by Iris Abbott
Logan flicked an aching nipple with his tongue while his fingers lightly caressed the other. Her abdomen clenched, and her body tensed. She was close to gaining the ultimate pleasure. He let go of the one nipple with a soft plop and immediately took the other into his mouth.
Brittany’s moans of approval echoed around the room. He smiled at her and trailed moist kisses down her abdomen. Brittany held her breath. She arched her back and lifted her hips from the bed, anything to get closer to Logan.
Once again, he grasped her hips to stop her from bucking. She stilled and waited for what he’d do next. Thank goodness, she didn’t have to wait long.
Logan loomed above her then she was surrounded. Every inch of her body was covered by him. His erection parted her folds and slid across the slick skin to rub against the swollen bundle of nerves above. The friction was too much! Brittany arched her back and bucked her hips so hard and fast she almost dislodged Logan.
Logan laughed. He slipped one of his large palms underneath her bottom before she came to rest flat against the bed. He used his other to guide his erection to her waiting core. The tip slipped inside. He lowered his mouth to her neck and sucked on the sensitive skin. Then he thrust deep.
They’d both been tormented almost beyond endurance, and Brittany sensed their first time was going to be hard and quick. She’d have to wait for slow and steady, maybe on the second go around.
Her muscles clamped around his erection and squeezed. His increased thrusts and guttural moan caused her to twist beneath him. Brittany’s nails raked his back, and she relished the sensations bombarding her body.
Suddenly the blindfold was ripped away, and she could see again. “I want you to look into my eyes when you lose control,” he demanded in a harsh whisper.
And Brittany did. She stared into the depths of his ice blue eyes. She didn’t dare look away, not even for a second. He thrust harder, and she gloried in the feeling of being filled by him. Still, it wasn’t enough.
She needed more. She needed him deeper. She needed him closer. Brittany arched her back, thrust her hips forward, and wrapped both legs around his lower back. She pulled him closer and drew him in deeper.
She was sailing on the ultimate wave of pleasure. The crest rose higher and higher until it was almost at tidal wave proportions. Her muscles clenched so tightly she thought they might snap. Still, she reached for the ultimate climax, determined to get there.
Logan’s finger rubbed across the bundle of nerves guarding her core, and she lost it. Her entire body clenched and then trembled. Brittany rode the zenith of the wave. Suddenly, she tumbled and crashed back down to the bottom. Logan thrust once more before his body as taut as hers was stilled, and he shouted his release.
FIVE
Brittany came awake with a start. She was enjoying a deep and sated sleep surrounded by the comforting warmth of Logan. Someone, however, had other ideas. The unknown visitor pounded on her front door. She heard the lock click and the door open.
Oh crap! She shook Logan and jumped out of bed. God, he must be able to sleep through anything if he could sleep through that racket. “Logan, wake up! Someone’s in the apartment.”
Brittany grabbed her silk robe and quickly covered her body. She thought about dialing 911, but then she heard a familiar voice calling out her name. All the air left her body in a whoosh of relief. She hadn’t realized until then that she’d been holding her breath.
She marched into the living room ready to lay into Julie. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized Julie wasn’t alone. Brittany narrowed her eyes at her two friends. “I’m guessing this is important. Let me get dressed. Logan and I will be right out.”
She returned to the bedroom and found Logan already dressed. “My friends are here along with your guardian and a couple of other men. I think one is the wolf alpha. I didn’t recognize the other man though he seems vaguely familiar.”
Logan nodded and sat on the edge of the bed to put on his boots. “I figured as much. Saint John needs all loose ends tied up before he makes a final report to the rest of the council. He’s going to need to know how we came to be involved in the whole fiasco.”
Brittany stepped into a clean pair of underwear and slipped on jeans and a sweater. She ran a brush through her sleek red hair until every strand was in place. She kept her hair styled in a chin-length bob for this very reason. It was easy to take care of but still looked sexy. “They could have waited until morning,” Brittany grumbled.
