Cohen

by Emilia Hartley

  He watched Killian disappear the same way he’d come.

  Not while the packs watch, not while they were close enough to get hurt. Cohen could call the witch and ask her to be his failsafe. He knew what she was capable of. No, not the witch. Ashe. He needed to start calling her by her name. She’d agreed to help him. Hell, he’d gotten a taste of her. The least he could do was call her by her name.

  Ashe, he repeated in his mind.

  The word was silk in his mouth. It made him crave the taste of her all over again. She was terrifying and small all at once. And, if she wasn’t careful, the Pack would turn on her. Someone already had, he realized. He looked over his shoulder at the people milling through the house. There was a house full of good people, people with lives and dreams. Among them was a murderer who’d betrayed them all.

  The thought made him growl. The bear rose and echoed the sentiment.

  While the old man had been knocking on death’s door, Cohen knew he couldn’t let it slide. His eyes bounced from head to head, trying to gauge their motives. Who would want to kill Sampson and blame it on Ashe?

  He crept toward the living room and regarded Grover, groaning on the couch. It’d been clear Grover had aspirations much larger than he could bear. Not long after they’d arrived in Stonefall, Archer had caught the man trying to steal upstairs and beat him almost as senseless as Killian had. He had wanted Sampson dead, but he wasn’t smart enough to poison him. Grover was all misplaced bravado and nothing more. .

  Nancy sat in a chair a few feet away, her short legs propped on the coffee table. Her gaze was shrewd as she looked around the room. Cohen racked his memory to remember what kind of animal lived inside her. A housecat, he thought. It was the reason she packed guns.

  Nancy was smart enough, but did she have the drive to commit such an act? Cohen knew so little about the people who’d once been Pack. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to root out a killer among them. Not quietly at least. He knew, if he wanted to, he could use the power of his voice to make the killer confess. If it came down to that, he would do it.

  But, he wanted to give Ashe some privacy for a while. If he started shouting orders at a Pack that was not his own, it would surely blow up in his face.

  “Feet off the coffee table,” he snapped at Nancy, arms crossed over his chest.

  She tried to meet his eyes, but failed. With a scowl, she threw her feet to the floor.

  Chapter Eight

  Cohen stared at the dark ceiling of his bedroom. Every now and then, he flexed his muscles just to make sure he was still in control of his body. What Ashe had done earlier had been strange. She’d taken control of his movements, freezing him where he stood. His body had been less his own, shoved aside by his beast and then controlled by a woman.

  Cohen rubbed his face with his hands. The way Killian looked at her, the promise that was unspoken, had pissed Cohen off. The man was a walking, talking threat not only to the Pack that had once been family, but to Ashe. He seemed to know how to strike to hurt them. Going after Ashe, apparently, was where it hurt Cohen.

  His beast had taken over in a split second. Cohen hadn’t even noticed the transition. One moment, he was there and the next he was watching his body assault Killian from afar. He could have ended Killian right there and then, but that wouldn’t have been where it ended. The beast was uncontrollable. Once unleashed, it would have kept hurting. It would have crashed through anything that stood in its way.

  As strange and off-putting as it had been, Ashe had saved him. She’d saved him from retribution by the Vancourt pack and she’d probably saved him from having to be put down. There would come a day when she wasn’t there, and it would have to happen. She’d only put off the inevitable.

  “Ashe?” he whispered into the dark, hoping her specter would visit him in the night again. “If you’re there, I’m not mad at you.”

  A long moment passed. He waited, ears strained to hear even the slightest sound. He could hear Grover snoring downstairs. He could hear a family of mice nesting in the wall.

  He sighed and rolled over. It was too much to think she would visit him. His desire for her presence was unfounded. He should listen to his father’s warning and put more space between them. Especially if he was going to leave again.

  “Are you sure?” her voice was low, nothing more than a whisper.

  Cohen shot up. He searched the darkness for her form, as if she might be there in the flesh. His heart pounded, and he tried to ignore what it might mean.

