by Christa Wick
Seth had said on the drive back he'd sensed her in the building before she ever stepped onto the elevator. His awareness of her had kept him reaching into the back seat to brush her knee or run the back of his hand along her leg most of the drive. The signal went both ways, she just hadn't realized it until her final talk with Esme the night before.
Esme removed the cloth from her neck and pressed it to her forehead. "I'll remove the spell. Seth can just break Dana's fingers or something the next time he gets out of line."
Leah reached up, her hand fiddling with the top button on her blouse. "He wouldn't really do something like that, would he?"
"Probably not, and it wouldn't deter that stubborn idiot anyway." Esme grimaced. "The only thing I can think of is having Camille stay."
"Dana listens to your mother?" Leah kept worrying the button, another solution forming in her mind.
"Hah!" A genuine smile split across Esme's face, light springing back into her eyes. "No, but he's as quiet as a statue when she's around. It's almost worth putting up with her."
Dropping her hand to her lap, Leah traced the pleated line running up one leg of her slacks. "There's another option…what you said you could do last night."
Esme said nothing at first then a long sigh escaped her. "Seth will think you're rejecting him."
"No." She pinched the pleat, sharpening its edge. "He'll realize this is just a bunch of biological nonsense and that he's not actually attracted to me."
Leah didn't expect the scowl that whipped across Esme's face. The witch rubbed her hand from one cheek to the other like an eraser along a blackboard, her expression detached by the time she completed the motion.
"Nonsense or not, if I put a cloaking charm on you, it only works one way." The kettle started whistling and Esme stood. She walked into the kitchen area and turned the burner off. "You'll still sense him, know when he's near, smell him in a way that's unique between mates and their offspring."
She started to pour water into the teacups Leah had set out earlier. Her hand shook, hot water splashing along the tea service. Placing the kettle back on the burner, she braced her hands against the counter.
"And you'll want him just as badly as you did last night." She wiped a dishtowel across the spilled water. "That feeling will never fade."
Pulling her feet onto the chair, Leah tucked her legs under her. Her elbow on the armrest, she propped her chin up and watched Esme finish making the tea. "How do you know this?"
There was a long pause, as if the answer was a secret too big to divulge.
"I have the last known latent's diary." Esme returned to the couch with the cups and tea service on a tray. Glancing up, she saw the question in Leah's gaze. "She died sixty years ago, most everyone's forgotten about latents since then. Obviously there are others, you're living proof."
Leah added cream and sugar to her tea, blew thoughtfully at the steam rising up from the pale brown liquid. "If you do this, the Hunters won't be able to find me. I can go back to my apartment, my job, the kids at the school…"
"Eventually, if you can learn to work the charm yourself and there's enough magic in you to do so." She took a sip, put the cup down and then leaned across the table to stare intently into Leah's eyes. "I know Seth. He won't let you go until he's sure you're safe and he's had plenty of opportunity to change your mind. Even then, I'm not sure he'll let you go."
Leah closed her eyes, tried to picture a future in which Seth didn't take one sniff, find her normal and walk away. She couldn't. It had been sixty years since the last latent had lived in proximity to a wolf clan. A diary of devotion was no proof, just a romantic fairytale.
She opened her eyes to find the witch studying her with open curiosity. Giving a little nod, she signaled her readiness. "Let's do this now, before he shows up."
********************
Near dusk, Seth threw his van in park, the bumper almost on the front steps of the witch's porch. He bounded from the vehicle, his throat clamping down on a growl. The lights in the house were on, the front door open, the screen shut to keep the insects out. He heard the witch's voice, but knew something was wrong.
He couldn't feel Leah. It had taken a quarter mile of distance last night before he'd lost the sense of her nearness. If someone had taken her or she left after Dana's little show that morning, he'd break every bone in his second's body -- after Seth had Leah safely back with him.
He ripped the door open, the latch on the other side breaking like a cheap plastic toy. He shouted her name.
