by Quinn Loftis
His words reminded her of Amy. She saw the girl’s dead body lying alone in a cold warehouse. Anna looked away, unable to meet his eyes. She was afraid he would see what she’d done. She pictured a wall in her mind, pushing the memory behind it, hoping he would never discover the truth.
“What happened, Anastasia?”
She shook her head and closed her eyes. She didn’t hear him move, didn’t realize how close he was until she felt his breath on her face. Anna jumped when she felt his hand touch her face. She was crying and hadn’t known it until Gustavo started wiping away her tears.
“Carina, please tell me what happened.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Por que? Why?” he asked.
Because it’s horrible. Because you would see the darkness inside of me. She didn’t say either of those things. Instead, she lowered her head more so he couldn’t see her shame. It was pointless. Gustavo simply placed a finger under her chin and raised her head until she had to look at him.
“Let me help you bear whatever it is that weighs upon you. That is the purpose of a true mate. You aren’t alone. You don’t have to endure hardship on your own.”
“It isn’t your burden to bear, Gustavo,” she said, hoping he could see the pleading in her eyes.
“You are mine,” he said, his voice a guttural growl and laced with possession. “Everything and anything that is yours to bear is also mine. That will never change.”
He spoke with such conviction she almost believed him. But there was no way he could accept her. Once he found out what she’d become, he wouldn’t want anything to do with her.
“If you won’t talk to me about whatever it is that is hurting you, will you talk to me about something else?” he asked.
“Like what?”
Gustavo took her hand and tugged her gently away from the tree. He sat down on the plush grass, which almost made her laugh, considering he was dressed so impeccably. He pulled her around until she was across from him and motioned for her to sit. Even sitting, he was taller than her, and she had to tilt her head up just a bit to look into his eyes.
“Tell me about yourself,” he said as he picked a blade of grass and twirled it between his fingers. He didn’t attempt to touch her again. Part of her was relieved, while another part of her was terribly disappointed. It must have been the stress of previous evening causing her to desire the touch of a stranger—mate or not. Sure, that must be it.
“I’m from New Orleans, an only child, and my mom is a gypsy—an American gypsy,” she clarified. “Not the kind of gypsy I am.”
He nodded and continued to stare at her, all the while winding the blade of grass around his finger and then unwinding it. When she didn’t say anything else, he smiled that crooked smile and said, “I’m sure there is more than just those three things.”
She shrugged. “I work, well, worked, in the store my mother owns. It’s called Little Shop of Horrors. My mom began to travel a lot once I was old enough to take care of the store and myself. I love to read. I like plants. Before I was told about the supernatural world, I was about to start at a community college. I’m eighteen. I’ve never had any real friends until I met the other healers.”
“Must have been lonely, with your mother gone,” Gustavo said gently.
“Sometimes,” she agreed.
“Any boyfriends?”
For some reason the question made her smile. “Would it matter if there had been?”
Anna didn’t miss the way his jaw clenched, though he tried to remain unaffected. “If you’re asking if I’d still want you, the answer, of course, is yes. There is nothing that could keep me from you. I’m not going to pretend I wouldn’t be jealous. It is in my nature to be possessive of my mate.”
“Even though you didn’t know me?” she asked.
“It doesn’t matter if I knew you. You were created to be mine. So it is hard to think you might have cared for another male, or touched another male, or allowed him to touch you in return.”
Anna held up a hand. “Okay, you can stop right there.” She felt the flush in her face and knew she was probably an unattractive shade of red. “There has never been a boyfriend. Ever.”
“You’ve never kissed anyone?”
He sounded skeptical, which sort of made her want to kick him. “Why does that surprise you?”
“Because it is not typical of someone your age. Relationships are much more nonchalant than they were a long time ago.”
“Exactly how long ago are we talking here?” Gustavo looked to be in his mid-twenties, but Anna knew he was probably much older than that.
“A few centuries,” he said casually.
“Oh, is that all?” Anna asked dryly. The crooked smile was back and she wondered how many women had fallen prey to it. This made her wonder about his own experiences with the opposite sex.
“And what about you?”
“Me?” he asked, a small frown replacing the smile.
“Yes, you. Any girlfriends? I mean, after three centuries, there has to have been someone, or multiple someones, who you’ve cared for.”
“Has no one explained to you what it means to be true mates?” he asked. “How intimate and deep the bond is?”
“Peri and Sally talked to us about it.”
“They must not have done an adequate job.” He grumbled and said a few words in Spanish that sounded less than complimentary.
“What does that have to do with anything?” She picked her own blade of grass and began to play with it, just to give her hands something to do. For some reason, the thought of him with other women really bothered her. Like, really bothered her. Why? She hadn’t known him. She hadn’t even known he existed, let alone that he was essentially her soul mate.
“It has everything to do with it,” he said. “Most of the males of our race wait for their true mate. They do not date, as humans do. They do not have casual sexual relationships. They do not touch any other that isn’t their mate.”
