by India Kells
“You’re a part of this Sanctuary, and that makes you mine. And don’t tell me you don’t need a keeper. From the moment you jumped in the water and I fished you, out until we force healed you, I’d say your actions prove me right.”
As much as Valeria was annoyed by being referred to as something he might own, something warmed at the same thought. The whole heat was dimmed by the fact that he was a wolf and she was a witch. And maybe something even more obscure that wasn’t supposed to be alive.
“If my true nature is uncovered, by the Elders or the Council, that would put you in a tense situation. You could even risk your Sanctuary. I’m not stupid, it’s clear as day that as an Alpha, and having lost your pack, you found yourself another one. And a crucial one. Don’t risk everything you battled for, Asher. For no one, not even me. I’m not a stray. I’m a being that could cost you more than you think.”
“My choice…”
It was her turn to growl. “You’re trying to help the witch who may have killed your sister. The daughter of the Chief Enforcer who decimated your family … and maybe for nothing. Nobody can be that compassionate. And you don’t deem me as stupid, wolf.”
Asher mimicked her position and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. But it was the twinkle in his eyes that make her want to punch some sense into him.
“If you’re part witch and part shifter, what is Sera? And your other friend, Violet?”
The sudden change in conversation threw her for a couple of seconds. “That’s not my secret to tell.”
Uncrossing his arms, he put his elbows on the table and leaned forward, a smug smile tugging at his enticing lips. “You forget that I have a good nose for that kind of stuff. And each and every one of us, magical beings, has a particular scent. That’s maybe the reason why I had to save you. The Alpha in me detected the shifter in you. For Sera, the witch is the distinct scent, but just like you, there was something else. One thing intrigues me, though. Aren’t you witches capable of many types of healing? And if it’s the case, why is Sera wearing glasses?”
Valeria stopped herself from swallowing reflectively. He was right, he had a good nose.
“Asher…”
“Don’t tell me…” He lifted his hand and closed his eyes as if sifting through his memories. “I smelled something light, almost indiscernible about her. Rare too… Not shifter, we have a more earthier scent. Not vampire, those guys have a cold underlying perfume about them. So I would tend to go for fae, in general. Maybe something even … rarer, more divine.”
Valeria held her breath, not wanting to confirm nor deny his speculation. But unfortunately, she must have let something slip because his smile widened.
“Don’t ever play poker with me, witch, you would lose every time.”
Valeria nodded. “With your keen sense of smell and observation you would, but be warned that I could twist a spell on you making you forget the entire thing and even convincing you that instead of a wolf, you were a kangaroo.”
The smile dimmed a little. She may not have been completely convincing, but a healthy seed of fear would be useful.
“A kangaroo? Why a kangaroo?”
Smiling sweetly, she stood up and cleared the table.
“What? Don’t you like kangaroos? If you don’t, I’m sure I can come up with another cute, cuddly creature that would fit your soft personality.”
Hearing him snort, Valeria went to the sink. As she was cleaning and rinsing their plates, two thick, very muscled arms trapped her against the counter. Asher didn’t push his body against hers, but she could feel him completely surrounding her.
When he leaned closer, so close his mouth was inches from her ear, she couldn’t hold back a shiver.
“Pray tell me, Valeria, what part of me is cute, cuddly or soft? Be incredibly descriptive, I beg you.”
Licking her lips, she fought against the irresistible attraction of leaning back against the wall of man behind her.
“You want the list in alphabetical order or in level of cuddliness?”
She knew Asher would laugh at her words and the muffled sound made Valeria want to hear it again. And again. And again. At that moment, she wished that what they had between them could be more. Despite the Elders, her predicament. And James? The more she learned about what happened after her disappearance, the more what was left of her love for her former fiancé cracked and revealed very little depth. Valeria realized that she needed more of a man, of a partner. More of everything. The presence of the Sanctuary Master not only filled those cracks, but brought her a sense of peace and contentment that she didn’t know existed. Of course, lust was possibly messing with her head, and maybe also with her priorities, but as his lips skimmed her neck, she decided on the spot that she didn’t care. For now, at least.
