by Cecilia Lane
The demon turned and gave him a smirk with its bloodless lips before turning back to Ariadne. She was frozen where she stood, mouth hanging open and trying to focus both on the demon and him. Chase wanted to curse. She should be running, using any distraction to put distance between herself and the monster.
“I should have taken something else from you, little witch. There’s always time.”
Chase bounded into the cave. His first blow raked long claw marks across the demon’s back. He didn’t land a second strike.
The demon swung on him. Its long palm struck the center of his chest and he was flung over the fire and toward the back of the cave.
The bear urged him up as the demon stalked toward Ari. It wouldn’t let their foe win so easily.
Chase pushed himself to his feet. The demon might easily fight him, but he wouldn’t let Ari die. He was trained for fighting the paranormal and bringing the bad guys to heel.
He roared and his bear surged forward again. He grew several inches as the bear pushed its limits between the shape of man and beast. His jaws extended with long fangs ready to rend demonic flesh and hopefully let the witch get away.
Chase strode forward again. He growled at Ariadne and it broke her stillness. She scampered off toward the mouth of the cave and out of his eyesight. Good. He didn’t want her to see what he had a sickening feeling would be his last fight. But maybe, just maybe, he would be able to save her long enough to banish the demon for good.
He snarled and squared off with the demon.
Chapter Five
Ari inhaled, then exhaled and moved. Chase couldn’t fight off the demon alone. She needed to aid him in any way possible, and without the spell book she desperately needed to banish the monster for good.
The stupid, honorable shifter was trying to sacrifice himself for her. His big talk about no matter what happened, and then scaring her away from the fray simply infuriated her. She would not have his death on her hands. He might not like it, but she was going to help him. No matter what happened.
She emptied her pack on the ground of the cave and quickly sifted through its contents for what she needed. A copper ring dinged onto the ground and she snatched it onto her finger before it rolled away into the night.
An anguished roar rang in her ears. Chase had been struck again. She winced for him but couldn’t spare him a glance. She needed every second.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she whispered. Where were the damn matches? She knew she’d thrown a box into the pack.
The fighting skidded closer to her. She whimpered when she caught sight of the wounds that slashed Chase’s shirt to shreds and the smoking gashes on the demon. Chase grasped the thin, feathered wrist of the monster in an attempt to pull the fight in the opposite direction. The demon wanted her, not the shifter. If it couldn’t best him in a match, it would just try to get to her.
“Your bear’s pelt will look marvelous under your mother’s mounted head. And then there will be you, chained and on your knees at my feet.” The voice rasped in her head. She couldn’t be sure if it spoke aloud or just projected into her mind. Demons were tricky beasts and she was no expert.
Her hands shook as she tried to light the match. One swipe, two, finally it ignited on the third strike. She shoved the bunch of herbs into the flames and they lit up in a sparkle of color and smell.
The demon hissed and swung its head to face her. She wavered on her feet. She’d used too much magic that night and it was showing. The ring on her finger gave her a temporary boost, but it only further drove her weariness into her bones.
She ground her teeth together. If she faltered now, what would happen to Chase? The demon would demolish him. She hastily scratched the herbs in a line across the front of the cave.
Then came the final step. Her blood. She would seal the protection spell with her own blood. It was the strongest binding and she thought she needed every ounce of power against a greater demon.
She braced herself against the cave wall. Her knees gave out and she slid to a seated position. The room swam in front of her.
The knife bit into her skin. She whispered a prayer to all the Wren witches who came before her and asked for them to give her strength. Then she pressed her hand to the line of ash. The line ignited in a line of flames so bright it burned into her vision.
The demon roared and writhed. It took awkward steps toward the front of the cave, moving like a broken doll on marionette strings. But it passed her and passed through the protection line she drew. It wouldn’t be able to come back through until she undid the spell.
If she ever made it that far. She sank further to her side and held her bleeding palm in her lap. Her eyes slid closed when she tried to focus on Chase. He was in one piece and that was what mattered.
“Ari, stay with me.” Chase patted her cheek but it did nothing more than raise a faint, pink mark on her skin. He didn’t need to take her pulse to know her heartbeat slowed and he hated that he could do little to stop it. Magical exhaustion sank her deep into unconsciousness.
He’d never seen it in the field, though he hadn’t been heavily involved with witches in his operations. His training likened the worst cases to hypothermia. A witch’s magic used up her energy and once that energy was depleted, the witch would need to recharge. Usually, that meant sleeping until the magical reserves were replenished.
Ari’s energy was extremely low. She’d summoned a demon and then worked a protection spell powerful enough to drive a greater demon away. Her body functions were shutting down to divert the tiny bits of energy that remained to keep her vital organs working. The fact that she still breathed, even faintly, impressed him.
She chilled under his hand. He took one look at her blue lips and fingertips and knew he needed to get her warm. There was no time to run back to the cabins. She needed help immediately.
He hauled her into his arms and brought her closer to the fire that still burned in the center of the cave. Cradled in his lap, he was finally able to address the coppery sting of blood in the air. He ignored his own wounds; they’d heal with the power of his bear. She’d sealed the mouth of the cave with her blood. The cut wasn’t terribly deep, but it still worried him. He tore a scrap of cloth from his shirt and tied it around the injury.
