Warlords, Witches and Wolves: A Fantasy Realms Anthology

by Michelle Diener

  “Can we get out of the car park first?”

  “They’re too tight. I put on weight.”

  “It’s not weight.” Kass touched Bailey’s arm. “Muscle.”

  Bailey checked the mirror, but they weren’t being followed. He tipped his head against the headrest. Wanting to breathe easy, but not sure that he could. Not yet. There were too many hurdles to climb over.

  Now he was out, he needed somewhere to stay while he got his shit together. He wanted to ask Kass for help but didn’t know where to start. He couldn’t stay with Kass because he lived on the base, and Kass’s parents hated him before they’d even met him. He didn’t blame them. He hated who he’d been.

  “So, why don’t we buy you some new pants, then go to the bakery?”

  Bailey opened one eye and looked at Kass. “I don’t want to deal with the Coven and real life today. I want to forget. I want to…” His mouth dried. What he wanted was right in front of him. But Kass had been holding something back, there was an undercurrent of something Bailey couldn’t quiet place.

  “What aren’t you telling me? I can feel the thorn beneath my skin. Are you seeing someone?” That couldn’t be it, he’d have felt it through the bond.

  Kass shook his head. “I haven’t been with anyone since we met.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah… I didn’t want anyone else.” Kass flicked him a smile and shimmer of lust rippled through the bond.

  “What is it then?”

  Kass sighed but kept his gaze on the road. “I’m deploying in two weeks. I didn’t know how to tell you.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah. We can’t occupy the same space for any length of time.”

  “But we have two weeks, yeah?”

  “You aren’t pissed?”

  “What’s that going to change? Nothing. Some things you can’t fight.” He put his hand on Kass’s thigh, not sure if his touch would be welcome or not. He wanted to be out of his jeans and into Kass’s. It was an ache that wouldn’t fade. “But we have two whole weeks. That’s more than last time.”

  Then he’d have to leave too and start over somewhere else.

  “I’ve already booked a room—too much?”

  “Then I don’t need pants.”

  Kass smiled. “That’s true. But you’ll need to speak with the Coven soon as they can help you start over.”

  “How much will that cost?” He needed what was in his bank account.

  “It’s free. But if they ask for help with something, you’re expected to repay the favor.”

  “That is not free.” And it was too much like his family.

  “It’s nothing illegal. Like, you’ll be looking for work, so they’ll ask around and sort something out. They’ll smooth things for you. And one day you can return the favor and help someone else out of a bad situation.”

  He nodded, but it wasn’t an agreement. He didn’t want to tie himself up when he’d just gotten free.

  “I can tell you don’t want to.” Kass glanced at him. “I feel the hesitation.”

  “Damnit.” So he changed what he was thinking about. He wasn’t sure if what he’d felt via the bond was what he’d find under Kass’s clothes.

  “I’m trying to concentrate.”

  “Are we getting a room?” His hand slid further up Kass’s leg to the crease of his upper thigh. His fingertips grazed the growing bulge. “We’ve done everything via magic. I need more.”

  “So do I, but a few more minutes won’t make a difference.”

  Bailey sighed and removed his hand. Kass grabbed it and put it over his dick.

  “I didn’t say stop…just that I’m not pulling over the car. I want to do it right.”

  It was a nice hotel, and they’d gotten a room with a view over Circular Quay. Kass meant it when he said he wanted to do this right. He’d had plenty of time to think about it, probably too much time and too much thinking. He’d thought they’d go out, have a meal, see the Coven and sort some stuff out first. He needed things settled before he left.

  He couldn’t deploy again like this. It was too dangerous. When he looked at Bailey, he didn’t want to leave at all. And that was dangerous. He’d fallen for a man he’d met in person only a handful of times, and always with a time limit. Even now they were on the clock. He wanted more, and he was scared. That hadn’t been in his plans.

  The woman behind the counter gave them a look, and Kass was sure she was making a few assumptions—most of which would be way off the mark.