“Why don’t you check and come back to me about it, witch.”
Her stomach now pressed against the hard counter, Asher wound his arms around her waist, inching up until her breasts rested on his forearms. Bundled tight in his arms, she tilted her head to the side, offering him better access to the sensitive skin of her neck.
“We should go to your room, Asher, we’ll get caught in here.”
“No shifter worth their salt would walk in on us.” And he slid his hands underneath the fabric of her top before tearing it from her, her sports bra following close behind. Asher slid his broad hands over her soft stomach and hooked his thumbs under the waistband of her jeans. Valeria straightened against him, his clothed chest against her now hot, naked back. She knew he was teasing, exploring and controlling the pace, but she was about to show him what it was like to make love with a witch.
Her hands went upward, grabbing his hair, and she twisted, pulling him to her lips. As he complied, his mouth devouring hers, she let a first spell do the trick. He didn’t notice it at first, but soon enough he jerked as he realized that their clothes had dissolved. A trick he already knew. He didn’t say a word but smiled in his kiss, and now, unencumbered by her pants, his hands slid to cup her mons.
It was tempting to follow his train of thoughts, but she had other possibilities in mind. Before he could derail her intentions, she swiftly turned in his arms and took his mouth hungrily. Happy to indulge, Asher complied as his hands reached for her ass. Instead of winding around his neck, her hands drifted to his well-defined chest, dusted with golden hair. Ever so slowly, she pushed magic into her touch, making her hand hotter. The change was very subtle, and the werewolf didn’t notice it at first until she added a soft electrical pulse as her palm passed over his nipple.
His breath caught, and his head reared to look at her, questioning. Unwilling to reveal anything, she smiled demurely and placed her mouth against his heart. The beat was racing, and it increased her excitement. Slowly kissing the exposed skin of his torso, her hands continued to tease, and she reveled at making him shiver in unusual sensations.
One quick peek confirmed what Valeria suspected. The werewolf’s eyes were solely on her, and as her hands reached his waist, his breath increased in anticipation. If he thought she would go immediately for the prize, her wolf was so wrong.
Indulging in his body, Valeria touched, licked, rubbed and bit every inch of tender flesh, just short of ignoring his erect cock, bobbing and pulsing nearby. When she caressed his inner thighs, she increased the sensations in her hands, and his strong muscles started to quake.
Looking up once more, she saw that both his hands were grabbing the counter behind her, his arms tights and corded, as of restraining himself with all he had. Never leaving his gaze, she started to make her way to where he needed it the most. When Asher realized that she would finally touch him, excitement and worry flashed on his face. He realized how her magic hands used heat and electricity on his skin, how it tortured him, riding on pleasure with an inch of pain, and was wondering how it would feel on the most vulnerable part of his anatomy.
Regulating her magic, she didn’t hesitate and circled him with her fingers in a tight g
rasp. Valeria could imagine the sensation coursing through his body, and he bowed back, an animalistic groan escaping his tight control. He was losing his grip on his almighty control and Valeria couldn’t get enough, and she had confirmation of this, as when he turned to her again, it was the wolf she saw, barely contained, ready to pounce on its prey. She should have been afraid. But power poured inside her like a drug. And that’s when she took him in her mouth.
For the rest of her life, she would remember his beautiful face, and the sound that escaped his lips as his attention was still only her. At that moment, she was the goddess at his feet, the only focus of his world and her heart expanded. She wanted to give him more, so much more. Asher breathed like he was running a marathon as she swirled her tongue around the tip of him, teasing the underside of his cock before taking him even deeper down her throat. At each lick, at each suck, he swelled a little more. Coming inside her mouth might be impossible, but she would push him to the extreme limit of his endurance.
