The Witch, The Wolf and The Vampire Series Boxed Set

by A. K. Michaels

  Once more, her Wolf’s expert ministrations brought her to highs she never knew existed and as she fell over into a climax that shook her entire body, he joined her. His own release was immense, and she smiled weakly up into his face, loving that it was her that had brought him that pleasure.

  “Come on, we need to get clean and get you some food.” Gabe placed her feet on the floor of the shower and held her firmly, as her legs shook. His hands soaped her body, and she leaned back into his hard muscles and relaxed, letting him take care of her.

  Jeez, her muscles were sore, she hadn’t realized how hard they had worked, not until she was bending down to get a pair of jeans on. She groaned and she heard Gabe’s chuckle. She looked over, and he stood with a wide smile on his face, one that had her throwing one of her shoes in his direction.

  “It’s not funny! My legs are aching already, I dread to think what they’ll be like tomorrow morning.” Gabe only laughed louder, and she scowled at him.

  “I’ll give you a massage tonight and that should help,” he said more seriously.

  “Thanks, I’m gonna need one, if you want me moving in the morning,” Peri said, and groaned again as she finished dressing. God she was going to be so sore tomorrow.

  “Come on, I can smell food!” Gabe grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him. Each and every stair she walked down had her legs complaining, and she hoped the massage to come would help.

  As they entered the dining area, Josef and Liam were already sitting down. Her Vampire looked up, as they entered, and he did the lip lift smile that always gave her butterflies. One of his eyebrows rose, and Peri knew that he was aware of what she and Gabe had been doing in the shower. A blush crept onto her face. She moved over to him and placed a kiss onto his lips.

  She meant it to be a quick kiss before she sat down, however, her Vampire had other ideas. He grabbed the back of her head and held her in place, as he kissed her passionately for some moments, only breaking contact, when Liam started coughing.

  “I missed you this morning,” he said up into her eyes and she smiled.

  “Me too,” she said, and finally he let her go, so she could sit down at the table.

  “You are sore,” he said, stating a fact, not asking a question.

  “Yeah, a little bit, I’m sure I’ll be worse in the morning, though,” she half-laughed, knowing that would probably be the case.

  “I said I’d give her a massage later,” Gabe quipped and Josef nodded his head.

  “Good idea, then a nice soak in the Jacuzzi, that should help.” She nodded, that was a very good idea.

  Her imagination took over at that point, of all three of them, naked, in the Jacuzzi. She hoped it was secluded!

  “It is,” her Vampire answered, and she felt another blush crossing her face.

  “Margaret,” Josef said, and seconds later the little lady appeared, her hands full of plates.

  “Jeez, how can you carry so many plates together?” Peri asked, as she watched the woman expertly place them on the table.

  “Easy, I used to work in a restaurant before I met Finbar, this is nothing compared to that place. It was always busy and we had to work fast.” She about-turned and went back into the kitchen.

  “I still find it hard thinking about those two being together,” Peri said, as she tucked into her food, chicken, salad, and a little pasta.

  “I know, but he’s really not as gruff as he likes to make out.” Gabe spoke between mouthfuls of food, and Peri wondered how he could get so much food inside him in such a short time.

  “Well, he scares me,” Peri said quietly, thinking on the large bear of a man.

  Josef told them, “He is just very passionate about the horses and doesn’t like to be taken away from that. I have to force him to have a meeting to go over the mundane things, like finances and such. It is when you see him with Margaret that you catch a glimpse of the other side to him.”

  Peri wondered about that, was the gruff, huge Vampire soft and loving when with the small woman?

  She thought he may just be. After all, Josef had changed, when they had met, and he was definitely different with her than he was with others. It’s amazing what love can do, she thought with a small smile on her face.

  Liam’s voice brought her out of her revelry. “Are you ready?” he asked.

  Peri looked at the Witch and then at her two men, both nodded. She was more than a little excited. Finally, she was going to learn to harness the power within her slight frame. A power that Liam seemed to think was vast.