“They have a good reason for coming tonight, especially if my suspicion about the third man’s identity proves to be true.” He gave Brittany a slow and sexy grin. “You look gorgeous as usual. Let’s go dazzle them with your beauty and find out why they came calling.”
Selena and Julie embraced Brittany as soon as she returned to the living room. “We were so worried about you,” Selena told her with a frown. “You haven’t answered your phone since we got separated at the Halloween party.”
“I know. I don’t have a phone anymore.” She hooked a thumb in Logan’s direction. “Because he took out the battery and threw it into the greenery surrounding the driveway of the castle.”
The alpha frowned. “Yeah, my men found your phone when they did a sweep of the property. I was wondering how it got there.”
Logan joined the group and shook hands with the other three men. He proceeded to tell everyone how he and Brittany were cornered by the three wolf shifters and why they were on the run. While he explained the situation, Brittany played catch up with her friends. “Well, I think Logan is my soul mate. What about you two, did the mated souls spell work?”
“Did it ever,” Julie and Selena answered at the same time.
The three of them shook their heads and laughed. Once again, they seemed to be on the same page.
“Selena, I heard you and the guardian were together. Isn’t he a cat shifter?” she teased. “Boy, you sure have a thing for cats. How’s Syn these days, he must be really jealous of Phillip?”
Selena turned a delightful pink color. “Umm, not really. I forgot you didn’t know! As it turns out, Phillip and Syn are one and the same. The council sent him to keep an eye on us after we cast the mated souls spell.”
“And my soul mate is the one you haven’t met yet,” Julie informed her. “His name is Alessandro Russo. Believe it or not, he’s a vampire. I was also held captive by an honest to goodness vampire hunter the day after the party.”
Brittany reached for her Julie’s hand and squeezed it tight. “Alessandro dealt with him. That’s one vampire hunter who won’t be bothering us again, that’s for sure.”
“After learning about shifters and a wizard from the future who used to be able to travel through time, I can believe in just about anything, including vampires and vampire hunters.” She narrowed her eyes and gave Julie a thorough going over. “I can’t believe you were held captive two days in a row. That has to be more than bad luck.” She gave her friend another hug. “Thank goodness you’re okay.”
The men stopped talking. Phillip addressed the three women. “I’m sorry to interrupt your reunion. I know you have a lot to talk about, but we don’t believe the danger is over. It could still be lurking around the corner, waiting to pounce on any of us.”
Logan sat on the couch and pulled Brittany into his lap. She sensed his reluctance to let her out of his arms even in a room full of the only people they could trust. Phillip and Selena joined them on the couch. Alessandro and Julie made themselves comfortable on the loveseat. Mitch stood between the front door and everyone else.
Phillip nodded at him. “Always the security expert, I see.”
“You’re damn right,” Mitch replied. “Until we tie up all the loose ends and settle this once and for all it would pay for all of us to be on our toes.”
Brittany shivered as the fingers of cold dread snaked over her spine. So much for hoping this was just a social call. Though she somehow figured the alpha wolf’s presence ruled out that possibili
ty. “But you took care of the three wolves from your pack that were behind all the trouble. What more could there be?”
Phillip Saint John slid to the edge of the couch. He looked at Logan and Brittany. “The vampire hunter supposedly slipped a drug to the security guards working at the party. It caused them to pass out. But when I had the vial of liquid Alessandro got off the vampire hunter tested, it was just plain old water.” He paused and waited for everyone to take in his words.
“That’s right,” Mitch agreed. “The three pack members were trying to take me out without a challenge. That’s been established. I wanted to question the other two, but they were dead before we could get them back to the pack meeting house. There was no warning or signs.” He paused for effect, “it was almost like…”
“MAGIC!” Brittany, Selena, and Julie all yelled at the same time.
