Roar of Magic

by Zenina Masters

  Her bra was dismissed, and he stored the matter in the ether surrounding him. That might irritate her a little, but he could manage her ire.

  He stripped down to his underwear, and he curled up on the bed, watching the exhausted rise and fall of her breasts. He had to remember to send a gift to the seers. If they hadn’t insisted on his being here, Anessa would have come through the portal, blown it to hell and bled to death before he could help her.

  He wanted to touch her, but the shock that the contact would create would wake her. The modern society that they were in frowned on his talent being used with lascivious intent, so he was on his best behaviour. There was plenty of time to act on his impulses when he and Anessa were on equal footing.

  He smiled and waved the lights off with a flick of power. Tomorrow, he would be hers and she would be his. He had never wished for a faster night. Everything started bright in the morning.

  His life would start anew in the morning.

  * * * *

  Anessa rubbed against a warm body and smiled at the familiar scent. Leroc smelled like a weird combination of sunlight and moonlight. She couldn’t get enough of it.

  A sharp static zap struck her backside, and she jerked, rolling away from the shock.

  She heard a sigh and looked at Leroc’s face. It was an effort; the muscles of his chest and abdomen were definitely worth looking at.

  “Good morning, Anessa.”

  Technically, he was correct. The sky was a pale pink through the gauzy curtains. “Good morning, Leroc.”

  She looked down. Her silky gown was the same colour as her dress from the night before, and she had the suspicion that it was not a coincidence.

  “Where did my bra go?”

  He quirked his lips. “I am keeping it in storage in case it is needed again.”

  She thought about that. “You are going to have to explain that.”

  “Later. For now, go have a shower and I will get dressed.”

  She looked at him, and his hair was slightly damp. “You already took a shower, and I slept through it?”

  “You needed the rest. You look much better today. Far less pale.”

  Anessa snorted and went to take her shower. She scrubbed her teeth and stared at herself in the mirror. “You are really doing this.” She mumbled it around her toothbrush.

  Her eyes were looking at her, and she saw her beast in that gaze. The lioness had picked Leroc, and he was going to be the one she tackled later in the day.

  There was no arguing with what she read in the mirror. Today was the day she stopped playing it safe and jumped.

  She spit into the sink and smirked. It was a lot easier to jump when there was someone to land on.

  She left the room with a towel wrapped around her, and draped over the edge of the bed was a gown made of layers of silk in a soft rainbow. It wasn’t your average wedding dress, but she managed to put it on after she brushed out her hair.

  It hugged her curves and floated around her legs. The translucent pumps fitted perfectly, and she had a feeling that he had sized them on her feet while she slept. It was both creepy and endearing.

  With her hair loose around her shoulders, she left her room and headed downstairs, following the scent of bacon.

  Teebie smiled, rotated her hand in a graceful gesture and produced a long bib. “You look lovely, everything is set for your ceremony and breakfast is ready. Here is the safeguard for your gown. It looks even better than I imagined.”

  Anessa sighed. “That is a relief. I thought Leroc had made it. Where is he, by the way?”

  “He ate and left to make sure that all of the arrangements are to his liking. He wanted to adhere to not seeing the bride on the day of the wedding.”

  “He saw me this morning.”

  “That isn’t the day; that was the morning. Elves are all about the technicalities.”

  She sat at the table; Teebie helped tuck her in. When the bib was in place, Teebie assisted her in filling her plate and coffee cup.

  Breakfast was definitely the most important meal in her day. Anessa was able to sit with Teebie and have a normal meal with the bluest woman she had ever met. When she was done, Teebie changed her clothing; it shimmered into a black dress.

  “You are my escort?” Anessa laughed.

  “Of course. Every lady needs someone who will defend her, and as no one has really seen you here, they might assume you are a new arrival. I am going to make sure that no one crosses a line.”

  As they left the Open Heart, they saw quite a few folks, and they were all walking toward a large building at the centre of the Crossroads. Teebie filled her in on the procedure for the ceremony, and basically, she just had to agree and stand still while she was drained and then topped up.

  After the balance, there was a small reception, and then, Leroc and Anessa could leave or remain.

  “I think we are going to leave afterward. He said he has a house in the hills, so that will give us somewhere to roam while we get used to each other.”

  “Very nice. Your bags are packed, and they will meet you at the Meditation Centre when you are ready.”

  “Bags? I only packed one.”

  Teebie grinned. “I never pass up a chance to shop on the fey court’s dime. You needed a trousseau, so I got you one.”

  Before they could enter the Meditation Centre, Anessa grabbed Teebie and hugged her. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

  Teebie hugged her back. “It was a short pleasure. Every woman deserves a chance at love, and your chance is here.”

  “Have you had that chance?”

  “Not yet. I have hopes that one day I will, and I will know it when it happens.”

  “Wouldn’t you know?”

  Teebie shrugged. “I don’t know.” She laughed.

  That answered that. Teebie escorted her into the wooden building, around the central Zen garden and through the rear of the structure. The wide archway led into a manicured lawn with a huge wooden structure, as Teebie had warned.

