The Witch and the Wolf - Complete

by Lola Kidd

  “I really beg to differ,” she said, red-faced. Just being that close and physical with him had made the ache in her pussy almost painful. She was tempted to just shove her hands down the front of her jeans while they were talking. It wasn’t like he would mind anyway. He had claimed her after all. Asshole.

  “If I had claimed you, and I’m not saying I did.” He held up his hands in defense. “But if I had, there wouldn’t be anything for me to claim. You know? There’s nothing for my wolf to grasp onto.”

  She put her hand over her face. “I am dealing with a total moron. A total fucking moron claimed me.”

  He put his hand against the doorframe next to her face and leaned in. “Don’t talk to me like that.”

  She shivered at the tone in his voice. There he was, going all alpha again. “You have to be stupid. What does the wolf claim when it latches onto a human?”

  “I guess you would call it the soul,” he said into her ear.

  She shivered again. “Well, if you can claim a human’s soul, then why not a witch’s?”

  He thought it over for a minute. “Theoretically that might be true, but it’s never happened before.”

  “Not that you know of. How many wolves even try to mate outside of their species?”

  “I told you. It’s not a choice.” He leaned back across from her and rubbed his face. “Shit. Are you seriously feeling that too?”

  “Yes. I am really, really feeling it. How do we make this stop?”

  “We don’t,” he said gravely. “I think we’re going to have to talk with your coven and my pack, though. I’ve never heard of anything like this happening. Ever.”

  She slumped further down the door until she was sitting. “We really don’t need this right now. I can’t even believe my shitty luck.”

  “Hey.” He crouched down. “I don’t think I’m that bad. You really could have done worse.”

  “I really don’t think she could have,” someone said from near the bike.

  Rory and Cross both jumped up. She looked around for whoever had spoken, but couldn’t see anyone.

  Cross growled low in his chest. “Show yourself!”

  “I’m right here,” the voice said again. Only this time it was inside the house.

  They both turned around and Cross got in front of Rory. Whoever it was hadn’t set off Rory’s internal alarm. They must have powerful spells cloaking them. She squinted into the house and was shocked at what she saw.

  There was a ghost standing a few feet in front of them. A woman with long blonde hair and what must have been pale skin when she was alive. She was wearing tattered clothes that looked old-fashioned, maybe from the Civil War era. Rory couldn’t tell. She had always been bad with history. Whichever time period she came from, the ghost looked an awful lot like Rory. Cross glanced between her and the ghost a few times.

  “My wolf isn’t losing its mind,” he said, not taking his eyes off the apparition. “I don’t think whatever this is wants to harm us.”

  “Whoever, dear. I was a person like you once.” The ghost looked him up and down. “Well, not exactly like you. You are a filthy mutt, after all. But I was a person, like my lovely great-great-great-great granddaughter.”

  “Granddaughter?” Rory said, coming out from behind Cross. “Who are you?”

  “Drat. I guess you really don’t recognize me,” she frowned. “I guess that means my idiot son didn’t keep the only picture of me. It was so expensive, too!”

  “That’s great and all, lady, but who the fuck are you?” Cross asked again. He tried to stand in front of Rory again, but she shoved him away.

  “Beatrice Silver,” the ghost said. She pointed at Rory. “I’m related to that young lady, if you couldn’t tell. It really is like looking in a mirror. I don’t know why I waited so long to do this.”

  “Why are you here?” Rory asked, coming closer. Beatrice was right. They looked so similar, even more than Rory and her mom. Cross closed the door to the cabin and came to stand by Rory’s side.

  “I had to see what all the fuss was about, of course,” Beatrice said. “I really am glad I came. You aren’t much to see, magic-wise, but this whole werewolf mate thing is most distressing.”

  “You’re telling me,” Rory agreed.

  “Why are the ghosts fussing about Rory?” Cross asked.

  “You don’t know?” Beatrice asked and laughed. She could barely speak, she was laughing so hard. “Oh, you stupid children! You’re running around trying to have relations with each other and have no idea what kind of danger you’re in. This is rich.”