“Those three wolf shifters we saw were very knowledgeable about magic. They had crystal charms capable of blocking a spell,” Brittany reminded everyone. “They could only have gotten such a thing from a witch.” Her eyes narrowed. “A very powerful, greedy, up to no good witch.”
“Nancy,” all three witches said in unison.
“It’s scary the way they keep doing that,” Logan spoke up.
“Well, we’ve always been able to do it,” Brittany informed all the men in the room. “So you might as well get used to it. That is if you’re going to stick around.”
****
Logan knew there was a message in there for him. She wasn’t sure of their feelings for each other, and she wasn’t sure of him yet. He would take care of her doubts, but once again her safety was his first priority.
Phillip scratched his chin. “Nancy Pell, the head of Enigma’s coven? It makes sense. She’s very powerful. If magic were being used in and around Enigma she’d know about it, but what does she have to gain?”
Mitch sighed. “I know of Nancy, but I’ve never met her. I don’t know what she would have against me, or why she’d join forces with three of my pack members to take me down.”
“Let’s suppose Nancy is behind this,” Phillip agreed. “We have three wolf shifters, a vampire hunter, and a witch all working together. Why, and what did they hope to achieve?”
Logan abruptly jumped to his feet, dumping Brittany in the process. He ignored her shriek of outrage. “I think I’ve got it! Look around you.”
He paced in front of the couch. “Alessandro is the oldest most powerful vampire in or around Enigma. Brittany told me her grandmother, the most powerful witch in Enigma, died in an accident about a year ago.”
He wanted to comfort Brittany when he heard her startled gasp, but he had to keep going. “Mitch is the alpha, so he is the most powerful wolf shifter. Someone it appears has plans to take out the most powerful paranormal beings in Enigma. A power grab maybe?”
Phillip grunted. “Logan, I think you’re definitely on to something. Mitch, remind me again when and how you came into power.”
“My uncle the former alpha and his mate were killed in a car accident.” He stared at Brittany, and a look of horror crossed his face. “The day after your grandmother died as a matter of fact.”
Brittany trembled. Logan felt the outrage flow off her in waves. “If what you are implying is true, it means my grandmother’s death wasn’t an accident after all,” she grated out through clenched teeth. A heart-wrenching sob followed the words.
Logan sat back down and pulled her into his lap. Brittany was the strongest woman he’d ever met in any century, but he sensed she needed to be held. He was rewarded for his perceptiveness when she burrowed deep into his embrace.
“It’s got to be Nancy,” Julie insisted. “She’s the key. She was really quick to banish Brittany from the coven.” Her eyes narrowed and took on a dangerous gleam. “She knew Brittany was the one witch strong enough to stop her and another death would look mighty suspicious to the rest of the coven.”
Brittany looked up from where she’d been hiding her face against Logan’s chest. She was as pale as a ghost. “Actually, I was supposed to be home that night. My car broke down, and not even my magic could fix it.”
“I don’t think that was a coincidence,” Mitch said. “I knew your grandmother. We sometimes consulted on cases with the council together. I knew something about your aura was a little different, but I couldn’t put a finger on it until now. You’re charmed. He glanced at the other two witches. All three of you are charmed. How can that be?”
“My grandmother,” Brittany exclaimed! “It has to be. Maybe she sensed Nancy was up to something. She knew that the three of us would have each other’s backs always, no matter what.” She clenched and unclenched her fists.
“We have to stop Nancy. I know that greedy and wicked bitch! She won’t stop until her plan has been executed or she’s dead. Whichever comes first.”
Phillip rubbed his stubble covered chin. “She probably knows about the mated souls spell and your new allies now that it has been answered. What she doesn’t know is that we are onto her. Why don’t the three of you get her here under the ruse of rejoining the coven and we’ll go from there?”
****
“I have to say I was simply shocked to get your call,” Nancy informed Brittany and her friends. She fidgeted with her teacup, and it rattled when she placed it back on the saucer.
