labia. It was obvious that she kept her bikini line neatened, but he liked that she still had a nice amount of springy curls for him to play with. Drops of dewy arousal coated her curls, soaking his fingers. She was sopping wet, just as he’d suspected. “You’ve soaked right through to my thigh, and I can’t ignore that.”

  “Sorry—”

  He cut off her apology by sliding two fingers into her curls and separating the lush lips, completely exposing her. Blowing a bit of air against her wet folds was a fast way to steal any self-deprecating thing she was about to say. “I’ll be doing my best to keep you this wet as often as possible.”

  She moaned in response and one of her hands moved to his head, gripping another handful of hair. He was going to be bald in a week at this rate and couldn’t have cared less about it.

  Maddoc slowly caressed the delicate skin of her pussy, savoring the first tangy taste of her on his tongue. Ambrosia. Dannika cried out and her hips jerked against his lips. “You are so incredibly responsive.” Tracing her plush folds with his tongue, he carefully avoided the sweet pearl that peaked out from under its protective hood.

  “Oh, that’s…yes…god yes…” Dannika released the iron grip on his hair to grasp at the bed clothes beside her hips. Her other hand still held onto his arm as if she needed the anchor, while her hips rocked to her own natural rhythm against his lips. He teased her entrance with his fingers, and with each little stroke, she gifted him with another wave of juices to coat his lips and fingers. He listened to her little cries and breathless gasps as he learned her body, committing to memory everything he did that incited her moans.

  When her body started to quiver, he pressed two fingers into her and her legs widened to make more room for him. His cock was throbbing hard against the mattress, and it took a considerable amount of willpower not to dry hump himself to completion. Instead he concentrated on the women beneath him.

  Dannika was mewling like a kitten and shaking like a leaf as he played her body. Curling his fingers, he rubbed the spongy ridges inside of her, knowing the moment he hit the perfect spot. Her natural energy spiked, and he heard her cry out. Almost there… He manipulated the perfect spot and focused on her clit, swirling his tongue around the sensitive nubbin before sucking on it much like he had her nipples.

  “Oh, yes, Maddoc! Fuck yes!” Dannika’s body clenched hard on his fingers as she screamed out his name, cursing like a sailor. He didn’t let that stop him though. He finger-fucked her body, focusing on the sensitive spot inside of her and thrilling when she screeched again. Her body flooded with juices, spilling over his fingers and coating his chin. He lapped at her sweetness as her cries subsided into little moans.

  She moved like a sopping wet rag when Maddoc grabbed the edge of his robe to wipe at his face. A soft snore caught his attention, and Maddoc felt like puffing his chest out and crowing like an arrogant rooster. Dannika lay there sleeping the deep sleep of someone completely sated. There weren’t any wrinkles between her eyes from worry or tight muscles, and despite the ache in his groin that bordered on painful, Maddoc couldn’t have been happier.

  He carefully untangled her from the robe and tucked her into her bed. He didn’t have any doubt that she was born to be here with them. Moldy old scrolls be damned. She was the woman for the two of them, and Maddoc wanted to claim her as soon as his brother got back from her hotel.

  Maddoc glanced at his watch. Gavin should be back soon. When she’d been so upset earlier, his brother was sure having her belongings here would make her more comfortable. Hopefully they could convince her to stay here until they could figure out why Rahovart had singled her out.

  Chapter Six

  Gavin yawned as he lifted Dani’s suitcase from the backseat of his car. There wasn’t enough energy in this world that was going to keep him from burrowing his face into a pillow in the next ten minutes. The main question in his head is which bed he would collapse into. He wanted to snuggle up next to Dani’s body and wrap his arms around her soft curves, but he had a feeling it was too soon for that luxury.

  He knew there had to be some truth to those scrolls he’d found. Sure, most of them contained the normal doom and gloom, death to the family reaching back in time, but one sentence had stood out to him. Time will mean nothing to that which was meant to be.

  That had to foretell them finding Dani the way they did. How else could she have gotten past their wards? The ones you didn’t feel when you left the cemetery? That fact dawned on him like an unwelcome slap to the face. He’d been so focused on the wom
an in his arms and reuniting with Katie, Connor, and Padrig that he hadn’t realized it until now.

  “Gavin, we need to talk.” Jilly’s voice pulled him away from his thoughts. She was leaning against the banister at the top of the porch steps, partially hidden by the shadows.