  The audience was a bit of a surprise. She didn’t know anyone here, and having so many witnesses was a shock.

  Teebie murmured, “Lee called ahead and made sure that you were represented. You may not be a member of the pride, but she considers you family. These are her eyes.”

  Anessa was glad she wasn’t wearing makeup as she walked to her part of the stage and faced Leroc.

  The vows were blurred in her mind. She locked gazes with him and stared at him while the mage drained half of her into a swirling vortex and it was joined by Leroc’s energy.

  Anessa tensed as the blended power spilled back into her with Leroc’s added addition.

  Her skin felt too tight; she felt bright and energized. To her shock, Leroc fell to his knees as he fought to contain her energy.

  To hell with the protocol. She moved around the podium and ran to him, bending as she kissed him and drew some of her power away.

  When she caught the spillover and backed away, he caught her hand. “How do you manage that?”

  She grinned. “Self-control and practice. I grew up with that particular signature.”

  He got to his feet and hugged her. “Thanks for your quick thinking.”

  The energy between them still sent prickles through her, but they were no longer painful. She wanted to feel the contact on her bare skin, and she wasn’t going to wait for long.

  The mage laughed and declared the ceremony complete, sealing their slightly off-balance power inside them.

  During the short reception, Anessa was finally introduced to the Guardians of the Crossroads. Tony and Teal greeted her with respect and rueful warnings about her being transported. She needed to get the transporter to shield her in layers of magic.

  Chuck and his wife, Ivy, were there, Spike and Al hugged her and dozens of other inhabitants of the Crossroads came by to wish her joy.

  Leroc kept his arm around her through every contact with strangers, and when she had finally hugged Teebie for the nint
h time, she looked up at her mate. “I think it’s time to go.”

  He grinned, and Tony rolled up his sleeves. The guardian was preparing for whatever happened next, and Anessa chuckled. Now, there were two of them ready to explode their landing site.

  Chapter Eight

  “Welcome to your new home.” He smiled and waved at the view that overlooked the city below and extended over one hundred eighty degrees.

  She blinked and settled the bags on the floor. “Wow. I wish I could say I can see my house from here, but the high rises in the distance kind of smoosh my little apartment building flat. They block everything.”

  Leroc wrapped her in his arms. “We can have all of your possessions moved here in a few days.”

  Anessa let the warmth and fascination build as he held her against him with her gaze focused on the wild space between the house and the city.

  He made a strange humming noise as he pressed a kiss to her neck. She lazily lifted her hand and pressed her palm to his neck. She held his head against her while she tilted her head in invitation.

  He whispered against her neck. “I think we should take this inside.”

  She turned to him, facing him with a slow smile. “That sounds like a lovely idea.”

  He picked her up and carried her into his—and now her—home. She focused on him. A house was just a house. He was what she had to live with for the rest of her life.

  “Have I mentioned that you make an amazing bride?” He smiled slowly.

  “You have not. You made a dashing groom. The draping of the bronze silk really highlighted the strength of your shoulders.”

  “Thank you. They were the clothing that I had to wear to the high court. I haven’t had to attend formal occasions for quite some time.”

  He settled her on the edge of the bed, and he knelt in front of her. “I am very glad that you called.”

  She grinned and leaned forward until her mouth was a breath away from his. “I am glad that you answered.”

  Her lioness was watching behind her eyes, tail lashing and ready to pounce. She brushed her lips against his with slow repetition until he leaned forward for firmer contact.

  She threaded her fingers in the hair at the back of his skull and pulled him into her. He groaned and stood up, pressing her back into the bed as he leaned over her.

  Her gown was eased off her left shoulder, he kissed the exposed skin and, then, he eased it of her right shoulder, nipping at the uncovered skin.

  She moved her hands to his shoulders and stroked him through the silk. It parted under her touch, and she pulled handfuls of the fabric free. She wanted to apologise for wrecking an antique, but instead, she pushed at his shoulders until he rolled over and she was astride him, bare breasted with her dress around her waist.

  He smiled and gathered her gown in his fist, turning it to curling vapour that spilled onto the floor. She pressed her hands to his chest and rocked her hips until she got the pressure in the right spot. Her fingers curled on his skin as she started to ride him with slow flexes of her thighs.

  He stroked her waist and back as she worked herself against him. Her climax hit her hard. She bit her lip and held onto him while she shivered and twitched.

  When the roaring of her senses dimmed to a throb that went from her groin to the soles of her feet, she opened her eyes to see his eyes glowing brightly.

  He must have dismissed his pants, because there was nothing under her but rigid, hot skin.

  He gripped her hips and rolled her to her back. He leaned forward until he was pressed against her from shoulder to thigh, and he slowly undulated his body against hers. She felt the full-body caress, and her thighs parted in invitation.

  Anessa reached up to thread her fingers through his hair again, and she kissed him, beckoning with her hips.

  She wanted him inside her, and she wanted it now.

  He continued to tease her, so she brought out her claws. She trailed the sharp digits down his back. Leroc levered up on his arms. He reached between them and rubbed the head of his cock against her opening. She was more than ready. She moved her hips toward him and captured the tip of his erection.

