Now my face goes red. I turn to Dmitri. He’s fighting straight up laughter. No one has any idea how difficult this has been for me.
Dmitri nods. “She’s right, bear. It’s time for you to go home and take care of business.”
***
So now I’m heading to my cabin and nothing is settled in my mind. I’m also hungry again because I haven’t eaten meat since last night. My stomach rebels and I decide to stop torturing it by thinking of what it can’t have. I shift to my human form and enter the cabin naked just as Veda walks from the bedroom. I head straight for her. “Do not say a word, woman. We have something to get out of the way. From here on out, we shall get to this business first. Before talking and eating, this always comes first.”
I wrap my hands around her waist and lift. Her legs clasp my hips as I walk us to the bed.
“You talk too much, bear,” she says as our mouths meld to one another.
My insides settle. My inner bear purrs much like a cat. The electrical circuit is now complete. She leans her upper body back from me as I bring her shirt up over her chest and arms. I release her mouth long enough to tear the shirt over her head. I lean over the bed and spill her body against the comforter after releasing her mouth again. I slide her sweats from her legs and discard them on the floor. She’s beautiful and I need her. I don’t wait.
She’s ready for me and I meet no resistance as I slide my “b” deep within her slot “a.” It feels perfect. Her scent floats around us and combines with mine. Bear, witch, and human. It’s all here. And I love it. No talking, just mating. It will solve so many problems.
Her nails slice the skin on my back and I growl as I thrust back into her heat. She watches me and I like the way her eyelids close when I palm her breasts. The skin is incredibly soft. She growls back when I take one nipple between my lips. I bite down gently and her hips buck beneath me. I turn my attention to the pink pucker of the other nipple.
I increase my pace and now the bed is rocking with the taking of my mate. My bear gains power and answers the call of hers. She tightens around me as I push in and out. I find the spot on her throat where her neck meets her collarbone. My teeth sink in as her cry fills the room. I taste her blood. I absorb it into my senses and I explode into her. A light explodes in the room at the same time. No matter what she says, I plan to call my beast each time we mate. There is no feeling on earth that compares to this.
I love sex with my witch.
Chapter Twenty-One
Veda
Tyboll’s new rule works. Less talking and more sex. This is one demand I am incapable of dismissing. We are stretched out on the bed with me lying on top of him. His fingers run up and down my back while he breathes into the hair against my neck. Where he bit me is sore, but I wouldn’t dream of complaining. It feels right. Being in my mate’s arms is right. I whisper a silent thank you to the Goddess.
Tyboll answers. “You’re welcome.”
I roll my eyes, but don’t bother correcting him. I’m actually thankful to him, too.
“Come on, woman, we’re taking a bath.” He lifts me as he stands. I’m cradled in his arms and feel incredibly safe. And loved.
Does he love me? I’m careful to keep this thought from drifting into his mind. Nikka told me how to do it. I just need to practice. He doesn’t respond, so I must have been successful. Tyboll lowers my feet to the floor when we’re in the bathroom. I watch as he leans over and turns on the water. His back and thighs are muscular and sexy. His ass even more so. I can’t imagine ever being attracted to another male. Tyboll is made for me.
He takes my hand and we get settled in the tub so Tyboll’s legs are on either side of me. My heartbeat accelerates again as his knees press into my sides. He pulls me back so my back is flush against his chest. His hands come around and cup my breasts. He plays in a lazy fashion that has me tightening my thighs together. I watch his hands and wonder how I existed without his touch for so long.
No talking is good for us.
He pinches my nipple and I moan. He pinches the other. I need more, but I don’t know how to ask. Should I ask?
I forget to block my thoughts and Tyboll replies, “Yes, you should. I want to learn your body—what you like, what you need.” He releases my breasts and turns me over so my breasts are pressed to his chest. He rearranges our legs so mine are now on the outside of his.
I’m embarrassed to answer his question. The smoky look in his eyes gives me courage. “I’m not sure what I like.”