  “I fail to see how any of this is funny,” Cross said, sounding more than a little angry.

  “I really wish I could tell you all about it, but this spot is too far from my resting place. Come find me if you want to talk.”

  The ghost faded away before they could ask any more questions.

  “Fuck!” Cross kicked the couch next to where the ghost had been standing. “Who the fuck was that bitch?”

  “I’m pretty sure it was one of my ancestors,” Rory said quietly. She had never been visited by a spirit before. Though this Beatrice wasn’t exactly helpful, at least she had broken up the fight between her and Cross. She was grateful for that.

  “All she does is say you’re in danger and then leave? What the hell.” Cross kicked the couch again. “I hate fucking ghosts.”

  “At least that’s something to go on,” Rory said. “I’ll call my mom and talk with her. Hopefully, she’ll know who that was and they can send someone out to find her.”

  “I don’t like this one bit,” Cross said.

  “You aren’t the one in danger.”

  “If my mate is in danger, then I’m in danger.”

  Rory sighed. “This day has taken a strange turn. I really didn’t think it could get worse.”

  “Don’t say that,” Cross warned. “That was just a spirit. She didn’t come here to hurt us. You don’t want to jinx it and bring down a whole den of vampires on us.”

  Rory laughed. “I don’t think that’s how it works. Plus, the only reason she could find us is because she’s related to me. Unless you close it, that’s usually a loophole in cover and cloaking spells.”

  “Good to know.” Cross sat on the couch and put his head between his hands.

  “Don’t worry,” Rory said, coming over to put a hand on his back. “Our parents will figure this out. It’ll be fine. Then we’ll have to tell them about this claiming business and we can fix that.”

  He looked up at her. “You really don’t get this, do you? If you actually accepted my claim, there is no ‘fixing this.’ We’re mates. End of story.”

  Rory didn’t argue with him and instead went off to explore the house. She needed to get some distance between them to clear her head. He might have thought that was the end of the story, but it wasn’t. There was no way she was going to stay mated to a werewolf. She was going to let the coven and the Moon Brothers take care of the Sun Rider problem. Once that was finished, they could tackle this whole claim thing. However it happened, she was going to fix it. Witches and wolves didn’t mix. She wasn’t about to start bucking that trend.

  Part Two

  One

  “We’ve done some digging and I think we’ve found her,” Magda said.

  Rory had been on the phone with her Mom and Jamie since the ghost of Beatrice Silver had disappeared. She had holed up with her phone in a room by herself for the night to get away from Cross. Not that it did much good.

  He was sitting outside the closed door. He hadn’t said anything, but she still knew he was there. Or, to be more precise, her body knew he was close and it was almost driving her insane. Denying herself was torture but it was the way it had to be. She would do her best not to give in. He was a werewolf, and witches didn’t date werewolves. It wouldn’t work. Most of all, her feelings weren’t even real. Cross’ wolf had claimed her as its destined mate. Her attraction to the young wolf had been growing for a while, but
it didn’t compare to how she felt now.

  It would be a whole different story if what she was feeling was real. It was more than lust at this point. She wanted to be with him. Forever and ever after with rainbows, glitter, and puffy hearts. It was ridiculous. She hadn’t told anyone at home about their little claiming problem. Cross seemed to think it was permanent but what did he know? He had hadn’t even thought it was possible for a witch to accept a wolf’s claim. There had to be a way to for him to unclaim her or for her to decline his invitation.

  Unfortunately, they had bigger fish to fry before they could solve that problem. A ghost had appeared to them and said she was related to Rory and that she knew why the Sun Riders werewolf motorcycle gang was after Rory. The silly ghost had disappeared before she could give them any more information. It had taken a few hours for her mother to find any information.

  “Well?’ Rory asked, impatient.

  “She must have been lying because her home is really close to you guys,” Magda said. “We have two choices. Either Ursula and I will come up and you can wait for us, or you and Cross can check it out before we get there.”

