by Abigail Owen
She caught his eye and waved. Her lips, painted bright pink, stretched wide in a smile. Castor caught his breath as his stomach clenched in response. Her smile was for him alone. How he knew, he wasn’t entirely sure. His heart hadn’t tripped over itself like this since he’d met his wife. Only this was different, not stronger exactly, but…different. Leia pointed at the back pew, indicating where she intended to sit.
Someone he couldn’t see snagged her attention, though she seemed reluctant to turn away from him, but she did.
Castor inhaled sharply.
The back to the dress was…there was no damn back to the dress. The garment was held in place by a thin strap or two across her shoulders, dipping low to a point above her curvy derriere. Barely above.
“Holy hell.” His body, already charged by the intimate smile she’d graced him with, responded rapidly. He shifted his stance, trying to ease his discomfort. In the meantime, every man around her did a double take. What was she thinking? Luckily, Kaios was already seated up front.
Cas gritted his teeth. “I see what you mean.”
Marrok had the temerity to chuckle. “You’re a lucky man.”
“She’s my assistant.”
“Right.”
Yeah. He didn’t believe it either. Not with how much he wanted her—a desire that went way beyond the physical, he’d realized recently. Her humor, her prickliness, her intelligence all combined to make her the woman she was. A woman he craved with a fierce need.
Unable to leave the front where he stood with Marrok, Castor kept a close eye on Kaios, in case the werewolf discovered Leia’s presence and decided to make trouble. Meanwhile, he gritted his teeth as one after another, men introduced themselves to Leia.
Mine. He had the strangest urge to hurl the claim at them, but she wasn’t his. Yet. Besides, he didn’t behave like an uncouth youth. Ever. This woman was driving him out-of-his-mind crazy.
Leia politely conversed with each potential suitor, sending them away in short order. Eventually she sat, her gaze seeking him again. He chuckled when she rolled her eyes. Those other men had zero chance.
Twenty minutes later, the double doors to the church opened to admit the bride. Beside him, Marrok stilled as the entire church hushed.
Tala was radiant in a form fitting dress that hugged her lithe body to her knees where it flared out. She’d left her chin-length dark blond hair down, her veil framing her lovely face. Every man in the place had to reel their tongues back in.
“You’re a lucky man,” Castor murmured, happily throwing Marrok’s words back in his face.
“I hope so.”
Castor didn’t comment, too busy observing Leia.
Rather than watch the bride, she’d turned, he guessed, to see Marrok’s reaction. Her expression softened, and her gaze slipped to him. Finding Cas staring at her, she yanked her gaze back to the bride, a soft blush lighting her cheeks. She wasn’t indifferent. She couldn’t be.
As Tala neared the front of the chapel, Leia’s gaze once again moved to him, skittered away, returned and stayed. Her aquamarine eyes reeled him, like the moon holding the ocean in its sway.
With a reluctance that surprised him, he shifted to face the front of the chapel, breaking the searing moment of intimacy when he’d rather it go on and on. Thankfully, the ceremony was over in short order—the wedding portion of werewolf matings tended to be brief as everyone wanted to get to the actual mating ceremony. Especially the bride and groom. He sought out Leia, only to find she’d disappeared. Unable to go after her, he kept his expression neutral, searching discretely for a flash of navy. Someone, a woman he assumed, pinched his butt as he followed Marrok and Tala down the aisle. He didn’t bother to discover who. It wasn’t Leia.
Yearning and anticipation hung heavy in the air as the gathering made their way out of the chapel, along the river, and over a wooden bridge that led them into the woods. The pheromones were flying. A werewolf mating was heady stuff. As their lives were linked in the church, in the mating ceremony, so too were their bodies.
The pull of the alphas, the lust, dragged on Castor, but he forced the sensation to the back of his mind, his attention squarely on finding Leia. Perhaps she was afraid of stirring up the nymphs again or getting into it with her nemesis and ruining the mating? A quick check showed him Kaios was still with the group. She couldn’t be in danger off by herself.
