Warlock Unbound: Heart's Desire, Book 4

by Dana Marie Bell

  He cupped her pussy and growled. “Mine.”

  She nodded. “Yours.”

  Daniel pulled her nipple into his hot mouth, the suction so strong her clit throbbed in time to his mouth. She whimpered, pushing her breasts up farther, trying to drive even more of her flesh between his teeth. Sharp fangs brushed against her skin, threatening her with a bite of erotic pain. “Do not bite that off. I’m kind of attached to it.”

  He lifted his mouth and laughed. “Goddess, Kerry. Don’t make me laugh.”

  She reached up and wrapped one hand around the back of his neck, needing to feel skin beneath her palm. “Why not? Laughing is good for the soul.” She tapped the edge of his erection. “Besides, One Eyed Jack doesn’t seem to mind too much.”

  His brows lifted. “You named my cock?”

  She nodded. “I always name my toys.”

  “Evil woman.” Fingers entered her, sliding in and out of her wet core.

  “My, what sharp claws you h-have.” Her voice stuttered in pleasure. He’d started rubbing her clit with his thumb, setting her blood on fire. He strummed his thumb across her clit, over and over again, driving her closer and closer to bliss.

  His breath was on her neck, his lips tantalizingly close to her flesh. “Let me fuck you.”

  She nodded, whimpering. She needed to feel him inside her again, thick and strong, taking from her what he needed. Kerry willingly gave to him, knowing what she’d get in return.

  Unending pleasure that would rock her world.

  “Lay down. Trust me to take care of you.”

  She did as asked, pressing herself down on Gareth’s work table. She tried not to move anything but she felt two red candles shift, both of them sliding out of her way.

  Huh. That was…interesting.

  “Good girl.” Daniel sucked her clit into his mouth.

  Kerry screamed. That fast the orgasm was on her, surging through her, forcing her to clasp at the edges of the table. Her legs trembled, her toes curled, and her body, already awash in pleasure, strove to hang on to that feeling for as long as possible.

  But all too quickly it began to subside, leaving her trembling in the aftermath of a wickedly strong orgasm. “Oh. Oh God, yes.” More. She wanted more, needed something beyond what he’d already given her.

  He pressed a kiss between her breasts. “Ready for me?”

  She nodded. “Please. Daniel, I need.”

  He snarled, almost scaring the piss out of her. The wolf was so close she thought she saw hair sprouting on his arms.

  Then he moved, shoving his cock into her in one swift, steady motion that had him deep inside her before she could let out the breath she’d sucked in. He took her swiftly, his expression savage. He kissed her once more, and she could taste blood on her lip, his fang nicking her. He pounded into her, his cock stretching her. He grasped her thighs and spread them wide.

  She could see his cock sliding in and out of her, wet with her passion. She tweaked her nipples, groaning in pleasure. Kerry could barely stand it, her body demanding satisfaction. She reached between her legs and began stroking her clit, the urgent need to feel herself spasm around him so strong she could think of nothing else.

  “Kerry.” Her name was whispered reverently, his gaze still glued to where they joined. “My Kerry.”

  It was building, slower than last time, but the unmistakable tingle was there, just out of reach. “Daniel.”

  He glanced at her face, smiling at whatever he saw. He let go of her thighs and grabbed her hips, pulling her to him as he fucked her so hard the table rocked. “Take it, Kerry. Take what you need.”

  Kerry kept her legs spread as wide as she could. The stretch of him inside her was just too delicious to give up. The extra movement from his thrusts was putting her closer and closer to the edge, her body begging for release. A slow whine built up in her, coming out as the orgasm began to crest. Her body began to shake apart as it went higher and higher until—

  The rapturous explosion almost lifted her off the table. Kerry didn’t have the breath to scream this time. The intense spasms bowed her body and overwhelmed her mind until it was all she could do to hold on to her sanity. Nothing in this world had ever felt so good, so right as Daniel Beckett fucking her into near unconsciousness.