  “I’m not mad,” he repeated. “But you are terrifying. I never thought you would have power like that.”

  Silence. He cursed himself. He’d said the wrong thing again. When would he learn? Words held weight and he threw his in all the wrong directions.

  “You should be mad at me. I’m an awful person. What I did was… unforgivable.”

  He shook his head. But, the weight of her presence was gone. He didn’t know how he knew, but he felt it like one might feel the loss of a limb. Cohen made a quick decision and threw his feet to the floor.

  ***

  Ashe couldn’t sleep. She waited by the window, as if a riot might find its way to her door at any moment. Her mind was filled with images of torches and pitchforks. Cohen had been pissed with her. If he feared her power like her father had, he would have told the Pack. They would come knocking her door down any second now.

  She’d screwed up and now her life was forfeit. Not even the sigil drawn over her door would protect her from their fury.

  She hated herself for what she was. She wasn’t sure if it was fear of her mother or fear of her father, but Ashe knew there was something wrong with her. She’d known since she was little that she was all wrong. She was a monstrosity that didn’t belong in this world.

  Her throat tightened and breathing became difficult. Leaning against the window, her eyelids grew heavy. If she fell asleep, she wouldn’t see them coming. Her death would come as a surprise.

  Would Cohen at least look sad when they burned her?

  A knock shook her apartment. Her eyes snapped open. The light in the room was different, darker. Had she fallen asleep? How long had she dozed?

  The knock thundered again. It shook the floor beneath her feet. Ashe found herself stuck. Her legs refused to move. This was it. The end of the line waited for her on the other side of the door. Couldn’t she at least face it with some dignity?

  Sucking in a deep and steadying breath, she forced her feet into action. She stumbled toward the door, half paralyzed with fear. Yet, when she opened the door, only one man stood there.

  “Where’s the rest of the witch hunt?” her throat was dry, and her voice rasped.

  Without a word, Cohen swept through the door. He lifted her into his arms and kicked the door closed behind her. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around him. Together, they stumbled toward the bed at the back of her apartment.

  “What’s going on?” Her head spun as her heart fluttered.

  Cohen kissed the line of her collarbone and a shiver raced down her spine. She couldn’t help but arch into him. He nipped the skin over it and she let out a small groan.

  “Wait,” she shoved him back, her body protesting at her mind’s decision. “Aren’t you mad at me? Aren’t you afraid?”

  She searched his gaze, almost afraid of what she might find. His body hovered over hers. He surrounded her with a wall of protective muscle and power. Despite his presence, despite the clear desire pressing against her leg, she was still confused.

  He looked down, gathering his thoughts as his hands grazed her arms. She shivered, and a small smile touched his lips.

  “I think… I think there are a lot of truths the two of us like to ignore. We try to be other people, try to pull away out of fear.” He met her gaze. “When, perhaps, we could embrace what we are together.”

  Desire spiked through her, unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Her cheeks warmed. Cohen was holding her. He had just confessed something
her mind was still trying to wrap around. All she could think about was his cock, hard and ready against her.

  Together. He’d said something about together. Her brain tried to make sense of it as her hands moved along his skin, reaching beneath his shirt just for more. He leaned into her touch like a greedy cat.

  “But, I’m no better than my mother, and we saw how that ended.”

  “And, one of these days, I’m going to hurt someone I love.” He said the words into her chest. “But, with you, I feel a different kind of fire. One I want to fall into head first.”

  “What if it burns out? Say we…” she licked her lips and searched for the right words.

  “Say we fuck?” he filled in, his voice low and heady as his nose nudged her breasts.

  His deep voice rumbled through her and pooled in her core. “S-s-sure. Say we do this and there’s nothing afterwards?”

  “I could be dreaming, but I don’t think that will happen.”

  She shook her head, unable to express her fear. “This could just be a build-up, years of tangled emotions and repression. Once we… you know, then it could all fall apart and we’re just two doomed souls.”

