“No. That would be selfish of me. You fell asleep at the dinner table. You were exhausted. Upset? No. However, if you visit my cabin again and the same thing happens once more, I will very likely be…mildly annoyed.”
“I cannot imagine you being, saying, feeling, or doing anything mildly.”
He looked down into her face and noticed her playful, almost coy expression. “You are full of surprises today, Kiera. I have a mind to invite you over tonight to see where it takes us.”
“You assume I will accept your invitation.”
“You won’t?”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. You have not actually asked yet.”
“Okay,” he told her, grazing a finger down the side of her face. “Come over, then. Have supper with me and spend the night. Tonight.”
“You are a master of direct communication, Xander.”
“It is not the first time someone has told me something like that, and trust me, what I just said was not at all direct. So, what of your answer?”
She looked over at him as though she was carefully weighing the pros and cons of each option. “Hmmm. Can I trust you to be a gentleman?”
“There is only one way to truly answer that, Kiera. And it is not with words.”
“How do you mean?”
Looking into her jade green eyes, he stepped forward, slipped his hand to the back of her neck, and lowered his face to hers. She opened her mouth to whisper something, but he stopped her with a fierce kiss, taking her mouth as though she was already his. Kiera’s hands wrapped around his waist, gripping his back tightly, yielding to every swish of his tongue as he explored her mouth. He pulled her deeper into the kiss, moving one hand down her side until he felt the rise of her hips. She was whimpering, gasping for air, and if he went any further he would have to take her right here, right now, against a wall or on a nearby table so he could taste every inch of her.
Pulling slowly from the kiss, he released her and did not say another word. He turned and headed to the back exit to start their walk to the camps. Kiera caught up to him a few seconds later. Her breathing was still winded, and her face was more flushed than before. She did not speak or take another look in his direction until they were close to the camp.
“Are you…upset?” he asked when they arrived at the gates of his camp.
“Only that you stopped,” she admitted without looking his way.
He took her arm and led her past the gate, leaning over to whisper, “The day is young, pretty little witch.”
Xander showed her some of the common areas as they made their way around. She seemed keen to learn their ways, and asked questions that mostly pertained to the trainees.
“Was the camp always set up with cabins?” she asked after some time.
“No. It still is not.” He pointed to the garrison. “That two-story structure is one of the main barracks where the low-ranking soldiers live. It would not be as unbearable for them if they didn’t have to live there year-round. Minassus does not give a damn about these men, other than how effective they are at protecting the Sector.”
“What if he were to approve homes like where the witches’ craftsmen live?”
“It would help, but many of us would prefer to return to our homes, at least during the warm months. Although I would be the first to admit I find the inside of a house so hot now. I make a point of taking a sleeping bag whenever I visit my mother, just so I can sleep outside.”
“I used to enjoy the outdoors before. Now, I am always inside. I spend so much of my day in the library or conjuring rooms…although that may change.”
“Let me show you some more of the reinforced ravager barriers and traps we have been working on for this winter season.”
“Great,” Kiera said, seeming grateful for the change of subject.
He took her to the west side of camp, where small groups of men sat at several wooden tables. “These are some of the weapons production stations. Most of the larger traps are already installed around the island, but we will continue building until the first winter storm.” He stopped at one of the stations. “The soldiers here are using carpenter tools to sharpen the ends of long straight branches and smaller tree logs, each about a foot thick. At the next station, the team ties several of them together in a hexagon formation, primarily so they don’t break under the ravagers’ weight. Other men from the troops dig eight-foot trenches outside the barrier walls, and these spikes are placed facing away from the outer walls at a forty-five-degree angle trenches.”
“Do they trap the ravagers?”
“No. These bundles are not traps. They slow the savages down. We use light, netted fabric to cover and camouflage the sharp ends, and because they attack at night, many of them will not see what they walk into until it is too late.”
“Impressive.”
“We also use narrower logs for…I will show you over there.”
“Okay.”
“Stand back.” He pulled her a few feet back from the center of the next station, and picked up a rock the size of an egg, passing it to her. “Toss this rock anywhere along that section of camouflage on the ground over there.” She did, and the instant its weight landed on the spot, spikes rose up through the fabric in a crisscrossed X-pattern, with rows of barbed wire strung between them. “If a ravager steps on these traps, they get all tangled up in the wire. Some spikes will pierce their legs, and some of the wretches will fall. Even if they do not fall, they end up confused or disoriented. That gives us a few extra seconds for shifters to attack in groups.”
“Ingenious. How many of them have your men built?”
“A few hundred. It is not near enough for an island this size, but we plan to place them at the most common points where the ravagers typically enter.”
“Smart.”
“I’ll show you the training grounds next.”
“Sure.”
“After we are finished there, you should have something to eat at my cabin. I have a meeting, but it will not be for very long.”
“I brought some food and water with me today. And not a problem about your meeting. I can wait.”
