by Tasha Black
“Luke,” she whispered. “You came.”
“I will always come for you,” I told her, wrapping my arms around her. Hot tears of relief prickled at my eyes. “What happened?”
“I… I…” she trailed off, as if she had forgotten herself.
“She stole a book from the library,” one of the other women said softly. “Why did you do that, Bella?”
My mate curled herself up again, and did not answer.
“What happened to the other girl?” he asked.
“Nina was looking for me, when she realized that Bella had taken the book,” the girl told me. “She didn’t want to get Bella in trouble, so we came after her. But there was some kind of zombie dog and a horrible man, and he hit Nina.”
“Go check on Nina,” I told the girl.
She scrambled up to tend to her friend, and I tried to rouse Bella again.
“Darling, I need you to sit up and tell me you’re okay,” I murmured to her. “Can you do that for me?”
“I can’t see,” she moaned.
“Why can’t she see?” I roared to the other girl. “What did he do to her?”
“I-I think it might be her price for magic,” the girl stammered. “She pushed too hard, trying not to let him get the book.”
I wondered what the hell could be so important about this book that Bella would steal it and risk her own safety to hold onto it.
“It may not be safe here,” I whispered to Bella. “I need to get you back to my cottage.”
“I won’t give it up,” she moaned, tightening her coiled body.
“You don’t have to give it up,” I told her firmly. “I will defend your right to keep it with my life.”
I felt my promise tighten around me, and hoped I hadn’t made a mistake. The wrath of those witches could rain down hell on us.
But my words seemed to soothe Bella. Her body softened enough for me to lift her into my arms.
She rested her head in the crook of my neck, her hands still wrapped around the book so that she couldn’t hold onto me.
I finally had a thought to spare for the other girls. I turned to find that the first one was helping the second to her feet.
“Take her back to the school and tell no one what you saw,” I instructed them.
“The book…” the injured girl moaned, lifting her hands up, as if I was going to place it in them.
“No,” I said firmly.
“You don’t understand,” the first girl tried to explain. “The library means everything to the witches, and that book is very important. She can’t just take it.”
“I’m not going to let a gaggle of half-baked witches in training wander away with this thing with no protection when it already practically got you killed,” I snarled. “Go back to school.”
Bella moaned pathetically in my arms.
“But,” Nina began.
Completely out of patience, I snarled viciously at her, letting my wolf dangerously close to the surface.
Both girls cowered and took off through the trees, back toward the school.
If I were a better man, I would have accompanied them to ensure they made it safely.
But they no longer had a precious and dangerous book with them. And more importantly, Bella needed my help.
“Hold on, my love,” I murmured to her. “We’ll be home soon.”
31
Bella
I awoke before dawn. For a moment, I thought I must have died and gone to another place.
But when I opened my eyes, I found myself in Luke’s bed instead.
There was a sound like rain falling, and it took me a moment to realize it was only Luke showering. At once, everything came rushing back - the warlock, the hellhound, my friends…
The book.
I shot up in a panic, but spotted it immediately, on the bedside table, propped up in such a way as to be the first thing I saw upon waking up. Luke must have known I’d be worried about it.
The last thing I remembered was the hellhound attacking and something leaping out of the woods.
Luke.
That big furry thing must have been Luke. I had been too exhausted and half-blind at that point to recognize his other form.
I hugged my knees to my chest, thinking about how lucky I was that he had come.
I would have died. We all would have. And it would have been my fault.
I glanced over at the book again. I had almost died trying to do magic on my own. I wouldn’t be able to learn what I needed from a book. There was only one way I could have any hope to learn enough to help Jon.
I had to go back to school.
The thought tore my heart apart inside my chest. Tears streamed down my face and the spell that bound me to Luke sizzled and seared me from the inside out.
I would be a shadow of myself, but my sweet brother was already suffering, so there was no reason for me not to. I had ruined his life. If I had to sacrifice my own to put things right, I was glad to do it.
If I was distracted, I would work through it. I would work through the pain of losing Luke. Even, somehow, the pain of having to watch him choose another woman in front of me one night.
Maybe I could find a way to break the spell that had me obsessed with him. If I did that, then everything else would be easier.
I grabbed the book and stepped out of bed, but my legs nearly gave out under me.
How long was I out?
Slowly, I lowered myself to the floor and began to crawl for the door to the bedroom. It seemed so far away.
I pushed onward, knowing I could do this, I could do anything with the love for my brother as my fuel. But every foot was harder than the one before.
It’s the spell. The binding spell is trying to keep me from leaving.
I wouldn’t give it the satisfaction of giving up. I crawled past the kitchen and dining area and pulled myself to my knees to open the front door.
Outside, the grass was fragrant and dewy. I stopped to try and slip the book into the front of my dress. I couldn’t risk wetting it.
A roar split the air, the pain behind it enough to shatter my world.