His hands travel down my sides until he cups my bottom and his fingers find the part of me that craves his touch more than any other. At least at this moment. “Do you like that?” he whispers against my lips.
“Yes,” I groan as a finger slides deep inside me.
“And this?” he says as I close my eyes and just feel as he pumps in and out.
I don’t reply and his finger stops its slow glide. I open my eyes.
“Tell me and I’ll give you what you want.”
I think my heart stops beating at his words. “I want it all, Tyboll. All of you.”
His smile is worth everything. I’m lifted up a bit before he lowers me onto his erection. What did I do in life to deserve this? My hands go to the sides of his head. I want his long hair back, though I enjoy his clean-shaven face. I like seeing his expressions. The one on his face now emboldens me to lick his lips. They are full and soft and he tastes so delicious. His growl trembles against my chest before spilling from his throat.
Time stops as our bodies meld and the energy builds. This is where we belong. Tyboll’s arms will hold me and protect me as I hold and protect him. The heat rises and for the first time I feel the power of his bear combined with the new witch side of him. I liberate both sides of mine.
He cries out as I scream with release. The room lights up and my eyes roll back in my head in ecstasy. He’s holding me tightly, our heartbeats synchronized. There are so many things he needs to know, to understand. For a few minutes, though, I enjoy the gentle waves of pleasure that continue coursing through my veins.
We’ve splashed water all over the floor and Tyboll doesn’t seem to care. “Mating is not usually like this and there is much I must learn about you and your ways,” he says gruffly.
At his words, I gaze into his eyes. I sit up and his eyes drop to my breasts. “May I show you something?”
His grin is delicious. “By all means, show me, woman.”
I pull on my witch’s power and navigate it to my fingertips, which are still against his head. This is the side of me that is forever hidden. The secrets of my kind. Tyboll’s hair begins to grow. He stays perfectly still. My mother taught me this as a child and I grew my hair again and again. I chopped it off just to feel the tingles of her magic against my skin. My fingers thread through the strands as they continue to grow. I stop when he is shaggy enough that I have two handfuls of his sinful hair. Without releasing him, I pull his lips to mine.
I know exactly when he discovers his newly grown mane. His hands lift to his hair wrapped within my fingers. His head jerks back. “What have you done, woman?” He’s stunned, but does not appear angry.
“I like your hair long,” I whisper. “Kiss me please, Tyboll.” I wait.
“You like my hair long?” He looks like a little boy seeking approval from a parent.
“I love your hair long.”
He unthreads my fingers and takes my hand within his. He moves our hands so mine is behind me. I feel his growing erection and smile. “I do not need witchy powers to make something grow.”
He looks so proud of himself and I burst out laughing. His eyes intensify and I wonder if I shouldn’t have laughed. His free hand goes to my ribcage and he tickles me. I have another trick. He most likely has it, too, he just doesn’t know it yet. Electricity arcs from my fingers and travels into his body. It probably wouldn’t have been so surprising for him if I wasn’t holding his erection. The next thing I know, he stands up and my body slides bac
kward. My bottom slips beneath me and my head goes underwater. Tyboll drags me up by my arms as I spew water from my mouth.
He’s looking at me so strangely and my nerves tighten. “Enough play, witch.” Using his fingers, he brushes his hair from his face. “There are things we must talk about.”
Here we go again. Talking to each other never ends well.
A few minutes later, we’re dressed and sitting on the front porch. Tyboll adjusts me one step down so I’m between his knees. Our clothing keeps our skin from coming in direct contact, but I can still feel the heat he throws off. He needs to release some of his new witch’s power to lower his temperature or he’ll have problems. There are so many things we need to talk about.
“Dmitri has asked me to share your secrets with him.” Every muscle inside of me tightens. Tyboll’s hands land on my shoulders and he soothes the tendons that are stiff with dread. “I will never share the secrets of my mate without her consent. You need to know this up front. I thought he was exaggerating about your power, but then you made my hair grow. There are things you need to tell me so I understand what you can do.”