Xander hurried back to his cabin a few hours later. His meeting had gone longer than planned, so Kiera had been waiting for about an hour.
“Sorry I took so long,” he told her, stepping inside.
She looked up from a book she was reading at the table. “It’s all right. I kept myself busy. I should head back, though. I told Coco I would meet her at five o’clock.”
He looked at the clock above the fireplace. “You have about forty-five minutes.”
“Perfect.” She got to her feet and placed her book inside of the satchel she had brought. “Thank you again or the tour. It was eye-opening.”
“Happy to hear. Ready to go?”
“Sure, but it is a twenty-minute walk.”
He closed the door behind him. “Are you suggesting we…use the extra time right here?”
She smiled seductively. “Well, yes.”
In three strides, he was in front of her. He was not going to waste these twenty-five minutes behind closed doors with Kiera. He smiled. She was an eager little thing. She probably did not realize she was already running her tongue over her plump, luscious lips. He was ready to devour those lips again. She did not want him to stop earlier? Now that they had complete privacy, he would not. This time, she could tell him when to stop. He took the sides of her face in his hands, and her body swayed into his. Slipping her satchel from her shoulder, he picked her up and sat her on the tabletop, wedging himself between her thighs. He buried his hands in her flaming red hair, and roughly tilted her head back.
Xander leaned down, and brushed his lips against hers, relishing the heat between her legs. Need pulsated through him, and in an instant, he was rock hard. Gripping her back, he pulled her body in tight and pressed his hardness against her. Kiera moaned, and he parted her lips with his tongue, stifling the sound. She melted against his chest, linking her arms around h
is neck as she seemed to hold on for dear life.
Xander pulled from her mouth and lowered his head to her neck, kissing her sweet skin. It tasted like cinnamon and honey. Fuck, what he wouldn’t give for an hour more so he could have her right now. Xander ran his hands down her sides, all the way down to her knees. She arched her back when he slid his fingers under the hem of her clothes, caressing her skin as he moved up her body.
Lowering her backward onto the table, he bundled all that fabric up near her waist. Kiera parted her legs, eagerly waiting, seeming to welcome him to do as he pleased with her. Xander bent forward, kissing his way up her thighs, enjoying every whimper of pleasure that she uttered. He pressed his lips against her mound through her panties. She was so hot, so ready. He hungrily tasted her through the material, licking her sensitive bud, wildly exploring her folds with his tongue. Her hips rose and fell, grinding against his face until her panties were getting in the way.
Gripping the fabric, he pulled it to one side and penetrated her hot wet center with his tongue. She called out his name, grasping his head for more contact. Normally, that was all the invitation he needed to take what he wanted, but he was sure now that Kiera had not been with a man. He would take her over the edge with his lips and teeth and tongue, and with his fingers, but there was not enough time to have all of her.
Another time.
He ran greedy fingers up her thighs, parting her legs wider. Not releasing her swollen bud, he positioned one digit at her slick, tight opening. He paused, letting her rub and press against it, easing in slowly, following her lead until he was deep inside of her. He lifted one of her legs over his shoulder, and the sweet, sexy, innocent woman was riding his finger and mouth, moaning louder as she got closer to her peak.
He stretched his free hand up her stomach to her breast. With her upper body still fully clothed, there was not much he could do, but he made it work, gripping her flesh then running a finger over each nipple. A few seconds later, Kiera cried out so loudly when she came, he was sure that if anyone was outside his cabin, they would hear her. He continued to taste her as her hips settled, only pulling his finger out when her movements stopped completely.
“Are you all right?” Xander whispered after Kiera’s breathing was back to normal.
“Mmmm. Yes,” she moaned. “But I should go now.”
“Okay.” He helped her up off the table, noticing that she swayed slightly on her feet. “You don’t look too steady.”
“Yes. I am.” She fixed her clothes and picked up her satchel. Finding a scarf inside it, she wound it around her neck a couple of times before pulling her hood over her head again.
Before she could move off toward the door, he took her hand. “Come back and see me tonight.”
“I probably cannot,” she said, but did not seem to believe her own words, the way her voice came out with so little conviction. “I will send word if I can.”
He brushed his fingertips over her lips for a moment. “Try.”
They left, and he made a point of leaving some distance between them as they headed back to where she planned to meet her familiar. God knew what he would do if he got any closer.
“I can find my way from here,” she told him once they were outside the camp gates. “It is probably better if we are not seen together this often.”
“Okay. Enjoy your evening, Kiera.”
“You as well.”
She turned and hurried away. Xander waited for her to get to the bend in the road, losing himself in the sway of her hips until she disappeared in the distance. Pleased at how the afternoon went, he headed back to camp then. One thing was for sure. He had not counted on enjoying her this much. Maybe it was better if she did not come by his cabin tonight.
Shaking his head, he dismissed the notion.
Who the hell was he kidding? Now he had to have all of her.