The ground rumbled under me, and then Luke was scooping me up off the grass, lifting me into his arms.
“Why?” he groaned.
His eyes were blazing. I was lost in them, lost to my need for this man, even as I mourned all that I would have to give up if I wanted to be his.
But I wasn’t going to give up my magic. I wasn’t going to give up on my brother.
“I’m leaving,” I said, hoping my voice sounded stronger than I felt.
“I can see that,” he replied. “Would you mind telling me what I did wrong to make that happen?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I told him, feeling suddenly tired. “But I have to go back to school. And nothing, not the mate bond, not whatever spell you and the witches put on me, is going to stop that from happening.”
“Spell?” he asked, looking genuinely confused.
“Please don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean,” I said. “At first I was attracted to you and I could feel that pull that I figured must be the mate bond. But now, there’s something else, something so much stronger. I can’t stop thinking about you night and day, I can’t concentrate in class, or on my friendships. I’m having a hard time remembering my priorities, because all I can think of is you. It has to be some kind of spell.”
“Bella,” he said with the hint of a smile in his voice. “There is no spell.”
“Of course there is,” I told him. “Everything changed for me after our second night together. It was like I wasn’t in control anymore.”
“It changed for me too,” he told me. “It changed because I got to know you, because I care for you.”
“No,” I said. But as I thought back to that night, I realized there might be some truth to what he was saying.
“I love you, Bella, mate bond aside,” he told me softly. “Which means I want you to be happy.”
He took a deep breath and kissed my forehead.
“Bella,” he went on. “You can refuse our bond. I will honor your wishes and I won’t try to change your mind. You’ve spent your three nights with me, so you’ve fulfilled your obligation. You can go back to the school and be free. I’ll take you there myself. I don’t want you to stay with me for one more minute, if you don’t want to.”
“I do want to stay with you,” I heard myself say. “But I don’t want to leave school. There’s so much I need to learn.”
“Who said you have to leave the school?” he asked.
I blinked up at him, shocked.
“All witches leave the school when they are chosen. That’s what everyone says.”
He frowned and then seemed to make a decision.
“Mates never go back to the school because of the old tradition,” he said thoughtfully. “I think it’s time for us to start making some new traditions.”
32
Luke
Bella was crying by the time I finished my sentence. I held my breath, confounded by her wild beauty once again.
“Are you okay?” I asked her after a moment.
“Oh, Luke,” she sobbed. “I’m so happy.”
My heart exploded with joy and I pressed my lips to her hair, her forehead, her eyelids.
I carried her inside, into my bedroom - our bedroom, now - and placed her gently down.
Before I could pull away, her wicked little hands were all over me, sliding up my chest and tangling in my hair as she tried to pull me down for a kiss.
“Soon, little one,” I promised her. “But you need more rest. You’re as weak as a kitten.”
“No,” she moaned. “I need you now.”
My wolf roared in my chest and I tried to cling to control.
“How about a warm bath and a meal first?” I offered.
“You’re trying to trick me into getting sleepy, aren’t you?” she said, her dark blue eyes narrowed.
“Maybe,” I laughed. “But if you really don’t need more rest it won’t work, right?”
“Right,” she said. There was a competitive flash in her eyes that made me want to go down on my knees and feed on her immediately.
But she needed rest and food more than she needed my mouth on her.
“Get undressed, I’ll get your bath ready,” I told her.
Reluctantly, I headed to the bathroom to start the tub. I threw in some bubbles and lit a couple of candles in spite of myself. It couldn’t hurt if it was a little romantic in here, could it?
When I returned to the room I half-expected her to be asleep on the bed again. Instead she stood naked, gazing out the window.
“Bella,” I said softly.
She turned to me and smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I moved toward her as if in a dream, reminding myself that I could not claim her yet.
She took my arm and we moved slowly to the bathroom. I held her hand as she lowered herself into the steaming water.
“Ahhh,” she moaned, closing her eyes.
I was instantly hard as stone.
“Come in,” she said, opening her eyes and putting her hands out. “Come with me.”
“Not yet,” I told her, shaking my head. “You enjoy. I’m getting you something to eat.”
“Mmm, okay,” she murmured, sliding further into the water to wet her hair.
I practically jogged to the kitchen, desperate for a little space so I could plead with the wolf to let us take our time.
He paced and moaned in my chest as I scrambled eggs and cut up fruit. It wasn’t a fancy meal, but it was all I had in the house that could be prepared quickly.
And I was eager to return to my mate, so eager.
She sat up in the tub when I came back with her breakfast. Bubbles slid down her clavicle, along with rivulets of water that bared her beautiful breasts to me.
I gaped at her like a teenager for a moment, then forced my eyes up to meet hers.
“Are you coming in now?” she asked.
“After I feed you,” I told her.
“You’re going to feed me?” she asked.