  When she finally floated back to reality, Daniel seemed barely alive. His breath came in deep, heaving gasps. His head was on her chest, his hands flat on the table, and his limbs visibly trembled. She sat up quickly, shaking off the dizziness that came with the movement.

  Unfortunately, that movement also wound up knocking Daniel to the floor. She jumped off the worktable and knelt at Daniel’s side, checking the back of his head for lumps or blood. “Daniel? You okay?”

  The satisfied smile that crossed his face didn’t reassure her, because it was the only movement he made.

  “Does it hurt when I press here?” She pressed against the back of his head, not finding any lumps.

  “Nope.”

  “What about here?” She moved her hand slightly, worried when his eyes still didn’t open.

  “Not there. A little lower.”

  “Here?” She moved her hand to the nape of his neck.

  “Lower. A lot lower.”

  She glanced at his groin and saw his cock twitch. “Really?”

  He laughed and tugged her to him, rolling them over until he was on top. His eyes were twinkling with amusement. “But, nurse, it really aches.”

  “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”

  Daniel snarled. “Mine.”

  “Yours, wolf-man. All yours.” She patted his cheek, hoping to soothe the wolf and the man. She was pretty sure it was the wolf that went all caveman on her, but she wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel hadn’t been cheering him on.

  The flash of green caught her by surprise. The ring, the one they’d touched, was already on her finger. “How’d you manage that?”

  “Trade secret.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “We should probably get out of here and let Gareth have his workroom back.”

  “The maids will have a field day with this one.” Kerry allowed Daniel to help her to her feet. “I wonder if he has anything in here that chases away bad dreams?”

  “Bad dreams?” Daniel began pulling on his jeans, tucking his underwear into his back pocket.

  Mmm, commando. She wondered if she could get him to do that more often. “Yeah. I still have nightmares from what the Godwins did to me.”

  He padded silently toward her. “Never again. I swear to you, they’ll never get their hands on you as long as I live.”

  “I plan on you living a long, long time, Daniel. Think you can handle it?” Besides, some magical rock or a concoction of feathers and beads had nothing on Daniel’s warm arms wrapped around her. Even if she did have a nightmare, she’d wake to his touch, his soothing voice whispering in her ear that she was safe.

  He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. “Bring. It. On.”

  She laughed, content just to stand there, held in the arms of the one man who could chase away all of her demons.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Thank you for coming,” Daniel said, folding his arms behind his back. This was the first time he was addressing the council without Gareth there, and he was nervous as hell.

  Kerry was there, leaning against the back wall. She winked at him when he glanced over at her, and he found himself relaxing at her small smile of encouragement.

  “As some of you know, a body has appeared on the shores in the Hamptons, a body that Zachary has determined to be that of a wizard.” Silence. The council held its peace, their expressions stoic. They were giving nothing away. “We have images of four victims, all killed by Arthur Godwin, who absorbed their powers through his ritual dagger and their blood.”

  “Sympathetic magic?�
��

  Daniel had to stop and think of the name of this particular councilor. “We believe so, Councilor Price.” Sean Price had been one of Lillian Fletcher’s suggestions for the council, and so far he’d held his own. “Worse, we were sent video of each murder.”

  That got a reaction. The councilors, especially his mother, Marjory, began to whisper to one another. Each had varying degrees of dread on their faces.

  “I can show you the video, but I’m afraid there isn’t much other than the victims’ screams. However, I’ve pulled images from them in hopes of identifying the victims.” He grabbed the mouse and clicked open the first image, the large screen displaying a woman with her eyes and mouth open. It was pre-scream, the best he could do for the poor victim.

  “Oh my Goddess.” Krystal Wheeler, another of the new councilors, paled. “I know her.”

  “Who was she?” Daniel watched as Kerry pulled out a tablet PC, ready to take notes.