  He wiped his hands on his jeans, and put the room key in his pocket, his nerves growing with every heartbeat. Even though he could feel Bailey’s hunger and excitement, he was worried that he’d be disappointed. What they’d been doing via the bond wasn’t the same as sex—it was intimacy with the same result, but it was different—and that was all Bailey knew.

  That was all he knew of Bailey. They were doing this the wrong way around.

  “We could grab a bite to eat?”

  Bailey stared at him like he’d suggested growing wings and flying. “We can order room service. Why are you so stressed?”

  “Because I don’t want to mess this up.” What they had had never existed in the real world. It was a thing made up of letters and email and magic. What if it they didn’t work in person?

  The elevator opened, and they stepped in. “I don’t think you could. Do you know how long I’ve been thinking about this?”

  “Not helping.” But he reached out and pulled Bailey close, wanting to hold him the way he had when they’d danced and nothing else had mattered.

  But they were different now. Bailey was almost unrecognizable without his shoulder-length blond hair. He’d filled out and was old enough to drink. Bailey smiled and slid his arms around Kass’s neck.

  “I don’t need a fancy date or meal, just you.” Bailey kissed him.

  There was no spark of magic this time; only the need that had been long denied. God, he’d wanted Bailey that night. He’d have booked a room and not worried about the details if Bailey hadn’t run. He gripped Bailey’s hips and ground against him. His tongue found Bailey’s, and he wasn’t sure whose hunger was whose. Where did Bailey’s desire end and his start?

  When the doors opened, they tumbled out. Both searching for the room number, then crashing through the door as soon as the light turned green. Bailey pulled off Kass’s long sleeved T-shirt while Kass tried to lock the door. Bailey’s fingers traced over the bullet scar, then his lips kissed the mark.

  “I never saw that through the bond.” He flicked open Kass’s jeans and Kass didn’t stop him, but Bailey paused before dragging down the zipper. “Can I?”

  Maybe that’s all he needed to do. Let Bailey take what he needed. He drew Bailey up, cupped his face and kissed him hard. “Whatever you want.”

  “I want everything.” He said between kisses. “Before you’re gone.”

  He couldn’t even give Bailey that because he’d be working his ass off over the next two weeks. They’d have to meet around the edges. He tugged off Bailey’s shirt, but Bailey was one step ahead, pulling down Kass’s jeans and pushing his hand into his jocks to grasp his dick.

  Kass gasped at the contact. It really had been too long. He thrust into Bailey’s fist, wanting to be rid of all clothes.

  All his doubts melted. This was his familiar, his mate. They were meant to be together. He drew in a breath, and finished undressing Bailey, touching and kissing as he went. The scar on Bailey’s stomach mirrored his own. They were two halves of the same magic.

  Bailey glanced at the scars, and his lips parted as though realizing the same thing. Then he was toeing off his shoes and stepping out of his pants. “I know we mucked around with magic, but I actually have no idea what I’m doing.”

  The roil of anticipation drowned Kass. “Don’t worry about it.” He kissed him, taking his time to learn the way Bailey’s lips moved against his. The impressions he’d gotten through the bond hadn’t been specific. There�
�d been no taste. No texture. No sighs and shudders.

  He worked his way down Bailey’s neck, tasting his skin, as his hand slid over Bailey’s chest. He pinched a nipple, working it into a hard peak, before moving lower. Over the knotted wound, then following the trail of hair lower. His knuckles grazed Bailey’s dick, then he caressed the length from root to tip. The tip was already slick with pre-cum. He rubbed his thumb over the slit, then brought his thumb to his mouth to taste the fluid.

  Bailey watched, his blue eyes wild and dark with lust.

  Kass smiled. “Where to start?”

  “I want you to fuck me…anything else can wait until after.”

  “Did you put a lot of thought into that?”

  “So much thought. Every time…” His cheeks darkened. “Are you going to make me wait? Because I may not be able to.”

  “I don’t want to wait, but I want to be sure it’s what you want.”