“Most?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“There are exceptions to almost every rule. There have been males who’ve strayed before they met their mates. Though the ones I know that did regretted it greatly once they’d finally found their mates. It hurt their females. The females of our race are guarded, protected fiercely. Any male showing interest in a female that wasn’t his own mate, or any human showing interest, would be dealt with.”
“Killed?” Her eyes widened.
“Not necessarily. But sometimes.” He reached over and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers so that her hand rested on the back of his. “In all the centuries of my life, I have never been tempted to stray.” Gustavo’s dark brown eyes began to glow and his teeth appeared a bit larger. “Even if I had, my wolf would not have allowed it,” he continued. “I have dreamed of the day I would meet you. I have longed for you as a drowning man longs for air. And had I not met you in this century, I would have continued to wait for you into the next.”
“You’ve never kissed anyone?”
He chuckled. “I just expressed my undying devotion to you, and that’s what you gleaned from my declaration?”
She shrugged. “You thought it was strange that I”—she pointed to herself—“an eighteen year old, hadn’t kissed anyone. I think it’s a little more bizarre that a man, as handsome as you, centuries old, hasn’t kissed anyone.”
He bowed his head slightly. “I concede, Criña, you are right. To a human, it would seem bizarre.”
“So you’ve never found another woman attractive?”
“Not in the way that you mean. I notice if a woman is beautiful, of course, but I’ve never desired any of them. And even if I had, that desire would have paled in comparison to the desire I have for you.”
Anna’s mouth dropped open. What was she supposed to say to that? No guy had ever even been interested in her, let alone declared his desire for her. How did she feel about that? Shouldn’t she be a bit freaked out? Maybe, but
his words were so sincere, and the way he looked at her, as if she was the most incredible thing he’d ever seen, made her feel so very special.
“You are very special,” he said as he ran a finger down her jaw, her neck, stopping on the spot where her neck merged into her shoulder.
“Are you listening to my thoughts?” She was trying, and failing, not to lean into his touch, but it felt so good and so right.
“Sometimes, your thoughts are loud.”
His finger was making small circles on the spot of skin at the bottom of her neck, and Anna was sure that if she was able, she would have purred like a contented cat. “Do you have a thing for necks?” The words were out before she could censure herself.
“I have a thing for your neck and this spot in particular.”
“Why that spot?”
“This, mí amõr, will be where you will bear my mark.”
Her eyes popped open. “That’s the biting part, isn’t it?”
Gustavo licked his lips, and she decided it should be an action banned in all fifty states. He should not be allowed to lick his lips, ever. Not. Ever.
“Yes, that’s the biting part. It’s part of the bonding. There are three things that confirm the true mate bond. First, the mind link. After initial introduction is made and the mental link is established, the male’s markings will change, and matching markings will appear on the female.”
“Markings?”
He pointed to the tattoos on his neck. “These markings.”
“Not tattoos?”
He shook his head. “These are a part of our supernatural make-up.”
“What do you mean they will change?” Anna asked, her eyes tracing over the black marks.
“They will spread. I am a dominate wolf and an Alpha. My markings are on my right side. When I meet you in person, they will expand until they are on the right side of my torso, the front of my neck, and down my right arm. Your markings will be a match for mine, like two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together.”
Anna was trying to remember the conversation that Sally and Peri had with all the healers, explaining all of what he was saying, and some of it was coming back to her. Memories concerning the markings were a tad fuzzy. “Where will my markings be?”
“I do not know. We won’t know until they show up.”
“What about the other girls?” Anna jumped when he let out a deep, rough growl. “Wrong question?”
“Only a mate is allowed to see markings of his female. It is a very personal and intimate connection. I have never seen another female’s markings”
“What would happen if you did?”
“Her mate could kill me for such an offense.”
“And if another male saw mine?” She knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from his lips.
“They would die by my teeth.”
Was it her imagination or were his eyes glowing even brighter?
“My wolf desires to take control,” he explained, obviously having caught the question from her mind. “He’s quite possessive of you.”
“Okay.” She was pretty sure there was never uttered a lamer answer in the history of lame answers, but she wasn’t sure what else to say. “Is the biting part really necessary?”
His grin was positively wicked and seductive, a lethal combination. “Very. But the male is not the only one who does the biting. The female bites her mate as well.”
Her mouth dropped open, then shut, then opened again. She would have to bite him? Wasn’t that unsanitary? “Does it hurt?” Dumbest. Question. Ever.
“Considering I’ve never been bitten by you, I don’t really know. But when my father explained true mates to me, he told me that the bite from my mate would be pleasurable. And my bite would be the same for you.”
Anna shifted in her spot on the grass and dropped her hazel eyes from his very intense dark brown ones. “Okay then.” She wanted to ask more, especially about when the biting part actually happened. Would it be the minute he met her? He’d say hello and then strike? Or would they date and get to know one another? But just when she was about to open her mouth to ask she felt herself slipping away from him.