  “Ashe.” He said her name like a vow as he reached for her cheek. He urged her to look at him. There was a glow in his eyes that wasn’t wholly beast. It was a mix of ‘him’ and the animal within. For once, they were in balance and it made her lips part. “Look at what you do to me. Do you think that’s just some repressed feelings?”

  Unable to hold back any longer, she pulled him closer. Hands on either side of his face, she claimed his lips. He growled with satisfaction, the sound guttural and animalistic. He moved until he hovered over her. He pulled her hands away and held them over her head, a question in his eyes. She smiled. It was enough of an answer for him.

  He grinned, and his head dipped. His lips and teeth worked down her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She knew she should remind him that she was a virgin, but she couldn’t find her voice to do so.

  Ashe had no idea what she was doing. Letting Cohen take the lead was the easiest thing to do – it came to her instinctively. She licked her lips. His hand gripped her wrists, holding them over her head. It was a strong and tight grip, but as her body pulsed with desire, she felt no pain. His teeth scraped along her skin and she felt a shiver race down her spine. It made her arch into him.

  What was this? Was this years of pent up frustration finally blowing up in her face? Or, was it something stronger, a bond neither of them could ignore? All she knew, in that moment, was that her body was alight with flames. They licked up her legs, burning at her wrists where Cohen held her, and trailed between her breasts and down her stomach.

  Did he remember what she’d told him the first time he’d come to her apartment? It’d been a slip of the tongue, her mind more brazen than it’d ever been, but now she was glad he knew. He must have remembered, because it felt like he was taking his time. His free hand slipped down her waist and over her hip. It traveled along the space between her skin and the waistband of her panties.

  “These are…” His voice caught. He cleared his throat before continuing, his hand fisting in her panties. “These are too damn sexy for someone who claims to be a virgin.”

  She couldn’t explain why she’d picked out the bright red, lace panel bikini panties that morning. Something about that morning’s card reading had left her feeling weak, and so the bright red secret beneath her clothes had made her feel a little stronger. It might have also been a sign that she wanted this all along.

  She’d wanted Cohen to discover that she was more than just a scared girl, more than a witch. She was a woman now.

  He lowered his head. He gradually moved down her body, his eyes studying her as if she were a work of art. A breath escaped her mouth when she watched him grip the band of her panties with his teeth. Her heart lurched into her throat, electricity tingling her fingertips and toes. With a smirk on the corner of his mouth, he tore them away from her. The ripping sound echoed through the room, potent and strong, a reminder of what he was about to do. Cold air touched her sex that was already wet with anticipation. She cried out when she felt him.

  Cohen smiled. The bear danced in his eyes, the glow hypnotizing. She felt the force inside her rise in response. It let out a sound unlike anything she’d heard before. Cohen’s eyes widened.

  “What was that?”

  Ashe swallowed. “I’m not sure.”

  “I thought… All these years we were led to believe there was no animal inside of you.”

  Despite the conversation, Cohen’s hands refused to stop their wandering. They travelled up and down her skin, nails gently grazing here and there. She writhed beneath his touch, reaching to grab his shoulders now that her hands were freed.

  “Did you lie? All this time you could have saved yourself.”

  She shook her head, trying to summon words. Her body burned and begged. Her core throbbed. It wanted more. It wanted release. The force inside her trembled and shook, the sensation of something soft touching her from the inside.

  “Ashe,” Cohen growled.

  Hearing her name in his mouth was too much.

  He rose and took a breast in his hand. His thumb flicked her nipple. There was a sparkle in his eye, one that burned the way her body charred. “How about, you tell me one truth for each orgasm I can give you?”

  Her mouth formed an O. She looked down at the man hovering over her. “That’s quite the challenge, sir. I don’t know how many answers you expect tonight.”

  “It doesn’t have to be just tonight.” His head dipped, and he brought her other nipple into his mouth.