  Bailey growled and pushed him back toward the bed. Kass lay on his back as Bailey moved over him, hot and hungry. He kissed and nipped, biting on Kass’s nipple then his collarbone. That shouldn’t feel good, but it did. Bailey ground against him.

  “Can we, like this?” Bailey moved forward as though he planned on riding Kass in the next heartbeat.

  As tempting as that was. Not this time. “We need the condoms and lube.” And Kass wanted to pull his jeans all the way off.

  “I haven’t been with anyone, ever.” Bailey kissed him. “Except you…and using the bond isn’t the same.”

  He cupped Bailey’s jaw so he could look him in the eye. “That was something else. Special, and I wouldn’t trade it.”

  Bailey paused. “Neither would I, but I have been craving your touch for so long.” He bit his lip. “I want to do it for real.”

  “So do I. But we don’t have to rush.” He kissed Bailey more slowly, then he licked his fingers and rubbed Bailey’s hole. “Trust me, you want lube.”

  Bailey groaned and pushed back. “I’m going to die, like now.”

  They’d done enough through the bond that Bailey did know what to do and what he wanted. Kass pushed one finger into his hot channel, gently trying to prepare him.

  “Just get on with it,” Bailey said between pants.

  “Lick my dick, make it slick.” He was stunned when Bailey did exactly that, taking the head into his mouth. Kass sucked in a breath as he watched. Bailey’s lips looked perfect sucking his cock.

  Bailey licked the length and back up again as though to continue giving head. Kass yanked him away and flipped him onto his back. He shucked his jeans, pausing for a moment to grab the packet of lube and condom out of his wallet, which he dropped on the floor with the rest of his clothes. It took him only seconds to roll on the rubber, then he was between Bailey’s legs, slicking his hole with lube.

  He liked this bit, watching his lover squirm with need. Bailey’s hunger was a living thing, trying to claw its way out. But it was also familiar. So, while Kass wasn’t familiar with Bailey’s body, he knew everything else. The tumble of need and the swell of desire wrapped around him. But behind that was impatience and a curiosity that had waited for this moment.

  The longing wasn’t just Bailey’s. He’d wanted this from the moment they’d kissed. Unable to wait any longer, Kass kissed him hard and pressed the head of his cock to Bailey’s tight hole. “If it hurts too much, let me know.”

  “It’s hurting because you aren’t doing anything.” He gripped Kass’s hips to drag him closer.

  Kass sunk into Bailey millimeters at a time. He stopped halfway so Bailey could get used to it or tell him to stop or something. All he got through the bond was raw need. It would be so easy to give in and not think, but he didn’t want to hurt him.

  Bailey lifted his hips and Kass sank further in. His own lust was a wash of heat that threatened to burn them both. He didn’t think he could hold back. Bailey’s fingernails dug into his hips, urging him on. Kass thrust all the way in and started fucking him the way he’d wanted to for so long. Bailey writhed and groaned and gasped as he came, his whole-body quivering. And Kass wasn’t far behind him, unable to keep a hold of the blazing hot need to claim his familiar. His mate.

  Chapter 15

  Hotel rooms should be dark, so it didn’t matter if he’d stayed up all night fucking, he could sleep in. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains and Bailey threw his arm over his eyes, not wanting to get up. Prison had conditioned him to start moving and not linger. But he was free. He drew in a breath. He could do what he wanted. With a smile, he rolled over and curled against Kass’s back. Kass was fast asleep. Bailey tried to invade that dream, drowsiness spooled through the bond and he closed his eyes, not expecting to fall back asleep.

  The next time he woke, Kass was up and having a drink. He offered Bailey the glass of water. “It’s nearly lunchtime.”

  “Yeah.” That would explain why his stomach was knotted with hunger. He propped himself up and accepted the glass.

  “How are you feeling?”

  He lifted an eyebrow. What kind of question was that? Did he want to be complimented or did he care? It was the latter; he knew that as soon as he thought it. “Good. Like everything hurts in all the right ways.”

