by P. Jameson
“There,” she said. “The final ingredient.”
She turned to grin at him and he had the urge to kiss her. It was a fierce, desperate thing, clawing up his chest, pushing him forward until he didn’t see the point in resisting.
Theron reached out, turning her into his arms. One hand on the back of her neck to bring her close, the other cradling her pretty face. Without warning, he lowered his lips to hers, pressing her back against the counter.
Not going slow.
Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t. Because when their lips touched, she melted into him, willing and wanting, her body connecting with his from shoulders to hips.
His mate wanted him. He’d doubted, and it tore him up inside, but this was proof. She wanted him. At least, she wanted this. To kiss him.
So he wasn’t stopping. Not until she made him.
Theron pecked at her lips seductively until she moved on her own. Every soft response was tentative, a little unsure. But she was clinging tight to his shoulders, her short nails digging into his skin.
Taste, his bear growled. Need to taste mate.
Parting her lips with his, he dragged his tongue over hers and swallowed her little gasp of surprise. Her mouth was succulent. Hot and seductive, and when her tongue became more urgent, he met it thrust for thrust, his cock growing harder against the front of his jeans.
Shit. Kissing her made him feel so much.
Too much. He still needed to tell her about the plan.
But damn, when she kissed him like this. Like she was hungry for him.
Fuck the plan. Just for a minute, fuck the plan.
Theron pushed his desperate hips into hers, angling her head back and pressing his kiss in deeper. He wanted to kiss her so hard, she’d feel it on her mouth for days. She’d catch herself rubbing her lips and remembering what he’d done to her right here in the kitchen.
He threaded his fingers in her hair, nails biting her scalp, and it only seemed to make her more ravenous.
Yessssss.
His hand found its way to the hem of her shirt, fumbling to get underneath and feel her skin.
But she jerked her head back, her palm pressing hard at his chest.
“Wait, wait,” she said, eyes wide and breathless. “Just… just a minute.”
Theo dragged his gaze all over her face. “What is it?”
“Nothing just…” Her lips curved into a small smile while her hand softened against his chest. His heart was chugging like a freight train. She could feel it for sure. Feel how lost he was. “W-We haven’t talked. And… the ice cream will melt.”
He frowned at her reasons. They could talk later. And she could refreeze the ice cream. Did he read her wrong? Maybe she didn’t want this after all. Maybe he couldn’t tell and his hope was making him feel things that weren’t true.
She’s scared, bear rumbled. Stop.
Theo shook his head. No. She wasn’t scared. She was the bravest. How could she be scared of him?
Gritting his teeth against his panic, he eased back.
He’d trust his bear this time. If Mirena was frightened of what was happening between them, he’d give her time to see he wouldn’t hurt her. Because damn, he had to believe she liked that kiss.
He brushed the hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “Okay,” he whispered. “Finish your witch’s brew, mate.”
Her smile grew and she turned her head to place a quick peck on his palm where it still lingered near her hair. Then she turned to finish making the milkshakes.
As she tossed things into the blender and hit the start button, Theo stared at his hand in wonder. She’d kissed it. And in a way that was so familiar and normal, it left his insides quaking.
He couldn’t be reading this wrong. Something big was happening between them.
Chapter Six
Mirena sat across from Theron on the faux fur rug that took up most of the living room. She’d parked it on the floor, cross-legged, cradling her milkshake as she sipped.
If this was his idea of talking, he needed to revisit Webster’s for a new definition. He’d barely answered a few of her questions with a grunt, giving her zero indication which way to take this so-called conversation about their future.
But the milkshake was tasty, her bear’s home was cozy, and the way his kiss still clung to her mouth was mind blowing.
He’d kissed her. Theron had kissed her.
She’d never been kissed before.
She’d lived with her sisters in a cabin on a mountain where they practiced their magic. They’d only gone into town to do volunteer work at a few needy soup kitchens or to buy supplies. They communicated with each other and the mystics, and that was the extent of her social activities until she’d arrived at the lodge.
But Mirena was cut from a social cloth. She enjoyed growing her friendships with the clan. She liked talking with guests as they arrived. Getting to see how others met life head on, how they laughed through struggles, how they… chilled, as Mason called it. It was addicting.
She stared over her glass at Theo. He leaned against the bottom of the couch, one arm draped over his knee, staring back at her.
He was intense. Not casual or sarcastic as he’d been in the kitchen. But she could tell now, that her bear was both. She’d simply only seen the one side of him before. Now, she was learning more of him.
And she liked both sides. Alllll his sides.
She couldn’t help the smile that formed, but she tried to stifle it by sipping on her straw.
He wasn’t fooled.
His gaze narrowed on her lips and a crease appeared between his dark eyebrows as he blurted, “I want to put a baby in you.”
His blunt words slammed her in the chest right when she was about to swallow a big gulp of the frozen stuff. Instead, she choked and sputtered, trying to make it not come out her nose.
“Rena?” Theron leaned forward to help, but there was nothing to do.
Wrangling the swallow down, she coughed a few times to clear her throat. She could feel her eyes peeled wide, but was helpless to tone them down. Did he just say…
“Uh…” She cleared her throat for the fourth time. “Come again?”