Castor might need saving, however, having already refused three women and peeled one off his right side to plaster her against another man more appreciative of her attentions.
Once deep in the woods, the wedding guests stopped, allowing the bride and groom to continue on into the trees alone, to a secret spot Marrok would have prepared ahead of time. There they would mate in private…though rumor had it some couples didn’t wait to be secluded before having their fun.
As the guests stood, the need ramped higher. By now he was hard as a rock, aching in a way he’d never experienced before. Couples paired up and wandered off, a handful not moving far away at all before giving in, unable to resist the need to claim each other that the mating ceremony stirred in their bodies. Not everyone gave into temptation, but many did.
“Are you here with someone?”
Cas glanced down at a hot brunette who’d been poured into her slinky red dress. “Yes. Sorry.”
She gave him a disappointed pout. “I don’t see anyone here.”
“She gets nervous around nature. Don’t worry, we’ll make up for it later.”
She sighed, managing to squeeze her breasts together at the same time, which did nothing for him. “Nature isn’t a thing to fear. It’s a thing to revel in.” She trailed a hand down his arm.
He plucked her hand away. “I’ll be reveling with my date.”
She tossed her hair. “My loss. If you change your mind…”
He wouldn’t be changing his mind. Only one woman would satisfy him.
A rushing noise, similar to the sound of ocean waves, pulled his attention to the river off to his left. He froze when he discovered a wall of water bursting up from the bed of the river below.
“What the—” someone exclaimed behind him.
The forest exploded around them. All of the guests dropped to the ground as the wind whipped the trees into a frenzy. Pine needles rained down, filling the air with their zesty scent. Birds screeched their protest as they abandoned their nests and perches. One of the largest trees groaned a horrible protest as it appeared to uproot, only to be righted by a blast of water.
Several of the guests around him screamed, but none of the chaos approached them, as though they were cocooned in a bubble of protection. Castor got to his feet, and gaped at the awesome display with wonder. Had the prophecy come true?
Then he found her. Leia stood on dry ground at the bottom of the lake near the chapel, though the water didn’t touch her, pushed outward from her body by an invisible force. He doubted anyone else could see her. Although werewolves had excellent vision at night, Demigods had better, and he’d been searching for her. Eyes glowing an eerie blue, arms raised above her head, she pushed the wall of water higher. A cool mist brushed his face and dampened the fine cloth of his tux.
He knew exactly what she was doing—using her brethren’s fear of her to manifest the signs of the prophecy. If the nymphs wouldn’t help her, she’d force their wrath, which would, in turn, result in a display of nature run amok.
Fear punched through his chest. Surrounding Leia on all sides were ten or twelve nymphs who were clearly furious if their scowls and glowing eyes were anything to go by.
“Leia.” He barely breathed the word, but she turned her attention in his direction, as though called. He started toward her, compelled to help, but halted when she shook her head. Her pale hair swirled around her face, whipped by the winds assailing her.
Nymphs of various kinds—water, air, fire, earth, electricity—pummeled her with the elements they controlled, but none of their efforts touched her. In fact, she pushed
away everything they aimed at her, redirecting it over the forest. How she held them off while controlling the water at the same time, he had no idea. She was magnificent in her effortless use of her power.
A glance around him showed he was correct— none of the other guests had discovered her. All were too focused on the forest going wild around them. Kaios was across the field from where Castor stood, which meant the wall of water should block Leia from the werewolf’s view. But the were stood strangely still with an expression akin to fury tightening his features, his lips drawn back in a sneer. Why was he angry though? Castor split his attention between Leia and Kaios, but the man stayed where he was.
The culmination of the mating was nearing. The urge to relieve the need pulsing through him grew to an unbearable ache. He needed to bury himself in the sweet softness of a woman. For hours. His body told him only Leia could assuage the desire riding him hard. Her display of power had him even more turned on. His fear for her safety, and his demigod instinct to protect her, heightened his need even more.