  “Brooke. Brooke Rodgers.” Councilor Wheeler shook her head. “A sweet girl who was mentoring under one of my daughters. She was trying to become an artist. She used her ability to enhance her magic rituals.”

  “She was from one of the so-called lesser families, with no blood ties the court.” Councilor Cho sighed. “Damn it. We need to inform her family.”

  Daniel nodded and brought up the next image. Again, considering the circumstances, he’d tried to capture an image that didn’t have the woman showing her agony. “Does anyone recognize this woman?”

  “I do.” Councilor Bruce Padilla sighed. “Casey McCoy, another young woman from a so-called lesser family. Her parents work for mine. She just graduated college with a bachelor’s in accounting.”

  Daniel clicked to the next image. “This woman?”

  The councilors looked to one another, but none of them seemed to recognize her.

  “I have one more image to show you. Gareth says that she looks familiar and may have worked in the coffee shop downstairs, but he couldn’t remember her name. We decided not to show this image to the owner as he’s a mundane.” He clicked to the last victim that they knew of. “Anyone recognize her?”

  “Debra Mason,” Councilor Jones sighed. “She did work in the coffee shop.”

  “He took one so close to us?” Daniel’s mother scowled. “He’s getting bold.”

  “Indeed.” Lillian Fletcher stood. “It’s now clear that Arthur Godwin is a threat to the wizarding community. Is it possible there are more victims?”

  “I believe so.” Daniel remembered the way Arthur sucked the magic out of the woman’s blood, consuming it. The look on Arthur’s face was pure ecstasy. “I think he’s addicted to the power he’s receiving from the victims.”

  Lillian nodded. “Unless the king objects, we will send out a warning to all the families in the tri-state area—”

  “Include Rhode Island.” Kerry, who’d been silent up until now, finally spoke. “There’s reason to believe he’s moved there.”

  “Very well.” Lillian stared at Kerry, her expression confused, before returning to the topic at hand. “Alerts will be sent out, informing the wizards to keep their daughters close at hand.”

  “We’ll inform the victim’s families and see if we can get the last victim identified,” Emily Cho added.

  “The victim from the Hamptons was found by the police.” Kerry took a step forward, her gaze on Daniel. “If the family informs the police that their daughter went missing in that area…”

  “They should release the body to the family once the coroner is done with it.” Daniel nodded. “It’s tragic, but it’s the only way.”

  “What about the other bodies? We know where they are, but getting to them will be difficult.” Kerry was now at his side, her tablet still poised and ready.

  “Where are they?” Councilor Padilla asked.

  “They were sunk in the ocean.” Daniel brought up an image of the map they’d marked. “Only one was found outside the Hamptons.”

  “It will look odd if we go out hunting for bodies.” Councilor Cho tapped her fingers on the table, obviously trying to come up with a way to bring the victims to the surface.

  “An anonymous tip, maybe?” Kerry shrugged. “We can’t show how we know the bodies are there, but we can make sure the police don’t find out who called. Our magic should block that.”

  “Our magic?” Lillian Fletcher’s brows rose almost to her hairline.

  Daniel gently pushed Kerry behind him, protecting her from the stare of the council members. “Yes. Ours. When we removed a sleeper curse from Kerry, the strength needed to do so opened up her magical channels.”

  Several of the councilors winced in sympathy.

  “Doing so revealed that Kerry had dormant warlock genes.” Daniel smiled. “As she is my mate, we are discussing her options. Obviously she won’t be turning toward the demonic.”

  “One would hope so.” Lillian didn’t sound convinced, but she shook her head. “If you need any assistance, please, let us know.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Fletcher.” Kerry smiled sweetly as she stepped back to Daniel’s side. “I’m talking to Queen Genevieve about what I can do. She’s been very helpful.”

  Daniel put his arm around her shoulders. “My mate is strong. She’ll overcome this and bond to an elemental.”