“Nervous, Nancy?” Brittany arched a brow. “I can’t imagine why you would be scared of the three of us.”
“Yes, well, you never can tell about people these days. And I have to say I was really surprised to hear from you. It’s been over a year since you left the coven. Why are you calling me now?”
“As you may or may not know there have been a few attacks on us lately.” Brittany nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. “We thought the coven might provide more protection than just the three of us on our own.” Brittany wanted to choke on the words. They didn’t need help from this woman. She did need to make it convincing, so she played her part the best she could.
Nancy abruptly stood. “I’d have to approach the other members of the coven, but it’s doubtful. I wouldn’t get your hopes up. I really must be going.” Before she could move a step, the door flung open.
Logan, Phillip, Mitch, and even Alessandro, who was covered from head to toe, entered the apartment. “That’s not very charitable of you,” Logan insisted. “As a wizard, I always thought the unspoken code of magic was to look after all witches and wizards as if they belonged to your own coven or circle.”
Nancy's eyes were so wide they looked like they might pop out of her head. She took a step back.
Outside, nature seemed to pick up on the turmoil inside Brittany’s apartment. The wind blew so hard it howled as loud as a banshee. Thunder rolled in the distance and rain pelted the outside of the building, including the windows.
****
Nancy tried to use the distraction of the severe weather to her advantage. She reached under her cloak for enchanted dust that would put everyone in the room except for her into a deep sleep. It was what she’d used on the wolf shifters at the party. It had been so easy to trick the vampire hunter into thinking he’d done the deed instead.
She snickered at the memory.
Just as she threw the sleeping dust into the air, a woman stepped out of the shadows of the stormy afternoon and into the front door of the apartment. She brought the wind with her, and it provided a protective buffer that blew the dust so that it only landed on Nancy.
****
Brittany was the first one to see the woman. “Grandma?” Her chest tightened, and she was pretty sure her heart stopped beating.
Everyone turned at her startled proclamation.
“You!” Nancy shrieked in an evil sounding voice that was cold enough to chill the blood of everyone in the room. “I already killed you once! How many times does it take for you to actually die?”
“You didn’t kill me. I knew what you were up to. I’ve always been more powerful than you, and you couldn�
��t stand it. I protected the girls, and then I waited for you to make your move. I wasn’t in the house. What you saw was a double created by magic.”
Her eyes went to Brittany and her friends. “I’m sorry, Brittany. I’ve been hiding all this time with the help of…”
A large and dark man slipped into the room with such grace and stealth it stole her breath. He reminded Brittany of Phillip Saint John, and she was sure he was a cat shifter. He lifted a hand and casually flung a huge ball of fire at Nancy. The flames consumed the evil witch, but strangely enough, didn’t touch anything else in the room. He snapped his fingers, and every trace of the fire and Nancy disappeared.
The stranger met Brittany’s startled gaze. “I’ve been hiding your grandmother since the night her house went up in flames. She didn’t have a choice if she wanted to keep you safe and she knew that.” This was directed at the three youngest witches in the room.
Brittany’s mouth gaped open, and she slowly nodded her head. The man was danger personified. Thank the universe he was on their side.
“Lucian Petrakos!” Phillip said the words with such awe that Brittany knew she was right about the stranger being a guardian. “The only known 1st generation cat shifter still alive and head of the council,” Phillip explained to everyone.
Lucian nodded in agreement. He took Brittany’s hand in his own. “Please don’t hold any of this against Brianna. She only did what she had to do to keep you and your friends safe. I’m the one that insisted she let everyone, including you, believe she was dead.”
“It really was for your own good,” Brianna insisted.
Brittany flung herself into her grandmother’s arms. “I don’t care! I’m thrilled you’re here now.” Tears clouded her vision, but they were tears of joy. She turned to thank the guardian for watching out for her grandmother, but he was already gone.
“He’s elusive that one,” her grandmother confirmed. “But thank the magical universe I had him on my side.”