  So her mother was coming no matter what. That could be a problem. She would flip shit if she knew Cross had claimed her daughter. Rory wanted them to focus on how to stop the Sun Riders from coming after her. If they got sidetracked by this claim issue, it would slow down the important issue at hand.

  “We’ll go check it out first,” Rory said. “How are you guys coming with the Sun Riders thing?”

  “There’s been some developments,” Magda said, and didn’t say anything else.

  “Um, are you going to fill me in here?” Rory said. “I am a member of the Cleary Coven too, Mom.”

  Magda sighed. “The Moon Brothers are almost positive that the Sun Riders are working for Olaf Summers.”

  Rory almost dropped her phone. “They must have their information wrong. Why would the King of the Midwest want me?”

  “Honey, why would any vampire want you? And their information is good. It’s the talk of the supernatural world now.”

  “That explains the ghost,” Rory said softly.

  “It does,” Magda said. “After the last attack, the Sun Riders alpha was pretty angry.”

  Cross banged on the door. “What’s going on in there? Are you ok?”

  Rory ignored him. “Mom, does he want to hurt me?”

  “I don’t know,” Magda sounded surprised. “We just know they want you taken alive. That doesn’t mean they won’t hurt you later.”

  “I’m going to kick the door down if you don’t say anything,” Cross warned.

  “I’m on the phone! I’ll be out in a second!” Rory yelled.

  “Is the wolf behaving?” Magda asked.

  “He is,” Rory lied. “I just wanted a minute to myself. We’ve just spent the last few days constantly together.”

  “It must be tough,” Magda sympathized. “You can come home any time you want. I know you think you’re keeping us safe or something, but we would love to have you back.”

  “Not yet, Mom. What’s the name of the town?”

  “Sand Springs. It’s very small. It was a boom town during the Gold Rush. I think it’s mostly rich retirees now.”

  “Ok. I’ll call you when we know anything. I love you.”

  “Be careful. I love you too.”

  Rory got her toothbrush out of her backpack.

  “I’m going to go and brush my teeth and then I’ll meet you in the kitchen. Get away from the door now,” she called to Cross.

  “I’ll wait on the landing, but I’m not going all the way downstairs.”

  “Whatever. Fine.” She waited until she heard him walk away to open the door.

  He was glowering on the landing just as he had promised. She brushed her teeth and splashed her face with water. She felt a little more normal after the clean up. She really wanted to shower, but that was pushing it. The last time she had gotten in the shower things had gone…awry. She wasn’t going to risk that again. She went to the stairs and followed Cross to the kitchen.

  “You want some food?” he asked. He pulled the cereal and milk out before she answered. “I’m eating so you may as well too.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I can eat. We have to go to Sand Springs.”

  He pulled his phone out. “That’s pretty close. We can get there in a half hour or so. What’s there?”

  “Hopefully, Beatrice Silver’s ghost.”

  “The ghost bitch better have something more to say if she is there.”

  “Hey! That’s my however many times great-grandmother you’re speaking about.”

  “Sorry, I talked to Ozzy too. I’m sure your mom told you about Olaf.”

  Rory nodded. “She did. I really don’t see why he would want me.”

  “It has to have something to do with the Lost Tribe,” he held up his hand when Rory started to protest. “I have nothing to back that up except for gut feeling. You know Olaf is a collector. I think he wants to trade you to them for something else.”

  Rory’s brow winkled. “Why would the Lost Tribe want me?”

  “If I knew that we wouldn’t be sitting here, would we?” Cross sounded irritated. She wanted to reach over and stoke his hand to calm him down. She fought the urge.

  “Geez, you don’t have to bite my head off,” she said. “You’re throwing stuff out of left field here.”

  “I’m sorry,” he handed her a bowl and spoon before pouring himself some breakfast. “I have no idea why they would want you, but it makes the most logical sense. If I’m wrong, the real answer is going to be even more out of left field.”

