Moonrise

by Ines Johnson

  "Shh," he purred. "It's fine. It's all perfectly fine, sweetheart."

  "It is?" Lucia felt herself sigh internally. She felt her body lose any ounce of tension and turn pliable atop the hard ground. She lay back and let Jackson lick every care away.

  "Mm." He licked the last of her tears away. Then he pulled back and smiled at her. No, that wasn't a smile. It was the way she'd imagined a lion would humor a kitten. "We're going to fix this right now."

  "We are?"

  He planted the lightest kiss on her forehead. He pulled away from her slightly, his eyes still glowing moon bright. He smiled that prideful smile again, wider and wider, until his canines flashed.

  It happened so fast; Lucia could almost imagine it had been a dream. But then she felt the pain. A pain so intense that it forced itself past the boundaries of agony, knocked down the gates of aching, and stormed into the land of pleasure. She gasped, her body arching up as Jackson's canines punctured her collarbone.

  He held her to him as he growled. His teeth held fast. His tongue nipped at the gap between the twin puncture wounds. His lips closed around his claim. And then it was over.

  He pulled back, his eyes impossibly brighter. "You're mine now."

  There was a red tint of blood on his lips. His tongue struck out and lapped it up, a low growl rumbled through his chest. She felt the vibration throughout her torso. It had to be the hottest thing Lucia had ever seen in her life. But she didn't have time to dwell on it because, a second later, she was moving.

  Her feet never touched the ground, but everything around her was a blur of green and brown and blue. Her legs wrapped around Jackson's torso as he tore through the woods. She felt his manhood pressed against the core of her. Between the throb at her neck and the one at her core it all overwhelmed her. She closed her eyes and let Jackson take control.

  When she opened her eyes again, she stood outside of Jackson's house. She had no idea how much time had past, but it felt like only seconds since she'd challenged a wolf and lost her heart.

  Jackson set her down and took a fraction of a step back. His eyes still glowed, showing her that the wolf was in charge. There was no hint of brown in them, but it was him. It was Jackson; her Jackson. The one she'd first met when he pressed her into a door while his brother lay incapacitated behind them.

  Standing at the back door to his house, Jackson reached up and placed his hands on either side of her head, boxing her in again. "I'm not entirely in control, sweetheart. If there's something you don't want, or you don't like, you spell me."

  "Jackson...?" But she didn't know how to complete the sentence. Hell, she didn't know how to begin it.

  He moved in, his eyes never leaving hers. His lips crushed hers. It was another invasion, but there was no play at defense this time. She opened herself to him. Teeth met teeth, tongue met tongue, and Jackson's lips sealed over hers, offering no possibility of retreat. Lucia closed her eyes against the onslaught.

  Jackson pulled away. "No," he growled. "Eyes open."

  The feel and taste and smells and sounds of kissing were heady enough. It was overwhelming to add in the fifth sense of sight, but she did. She kept her eyes open and on Jackson's. The scene changed from color to monochrome as he pressed her body into his and Lucia's blood boiled beneath her heated skin.

  She heard the snick of the door and they were moving again. Into the house, up the stairs, and into a dark room with a large window that let in the Moon's light.

  Jackson laid her down on a plush bed. Lucia's eyes roamed his body as he slowly pulled off her shoes and socks. Then her jeans. And finally, the ruined shirt. It was the second time Lucia had ruined an article of clothing in two nights.

  She lay naked before him and felt unashamed. His eyes roamed her body with the reverence she'd only seen devoted to the Goddess.

  "Goddess, I want to taste you."

  Taste her? Hadn't he been doing that for the last few minutes with his kisses?

  Lucia arched her face forward just as Jackson descended her body. She blinked in confusion as he positioned his body between her thighs and aimed his face for her bared core.

  Lucia jerked her legs closed. But the thighs her Sisters had loudly whispered were thunderous were no match for a wolf in heat. Jackson easily held her apart. He lifted an eyebrow. Not exactly asking for permission. The cocksure grin on his face told her he had every intention of staying the course. But true to his word, he gave her his eyes and the opportunity to spell him if she was unwilling.