"I'm right here."
Seth spun to his left to find Leah wide-eyed and a little breathless at his entrance. He quickly assessed her appearance, finding no signs of injury. Looking right, he saw the witch on the other side of the kitchen island, a little nervous and her hand wrapped around a silver sugar bowl. Not caring that Esme had been his friend since childhood and was as much his family as any shifter in his pack, he growled.
The soft hairs along her bare arm stood up and she took a step closer to the island's center.
"What have you done to her?"
"Only what I asked her to do." Leah pressed her palm against the back of his shoulder.
The heat of her touch penetrated, calming him -- until her words sank in. She'd asked for this, whatever this was. Some sort of cloaking charm, he guessed. He turned slowly, said nothing as he studied her face.
It struck him again how beautiful she was. Dark, finely arched brows framed eyes he could stare into forever. When she blinked, he physically felt the sweep of her thick lashes against his skin. Her lips parted, the sight of their soft contours birthing a low growl of need inside him.
Without asking if he could, he reached out, wrapped a hand around her hip and pulled her closer. Unlike the female shifters he'd known his entire life, with their hard, athletic frames, she was a cushion of softness. He squeezed, not enough to hurt her, just hard enough to feel her flesh yield. More softness was to be had, the plump thighs would mold around his cock when he finally sank into her as would that sweet round ass when he took her from behind.
Her gaze grew larger and he realized he hadn't quite stopped growling. He turned his head, his eyes still on Leah but wanting the witch to know he was addressing her. "Leave."
No sound of movement. His mouth hardened until Leah gave a faint nod, her attention focused beyond his shoulder. A few seconds later, the screen door lightly slapped shut and he heard Esme's footsteps disappear off the porch.
Leah swallowed, her gaze bouncing everywhere but in his direction. "She said you wouldn't like this."
"I don't." He curled his free hand around her other hip.
She wet her bottom lip, his eyes drawn to its quiver. "She said you would take it as my rejecting you."
"You're not?" A small flame of hope sputtered inside his chest. Dana's little show had cost him, but Leah was still here. That had to count for something.
"I just want you to see what you're reacting to." She gestured loosely at her lush frame before taking hold of his wrists, her hands too small to circle them.
Seth knew she wanted him to release her. Still holding onto her hips, he opened a little more distance between them. His gaze traveled down her body. His cock straightened inside his pants, the tip crawling up toward his belt line as his flesh stiffened.
He needed to be inside her, had spent a restless night imagining it over and over. He licked his lips, inhaled deeply. The charm had buried her unique scent as a latent, but the warm, musky feminine odors rolling off her were enough to drive him crazy.
Looking back up, he saw her gaze unfocused. The mix of surprise and languor in her face and the inviting part of her lips made his cock ache.
"You can still sense me, can't you?"
She nodded. Her full breasts rose and fell as she breathed deeply, each intake coming a little quicker than the last.
"You feel how badly I want you--" Smelling a fresh burst of her cream, he groaned. His thumb caressed her hip and he stepped fo
rward. Her breasts moved against his chest, the hard little nipples dragging up and down.
He pressed closer, felt the soft swell of her stomach against his erection. Dropping his mouth close to her ear, he whispered his reassurances. "We're not them, Dana and Esme. It's different. You're blood, even if you can't shift. We are meant for one another."
She tried to shake her head but he stopped her, his fingers threading through the thick dark strands to clasp the back of her skull. He'd never gotten that kiss last night. If he had, Dana's performance never would have happened. There would be no question of Leah wanting to hide from him.
Time to remedy that mistake.
He claimed her mouth in slow, measured steps. It started with a brush of his lips against hers. A more insistent press followed as his bottom lip swept up from below her mouth then pressed back down to part her lips. His tongue explored the narrow opening, licking and curling until her jaw relaxed.