I want to turn and look at him. I don’t because I’m too afraid. “You can do those things also. I doubt you have any different powers than me. It didn’t work that way with my mother or grandmother. Somehow, with our mating, I have passed power to you without dying.”
He grunts and digs harder into the muscles on my arms and shoulders. “What is your… our power, Veda?”
It is very difficult to voice this. This is what I would tell my child. Tyboll is so far from a child it’s laughable. Not that I wanted to laugh. I inhale deeply before speaking. “We have the power to create life.” His hands stop moving. “All life.”
Slowly, he turns me so our eyes lock. “Explain.”
“We can create life. Two bears, two wolves, two cats. We have the power to allow two of the same species to procreate.” I see and feel his shock. For centuries beastkind could only procreate with a human. Babies were stolen from human mothers. Female shifters sought human males, had sex, and went back to the clans. It wasn’t until recently when different species of shifters began mating that beastkind discovered they can procreate with another shifter of a different species.
I watch the anger gather in his eyes. His hands are no longer gentle as his fingers bite into my skin. He has no idea he is doing it. I need to teach him a painful lesson and I really don’t want to do it. “Release me, Tyboll.”
His hands immediately drop away. I stand up and face him. “We cannot interfere with the plans of the Goddess. That is not our job. We are the guardians of life. The Goddess has no power over humans; they are without magic. The existence of beastkind has always been tentative. We live in a world dominated by humans.”
He scoffs. “Vampires and beastkind could easily destroy humans.”
I shake my head in sadness. “That is not true. I have one reason for being here. Now you have the same. If all is destroyed and there are only two beastkind left on earth regardless of species, we create life.” He doesn’t believe me and it’s time to show him. “Step down off the porch and strike me across the face.”
His eyes grow large. “You are crazy. I would never strike you.”
“You can’t. That’s what I need to show you. First no harm. Those are the first words my mother taught me. You can’t even think it, Tyboll. I dare you. Think about hitting me.”
He jumps from the porch without touching the stairs. “I will end these silly notions you have. I would never hit you, but I can easily picture spanking your beautiful ass until it’s too red for you to sit for a week.”
“Picture it. I dare you.”
A wicked grin spreads across his face. A second later he falls to his knees holding his head between his hands. His groan is loud and drawn out. I’m sorry for his pain. The training of a witch is an uncomfortable process. For Tyboll, I know it will only be worse because of his stubbornness.
“Make it stop,” he begs.
“Only you can make it go away. Clear your mind and remove the picture of harming me.”
He looks up almost immediately.
“To save your mother. To create life. It takes the sacrifice of ours. We are here to guarantee our existence. If that time comes, we are the sacrifice so beastkind lives. To do harm is excruciating. To create life is deadly.”
I watch so many emotions cross his beautiful face before he speaks again. “Does Dmitri know this?”
“No one but the two of us knows what we can do. We cannot interfere with what the Goddess has planned for beastkind. Slowly they are evolving. Prejudice is being put aside and breeding of the different species has begun. It is their lesson to learn and not ours to hinder.”
When everything I say fully registers, he realizes the ultimate message of which I speak. “You have the power to grant a child to vampires, don’t you?”
“As do you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tyboll
She shows me her circle of herbs—explains about upsetting the balance and using all the Goddess’s gifts wisely. I listen. Part of me is terrified and the other in awe. To live separately from everyone to hide your secrets takes great sacrifice.
She understands my need to examine what I’ve learned. She heads to the cabin to cook while I go running as bear. She holds no fear that I will give away her secrets. We are mates. Her secrets are mine.
I close my mind from Dmitri as I think about all Veda has told me. I shouldn’t have been surprised when the largest bear of our clan blocks my path a few miles from my cabin. The Kodiak, alpha to the greatest clan, stands in front of me. He is also my brother by blood and like most brothers, we have our differences. This situation will be no different.