He was closer now, staring her in the eyes with his serious Theo face. “I said I want to put a baby in you.”
He… wasn’t joking.
A baby. Theo wanted a baby?
Her mind scrambled with the implications. To make a baby, you had to have sex. Sex with Theo was probably amazing if his kiss was anything to go by. Sex would reveal her feelings. Was she ready for that? Was he? But then what about afterward. The pregnancy, the care of the baby. Was he… was he proposing a family?
Her heart thundered in her chest, each beat making her soft with the idea of having a baby to love. A baby that was her own. And Theo’s. A family of her own. Just like she’d always wanted.
“When?” she breathed.
He frowned hard. Like he hadn’t expected the question. Or maybe hadn’t expected her to agree.
Wait, was she agreeing?
Yes. Yes, she was.
“Uhhh… when you’re ready of course. But it should be soon. We need to begin now so the Anchor can grow strong enough before the equinox.”
Confused, Mirena cocked her head. “Anchor?”
He nodded, looking excited. “Remember when we were pouring through Nastia’s old Sorcera tomes?”
She nodded, bewildered. Besides her heart shaped rocks, Nastia collected books. The clan had spent hours trying to decipher some of the oldest spell books to find a way to anchor her.
“A baby can be an Anchor, remember? You need something to connect with, to love so deeply, darkness can’t find a way in, right? Adira said children, being innocents, are light magic. The darkness won’t be able to overcome a vessel carrying light magic, especially when that magic is your Anchor.”
Mirena took in his words, thinking, sorting them out. He’d put so much thought into this.
“Bu
t… Nastia said this wouldn’t work. We can’t have babies because darkness can’t produce light. A Magei can’t have a baby, and I’ll be a Magei by October.”
Theron shook his head. “No. Nastia said it wouldn’t work for her. Because she’d already taken in dark power and used it to kill the werecat. She was already becoming a Magei. You aren’t. You’re still you. Still Sorcera. Still light.”
For now. For a little longer.
He was right.
She stared at the rug, her mind reeling with possibilities. Could this really work? Could becoming pregnant with Theron’s baby anchor her to light magic? Prevent the darkness from overtaking her?
“You would do this for me?”
His gentle hand under her chin tipped her face up to meet his, and he answered softly, “Like you said earlier. I’d do anything for you.”
Just like when he’d kissed her, everything inside melted for him. For the tender way he looked at her now. For the thoughtful way he’d been planning this. Theron was a jewel, but she had a feeling he didn’t realize it.
“And… and what if it works? What about after? We will have a child to care for. What happens then?”
He searched her face, looking for something but she was clueless as to what.
“I will always take care of my young.” He hesitated. “And you, if you want me to.”
If she wanted him to.
He said nothing of wanting to himself. Was this more of his bear pushing him? Was this plan of his driven by the responsibility he felt to protect his mate rather than by feelings he had for her?
“What if I say no? To the baby?”
Theron stiffened and pulled his hand back, his expression guarded. “You don’t want young?”
“No, I do. I always have,” Mirena rushed out. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was young.”
“Then you don’t want my young?”
Her mouth was stuck on open, reeling from his accusation. But no answer came.
Theron looked away, his jaw set.
“Would you rather it be Mason’s?” The question was so low and distorted, she almost missed it. But it shocked her even further, stopping the truth from leaving her lips.
No, she thought. No. Mason didn’t feel right to her. Didn’t feel special like Theron did.
He sighed, his shoulders slumping. He looked defeated, and it felt like coals in her middle. She set the milkshake aside and crawled closer, her mouth fishing open for a response. But her mind and mouth seemed disconnected.
“If it means keeping you safe,” he ground out, “my bear… I… will have to accept that.” His hands were fisted tight against the floor. “First priority is to protect mate. But what mate wants is law. It’s why Thames couldn’t intervene when Nastia chose the undead spell. So… I’ll let you go. But... tomorrow, Rena. If you stay here just tonight, then you can go to him tomorrow.”
The last part was spat from his mouth like it tasted rank. And she agreed, because it sounded rank to her ears.
“I don’t want Mason,” she finally pushed out. It exploded from her like a firework, sprinkling truth all in his face, but she didn’t care how it came across. “Not him or his baby. I just don’t want you doing this out of some misplaced responsibility from your animal. I don’t want to… to… tie you down! You’re wild, Theo. And I love that about you. I don’t want you settling for this because your bear demands it.”
There. It was out there. The truth about her reservations.
Theo’s breath chugged in and out of his chest as he stared hard at her.
“You think my bear controls me?”
She nodded.
“You think I’m doing this because I have to?”
Another nod, because her throat was clogged with emotion. Theron’s chest pumped harder, his eyes digging deep into her. So deep she could feel him threading around her heart, chaining himself in place.
“Let me have you…” His deep, sexy rumble felt like fingers grazing her skin. His words lit her up inside with desire. “And I’ll show you that’s not true.”