  He looked up to the lightening sky, streaks of pale pink staining the dark clouds above him. “Can it wait, Jilly? We’ve had a hell of a night and I’m exhausted.”

  “So tired that you would willingly put our entire family in danger?” The anger in her voice snapped in the night like lightning. “There isn’t a member of this family who would ever bring a stranger into our sanctuary without talking to everyone else first. Even Connor and Padrig know to keep the hordes of women they move through away from this place. But you and Maddoc bring not just a stranger but a human stranger in and then put her in the master bedroom? Have you lost your minds, or is she another witch who’s cast a spell over you?”

  Her words struck him like a sharp slap to the face, and Gavin wondered if Jilly had already brought her concerns up to his brother. Hopefully Maddoc didn’t break too much with his temper. “Jilly, Maddoc and I choose who goes in that bedroom, not you, Duggan, or anyone else.” He felt his own temper start to fray around the edges. “We would never put this family in danger and have spent centuries putting everyone else’s needs before ours. This time, we made a decision that is good for us, and you will all have to live with it.”

  Jilly glanced down at the suitcase he gripped in his fingers. “Since it looks like you are moving her in for the foreseeable future, then I’d better make certain I go peel a few more potatoes, since I am not anything more than a cook around here.” She pushed off the banister and walked down the steps next to him.

  “Jilly, that’s not what I meant.” Gavin looked to the fading stars above, wishing for some sort of divine inspiration to deal with her passive aggressive tactics. She continued across the drive to her house next door without looking back or acknowledging that Gavin had said anything. He knew that Maddoc and he had made a huge decision bringing Dani here, but deep down he knew it was the right one.

  Gavin picked up the suitcase and headed into the house. The door to the basement was open and he could see a dim light on down there. The pungent smell of incense floated up the stairwell. “Hello!” he called down, but no one answered. Perhaps Jilly or Duggan had just come up or someone else was down there, but he didn’t care at the moment. Whatever they’re been burning smells like shit. I’m going to have to open all the windows down here. Exhaustion trumped the offensive smell. He shut the door hoping to trap most of the offensive aroma before heading upstairs. He made it to the top of the stairwell when he found Maddoc about to descend.

  “We need to talk.” Maddoc looked pissed.

  “Not you, too, Maddoc. I want to check on Dani and then try to get a little sleep. I’m dead on my feet here.”

  “Dani’s fine and sleeping like she’s in a coma.” A satisfied grin crossed his brother’s face, and Gavin felt a twinge of envy.

  “You lucky bastard.” Gavin wasn’t angry that his brother didn’t show any sort of patience or remorse. Had the tables been turned, he wouldn’t have been able to keep away from her either. He also knew that his brother wouldn’t have claimed her without him. “Do you need some time alone before we talk?”

  Maddoc’s grin morphed into a full smile. “She’s so damn responsive, Gavin. I can’t wait till she’s between us. That is, as long as my balls don’t turn purple and fall off by then. There isn’t enough cold water in the ocean to put out what I’m feeling.”

  “Let me put her suitcase where she’ll see it when she gets up, and I’ll meet you in our office.”

  Maddoc nodded and slapped him on the shoulder before heading down the narrow hall. Gavin entered the bedroom and felt his cock twitch hard in his pants. The heady scent of her arousal still hung in the air, as did the echoes of her release. It was like sweet torture to his senses, feeling the vibrations in the room’s energy.

  She lay stretched out like a pampered kitten. The blanket lay over her, accentuating her curves and drawing him closer. He wanted nothing more than to crawl under those sheets and curl up against her naked body. But, there were things he needed to talk to his brother about first, and he didn’t want to disturb her sleep. She’d been on an emotional roller coaster all night, and he wanted her to get some rest. Tomorrow will be soon enough to claim her as our own. He hoped it would be tomorrow.

  Unable to move away without touching her, he leaned over the bed and pressed a kiss against her temple. Her soft, sleepy energy rocked against his, drawing him closer. One more. He pressed his lips against her forehead.

  She sighed softly and smiled in her sleep. “Gavin—” the word was like a whisper that hung in the air, and he wasn’t entirely certain if she’d said it or he heard her thoughts. It had amazed him that she had the ability to tell them apart when she was awake, but that she could do it while asleep? There was no question she was meant to be theirs.