  She wasn't unwilling, just unsure. She knew what her clitoris was and that touching it would send wave after wave of pleasure through her body. She was a witch, after all, and had learned at an early age that masturbation was natural, moral, and good for a girl's health. She'd touched herself any number of times, like any normal woman, and brought herself to pleasure. But Jackson's fingers weren't aimed at the core of her. His tongue was.

  With his first lick her thighs flopped open in complete willingness and surrender. She wanted to shame her own fingers for their shoddy performance all these years. It had often taken her long minutes to bring herself to orgasm. By the third lick, she felt the familiar heat at the base of her spine. Jackson's eyes on her, watching her response to his every stroke and nip, brought her over.

  Lucia couldn't help herself. She closed her eyes, threw her head back, and lost herself in wave after wave of pleasure. Even after she came down, Jackson did not release her clit from his tongue.

  She was too far-gone to call to the Moon to stop him. "Please," she begged.

  He released her bud with a pop and a smirk. He crawled up her body and plunged his tongue into her mouth. She tasted her sweet musk on his invasion and it made her labials engorge beyond their capacity.

  Jackson pulled away, looking her in the eyes. "I need to get inside you."

  Lucia gulped. She wasn't afraid, not of Jackson, not of the act. She knew what it entailed, of course. She knew there might be a pinch of pain. But still, she was overwhelmed with sensation. Her collarbone throbbed from his claiming. Her lips were swollen from his kisses. Her most sensitive spot pulsed with tiny aftershocks from the pleasure of his tongue.

  And Goddess help her, she wanted more.

  She opened her thighs to him, opened her mind, her body, and her soul to this man.

  Jackson lined himself up with her entrance. "You stop me if it hurts."

  Lucia wanted to laugh. He'd torn into her flesh once this night and she hadn't stopped him. When he breached her for a second time, there was no barrier. There was a moment's discomfort, the feeling of bursting to capacity. Jackson was thick and long. He touched every corner, every nook, and every cranny of her channel.

  Her eyelids closed under the onslaught. But not a second later, a tug at her hair brought them back open.

  "Eyes on me," he grit out in the inhumane voice of the wolf.

  She ran a trembling hand over the tufts of hair on his jaw. "I trust you," she said. "Completely."

  The moonglow of his eyes pulsed; silver mixing in with golden brown. She knew then that both man and wolf were one in this act.

  Jackson moved over her, inside of her, gently with shallow strokes—at first. Lucia saw the exact moment when his control snapped. Felt when he lost his grip on the leash he had over his inhibitions. He thrust deeply, firmly into her body. His eyes never left hers. Looking into them, she saw every thing. She saw his hopes, his dreams, and his love.

  Jackson Alcede loved her. He told her with his body that moved inside hers, with his mouth that claimed hers, and with the strong arms that he wrapped around her and held her tightly as he poured his essence into her.

  And then he told her with his words. "I love you, Lucia," he whispered. "Welcome home."

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jackson turned over in his king-sized bed as the last rays of the sun faded into the early twilight of a new night. His body felt heavy and languid, like he'd swam the length of the ocean, dragged his body ashore, and emerged
a new man.

  Jackson inhaled and his cock hardened at the intoxicating scent in the air. His hand stretched out, and he met warm, supple flesh. His wolf's paws punctured his fingerpads to get at that flesh. But Jackson held his claws at bay.

  It wasn't to leash his wolf, which was very near the surface. It was so he didn't harm the precious skin that took up a good portion of his bed. Needing the sight of her to go along with the feel, he closed his fingers around Lucia's hip and opened his eyes.

  She slept peacefully. Her golden-brown skin shone brilliant in the change of light. His eyes glanced over the many markings he'd dealt to her body. She'd kicked the covers off and he saw the scrapes on her inner thighs from his beard where he'd kissed her. On her ass he saw two handprints from when she'd locked her feet at his hips as he thrust into her. And then there was the mark at her collarbone when the wolf had claimed her as his own. Jackson bent his head and lapped at that spot.

  She was his.