His arm slid around her waist, cinching her tight against his body. Fingers ensnared in her hair, Seth forced her to tilt her head back, the gentle strain opening her even further. His tongue pushed all the way in, moving along her top palate before retreating entirely. He sucked her bottom lip, gnawed softly at it before his tongue invaded again.
His palm flat against the small of her back, he tugged, relaxed, repeated to slowly butt her lower stomach against his hard cock as he demanded more of her mouth. Breaking the kiss, he waited just long enough for her to suck in a mouthful of air before he took her again.
When she started to shake in his embrace, he quickly bent down. His arm landed against the back of her knees to collapse them. Scooping her up, he carried her down the hall. Inside the guestroom, he pushed the door shut with his foot then placed Leah center of the bed. When he put one knee on the mattress, her gaze refocused, alarm registering in those green pools of mystery.
She brought her hands up, shielding herself as he reached for her. "We can't--"
"We are." Capturing one of her hands, he kissed the ends of her fingers, sucked one rounded tip into his mouth as his other hand worked the button of her slacks open.
Catching his intent, she gasped, tried to stop him. He grabbed both of her wrists, brought her hands up over her head and draped his body across her. Her wrists were delicate, easy for him to hold with one hand.
Kissing her, Seth undid the buttons on her blouse. Her whispered protests deepened to soft moans, her hips beginning to roll beneath him. He pushed the edges of her blouse apart.
Hoping for a front release on her bra, his gaze landed between her lush breasts. A silver pin held a small sprig of white petals in place. Seeing the familiar flowers, he growled and reached for the pin. "Witch's lace."
Leah clutched at the sprig, her grip crushing some of the petals. She shook her head. "You have to go--"
Cocking his hips, he slid lower down her body. Her eyes fluttered shut, her mound cresting as the thick, hard line of his erection pushed once along its seam before moving on. He'd deal with the charm later, when her will and sweet cunt were melting beneath his tongue.
Halfway down the mattress, he tugged her slacks and shoes off. Using his broad shoulders as a wedge, he muscled her thighs apart. She tried to push at him, her touch only enflaming his desire. The panties came off in two pieces, the air stirred by rending them ripe with her juices.
Instinct drove his mouth straight to their source, his tongue and nose separating her labia to lick and smell, both senses savoring her honey. His hands gripped her full hips, holding her down as he started to suckle her clit.
She stopped fighting, stopped arguing. The only sounds coming from her were the soft coos gurgling in her throat and the tense draw of her nails against the bed's linen as she arched her hips.
Gripping one plump labia with his mouth, he tugged at it, moved to the other. His hands free, he undid his jeans and kicked off his boots, his mouth never breaking contact with her flesh. He surfed up her body, shedding the bottom half of his clothes.
His t-shirt came off the same way her panties had -- in pieces. With his cock nestled against her clit, he tugged the blouse down her arms. He watched the fabric move over her body, saw the silver thread that had been quickly worked into the side stitching, the ends freshly cut.
Seth needed her completely naked, stripped of the charms the witch had dressed her in. He tossed the blouse on the floor, pushed his hands between her body and the bed to unhook the bra. She was too far gone to protest any more, her body wiggling beneath him, her pale throat convulsing with moans.
When the bra left her body, her scent hit him like a brick in the face.
His mate, his woman.
Grabbing her head with both hands, he buried his face against her neck, his teeth pressed against the sensitive flesh. He wanted to spear into her and ease the ache that had settled into his swollen balls. She was wet, ready, her need dripping onto the linen beneath her.
With a rough growl, he tore himself away from the pulsing temptation of her throat and slid down her body to continue feasting on her cunt. Her moans escalated, turned guttural and fierce as her hips slammed left, down, crested up, her clit swollen and throbbing beneath his tongue.
She sank her fingers in his hair, the nails scratching his scalp as her mound pressed harder against his mouth. Her surrender was near, her release closer still. He fastened his lips to her, his tongue working the small pearl guarded by the tender hood with feather light strokes.