His face darkened, looking frustrated, but his eyes also held sadness. “You’re waking up,” he explained. “Please, stay safe, Criña. I need you, and though you don’t realize it yet, you need me just as much.”
Anna bolted upright in the bed. Her breathing was as fast as the galloping heart in her chest. She looked around and saw she was still in the motel, and Jewel was fast asleep beside her.
“Just a dream,” she whispered. But it had felt so very real. She could remember the warmth of his breath on her face, the strength of his hand as he held hers, the heat his touch caused as he traced the spot on her neck where he’d said he would place his mark—his bite. It was crazy a dream could feel so real.
“You okay?”
Anna looked over at Jewel who was frowning at her from underneath a blanket. “What if I told you I dreamed about Gustavo, the werewolf who is to be my mate, and it felt as real as this conversation we are having?”
Jewel shrugged. “I’d say I believe you. I’m pretty much going by the anything-is-possible philosophy now.”
“Probably a really good one to adopt,” Anna agreed. She reached over and picked up the cell phone on the bedside table and checked the time. It was seven in the morning. It felt as though she’d only been a sleep for less than hour.
“I could use some breakfast,” Jewel said. “Is it wrong of me to want to eat, considering what happened yesterday?”
Anna climbed out of bed, stretched her arms over her head, then bent at the waist and stretched her back. “We can’t stop living,” she told her. “And at this point, Jewel, it’s kill or be killed. I’m not saying that makes what we did okay, but what else are we supposed to do?”
“We need to figure out how to turn a woman into a witch without killing her,” Jewel answered.
“Agreed. But that might mean we kill more as we try to figure it out. Trial and error.”
Jewel nodded solemnly. “Let’s just try and limit the errors as much as possible.” She, too climbed out of bed. She seemed to be moving just as slowly as Anna. “So breakfast and then we hit some occult shops,” Jewel said.
Anna raised her hand and waved behind her as she headed for the shower. It was going to be a long day.
Chapter 5
“All people have both good and evil inside of them. On one hand, they have a beast that seeks its own selfish desires above all else. On the other, they have a kind spirit willing to help others. How do we know which one will rule a person? The ruler will be the one a person feeds, the beast or the spirit.” ~Jewel
Jewel stood rooted the ground with Anna, Z, and Sly waiting for her in the parking lot of Spirit Crystals, the first occult shop on their list. Her feet felt as though they’d been bolted to the pavement beneath her. Every time she thought to herself, you need to move, the harder it was to obey.
“This is a great view,” Sly said. “But I think it would be even better inside the store, because then we would actually be able to see the person we need to talk to.”
Jewel ignored him. He didn’t understand the burden the girls felt. Neither of the warlocks could possibly understand the pressure they were under. She and Anna were facing a task that was beyond overwhelming. It wasn’t just about making witches now. It was about trying to keep the women from dying. The risk of failure was too great if the ritual wasn’t successful. That made the mission a hell of a lot more difficult.
“Let’s get this over with,” Anna finally said and started toward the door of the shop. Jewel followed and the pair stepped inside, followed by their warlock escorts.
There were crystals everywhere, hanging from the ceiling, sitting on shelves, and some larger stones even resting on the floor. Jewel felt the power they were emitting. It was like a low hum in the air, and she wondered if the others could sense it. As they stepped deeper into the store,
she saw shelves lined with books that boasted of the healing prowess of crystals, stones, and essential oils. By the time they made it to the counter in the back, they’d passed shelves of herbs, poultices, oils, and some jars claiming to contain animal essence, whatever that meant.
The young woman sitting on the stool behind the counter was reading a book entitled The Quintessential Witch. She was dressed sort of similar to Anna—a long skirt, T-shirt, and a thin scarf tied in her hair—very hippy-ish. Too easy, Jewel thought. It was as though someone had handed her up to them on a silver platter. Whether the woman would make it off the platter alive was a different question.
Sly cleared his throat as he leaned his hip against the counter. “Are you a member of a coven?”
The woman looked up from her book. One of her eyes was blue, and the other was brown. The contrast slightly disturbed Jewel.
“Excuse me?” the woman asked.
Sly motioned to her book. “A coven. Are you in a witch coven?”
“Oh.” The woman sat up a little straighter and closed the book, setting it sideways in her lap. “No, I’m just sort of learning. Searching I guess,” she said, looking a tad embarrassed.
“Isn’t that what we are all doing?” Z asked. “Searching.” He held out his hand. “I’m Z. This is Sly.” He motioned to the other warlock. “And these two lovely ladies are Jewel and Anna.”
She shook Z’s hand. “I’m River.”
“Real name?” Sly asked.
She nodded.
Jewel held out her hand. “I like your name.” River took her hand and shook it, smiling and nodding her thanks. Jewel wanted to kick herself in the gut. How could they do this to her? She was just a girl trying to figure things out, and they were about to either give her some real truth or kill her.
“If you’re really interested in that kind of stuff”—Anna motioned to the book—“we can tell you about it.”