He wanted to rescue her and sweep her away from this place to their own private mating.
Would she even let him touch her? By the gods, he hoped she would.
A burst of desire slammed through him, like the wave of water Leia wielded. Groans arose through the gathering of werewolves and other magical creatures surrounding him, shouts echoing through the woods as couples each reached their own completion. Marrok and Tala must have completed the mating ceremony.
In the same instant, the cacophony of noise from the forest and river ceased. The water splashed back down to the bedrock with an almighty roar. Stark silence settled over the woods.
“The prophesy.” The cry started with one man. Quickly the phrase caught on, repeated in hushed whispers by the rest of those who’d witnessed the storm of nature.
For his part Castor inspected the now calm lake with troubled eyes. Where was Leia?
CHAPTER 9
A hush fell over the crowd as Tala and Marrok appeared. Then, as if an unseen signal had been given, all the werewolves bowed to the alpha pair. After a pause, they both lowered their heads in return to the assemblage, then walked through them to lead them all back to their cars. The celebration was set to be held back at the hotel.
Tension coiled in Castor’s shoulders and churned in his belly. Leia still hadn’t shown up, but he had to act as though nothing were wrong, or all her effort would be for nothing. He followed the bride and groom and got into the limo with them along with Tala’s maid of honor, her sister Shyla.
Other than flushed faces, Tala and Marrok appeared well put together given what they’d just been up to. The couple sat close together on the back bench seat, with Castor and Shyla taking opposite side seats.
“Was that Leia?” Tala asked as they pulled away from the parking lot, breaking the awkward silence which had descended.
“Yes.”
“Where is she?” Marrok asked.
“I don’t know. She disappeared under a wall of water.”
“We should go back.” Marrok reached for the button to lower the window between them and the driver, but Castor shook his head. “She’s a water nymph, so she can handle it. Besides, she’d be upset if we ruined her effort by giving away the secret to everyone. She’ll be fine.” She’d promised him she would, and he’d made sure Kaios had left with the crowds.
You’d better be fine, he thought. If she wasn’t, he’d wring her neck for taking that kind of risk.
The rest of the interminable ride was completed in silence. Castor shifted his position a few times. Being near the couple was like a constant bombardment of lust, like standing chest deep in ocean waves. Marrok couldn’t stop touching Tala—not overtly, just constant contact. All Cas could picture was Leia’s big blue eyes, her hair fanned out on a pillow like a golden halo as he moved above her, the sound of her husky voice groaning her pleasure.
Where was she?
The valet handed them out onto the red velvet carpet. A woman with deep red hair approached with a come hither light in her eyes. “Congratulations, Alpha. You as well, Alpha.” She nodded to Tala and Marrok in turn. Then she hooked her arm through his. “And who might you be, handsome?”
“Mine.”
Relief and lust warred for dominance at the sound of Leia’s warm voice behind him. He shrugged off the redhead and pulled his nymph in close where he could wrap his arms around her and feel for himself that she was unharmed. He inhaled her rainy day scent.
“I can take a hint.”
The other woman’s parting comment hardly penetrated. He was too busy with the woman in his arms. “I didn’t see you after the ceremony. I guess you made it here okay.”
Werewolves had phenomenal hearing, which meant he couldn’t ask her straight out if she was okay. A question like that would sound odd to anyone who overheard.
“As you can see.” She winked.
She did appear to be unharmed. In fact, she looked perfect, her hair back up as it had been at the wedding, not a drop of water in sight anywhere on her person. Unable to resist the urge, he leaned forward and planted a light kiss on her unsuspecting lips. He wanted to linger, sample, taste, and take. However, now wasn’t the time. Not yet at least.
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t protest.
He grinned and offered her his arm. Question and answer time could come later. “Shall we?”
Her lips quirked, but she took his arm. “By all means.”