  “I wish you the best of luck, Ms. Andrews.” Councilor Padilla smiled. “One of my best friends is a warlock bonded to an air elemental. His scrying powers and mental abilities are quite a bit stronger than most magical beings, and his power over air is a sight to behold. Perhaps he’d be willing to speak with you as well.”

  “I’d appreciate that, Councilor.” Kerry rubbed her forehead, frowning slightly. “Unfortunately, the voices Queen Genevieve warned me about have already started whispering. I’ve turned down every offer, but I wanted you to know so you would be aware that I’m not hiding anything from you.”

  The councilors looked at one another, but it was Marjory Beckett who spoke. “I think I speak for all of us when I say we appreciate that, Kerry.”

  “Now, as for the bodies.” Lillian stared at the map, her brows furrowed. “I agree with Ms. Andrews. An anonymous tip will retrieve the bodies, but that places us in the position of having to deal with mundane police. One murder can slowly grow cold, but Arthur would be labeled a serial killer. There’s no way the police would allow it to simply grow cold.”

  “So we have to retrieve the bodies ourselves and explain it as a boating accident.” Chris folded his arms on the table. “Who do we know who can do that, and discreetly?”

  “I’ll look into that,” Councilor Padilla volunteered. “Councilor Cho, would you inform the victims’ families of their deaths?”

  “I will.”

  Lillian held up her hand. “If there is nothing else?”

  “Keeping the police out of this.” Kerry winced. “It bothers me to hide this from them, but how are we going to do that?”

  “Don’t worry, my dear.” Lillian smiled at Kerry. As far as Daniel could tell, it was sincere, but Lillian Fletcher had been ruling the council since long before Gareth became king. “This has happened before, unfortunately. Though usually without so many victims.”

  “Zach is going to see if he can find anything else out, like if there are victims we’re unaware of.” Daniel took the pad from Kerry’s hands and saved the data. “If any of you hear of daughters or wives gone missing, please inform us immediately. We’ll discover whether or not they were victims. Pictures of them would help us do that.”

  “We’ll get them to you right away, Chancellor.” Lillian Fletcher stood. “Is there anything else the council can do to help?”

  “Not right now, thank you.” Daniel bowed his head to the leader of the council.

  “Then I declare this meeting adjourned.” Lillian picked up her purse and headed for the door. The othe
r councilors began gathering their belongings, some stopping to speak quietly to Daniel, others walking right out with grim expressions. No one was happy with the turn of events Daniel had presented them, but so far none seemed ready to shoot the messenger.

  “That went well,” Kerry murmured as the last councilor left.

  Daniel nodded. “So far, so good. With their help we’ll find out who the missing girl is.”

  “And if there are more they’ll be willing to help with those girls as well.” Kerry shuddered. “This sucks.”

  He put his arms around her, tugging her close. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” She buried her head against his chest, her hair tickling his nose. “All I did was stand in the corner.”

  “You spoke up and helped me.” Daniel kissed the top of her head.

  “I was pretty sure if I didn’t come with you, your wolf would have forced you to track me down.” Kerry shrugged, as if what she’d done meant nothing.

  He tilted her chin up and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “You acted as my mate.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kerry sat at the kitchen table, looking through the photos Daniel had pulled from the video. This was frightening shit she was looking at. Each one of these women could have been her, had almost been her. Davis Godwin had planned on killing her when he kidnapped her. She would have been tortured, destroyed and her soul sucked into Davis’s dagger, feeding his power and his demon. To look at these four women was to look at the fate she’d sidestepped only because Zach had been looking for Jo.

  She owed the Becketts big time for saving her from this.

  “You’re kidding me.” Daniel came out of the bedroom, his expression furious. But that was his expression most of the time. What caught her attention was the way he was staring at the photos laid out on the kitchen table. “Fuck. Right.” He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Have the pictures sent up as soon as possible. We need to get Gen and Zach on finding them.” Daniel hung up the phone and slouched into the seat across from her. “We have more.”