  He could scarcely believe it. Last night, he'd listened to the words spilling from her mouth about her true relationship with Pierce. For one second, he thought he'd heard her wrong. Scarcely before the second was up, he decided he didn't care. He took the opening and, with his teeth, shut out any potential possibility for another male in her life.

  And now she was his. There was no mistaking that he'd offered his claim. There was no oversight that she'd accepted his mark.

  Lucia moaned in her sleep, her round ass pressed back into his bare hips. Her chest rose with the intake of breath and then fell. Where his wrist met her chest, Jackson felt her nipples stiffen. He gave her neck one final lick before leaning over her and turning his attention to her breasts.

  There was a bite mark on her left breast. He licked there and then kissed. Lucia gasped. He knew her eyes were open now. He thought he should look into them, to ensure this seduction was welcome. But she rolled her hips and Jackson knew he no longer needed the certainty of her gaze. He read her acquiescence in the response of her body.

  She rolled over and he kissed down her body until he got to the markings on her thighs. Once there, he made fresh ones. Any inhibition from the previous night was gone. She dug her fingers into his hair. Her nails broke skin as she held him to her core and growled her climax. His woman may have been raised a witch, but underneath she was all wolf.

  When he made his way back up her body to properly greet her, her eyes were wide open, staring at him. Jackson grinned, more wolf than man. He turned over and lay on his back, exposing his belly.

  Lucia giggled and then reached over and scratched his belly. Once his beast was satisfied, the man in him reared up, or rather rose up. Jackson guided Lucia's hand lower down his body. Her hand trembled as it glided over his cock. Her eyes watched his response to her. She was so strong, but so innocent. The duality thrilled him.

  He reached up and ran a hand over her beautiful face. She turned her gaze to his. He laid himself bare to her. He held her eyes as she continued to stroke him. Allowed her to watch the pleasure crest on his face. Forced his eyes to stay open as his seed offered itself to her.

  She startled at the eruption and looked down at her hands where the liquid coated her fingers.

  Jackson reached for the edge of the sheets to wipe himself off her. Her face looked disappointed as he cleared his essence away.

  "Thank you, Jackson."

  "What for, my starlight?"

  She inhaled slightly at the endearment. "For seeing me and letting me see you."

  Jackson planted a light kiss at the corner of her eye. Then he kissed her lips. He felt himself stirring again when a sound from below brought the wolf to the surface and a low menacing growl emitted from his chest.

  "Is someone here?" Lucia asked.

  Jackson put a protective hand over her. Then he inhaled and relaxed. "It's all right. Wash up and get dressed." He kissed her again.

  Jackson slipped on a pair of jeans and went down stairs to find Warwick in his kitchen brewing a pot of coffee.

  "Breaking and entering is criminal behavior," Jackson growled.

  The warlock shrugged. "So, call a cop." Warwick turned and took Jackson in. "You look properly fucked."

  Jackson's wolf flashed its eyes and growled.

  Warwick raised an eyebrow. "Properly fucked. In your home. And your possessive wolf instincts are rearing their fuzzy head." Warwick looked above him. "Are congratulations in order? Did your wolf stake a claim in some poor she-wolf's neck?"

  Jackson warred with confirming his happy news that he had indeed found the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. But the words caught in his throat. He couldn't tell Warwick. He had to tell his family first. And that would be a conversation.

  Hey mom and dad, guess what? I found the girl of my dreams. You already know her. She's Pierce's old fiancé.

  Jackson closed his eyes and pinched the bridge at his nose.

  Warwick whistled. "Damn, man. Sucks to be you."

  "What are you doing here?"

  Warwick had been to his place before. He'd helped on a couple of the home improvement projects. The warlock was handy with a hammer and chainsaw. "You're late for work by a few hours."

  Jackson looked at the wall clock, which showed that he was indeed late for work.

  "I tried calling, but I found this outside in your car." Warwick held up Jackson's cell phone. He hadn't had a landline installed in the house yet, much to his mother's consternation. The house was just far enough away that his family would be forced to call first before coming over, or risk the potential of wasting a long ride.