“Tyboll,” his snarly voice rings through my head.
“Alpha,” I reply pleasantly.
“You don’t fool me. You are mated to the witch. Did it occur to you that I should be informed of this?”
The hair near my tail stands on end. “Actually, no. You cannot stop a mating. Why would I inform you of something you probably knew seconds after I myself discovered it?”
He grumbles because what else can he do? I’m right. “She’s dangerous to our people. Dmitri says she has shared her power with you.”
He is trying to piss me off. “Dangerous how? She’s never harmed anyone. We all but forget she exists most of the time. The men completely ignore her existence. The women gossip and share their misplaced fears. What has the witch ever done to us?”
Now The Kodiak’s hackles rise. “I know you asked her to save our mother.”
I have no idea how he knows this, but it doesn’t surprise me. “And I was stupid to think a woman, even a witch, could change the will of the Goddess. Because Veda can mix herbs and stop menstrual pain does not mean she could save our mother.” I am treading too close to the truth, but it’s the only thing I can do. My brother did not become The Kodiak because he is unwise.
“So show me your power that suddenly you’ve been gifted with,” he demands.
Now we are at the root of the problem. “You’re worried, big brother. Worried that I’ll kick your ass and take your title?”
It surprises me when The Kodiak sits his fur-covered ass down. “No. I just don’t like what I do not understand. Dmitri thinks this is a good thing and you will be a tool just as your mate will be now that she is part of the clan.”
I know Dmitri thinks only of our clan’s best interests. He or The Kodiak knowing the things I’m trying to wrap my brain around is in no one’s best interest. “I will always protect the clan and in doing so protect my mate.”
He looks at me for several long moments before he turns and walks away. Things were so much easier when I didn’t have sex on the brain. I walk for another hour and come up with a solution to keep my mate and the clan safe. If one of them harms her, I will kill them. This, ultimately causes danger to the clan.
***
Veda
I have never attended a party, especially not one in my honor. The party is tonight and I don’t think I’m ready to be around so many people.
It’s been two weeks since I told Tyboll about his powers. He asks a lot of questions at night when he comes home. I answer them all. A week ago, he joined me in a circle to thank the Goddess and added his energy. It might go down as the best sex we’ve ever had. Our energy spiked higher than it ever has. I blush at the memory.
He’s practicing his energy, or maybe playing is more like it. He’s very good at harmless fun and keeping pain from taking him to his knees. He’s learned quickly. He uses sexy thoughts when he zaps my butt from across the room, but it startles me. I’ve caught him unawares a time or two in retaliation. He can be quite evil in his paybacks. I always look forward to his special kind of wicked.
Patreous is coming over more and more. I enjoy his company. He’s inquisitive and has no preconceived ideas about witches. He thinks of me as bear and he’s mostly correct. I’ve had this second form so long I’ve forgotten I have a choice. Tyboll doesn’t know that yet, but he will when I think he can handle it. I like his grumpy bear form, so keeping this bit of information to myself doesn’t hurt him.
Mostly, I miss my mate during the day. He comes up with excuses to be away and I know they are excuses. Well, until he’s hungry or needs sex. The man is ravenous for both. But not during the day.
Mandy comes over with Demetria in tow almost daily. I know it’s difficult for her being in wolf form during her pregnancy. She has another four weeks until the twins are due. Nikka joins us and we shift and walk through the forest. I enjoy our time together. I haven’t seen Honey at all and Mandy grumbles from time to time about something he says or does. Their lack of a sex life is making her irritable. She can do little to help plan the party, which also makes her moody.
The party. Nikka ordered me a dress online and now I’m wearing it. I’ve worn long skirts most of my life. Since my travels to the city, I’ve discovered denim jeans and love them. A fancy short dress with a ruffled skirt just isn’t my thing. But here I stand waiting for my mate.
Fang Chronicles: Tyboll Page 9