  Rory took the box when he was finished. “That’s true. I still can’t think of any reason they would want me. There is literally nothing special about me. There are literally thousands of witches more powerful than me and there are hundreds with a better a bloodline. Maybe Beatrice will be able to shed some light on this whole thing.”

  “That’s if the ghost knows anything,” Cross said with a scowl. “And I beg to differ about you being so common place. I think you’re pretty fucking special.”

  “You have to say that because you want to have sex with me.”

  “Can’t blame a guy when you look like that.”

  Rory blushed. “Shut up and finish your breakfast. We need to get on the road.”

  ***

  Sand Springs was much nicer than its name suggested. Cross felt like a scumbag driving his motorcycle down the pristine city streets. He knew it was only a matter of minutes before the local law showed up. There was zero chance the two of them belonged in the town. Rory would be fine if she was alone, nobody ever questioned innocent blondes. If they had been in a car, Cross would have passed too. But on his bike they were a huge target.

  He followed the signs to the town visitor’s bureau. Magda had given Rory a town but not much else information. Beatrice Silver was one of their ancestors and she lived in the town of Silver Springs. That was all they had to work with. Cross knew that would be enough. Anytime there was a ghost, it was a violent death. With a witch of Beatrice’s era, he was pretty confident they were looking for the mass grave from a witch trial.

  “What are we doing here?” Rory asked, taking off her helmet.

  “We’re going to find out about the town’s history.” He looked behind her as a cop car turned the corner onto the block. “We’re a young couple on a ride across the country and we’re sight-seeing in town.”

  “I don’t think we’re going to need a cover story but fine,” Rory agreed.

  “Hello! Welcome to Sand Springs,” a nice-looking, older woman greeted them as soon as they walked inside the small building. “I’m Mrs. Thomas. What brings you kids to our lovely town today?”

  Cross gave Rory an I-told-you-so look. “We really needed a rest stop and decided to stop in. We’re on a road trip across the state and all these old towns have such interesting back stories.”

  “You two are on th
at bike!” the woman’s eye brows shot up. “That must be so uncomfortable. Let me guess. This was your idea, young man. The things we do for love.”

  The woman gave Rory a conspiratorial look. Rory beamed back at her. “How did you know?”

  “I was young once too, dear, and let me tell you, all the young men looked like this in my time,” she winked at Cross. “Though my mother would never have let me on the back of a motorcycle.”

  “I doubt my mother is very happy with this situation,” Rory quipped.

  “But that didn’t stop you now, did it?” Mrs. Thomas chuckled. “It’s so nice to have a young, beautiful couple interested in history. I’ll let you two have a look around. Everything is pretty self-explanatory, but if you have any questions, I’ll be right up here.”

  “Thank you,” Cross said smiling at the woman. He took Rory’s hand and led her toward the exhibits. She was going to be pissed at him, but it was worth it. She couldn’t shake his hand off or cause a scene here.

  “You think you're real slick,” she told him.

  “I don’t think I’m the only one who’s feeling a little…slick today,” Cross said with a smirk. He could smell how much she wanted him. The minute he took her hand, her body temperature had shot up. She had been squirming against him the entire ride up to Sand Springs. He wished she would stop being so difficult and just let him finish claiming her already. He wanted to fuck her, she wanted to fuck him. They were both of age and consenting adults. She was letting the whole different supernatural creatures things get in her head too much.

  It wasn’t like his dick knew she was a witch or her pussy would be able to tell it was getting railed by a werewolf. Once the clothes came off, it really didn’t matter who was what. Plus, it would really clear both of their heads once they got it over with. His wolf had been on edge since the incident when they first got to Sienna. He had barely slept at all last night and it would keep up like that until he joined with her.

  They both needed to be at the top of their game right now. The Lost Tribe and the Vampire King were nothing to joke around with. Going up against one of them was enough of a challenge, but if they were working together it was damn near impossible. Their best bet was to stay hidden, keep on the defensive, and let their pack and coven take care of it. This little detour had better net some answers or he was going to piss on that witch's grave. She was playing with his mate’s life and that wasn’t something he took lightly.