That done, he laid Ari out around the fire as close as he dared. Her body, limp and pliable, molded to where he positioned her. He listened carefully for any changes to her breath or heart. He wanted to hear the beats get stronger, but each thump sounded between longer stretches of silence.
She didn’t even shiver. Her energy reserves were so low she couldn’t even manage to jump-start the warming process herself. She needed more than the fire could give her.
Skin to skin. He grimaced. His clothes were already in tatters from his partial shift. Bears simply didn’t fit into human clothing. He ripped the rest of the scraps from his chest, and then paused. How would she feel about being stripped down by the enemy? They were from different worlds that generally hated each other. Not only that, but he was responsible for bringing her to justice for her crime of summoning the demon. Neither of those would endear him to her.
Her freezing skin decided for him. She wasn’t warming enough with the fire alone. She needed more warmth surrounding her and shifters ran hot.
He concentrated on his shift to form the tiniest pricks of claws, but thought better of it. He was comfortable in his nakedness, but that came with the shifter territory. She might not feel the same when she woke and had nothing to put back on.
He shifted her in his lap again and tugged her shirt over her head. He hesitated with his hands on the band of her bra before shaking his head and clearing away the thoughts of kneading the mounds with his hands. Best not to tempt himself more than necessary.
He settled her back against the ground and popped open the button of her jeans. They took a little more effort to peel off her body than her shirt. He groaned and looked away when they revealed thin, white lace panties. Temptress.
His cheeks warmed when all of her milky skin was exposed. He wanted to look and study the generous curves she kept hidden under her clothes. Even his bear chuffed at him to get a glimpse of their mate. But Chase did his best to not stare at her. He wouldn’t take advantage of her like that.
He rolled her to her side and spooned her from behind, arms hugging around her chest and his leg tossed over her creamy thigh. The rags of his clothes served as a thin barrier between the cold ground. He aimed to be the blanket of warmth her body needed.
The fire crackled as he listened to her heart and breath and waited for any improvement. He’d be the laughing stock of the agency if they ever found out about his connection to her and what they went through. Mates, but needing to be kept apart, then pushed to be naked together. He’d never live it down.
He stuffed his nose into her hair and inhaled. Her sweet, tangy scent made his mouth water and his bear as mad as a cat on catnip. She was pure deliciousness in human form and absolutely not his to touch. He stayed snared around her for what seemed like hours, anxiously fighting off the urge to mark her as his and the fear that she would never wake again.
Chase froze when her heart and breath started to pick up speed. It was so gradual that he wasn’t sure at first. He counted off the seconds between each beat until he was certain she was starting to come around.
He braced himself for the worst. She’d passed out with clothes on and she’d awaken almost entirely naked.
She shifted against him and he wanted to groan with the near instantaneous response of his cock. His bear strained against his control and urged him to sink fangs into their curvy mate and bind her forever. Chase bit hard on his tongue to quell the urge.
Ari’s heart beat faster and stronger. Her skin warmed under him until the icicle he held between his arms and legs felt nearly normal. Ari mumbled in her sleep, tucking her face further into his arm. He wondered briefly if she always took some coaxing to wake in the morning.
When she stiffened in his arms, he knew she’d fully come back to consciousness. He kept still and feared her reaction. He tried to form all manner of sentences to spill forth and explain himself, but the words were jumbled even in his head.
But instead of pushing him away and calling him all the names he deserved, she swirled her hips against him.
Chase couldn’t hold back the groan then. Her perfect ass cradled his cock and each shift of her hips rubbed him in all the right places. His cock throbbed for more.
Some superior power had to hate him. Saddled with a witch as a mate. He’d certainly laugh if it were anyone else but him. Even though they were incompatible as a bird and a fish, he couldn’t deny the utter perfection of the little minx’s body. He was filled with more lust the more he pressed against her. She was soft curves that hugged him in all the right places.
She short-circuited every proper thought in his brain. All those crossed and fried wires lit up a giant, neon sign. Mate. She was his. Witch, criminal, whatever. She belonged to him and he wanted to possess her.
She rolled in his arms. The stormy grey of her eyes sparkled at him through thick eyelashes. His hand trailed down her spine, his fingers gently touching each vertebra as he went. He had one last impulse to push away from her, turn his back on her wonderful figure and allow her privacy to dress.
Instead, her plump lips smiled wickedly at him and he was lost in thoughts of sliding his cock into her warm and waiting mouth. Then her mouth met his and he lost any objections he wanted to voice.
Ari told herself she was simply regaining her power. Witches could take their energy from nature, and what was more natural than engaging in her primal urges with another?
But the lustful little wench that was buried deep inside her threw back her head and laughed. That part of her didn’t need any justification. That part wanted to roll Chase to the ground and ride the man to oblivion. Her life had been full of shoulds and should nots, always according to someone else’s plans. She wanted to take something for herself.