  Going against his inner cravings, Gavin stepped away and forced himself to leave the room. Being able to touch her, even in sleep, had energized him a bit. He was still dead tired and was longing for a bed, preferable one with a sleepy Dani in it.

  Maddoc was waiting in their office, leaning back in his chair with his feet on his half of the desk, a tumbler of scotch cradled in his palm. A second tumbler sat on Gavin’s side of the desk, and he happily mirrored his brother’s position.

  Maddoc lifted his glass. “To our woman. May we not fuck this up.”

  “Not exactly poetry, but strangely appropriate considering this night.” Gavin lifted his glass before taking a good sip of the amber liquid. He savored the flavor on his tongue for a minute before swallowing the silky smooth spirit. Fifty-year-old?”

  Maddoc nodded. “One of Da’s favorite barrels.”

  Their father had taken a shine to creating whisky almost a century before, and the boys often received bottles of his favourite malts as gifts. Their father’s scotch was now one of the most popular of all the Scottish distilleries, and one of the most expensive. Because their father refused to increase his production to meet the increase in demand, it had driven the prices up.

  The two of them sat in companionable silence for a long while. Being so much alike, there wasn’t much point in discussing things because they already understood and agreed with the other. But there was one thing bothering Gavin that he hadn’t been able to figure out.

  “How are we going to keep her here?”

  “Isn’t that what locks were invented for?”

  “True and tempting, but not the terms we want to start our relationship. I don’t even know if she has a job or a husband. What kind of life are we planning on taking her from, and do we have a right?”

  Maddoc sipped his scotch and stared at the swirls in the ceiling. “Gavin, we can’t let her walk out of our lives. The moment Da set his eyes on our mum, that was it for him. He scooped her up and hasn’t spent a day away from her since.”

  “Things are a lot different now than they were then. I’m not saying that I disagree, but we need to somehow show her the advantages to staying here.”

  “And if she wants to go back to Florida?”

  “You know as well as I do, we’d pack up the family and follow her home.”

  A small gasp at the door caught their attention. Gavin looked over and spotted Katie standing in the doorway. She looked paler than she had earlier tonight, but her cheeks were bright red. “Did I just hear you two say you were planning on moving us somewhere?”

  “Dannika, the woman we found in the cemetery tonight is destined to be ours. If she doesn’t want to live in Louisiana, then we would consider moving to Florida.”

  “Do you think that’s very fair?” Katie stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest while fire snapped in her eyes. She was furious, and Gavin wasn’t entirely certain why. She’d followed them to the States without a single
fuss. Why would a small jump to another state bother her so much? “Katie, we wouldn’t make you come. You could stay here.”

  “But I wouldn’t have either of your protection like I do now. You’d leave me to be prey to the other paranormals? Maybe I should throw myself at a vampire and let them change me into a zombie? Everyone thinks they can make decisions for me without discussing it with me first.” She stomped her foot, and a flash of lightning lit the room from outside. “I’ve had enough, I tell you!”

  Thunder rolled across the skies above them as the energy from Katie’s temper tantrum settled down. She stomped out of the room and down the hall. The thud of the back door slamming echoed up the hall.

  “I almost pity whoever it was that pissed her off tonight.” Gavin looked over at Maddoc, who looked almost as bewildered as he felt. Katie had a fiery temper that matched her red hair, but she didn’t normally vent off her anger so quickly. She must have been brooding over something else and they caught the brunt of it. “Do you know what that was all about?”

  Maddoc shrugged. “Not a clue. No doubt Padrig or Connor annoyed her earlier and she’s been looking to vent it off at someone. She raises a good point, though. We have to be prepared for the possibility that no one else might want to leave. New Orleans has been their home for centuries, as well. Duggan has been with us since the beginning.”

  “We’d have to make arrangements to be certain those who want to stay are protected. I can’t think of anyone I’d want to form an alliance with. I don’t know if I can trust anyone with our people.”

  “It’s not something we need to decide right now.” Maddoc finished his scotch and lowered his feet. “We have a day or two to convince her to stay. Easy.”

  Gavin rolled his eyes at his brother’s easy tone, knowing damn well that Maddoc was as concerned as he was. Dani wasn’t the only person on his mind tonight. “I ran into Elijah Moreau at the hotel.”