  He thrust inward, and they started to rock together. Magic spilled out of his eyes and glowed under his skin. The same bright power was burning inside Anessa, and she hung on tightly as each slide of his flesh within hers brought her closer to a peak they both needed to complete whatever the mage at the Crossroads had started.

  He lowered himself onto her again, pinned her hands to the bed next to her head and he kissed her as he thrust endlessly into her.

  She felt the power grow under her skin and held onto him as it became as urgent as her body’s demands.

  Leroc twisted his hips on the inward thrust, and her clit throbbed with each flurry of deliberate contact. Her body tensed against him, and her inner muscles tried to hold him in place as release roared inside her. She did her own roaring, and her fingers clenched with his.

  He followed with his own bellow of release in her ear, and she felt the shock of their magic joining as his cock jerked inside her and power streamed out of their skin to dance in the air around them.

  When he lifted his head, she kissed him, and they stayed joined together until the power was sleeping inside them once again.

  He lifted his head and rubbed his cheek against hers in a lion greeting. Anessa returned the greeting and nibbled at his jawline.

  He whispered, “The grounds are fenced in if you want to go for a run.”

  She stroked his hair and smiled. “That sounds like fun.”

  He withdrew from her and left the bed, helping her to her feet. It took some effort to get her thighs together, but she managed a normal—if naked—gait by the time they were on the main floor and walking out through the garden doors.

  Her shift was quick, and she ran across the flagstone until she felt the grass beneath her toes. She turned and waited for her mate as he turned into a very large lion, gold in mane and fur.

  His tail lashed, and he slowly approached her. She stood her ground as he circled her.

  She stepped forward and greeted him, cheek to cheek. They shifted it into a full-body rub, and when he started to make moves on her, she bounded away and ran to determine the edges of the property.

  Two hours later, she stalked back into the house, steam trying to come out of her ears.

  Leroc was behind her, apologising. “I am sorry. The beast wanted to mate, and I didn’t know it was against your wishes. Your beast seemed to be pleased with the effort.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at the stripes that still covered his body. Her claw marks were healing. She had put her foot down, all over his face and back.

  “Until the spike hit. It is a good thing that he was fast, or you would have a lot more to deal with than a few claw marks.”

  He winced. “I apologise again.”

  She nodded tightly. “I will get over it, but I am not going to shift into beast form while you are around during my heat. Lee warned me against pregnancy in beast form. I would be locked in as a lion until I came to term. Try explaining that to the fey court.”

  Leroc nodded. “I can see that there is more that we should be briefed about before they set us on you.”

  “Yeah. I am just learning this stuff as well, but I paid attention.” She grabbed a throw from the couch and wrapped it around her.

  He nodded, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to it. “Can we start over?”

  Anessa paused. “You want a do-over for a wedding day?”

  “Yes. Your heat will necessitate our coming together, but when it is over, I would like one day to do it all over again and start fresh.”

  She quirked her lips. “It is not the worst idea I have ever heard.”

  “Do we have a deal?”

  She nodded. “We do, and from this point onward, we will pretend that your beast didn’t jump mine.”

  His eyes filled with relief. “I bind myself to my words.”

&
nbsp; He closed his hand around hers, and a spark zapped between them. Anessa was going to ask about that vow later. For now, she needed to sleep in her mate’s arms.

  “Come on, Leroc. Let’s get to bed. I am still not quite myself.”

  They walked up the stairs to the bedroom, and she curled against him in the centre of the bed. A rocky start was still a start.

  Evan smiled at her as she entered the shop. “Anessa, you are looking well.”

  “Thank you, Evan. I am feeling well. Are you sure you are willing for me to return to work?”

  He nodded. “Definitely. I have missed my goofing-off time. I am pining for it.”

  “Pine no longer. Go on one of those long lunches that turns into an afternoon at the golf course. I need to fix my poor inventory.”

  He stiffened. “I thought it was my inventory.”

  She reached out and patted him on the cheek. “I know you did. It is a delusion that I fostered. Now, shoo.”

  He grinned. “Glad you are back.”

  Anessa ignored him; she was busy fixing the mess that he had created in only one week.

  * * * *

  Evan sat in Leroc’s home with the scryer from the mage’s guild. “Do you have it?”

  Leroc nodded. “She brought a hairbrush from before her change, and I kidnapped it as soon as I could. She hasn’t used it since, so it should only have the shifter and mage imprint on it.”

  The scry nodded and held his hand out for the brush.

  Leroc handed the brush over and dimmed the lights, as requested.

  He wanted to find Anessa’s parents and speak with them to see if they would be willing to attend the formal wedding.

  When he had finally broached the subject of her upbringing, there had only been a litany of orphanages and group homes. No one had tried to take her out of her solitude, not even for a moment. It had been as if she had not existed. She had been fed and clothed, but her emotional attachments were basic. Her willingness to live with him was an astonishing stretch considering her fierce independence. Her return to work had not been a shock. It gave him the time he needed to look into what she couldn’t.