Taking her sweet time, hollowing her cheeks as she tormented him mercilessly with her tongue, she decided to see how much he would be able to take. This time, when she poured magic, she did it with her mouth around him, infusing every cell, every nerve ending with mind-blowing pleasure. Not enough to get him off, treading a very fine line. Instead, it was as if treading the very edge of a chasm without being allowed to jump. Asher froze as her spell took control of him. The countertop cracked under his clutching hands, and his knees shook as Valeria allowed and denied pleasure at the same time. He was vocal now, growling, whimpering and cursing through shallow breaths. It was the sexiest sound she had ever heard.
Her own desire for him soon became too difficult to bear. Her magic was taunting him as much as it was teasing herself. Still on her knees, she squeezed her thighs together, in a desperate attempt to draw some pleasure when she poured her spell once more over him. The sounds he made, the desperation, the sweat pouring off him, was pure bliss.
And as she was about to give him a reprieve, the wolf took over. She had no idea how she found herself on the counter, on her back with her legs spread, but it didn’t matter, as all coherent thoughts vanished when his tongue lapped at her folds, from her dripping hole to her clitoris. She screamed with pleasure when the werewolf latched onto the sensitive nub, sucking hard as his tongue flicked at it mercilessly. It wasn’t soft or teasing. It was bordering on pain, and she loved it. One peek at him between her legs, his eyes, a predator about to finally pounce and plant his fangs into his willing prey, were hypnotizing. And when he gently bit at her throbbing clit, she screamed.
Her orgasm crashed over her. Just when she thought that she couldn’t take any more pleasure, Asher impaled her deep with his rigid cock, in a swift and brutal movement. There was no tenderness, there was just raw lust and desperate need. As she was about to arch against him, trying to take him even deeper, he grabbed her hips and flipped her face down, using the corner of the counter top to help her spread fully to him.
When he entered her once more, she fell onto his erection, so deep it hurt. But she couldn’t stop him any more than she could stop herself. Her own beast wanted him more than safety and more than sanity.
He pounded inside her at an increasing pace, and soon the corner of the counter top was pressing deliciously against her clitoris, building the pleasure once more. She used her arms to push herself up and counteract his thrusts with her undulating hips.
It was Asher who triggered her second orgasm as he came with a howl, before biting her shoulder as he did the very first time they had sex. The thought of being branded, owned by him made her dizzy, launching a shattering orgasm of pure light and satiated contentment.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Valeria was surprised to wake up in Asher’s bed, solidly trapped in his arms. After the sexual explosion in the kitchen, it had been no wonder that her body had shut down. And for a minute, in this calm and safe bed, she enjoyed the moment, and refused to regret anything, and not think about the future. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and this time, Valeria had the opportunity to demonstrate it.
It would have been so easy to relax in Asher’s embrace and fall back into dreamland, but reality couldn’t be denied anymore. If there was any chance for them to be together, she had to act, take care of the dangers lurking nearby, threatening them both. And to do so, she needed to speak to Sera alone. It took all her skills, including a little camouflage, but she slid out of bed without him stirring. He would realize she was gone soon, but in the meantime, she would take any lead she could get.
Sanctuary was calm now, bathed in darkness, as she remembered the steps down to the basement. There, near the cell where she was kept when she first arrived, was the bathroom with a nice mirror. That would do.
Well aware that she was surrounded by preternatural creatures that could smell and hear her easily, she moved as silently as possible. She hoped that if she didn’t rush, they wouldn’t really notice her.
Finally in the basement bathroom, she closed the door behind her, flicked the light on and took a deep breath. Strangely, she felt uncomfortable using her magic, now. Taking another breath to steady her nerves, she told herself that she had used her powers mostly successfully since Asher pulled her out of the river. Maybe her condition had been solved, despite what Layla had told her. Maybe her brokenness wasn’t as severe as they all feared.