  She hoped he was right, she would need that power, if she was going to defeat her father and finally be free of the fear of him finding her.

  “Yes,” she said in a voice that sounded much stronger than she felt at that moment.

  “Okay, come on, we’re going out back and we’ll walk a ways, so that nothing is near, just in case.”

  Peri started to worry. What did he mean ‘just in case’? She guessed she would find out, as she got up and followed him.

  Her sore muscles left her mind, as she continued walking after Liam, jeez he was going quite a distance. She truly hoped they didn’t need the space he was putting between them and everyone else.

  Finally he stopped and looked around. “This should be far enough. Are you ready, Peri?”

  Peri took a deep breath. “As I’ll ever be,” she said, and her first lesson began.

  Liam worked her for nearly three hours. Three hours of going over and over four different things. One, two, three, four, repeat, and again, and again.

  Liam talked her through how to focus the power that was deep inside her. How to feel the power and speak spells in a manner that focused it. With the words running through her head, he then showed her how to use those together with her hands, like a magical sign language that brought the power from within. When done in tandem...words and hands...it brought the spell to life, and she only had to focus on what strength she wished to put behind it. The same spell could be used to move a grain of sand or a huge boulder...soft or strong...depending on how much power she released with her words.

  “It’s quite simple, once you get the hang of it, Peri, your power is immense, all you have to do is harness it. The words of the spells, too, you can make some up of your own. I guess that’s what you were doing before you met Josef?”

  Peri nodded. “Yeah, I kinda made things up in my head and tried them out, some worked and some didn’t. I find it easier if I picture in my head what it is that I want to do...”

  Liam smiled. “That’s absolutely true. If you can ‘see’ it, the words and hands should come along on their own. You can let your power guide you at times. Sometimes it knows what you want before you do. Always practice something before using it for real, though. Especially if it’s for your own protection. You don't want to be in a situation where you try something new for the first time and find you don’t get it right. Now, let’s try that last one again.”

  So she did. The last one was the boulder, elevating a huge piece of stone, moving it across, and placing it gently down. Liam had her do it without causing any dust to flutter into the air, as she laid the large stone down onto the ground. It had taken quite a few times to be able to do that, but now she did it every time, even if it was tiring.

  “Now from the beginning, again, Peri.”

  Taking a large breath in, she started with spell one, using the air around her to focus and whirl around a faraway bush, bringing a large dust cloud to completely encompass it. She watched as the bush swirled around in the strong wind she brought to bear on it, before it was lost to her sight by the dust.

  Then onto spell two. This was one he made her do to perfection, finding anything in the vicinity, from a small spider in the rocks to their side, to a rather large snake sunbathing on top of a rock far in the distance. She knew this was another one to help keep her safe, and she was grateful that he had ta
ught her. If she had known this one while she was on the run, it would definitely have been far easier to keep ahead of those that were after her.

  Then number three, the fireball. She had tried this before and found this the easiest to do. Concentration marred her face, though, as she produced the fireball just above her outstretched hands. Growing the ball larger each time she did the spell, knowing it would be devastating, if she released it against anyone or anything. She was so tired, she felt like she was going to sleep for a week.

  Her head was thumping and her throat and mouth were so dry, she could no longer produce even a tiny bit of saliva. She was beginning to feel as if she was going to pass out, but she wouldn’t complain, wouldn’t stop. She had to learn this. All of it and as quickly as possible.

  Now that she was using magic, a lot of magic, ‘they’ would soon start to track her. Liam told her that was the plan, or rather it was Josef’s plan. So she carried on, did as instructed, and she realized that she was now doing as he asked without even thinking, the magic flowing from her, as if second nature. No great thought went into it, and she carried on until Liam finally smiled.

  “Good, Peri. That’s real good. You’ve got those four down pat now. God, you are so powerful, do you know that?” Liam now held out a bottle of water to her, she didn’t even know he had one on him.