  She’d never felt anything like it before. Sparks danced where his mouth met her skin. Teeth dragged along sensitive flesh while his tongue flicked the tip of the nipple. She groaned, unable to hold back.

  Then, suddenly, Cohen flipped her over. She let out a cry of surprise as he tugged her toward the edge of the bed. Her toes touched the floor and Cohen angled her hips so that her ass was in the air. His fingers trailed along the curve of her ample and hard backside. Her face warmed, thinking about the extra rolls until she felt his fingers slip between her folds.

  She moaned into the sheets beneath her. Behind her, Cohen chuckled with pleasure. His fingers dipped inside her and found her already wet. She wanted more than a finger. She wanted him deeper than just a finger, but then his finger pulled away and she found herself bereft. Twisting, she looked back.

  Cohen knelt on the floor with a smile plastered across his face. He tapped her ass with one hand, the sting of it melting into the aching heat inside her. His face disappeared, and she felt something else split her folds. His tongue lapped up her desire while his fingers slid between her legs to touch the sensitive part of her.

  This was unlike anything she’d ever imagined before. Her knees shook, toes curling. Cohen’s tongue played at her entrance, teasing in circles or dipping in and out. The rhythm of his fingers sped up. Her hands fisted in the sheets. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold on.

  Cohen slapped her ass again. The pain of it was sharp before it soon morphed into a sensation of pleasure with a small flick of his fingers. Ashe cried out. Pleasure built up in her core, growing heavier and heavier by the second. Any moment, the dam would break. His face was buried in the V of her legs. His nose tickled her skin, a place never touched by anyone before. His tongue delved inside her and she cried out.

  One more flick of his fingers and the dam burst. Pleasure spilled through her like a wildfire. It burned through her body and made her scream into the sheets. Her legs tightened around Cohen, holding his hand in place. She didn’t know if she would survive without slipping to the floor, utterly boneless.

  He held her, his head tipping back to nip the flesh of her ass. It sent another spike of pleasure cutting through her orgasm.

  “I like the sounds you make,” Cohen growled.

  She was weak in the knees, unable to lift herself. Gri
pping the sheets around her, she tried to gather her breath. Cohen gripped her hips and flipped her over, using his own hips to push her higher onto the bed. The sensation of his groin against hers was too much.

  He leaned over her, bracing himself on his elbows. Locks of his hair fell forward and tickled her forehead. Ashe reached up, smoothing them back, her thumbs tracing the lines of his lips as he smiled. Smiles were a rare expression for Cohen, one he seemed to save just for her.

  “Now,” he began. “Tell me, did you lie about having an animal inside of you?”

  Her voice was something far away. She fought to bring it back, to remember how to speak. “Something is there, but… it’s mostly useless.”

  His brows furrowed. “Mostly useless?”

  She shook her head. “Another question. Another orgasm.”

  This time, his smile split his lips. She was dazzled by it’s brilliance as he laughed.

  “Greedy, witch.”

  She laughed. For once, she felt powerful. She felt beautiful beneath his touch, his hands roving as if he could not get enough of her ample flesh. He worshipped her body with everything he had. With his hands. With his tongue. With his gaze.

  She bit her lip. But, would he worship the rest of her? There was something she kept hidden behind her walls, a thing he’d glimpsed. Would he love that part of her, too?

  Love.

  The word came out of nowhere. This certainly wasn’t love. It was sexual worship. Nothing more.

  Yet, she wanted to try something, just in case this could grow into more. Ashe needed to know if… if he could accept the parts of her she’d shown no one else.

  “Do you trust me?” She pushed herself up and caught his eye.

  She watched him lick his lips, a moment passing, before he nodded. Nervous, not knowing what to do with herself even though she’d asked, she gently pushed him onto the bed. His back touched the sheets and he looked up at her with expectation. Still, his eyes touched every part of her. He reached to shove the rest of her dress off her shoulders.