  "Your family's been trying to get in touch with you," Warwick continued. "They're looking for someone named Lucia. They said she was last with you."

  Warwick's eyes darted to the stairs as Lucia padded down in bare feet, grass-stained jeans, and one of Jackson's t-shirts. Just as the sight of her in his jacket had made him hard, the sight of her in his shirt, in his house, after he'd made love to her, made Jackson's knees weak. He wondered if she knew that she did that to him?

  But she wasn't looking at him. Her face was locked on Warwick's. Her eyes were pure silver as she took a defensive stance in the stairwell. "Jackson, back away."

  Jackson could only marvel at her prowess. A grin lifted the edges of his mouth at her grit. Lucia was no sniffling miss. She would stand in front of an army to protect her man, her family. His chest swelled with pride that she'd honored him with the responsibility to stand beside her.

  "You'll get out of here if you know what's best for you, warlock,” she said.

  Jackson blinked, reigning in his erection and looking between his work partner and his life partner. Warwick looked amused.

  Jackson stepped between them. "This is Warwick. He's my friend."

  Lucia's fierce expression crumpled in confusion. "But he's a warlock."

  "You've had enough people misjudge you to know better than to fall for the stereotypes and prejudices of the past," Jackson said, even though he'd fallen into the same racist typecasts at dinner the other night.

  Lucia's gaze lowered in shame. "I'm sorry.” She glanced up, but not directly into Warwick's gaze. Smart girl.

  Jackson's instinct was to go to her and wrap his arms around her. And then he realized that he could. She was his, and he was hers. And so he went to her, lifting her off the last step and into his arms.

  She turned her attention from their guest to Jackson with a smile as her feet left the ground and she landed in his arms. She rested her hand lightly against his heart and stared into his eyes. It all felt so right. He wanted to stay in this moment of perfection forever. But they couldn't. They had to face the world.

  "My parents are looking for you." Jackson hated that the light dimmed in her eyes slightly. She wasn't looking forward to the conversation either. "We'll tell them together."

  Lucia lifted her chin, ever the strong woman that Jackson had instantly fallen for. He wanted to dip his head and taste that strength on her full lips. But ins
tead he turned to their guest, who watched them with interest.

  "Thank you, Warwick. We'll head over to my parents' house now."

  "They're not at home," the warlock said. "They're at the hospital. Your brother's out of his coma."

  Chapter Eighteen

  Lucia fumbled with the top button of Jackson's shirt as she sat in the passenger seat of his car. The cotton garment engulfed her in fabric, but it also covered her with his scent. She had to wear it since the shirt she had worn last night tore when she fell down while running from Jackson's wolf. Her hand brushed at the grass stains on her borrowed jeans. She'd tried to wipe those clean but there wasn't much she could do to clean herself up.

  She knew she looked like she'd been ravished. Not just because of the stains on her pant legs, or the fact that she wore her lover's shirt to cover his marks. Her fingers trembled, wanting to reach out and touch Jackson who sat beside her operating the vehicle. Her thighs pressed together each time he shifted to press the pedals. Heat flushed her cheeks with each stolen glance she took of him. Anyone looking at her could tell that she was in love with this man. And wasn't that a problem since they were headed to the bedside of her fake fiancé?

  Jackson's eyes remained on the road; his hands gripped the steering wheel. He'd dressed impeccably, as ever. But he hadn't shaved, and the overgrown hair on his face made him look like a wild beast playing at humanity. His jaw was tense. He hadn't said a word since his warlock friend told him his brother was awake.

  Was he regretting what happened between them? Lucia looked away from him and clutched the collar of the shirt, his shirt. She brought the lapel to her nose and inhaled, imprinting his scent onto her brain.

  Jackson's hand reached out and grazed her knuckles. His long fingers wrapped around and entwined with hers. "We're going to be fine."

  Lucia's body melted into the seat at that single word; we. They were a we. She was a part of a we. She was no longer an I, that poor solitary, stoic letter of the alphabet that had no bends or curves about it. She hadn't realized she'd been holding herself so rigid until he touched her, until he spoke to her.