Bringing his hand between her legs, he slowly buried two fingers inside her. Her channel gripped him, flexing rhythmically as her uterus contracted. Her clit bobbed against his tongue, the start of her climax already upon her. Her legs tensed, her pussy tightening as her hips jerked up.
She cried out -- his name, a string of unintelligible words, desperate whispers, promises -- and then she unleashed her sweet nectar, drowning him, wetting his questing tongue over and over until the waves rolling through her finally subsided.
********************
The most bone-shattering climax she'd ever experienced over, Leah peeled her eyes open to find two-hundred plus pounds of pure sex appeal staring down at her. He'd shown up at the house shaved less than an hour ago, now he sported brisk stubble and his eyes had that mesmerizing green glow back in them. She knew if he smiled, there'd be a hint of fang but the thought didn't frighten her.
The memory of men like Seth was deep in her blood. Fangs had grazed her skin in the first wet dream she could remember. She'd thought she was a freak growing up, her fantasies filled with growls, the threat of teeth and nails.
Fresh need coiling inside her, Leah's gaze moved down his body. She'd been peripherally aware that he had stripped his clothes off, her senses too pre-occupied with the ecstasy his mouth and hands delivered to process his nudity. Now she could see he was all muscle and…
Her heart stalled as she took in the size of his cock. He was as long as a football from pointed end to pointed end. Inhaling with a shuddering breath, she felt the walls of her cunt squeeze in anticipation. The soft growl of her lover told her he knew exactly the effect he had on her, could smell the fresh burst of cream leaving her.
She expected him to lower his body over her, spread her thighs again and thrust into her. Instead, he flipped her onto her stomach, her weight nothing against his strength. Hearing another growl vibrate roughly from him, she looked over her shoulder. Seth stared down at her ample bottom, his mouth partly open and the tip of his tongue resting against his upper teeth.
One hand roamed her left ass cheek, squeezing and rolling the flesh, as his other hand stroked his gorgeous cock. Liquid beaded at the wide slit in its crown, fat translucent drops dribbling down onto his fingers. He smeared the fluid with two fingers then rubbed her pussy with them, slowly moving toward her open core and inserting them. Stealing more of his pre-cum, he buried three fingers in her.
She started to rock, the timing of her back and forth motions synced to the hard contractions rolling through her
cunt and the thrust of his hand. She ached for him, needed the thick cock inside her. With soft mewls, she begged him for it.
Grabbing her hips by both hands, he raised her ass higher. His hand left her hip and angled his cock down until the thick head pushed against the quivering gate of muscle that ringed her channel. The same hand smoothed along her back to push her shoulders lower, flattening her breasts against the mattress.
Slowly he sank into her. She couldn't guess his girth but he felt twice as thick as any lover she had taken. He stretched her, his hot gaze searing her flesh as he pushed deeper. His lips moved, his jaw working, fangs flashing as he fought to keep control. Four inches from his base, his nostrils flared and his eyes sealed shut as he closed the distance by dragging her up his dick.
Leah moved to lift up on her elbows.
Seth's growl stopped her. "Down."
His eyes were open again, his expression feral masculinity. He was taking her, his mate, would do so this time exactly as he pleased, which meant his thrusting into her from behind with his big cock filling her, her ass high in the air and her chest flat against the bed. A shiver ran over Leah, her whole body contracting simultaneously in perfect submission to the beast claiming her.
He began to rock with her, pushing and pulling her body along his length. Her swollen pussy felt like there were two thick heads inside her, the big hammer at the end of his cock and again, a few inches up from the base, an even bigger knot of pleasure driving in and out of her but keeping him anchored inside. She tightened around it, the strength of her moans shocking her.
She was coming again, harder than the last time, which should have wrung every last drop of satisfaction from her body, it felt that good.
"Mine."
She looked at his face, saw the tremor of strain as he approached his own release. "Yes," she moaned, hugging him with her pussy for emphasis. "Yours."