  Kass smiled. “Let’s go to the bakery for lunch.”

  Bailey would’ve preferred to get room service and then drag Kass back to bed, but Kass was right. It needed to be done, and there was always after. They had the whole weekend before this came crashing down. “Sure. Danishes that can solve any problem, right?”

  He was sure there was no pastry capable of fixing his life.

  It turned out there was.

  The pear, maple and custard Danish was recommended for increasing opportunities and new beginnings. And it was delicious. The entire meal had been great.

  “So, this place is run by witches, for witches.”

  “And shifters. It’s a front.”

  “I got that. But it’s definitely not a criminal front.”

  Kass shook his head and ate his good luck and good health muffin. It appeared to have sultanas in it—how they brought good anything, Bailey wasn’t sure. “We’ll be called soon.”

  And then what? Kass wasn’t even trying to hide his anxiety. He was at war with himself, but every time their gazes caught there was nothing but, well, he was going to call it lust, because it couldn’t be anything else.

  “Robinson?” A woman with dark hair tied up in a long ponytail stuck her head through the door.

  Kass brought his half-eaten muffin, so Bailey did the same, and they went out the back.

  It didn’t look magical. There were no wands or cauldrons, just paperwork in a very ordinary looking office.

  They sat, Bailey perched on the edge of his seat, expecting to be in trouble for something. Even Kass didn’t relax. There’d only been a few times Bailey had felt this kind of tension and one of them had ended with Kass being shot.

  “How can I help? It’s so nice to see familiar mates. You’re so lucky.” She beamed at both of them.

  “That’s one of the reasons we’re here.”

  It was? But everything was going fine. He stared at Kass.

  Kass licked his lip. “I’m a soldier. Last year I had a brush with death. I’m leaving again in two weeks. If something happens to me, I don’t want Bailey to suffer.”

  “What?” They hadn’t talked about this. And if they had danced around the subject, it was that they weren’t going to do anything.

  “I love you and I’m scared that if something happens—”

  “You could be hit by a car today. I could be hit by a car.” He paused and frowned. “You love me?”

  Kass nodded, seemingly more pained by the realization.

  “Since when?”

  “Definitely since you got hurt. I was trying to deny it.”

  “Really? But you want to break the bond and leave me without this connection. That would be a fatal wound.”

  The witch coughed. “B
reaking the bond requires the witch to surrender their magic. It can be traumatic.”

  “He’s not going to give up his magic. I love him even if he is being stupid about this.”

  “Bailey…”

  “No. You don’t get to decide this. It’s a risk I’m willing to take. We’re meant to be together.”

  “Then why are we always apart?”

  Sharp frustration scraped over Bailey’s skin and it wasn’t his, but he understood. And he’d had months to dwell on everything. He stared at his hands; fingers laced like he was trying to hold himself together. It wasn’t just him he was holding anymore.

  “You were right when you said I was too young.” But the bond wasn’t an accident because it had saved both their lives. He glanced at the witch, then at Kass. “What if it is fated, but we found each other too soon to make it work?”

  “The Fates don’t make mistakes.” She glanced at Kass. “You were shot and survived. And you were stabbed. Without the bond, would you both be here?”

  Kass was silent. “I don’t know. I hate leaving people behind when I go away. I don’t even want to leave this time. I’m dreading it because I want to be here…or wherever you end up,” he said to Bailey.

  “When you leave, we’ll still have the bond.” It would be like last time, enough to feel something, but a reminder about what was missing.

  “Yeah, something neither of us chose.”

  “So you’d go back and change it? You love me, but don’t want me?” How did that even work? They were having this argument in front of someone else, but Bailey couldn’t stop. “I don’t get it. I want to be with you too, but your job takes you away. I can deal with that.”

  “We’ve had a handful of hours—”

  “In person.” But they had days, weeks even, of using the bond in ways a serious magical bond should not be used for. “I won’t let you surrender your magic for me. I’m not worth it.”