Forcing his body to calm, while at the same time amused that he wasn’t the only man walking around in discomfort, he led her into the hotel and through a set of double doors off to the right, which led to a large ballroom with windows all along one wall and the original bar along the other. A dance floor had been set up at one end, and the rest of the room was dotted with large, round tables set with fancy linens and china. Large bouquets of flowers graced each table, filling the room with the sweet fragrance of spring, helping to mask the natural outdoorsy scent put off by the large gathering of werewolves. Leia found their table while he was detained by one of the elders from Marrok’s pack. As he watched, she circled the table, fiddling with something. Then she dropped off her purse in a chair and rejoined him.
Before he could ask her what she’d been doing, the newly mated couple was announced. Then everyone found their assigned places for the sitdown dinner.
“My, my, my,” a deep male voice intoned from behind them. “I thought that was you earlier, Lyleia.”
She didn’t so much as twitch, but her sudden tension radiated to Castor nonetheless. He reached under the table to take her hand, which was clenched in her lap. What he wanted to do was plant himself between his nymph and the werewolf, but Leia wouldn’t appreciate being made to look weak in front of this man, so he didn’t. Her fingers loosened up to link with his. She plastered a fake smile on her lips, one Cas recognized from when she’d first started working with him, and turned to face her tormentor.
“Kaios.”
“How lovely to see you after all this time.” The werewolf actually had the audacity to lean in for a kiss.
“Touch me and I’ll stab you with my fork.” Leia delivered the threat with her polite smile in place and a friendly tone to her voice.
Pride swelled his chest. Damn, she was amazing.
For his part, Kaios froze, took a moment to assess how serious she was, and apparently concluded she meant it. Castor had zero doubt she did. He kind of wished Kaios would try something, just to see Leia fork him somewhere that would cause permanent damage. Weren’t wolf balls a delicacy in some societies?
“I took the liberty of moving your seat as far away from mine as possible.” Leia glanced meaningfully across the table.
Cas choked back a laugh. So that’s what she’d been doing earlier. He and Kaios, as the most powerful beings present, were both guests of honor, seated with the bride and groom, but that didn’t mean Leia had to sit close to the man. Kaios’s lips flattened. “Still high and
mighty. Even without your spring, hmmmm?” He made his way around the large round table to the opposite side.
Leia’s only reaction was to tighten her hand around his. Rage burned in Castor’s chest—at Kaios as well as at himself. He shouldn’t have let her do this. Time to provide backup. Deliberately, provocatively, Cas trailed a finger across the smooth skin of her upper back and placed a proprietary hand at her nape.
She turned her head to blink at him, a question in her eyes. He returned her gaze with a warm smile, one meant solely for her. Satisfaction zoomed through him as she shivered beneath his touch and her eyes darkened to midnight. He’d started this for their audience of one, but her shiver had him laser focused on the woman beside him. With wicked intent he trailed his fingertips down her spine in a feather-light touch designed to tease. At the same time, he dropped his gaze to her strawberry colored lips, eager for another taste.
“How do you like being an Executive Assistant, Lyleia?” There was a condescension to Kaios’s question that implied he thought the job fitting for the lowly position he’d dragged her down to. But Cas and Leia were still too wrapped up in whatever was happening between them to pay him much attention.
All twelve people seated at their table looked in their direction at Kaios’s question. With effort—on both sides, if her shuddering intake of breath was any indication—they reluctantly turned their gazes to the man across the way.
Leia cleared her throat. “I love it. Cas is the best boss I’ve ever had. Challenging, fair, and worthy. And the work is fascinating.”
He was momentarily distracted by her use of his nickname. She usually made a point of calling him Castor, much like he insisted on using her full name. Did she do that for the same reason he did? To keep at bay the connection that drew them inexorably closer?
“It certainly appears as though you enjoy him.”
Instead of getting angry at the implication, she moved her focus back to Cas. He swallowed at the need he could see in the color in her cheeks, the sparkle in her eyes. “Cas is a wonderful boss and a wonderful man. I’m a lucky girl.”