  She took it from his hands and drank greedily before responding. “I didn’t, before now...I can feel it, Liam. Inside, I can feel it, it’s as if it’s growing and since the bonding, it’s growing quicker. It’s kinda scary.”

  “Ah yes, the bonding. Peri, I can’t pretend to know exactly what happened, but it definitely changed you. It’s as if having both of their blood inside you caused some kind of reaction and made you stronger. Once you get it under control, I don’t think there’s another magical or supernatural being alive that will be a match for you.”

  Liam was now looking at her with a look of awe, and Peri squirmed under his scrutiny.

  “I don’t care about that, Liam, I just want to be able to take down my father. That’s all, plain and simple, take him down and preferably out.”

  Peri shivered, as her mind wandered without her consent, and she was once more tied down, as her father cut great long gashes into her back.

  “You’ll be able to do that, Peri, trust me.”

  “I hope so. I’m fed up running, looking over my shoulder all the time. Scared they would find me, and if they did, who else would get caught up in it. I just want that gone – the fear – so I can start to live properly, with Gabe and Josef.” Peri sighed, wishing this was all over, so she could settle down and relax with her two men.

  “Peri, I know you’re tired, but can we try something? You’ve mastered those spells, fireball, detection, moving the boulder, and even the dust clouds. Can we try for more? See if you can control it further?” Liam knew she was tired, could see it clearly, but he really wanted to try this. If she could do it, then it would give her a boost, let her know she was indeed strong and powerful in magic.

  “I suppose,” Peri mumbled, her head sore, her body aching. She was so tired, she just wanted to collapse into bed. However, if Liam wanted her to do more, then that’s what she would do.

  “Okay, Peri, here goes, face away from the ranch. Yeah, that’s right, you need to remember there is absolutely nothing in front of you. You will NOT hurt anyone, so I don’t want you to hold back. I’m going to tell you what I want, and then it’s up to you. I’m not talking you through it this time. You’re on your own, okay?”

  Peri frowned, what the hell was he going to ask her to do? She nodded, and double checked there was absolutely nobody near them. Nope, all clear, plus she was facing away from the ranch with only open ground in front of them for many miles.

  “I want you to conjure the fireball, but this time, I don’t want you to try and contain it. This time, I want you to do the opposite, Peri. Make it grow, unleash the power of the fire, as much as you can, and release it in front of you, throw it as far and as fast as you can. However, I want your eyes closed until the point of release. Do you understand?” Liam moved, so that he was now standing right behind her, and she nodded her head.

  Shit! This was more than a little scary! What if there were any hikers out there? Or animals? She would fry them to a crisp, well, if it worked, that was. She wasn’t entirely sure it would.

  “Liam, is it possible there are any people out there? Hiking or something?” Peri bit her bottom lip at the thought of hurting anyone.

  “No, all of this is Josef’s land. There are some fences and also plenty of signs, some say ‘Trespassers will be shot!’ So I’m pretty sure there won’t be anyone about.”

  “Oh, okay.” Peri relaxed a little and tried to center her thoughts, her power, her mind.

  She focused her thoughts on the power inside her body, letting it loose a little at a time. Her skin tingled, and she could feel the hair on her arms standing up, as she fought for control. A little more concentration and she had it, control, and continued to add to the growing fireball that she knew was in front of her hands. She felt no heat, but knew it was there, her power told her so.

  Her eyes screwed tightly shut, as she added and added to the power she was now wielding. Her heart sped up, not in fear but in excitement, as she felt the power growing rapidly both inside her body and in front of her outstretched palms.

  More? Could she do more? With a little more thought, a little more focus, yes she could. She now felt her hair flying out behind her and knew she was near her limit. A little more, just a little more and then she moved her hands quickly, pushing the fireball away from her with such power that her legs felt weak.