“You’re covered in bubbles,” I pointed out reasonably. “Besides, I want to tame you. So you don’t try to sneak off and leave me again.”
She laughed at my dumb joke and I loved her even more.
I sat on the edge of the tub and speared a raspberry on the end of the fork. She slid closer to close her pink lips around it.
Gods.
I fed her another bite, eggs this time. Then another.
Soon the plate was clean.
“Better?” I asked her.
She nodded, her expression expectant.
I stood, placing the plate on the sink.
Her eyes were hungry as she watched me pull my shirt off over my head. I unbuttoned my jeans as slowly as I could, loving the way her eyes caressed my abs.
I didn’t have to work hard for the hard angles and bulging muscles she was ogling. They were my birthright as a guardian, and I had taken them for granted all these years.
But seeing her eyes on me made me glad if they could bring her pleasure.
Her lips parted as I finished unbuttoning my jeans and dragged the fly down. I hoped I wouldn’t frighten her. I was going to be so gentle with her. I would do anything to protect her from pain.
At last my clothes were piled on the floor and she put her arms out to me.
My heart sang with the knowledge that she was still eager to have me close. I stepped into the steaming water and lowered myself down.
She flowed into my arms in a swirl of bubbles and I knew that no matter what I had promised myself, we weren’t going to make it back to the bed.
33
Bella
My body slid against Luke’s under the warm water and I wanted to close my eyes and soak in all the sensations.
But I forced myself to lock eyes with him, the man I loved and wanted. I needed to see his emotions and be sure mine were bared to him too.
“Bella,” he sighed. The sound was a song to my ears.
I placed my hand on his chest, felt his heartbeat throb under my palm, a sense of reassurance pouring over me.
Things were about to change in my world, a lot.
But this was never going to change. This was the high I had been chasing, the sense of home - all beating like a drum in this man’s chest.
Not a spell. Just love. Stronger than any magic I would ever learn, even from the greatest teachers.
He lifted my hand to his mouth, kissed my palm, and I could feel it between my legs.
I moaned lightly and his eyes flashed up to mine again.
He lifted me effortlessly onto my knees and bent to lick one nipple into his mouth.
A flicker of electricity went through me and I let my head fall back as he cupped the other in his hand, mimicking the motions of his mouth, driving me wild.
His other hand slid down my belly and pressed my thighs wide.
I was whimpering before he even touched me and crying out the instant his fingers toyed with me, teasing me until I was half mad with desire.
He growled against my breast and suddenly he was lifting me up, stepping out of the bath, water running off us as he stormed to the bed and laid me down.
He paused for a moment, gazing down at me, his eyes on fire with lust.
“Luke, please,” I murmured, opening my arms to him.
He crawled onto the bed, but stopped between my thighs.
“I can’t,” I moaned.
“You can,” he smiled and buried his face in my sex.
Longing nearly lifted me out of my body. Every stroke of his tongue sent me flying halfway to paradise, but he never allowed me to climax.
On and on he lapped and flicked, stopping each time I was trembling on the precipice.
“Please,” I begged.
His movements ceased instantly. Then he was crawling up to cage my face in his arms.
&
nbsp; “Will you accept me as your mate, Bella?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Forever?” he asked. “This can’t be undone.”
“Forever,” I said.
He kissed me then, his mouth still glistening from my juices.
I kissed him back, surprised to find that I didn’t mind the taste. But nothing he ever did could be wrong. He was my mate already, what came next was a formality. I already knew I was his. I had been from the start.
“This may hurt,” he warned me.
I nodded up at him and he kissed my forehead.
I didn’t care about the pain or anything else. I only wanted to seal the bond between us.
He guided himself against me and I nearly gasped at the sensation.
Slowly, so slowly he eased himself in.
I felt myself stretch to bursting and then adjust.
“Oh, Bella,” he groaned, holding perfectly still.
But it was too much for me, I was desperate for him to move and ignite the spark between us.
“Luke, please,” I moaned, trying to lift my hips to show him what I needed.
“Mine,” he roared in a voice so hoarse I swore I could hear the wolf howling inside him.
He withdrew and plunged into me again, pushing me so close to the edge that I saw stars.
I moaned and trembled for more.
He surrendered with a groan, filling me again and again.
When I begged for release, he nuzzled my neck between thrusts and slid his hand between us.
He bit down at the same moment that his thumb traced circles on me, pushing me over the edge as he filled me and sealed our bond all at once.
The slight pain burst with pleasure and I cried out as waves of ecstasy washed over me endlessly.
Luke shouted my name and then I felt him jetting inside me as we both lost ourselves to the bliss.
When it was over, he pulled me onto his chest and skimmed his fingers along my shoulder blade.
I closed my eyes, listening to his heart beat slow to a steady pound.
In the circle of his arms I felt loved and safe.
We would have more adventures, I knew that. I wasn’t naive. I expected challenges, and moments of sadness in our life together.