9
Kiera
It took the half-mile back to the Great Hall for Kiera to cool off. The chill in the air helped, but not enough. She unwound her scarf as she walked, hoping it would help. It was no use. She was flushed, giddy and probably looked guilty as sin. Not that it mattered. She would die in seven days, after performing the transformation spell. Why bother with guilt anymore?
Coco and Aleena were waiting for her inside the Great Hall.
“What the hell, Kiera? You are late!” Coco whined.
“By what? Five minutes? Who cares,” she huffed.
“What got into you?” her familiar asked as she stripped off her clothes. Today, she only wore undergarments below her cloak.
“We need to talk when we get to my room.”
Coco studied her, reading her thoughts. She transformed into bird form. “It appears I do!” she squawked.
The three were quiet all the way home. Kiera dismissed Aleena for the day so she could give Coco a piece of her mind.
Coco had not yet taken on her human form, but Kiera could not wait this time. She was so enraged when they were finally alone, she shouted, “You betrayed me, Coco!”
Her familiar shifted and found her bathrobe hanging on the back of the door. “You are angry,” she deadpanned, sliding her arms into the robe as though it was commonplace for Kiera to raise her voice.
“What did you expect would happen when I found out? You had to have blocked me out of that part of your mind for years, and I didn’t even know it.”
“Wait one minute.” Coco faced the door, waving her hand as she uttered her go-to boundary spell so no one could hear them. “Don’t be mad. I had no choice.”
“I had a right to know!”
“Newsflash on a little tidbit, Kiera. In case you didn’t already realize, if you let your emotions get out of control, that boundary spell on the door won’t do a damn thing to stop the Regent from reading your thoughts. Because he won’t have to read your mind when your mouth is spewing everything out just fine!”
“Who the hell cares what he knows anymore. I have a week to live!”
“I do too!”
“Yes, but you found out and kept it from me for all this time.” Kiera sat on the side of her bed. “How could you keep something so big and ominous and horrific from me?”
“The Regent does not want any of the Chosen to know. Or their familiars. Do you really believe anyone would think it is such an honor to die for the sake of a stupid shifter transformation spell? You think witches would be lining up outside the fortress begging to be selected? Look outside your window. There are probably some waiting right now! That would not be the case if they knew the cost that comes along with being a Chosen.”
“That is not the point, Coco. I will deal with the big picture when I get to it. I’m talking about you and me right now.”
“So wait. Do you believe I would have come forward as your familiar and volunteered to fucking die after living for over three hundred years?”
Kiera pondered that for a few moments. “Probably not. Why did you?”
“Because I did not know back then! Christ, you are daft!”
“Well, you obviously knew before I did. I had to learn this from Xander, of all people, and you did not tell me. Right now, we are discussing trust, or the lack of it…and our supposedly unbreakable bond. There is no bond or trust with this level of deception and betrayal. I don’t even know if I can forgive you.”
“Well, that is a big problem.”
“It does not matter anymore. We’ll be dead in a week.”
“We’ll be dead either way, but if our connection is not strong, there is absolutely no way in hell that we will complete the transformation spell.”
“What? Why not?”
“Do I have to spell it out?”
Kiera took a breath as she considered it. Then she remembered. “No. I understand. Trust between the Chosen and her familiar must be implicit,” she said, parroting one of the transformation preparation scrolls.
“Exactly.”
“Wait one second, Coco. How did you find out? And when?”
/>
“Do not be pissed.”
“Just tell me. I’m already pissed.”
“Two years ago.”
“Two years? You have been keeping this secret from me for two long years?”
“Dammit, Kiera, will you just get over it? I am sorry. It was an accident, really. Do you remember that day Aleena had forgotten to reopen your bedroom window after she cleaned it?”
“Yes. And you screamed at her for ten minutes straight because—”
“Because I had to find another open window in the fortress, and I was tired as hell after sneaking off all night.”
“Right. Yes. That was when you found out?”
“Yes. I flew in through the Chamber of the Sacred. I saw their crypts, Kiera. Every one of the Chosen and every familiar. Sixteen fucking tombs in a massive room, with space for a hundred more. It was horrible.”
“Oh God. We’re going to die, Coco.”
“Yes, we are…you should be glad now that I did not tell you.”
“Why?”
“Could you live any kind of life, knowing for all that time?”
Kiera suddenly realized the burden Coco had been carrying for two years. Alone. Come to think of it, that was about the time her familiar would sulk in her room next door for days at a time, not eating, unwilling to speak, and had even refused to take on her human form for over a month. “God…you are right. I am so selfish, dear. I did not think about what you had to have gone through. I am sorry.”
“I think I liked it better when you were angry just now. Then we could get to the actual betrayal.”
“How do you mean?”
“That son of a bitch Minassus. He needs to pay.”
“Goodness, I am not sure I’m ready to go there. I will be in a day or two, but I am tired of all the ups and downs of the last few days….well, everything except for one.”
Mystic Storm: An Adult Paranormal Witch Romance: Othala Witch Collection (Sector 2) Page 8