  Quickly, she opened her eyes and gasped. Dear lord! She watched as an immense fireball flew across the land in front of her and exploded a great distance from where she stood.

  The utter devastation her power created almost had her falling to the ground. She had done that! The area completely devoid of any plants and the rocks that had littered the area were now gone. Only a very large, blackened hole was visible.

  Her heart stuttered, and just as she knew she was going to fall, strong arms encircled her and held her tightly. Josef. Her Vampire now held her to his own strong, hard body, as she gasped for breath.

  “Breathe deeply, little Witch, you need to breathe.” His voice was in her ear, and she tried to do as he instructed.

  She found it difficult, the power she had unleashed shocked her, scared her even. God, she had no idea she was capable of such acts. She realized Liam had been right. She was very powerful indeed.

  “Is she okay?” Liam asked, with what sounded like fear in his voice.

  “She better be!” she heard Josef reply coldly, and realized why Liam had sounded scared.

  “I’m fine,” Peri muttered, and turned her head and looked up into those ice blue eyes that she loved so much.

  “Enough for today,” he said, and picked her up into his arms.

  “I can walk!” she protested, but Josef just held her tighter and moved quickly towards the ranch.

  “You have done enough today,” he said, as he continued on and she knew he was right.

  Tired, she felt very tired, so she rested her head against his chest and let him carry her back to the house. When they drew nearer, she saw he didn’t go towards any of the doors, he moved towards an area to the rear, which had an intricate wooden fence around quite a large area. It was here that he carried her.

  As they drew nearer, she thought this must be where the Jacuzzi was. Yes, she could do with one of those at the moment. Her body was spent and her mind in turmoil at the damage she had caused with her magic.

  Liam had been following them, but now Josef growled “Go inside, if Gabe is there, tell him where we are.”

  She didn’t see Liam from her position in Josef’s arms, but guessed he would do exactly as he had been told. She could feel anger in
her Vampire and knew he was upset at Liam, and the Witch would know this. She thought he would stay out of Josef’s way until he had calmed down. Nobody wanted Josef angry at them and with good reason.

  As they entered the fenced off area, she saw she had been right. A very large Jacuzzi sat in the middle of the area and there were a couple of small tables and chairs set to the side. Towels were folded neatly on the table, with white fluffy robes hanging from hooks on the inside of the fence. She couldn’t wait to feel the warm water on her tired and sore body.

  Josef sat her on the edge of the Jacuzzi and removed her clothing, all of it. “Josef! I’m naked!” she exclaimed, knowing that there were ranch hands and others in the area.

  “Yes, that is why we have a fence, Peri,” he replied with a very slight smile.

  She sat and watched, as he took of his own clothes, and she realized he had been wearing a t-shirt and jeans and not his usual fancy suit. As his body came into view, she marveled at how lean he was, but at the same time, hard with muscles rippling underneath his skin. He was beautiful and he was hers.

  “Stop it, you need to rest,” he quipped at her, as he saw her eyes taking in his body.

  “I know, but God, you’re perfect,” she said quietly and knew he was right. Her entire body was sore and tired, her mind sluggish, and she waited on him to pick her up again. She didn’t think she could move under her own volition, so just stayed where she was, waiting.

  He was at her side in seconds, gently picked her up, carried her up the stairs of the Jacuzzi, and then down into the warm, bubbly water. When he got in, he sat down and kept her in his arms, stroking her gently and holding her in his lap.

  The water was divine, she relaxed and leaned into his body, her head on his shoulder. Her eyes fluttered and finally closed. She was out for the count in her Vampire’s arms.

  *****

  “Is she okay?!” Gabe had appeared and saw Josef holding their mate in his arms, she was sound asleep and she looked very pale.

  “She will be, she is very tired. I went out to see how they were doing, stayed a ways back and watched. She’s magnificent, Gabe! You should’ve seen the power she wielded. The noise, when that last fireball hit, was enough to wake the dead.”