Her lips met his and they tried to devour one another. One swipe of his tongue against the seam of her lips and she parted for him. She stroked against him and followed him when he retreated. Arousal burned through her in a white-hot flash and she couldn’t hold back the moan that spilled from her chest.
His cock hardened against her soft stomach. The hand that stroked down her spine moved even lower to cup her ass. His strong fingers hauled her closer to his body, molding her form to his. Her only complaint was that she didn’t have space to trace all the lines between the muscles of his chest and stomach.
Their tongues still twisted and tangled with each other. Ari felt something flaring to life in the pit of her stomach, right next to the growing desperation for Chase. Her magic had started to flame to life inside her, her arousal igniting the pilot light of her ability. An ache built in her core and liquid heat slithered through her veins. Her pussy pulsed almost in time to the throb of Chase’s cock.
Ari whimpered against his lips when he slowed their kiss. She nipped at his lower lip and tried to lure him in another all-consuming kiss.
“Ariadne…” Chase’s voice whispered against her neck, denying her what she wanted. He cupped her cheeks and forced her to look at him. His chocolaty brown eyes darkened near to black as he gazed at her.
She didn’t want to talk. Talking meant she could reconsider and she didn’t want to back away from him then. Her magic had started to build itself up again but was still nowhere near her full capacity. Even if she pushed aside that need, a bone-deep lust for the bear shifter had taken hold of her.
“Shh.” She moved her hand between them and found his cock. She shifted and stroked him through the fabric of his briefs. “I want this.”
He searched her eyes for a long moment and when he didn’t find any objection, his mouth crashed down on hers again. His hand on her ass kneaded her flesh, but his free hand reached between their bodies. Blunt fingertips tugged down the cups of her bra and spilled her breasts into his awaiting palm.
Chase teased her with light touches. Ari pressed her thighs together to stave off her growing desperation. Her hips rocked into his while her hand worked his thick length. His fingers danced over her skin, tracing tight circles around her pebbled nipple.
Each scrape of his fingers arrowed more desire straight to her pussy. Her clit throbbed for his attention, but Chase was seemingly determined to drive her mad with desire before lowering his hand to her slick and ready channel. Ari whimpered louder and rocked her hips into him with more force.
“This is what you want?” Chase pulled back and breathed against her lips. He plucked at her nipple, squeezing and tugging on the hard nub to the point of pain. But the pain only added to the pleasure and she gasped under his touch.
“Yes!” Ari hissed.
Just when she thought she could take no more, Chase soothed her flesh with his thumb and a new wave of desire thundered through her body. She caught his lip between her teeth and nipped the soft flesh before laving away the hurt with her tongue.
Her pussy tightened around nothing and begged to be filled by him. Fingers, cock, she didn’t care. She just needed him inside her before she imploded with aching longing. She shoved her hands into the small space between them and raked her nails down his chest.
Chase only chuckled. The sound was low and deep and vibrated through her. The wickedly dark sound made her drool at the possibilities of his control. If he laughed off her pressing need, how much restraint did he have? A shiver worked its way through her. She craved him to take her at his own pace and show her who was in charge.
His hand finally left her breast and he slowly slid his palm down her side and over her rounded stomach. He made small, appreciative noises as he went and as she panted against him, but he didn’t change his pace. He wanted to feel all of her and he wouldn’t be hurried.
When his fingers finally slid under the thin fabric of her panties and parted her swollen lips, Ari choked back
a groan. His finger stroked feather light against her heat and she rolled her hips into him for more.
“Is this what you need?” Chase whispered into the crook of her neck. His teeth nipped at her skin and she sucked in a breath. Bubbles of desire raced through her veins, popping and bursting with each hot breath over her skin.
“Yes,” she moaned and was rewarded with another richly lustful chuckle.
His finger slid between her lips and pressed into her heat. There was no teasing her then. Ari inhaled sharply at the piercing touch combined with a swipe of his thumb over her clit. In and then out, he tormented her with fierce strokes with the sole purpose of wringing pleasure from her body.
Arousal spiraled through her veins with each slide and stroke of his fingers. She soared with each touch, ecstasy building higher and higher as he stroked her inner walls and flicked his thick digit against the trembling bundle of nerves.
She ground her hips against his hand and rode him as much as she possibly could in their position. Her pussy clenched around his curled finger. He stroked against her g-spot and the air rushed from her lungs at the overwhelming pleasure. She needed more of him, more than he was giving her.
Then, just as she was about the jump over the edge into a pool of bubbling bliss, Chase stopped. Ari’s eyes snapped open and she growled.
But Chase wasn’t done with her. He rolled her onto her back and settled between her thighs. His fingers turned to claws and sliced through the fabric of her panties and his briefs. Cool air brushed against her heated skin as he tore the fabric away.
He pressed his nose into the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. “Do you know how good you smell? All hot for me, aren’t you? Want me to slide into your pussy and fuck you?”
“Please, Chase.” Ari rolled her hips. She nearly jumped out of her skin when her clit connected with the blunt head of his cock. He was so close and still he teased her. She writhed under him, trying to get a better position and feel him again.