Facing her reflection, Valeria wove an intricate pattern with her fingers, gathering her powers. It didn’t feel as fluid as she remembered, but it worked. Her face clouded and after a moment, she saw Sera looking back at her.
“Hey! I was worried you would disappear on me again, Val.”
Valeria smiled at her friend. “Not yet. And at this time of night, I didn’t think you’d still be at the shop.”
Sera sighed. “Where do you want me to be? I live for my books, I can’t leave them alone it seems. And if you dare call me a bookworm again, I may be tempted to hurt you.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t have to call you that, I already know you are one.”
Sera rolled her eyes. “You’re in a playful mood. Is this because of that delicious wolf of yours?”
“Direct as always. May I remind you that shifters are off limits, or so we are told.”
Sera arched an eyebrow, teasing. “Off limits for procreation maybe, but not to have fun with. And my dear friend, let me say that you have found yourself an incredible playground.”
Valeria frowned as the image of Asher collided with the one of James.
“Oh ho. I know that look. That’s guilt. You were thinking about James, weren’t you?”
“He pops into my mind, but after two years thinking he was dead when he wasn’t, and he didn’t even come looking for me, it made me realize that what we had was smoke. And if he colluded with my father… just the thought of it makes me shudder. How could I have been so blind?”
Her friend’s tone softened. “Honey, you didn’t know he was alive! Or that he was a traitor who conspired with your father.”
“I should have sensed that what was between us wasn’t the real thing.”
Sera waited a beat. “You can’t know the real thing unless you experience it for yourself. But you’re not calling me because you’re feeling any kind of guilt toward James. That’s not the emotion I get from you. You’re angry, frustrated. You want to go after James and confront him, don’t you?”
Valeria didn’t answer immediately, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. “I want to know the truth, Sera. It just seems like everything I believed has shattered. Everything. My family, my relationship, even my powers.”
“But you did summon your powers to call me, right? And you’re all alone?”
What a strange question. “I did use them, but it wasn’t as easy as usual. And I’m hiding in the basement, in a bathroom.”
Sera nodded but bit her lip. “From everything you told me earlier, I would stick with that wolf of yours if I were you.”
> “Why?”
“Every time you used your powers in his presence, it worked fine. As if completely normal. There may be a connection there.”
Valeria didn’t like her friend’s implication. “What connection?”
“He’s a shifter, you’re part shifter… maybe he acts as some sort of stabilizer.”
Valeria frowned in confusion. “I used my magic fine for years before the attack. It doesn’t make sense.”
“I agree it doesn’t, but you know we’re not typical witches. There’s nothing on mixed bloods like us. Don’t think I’m quitting on you, in fact, I found interesting papers about mixed blood shifters, part humans, who had some sort of neurological disorder in infancy. There may be something there.”
Valeria rolled her eyes at her friend. “I’m past infancy, Sera.”
“With that attitude, I sometimes wonder. But you forget that our magic, the essence of our magic, acts on its own inside our bodies. That could have delayed what’s happening inside you. Maybe meeting Asher two years ago was the trigger. The pivotal moment for you. His beast calling yours.”
Fear gripped Valeria. What was happening to her?
“And that disorder, do you have any idea how fast it could do damage?”
Sera shook her head. “We’re speculating here, Val. We don’t know yet what it is or what’s really causing it. Until I find something solid, be careful. And keep Asher close if you use magic, as it seems to slow down, or even stop, what is happening to you.”
Valeria nodded, knowing it would reassure Sera, but inside, fear, frustration, and anger didn’t mix well.
“Keep me posted, Sera. I’ll try to drop by later.”
“Okay. I’ve reached Violet, but she’s in transit, so that may take awhile.”
Forcing herself to smile, Valeria waved and ended the connection. Alone inside the small bathroom, she fought against the tears and screams that were begging to come out. Having her powers shaken was one thing, but the possibility of losing them completely unhinged her.