There were no words of challenge, yet his tone seemed to imply it. He sat there, looking like he could hardly hold himself in place. Like he was just waiting for her to give the word before he let himself be free with her.
He wanted to show her he wasn’t being controlled by his animal. How could she say no to that? Why would she even want to?
She gave him a single nod, swallowing hard at the feral look in his eyes.
Without a word, he stood to his feet and reached a hand down to help her up.
Was she actually doing this? Was she going to give herself to Theo?
A giddy thrill went through her as she placed her hand in his outstretched palm. He yanked her up, bringing her body right up against his while his arms wrapped around her waist. She could feel every hard ridge of his muscular torso. His arms felt like a steel cage she never wanted free of.
Brushing her hair aside, he pressed his face to her neck and inhaled deeply. His exhale was a low rumble. “You smell magical,” he breathed, before taking another long drag. “Your scent drives me mad. I want to keep it in my lungs instead of oxygen.”
Before she could answer, he pulled back, bending to lift her into his arms.
“In our bed,” he mumbled. “We do this there. It’s where I always imagined it.”
Our bed. Imagined it. He’d been imagining this. And for longer than the couple weeks since she’d stepped in front of Nastia’s attack.
The idea made her feel desperate for him, for the connection they’d share tonight. She wanted to believe this was all him and not his animal.
His gaze was glued to hers as he walked with her to the bedroom. And she didn’t dare look away.
Carefully, he laid her on the bed, stepping back to stare down at her. The bed was soft but she missed the hard, hot feel of his arm. His eyes went leisurely down her body, stopping a little longer at certain places. Like her chest, which heaved with her anxious breaths.
“I’m going to unwrap you like a present, and then I’m going to do amazing and wonderful things to your body. And when I do, you’re going to know things I’m not ready for you to know.”
“Like what?” she breathed, skin breaking out in chills just at his words.
“You’ll feel our mating bond. It’s shiny new, but you’ll feel it. Like a telephone wire relaying my feelings. And you’ll know.”
Mirena panted under his intense gaze. “Know what?”
He shook his head, and for a split second, she saw apprehension in his eyes. One of the many emotions she’d witnessed at the lake when he’d flipped out on Mason. But then a blink, and he was back to normal.
“Everything.” He sighed. “You’ll know everything.”
Easing down on the bed with her, his lips found hers in a sweet kiss. He wasn’t in a hurry, and as she kissed him back, she realized why.
Kissing Theo like this wasn’t something she wanted to rush past. She wanted to linger here, getting used to the feel of his soft mouth. His taste. His tongue, how it licked at her lips to make them open. And the careful way he dove inside.
Her bear was so tender. So sweet. She had no idea his wild nature could be so tamed.
Another side to him.
He broke away from her mouth to trail wet kisses along her jaw. At her ear, he whispered, “Mine,” before tugging her earlobe gently with his teeth. The action sent a violent shiver through her body.
She felt like his. She did. And she loved it.
Yet her body trembled. Her heart thundered. Like she was afraid. Like it did when she was jumping off the cliff into the lake. And it hit her…
The thing about being brave is, sometimes you don’t feel fear the way others do. It’s an obstacle instead of an emotion. One you kick out of your way, in order to move forward. She’d done that her entire life because her vice demanded it. But this time, she wanted to feel the fear. Because… because…
She gasped at the real
ization.
Because falling in love was scary. It was supposed to be. All the unknown. The feelings that exist, but the instinct to hide them. It was all part of the snowball package. Gathering and gathering emotions until it rolled right off the slope and into a canyon of happily ever after.
She wanted to feel everything with Theron. Not just the good stuff. So while she’d taught herself to push fear and trepidation aside and plow through to the other side, with him, she wanted to experience it all. The worry his feelings might not match hers. The wondering if tomorrow will hold the same passion. The anticipation of their future.
Inside, her heart felt like it was blooming. Opening like a rose to allow herself to feel the hard things. The things, she realized… she’d already been feeling but was too careful to admit.
The mating bond.
As he kissed her neck, nipping sensually, she could feel it growing stronger. The way she’d sensed his torment at the lake, she sensed things now. She couldn’t put names to them, but she knew what they looked like because she’d witnessed them in Theo’s eyes.
He was scared.
Even as he shared himself with her in this physical way, he was scared.
She was too. And this time, it was okay.
Because they were falling in love. And love was scary for even the bravest of hearts. But maybe if they could find each other in the scary parts, they could have something wonderful in the end.
It was a dare she was willing to take.
Okay, brave bear. Let’s do this.
Chapter Seven
Theron was in heaven. A heaven filled with Mirena’s scent, her feel, her sounds, her breath.
But it was crazy how even the most wonderful things could hurt. Why did good things make him ache so bad? And was it like this for Thames too? When would it stop hurting to think about her?
When she’s claimed and marked. When she’s fully mine.
He kissed his mate’s mouth so carefully. Not like he did in the kitchen. This time, he was going to do it right. Going to show her he wanted her, and not just to save her.
If what she said in the living room was true, if she was hesitating because she thought his bear was running things, then he’d show her the truth right now. That way she’d never hesitate again.
