by Nina Croft
Pleased or not, coming into his presence was like coming home. A sense of peace washed over her, stilling the restlessness that plagued her spirit. The reaction brought her up short.
She might have gone through periods of emptiness during her long life, but she’d never been lonely, never needed anyone else. Or so she’d believed. Now she realized she’d been lying to herself for just about her whole life.
She’d always been lonely. Two thousand years, and the burning guilt of what she’d done still plagued her. Deep down, she’d never considered she deserved anyone of her own. So she pretended it didn’t matter and kept her distance from anyone she might come to care for, but she had never really been tested. Never met a man she couldn’t easily turn her back on. Until Caleb.
She shook her head, banishing the memories. Her feelings were irrelevant anyway. Caleb had made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her. And that was fine. Once he gave her the information she needed, helped her find his father, then she would exit his life forever.
Finally, he turned to her. He appeared tired, dark shadows under his eyes, his mouth held in a stern, uncompromising line. It didn’t matter; he was beautiful, and Regan’s heart rate picked up as she looked at him.
“How did you find me?” he asked.
She raised an eyebrow. “I am a witch.”
“You used magic?”
She shrugged. “I did consider it, but then I thought—what the hell, let’s use the phone book instead. You weren’t hard to find.”
“I’ve never been hiding. I never needed to, until I met you.”
A flash of irritation shot through her. “You can’t blame me for what your father did.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Where have you been? I’ve phoned Catrin every day—she said she hadn’t heard from you. I thought—” He broke off and scowled.
“Were you worried?” She hadn’t meant to sound sarcastic, but it obviously came out that way because annoyance flared in his eyes.
“I thought maybe you’d found my father. Or he’d found you.”
“No.”
“So, why are you here?”
“I have been looking for Ethan. Unfortunately, he’s not in the phone book. I thought you might have some information that could help me.”
“You could have called.”
She ignored the comment. Thrusting her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, she studied him. “So?”
He moved away from her and took a seat behind the desk, then motioned to the chair opposite, but she was too restless to sit down, and she paced the floor in front of the desk instead.
***
Caleb watched her long legs in her tight jeans as she moved across the floor. Only force of will kept him in his seat when he wanted to leap up, take her in his arms, drag her down, and make violent love to her.
If it had just been a case of mere lust, he might have done it, but it went deeper than lust. She called to something inside him. No, not something. He admitted it at last—she called to his wolf.
Wolf had always asked for very little from him, content to remain in the background of Caleb’s life. Now he wouldn’t be quieted. For the first time, there was something wolf wanted. Caleb could sense him so close to the surface, hungry, clamoring to be free. He realized, with a jolt of surprise, that it was full moon in a few days’ time. He’d actually forgotten in his constant fear over Regan’s safety.
Caleb hadn’t been able to put her out of his mind. Worry had gnawed at his every conscious moment. He didn’t want to worry about her. He didn’t want to feel anything for her.
Then an alternative explanation slipped into his head. After all, she was a witch. He glanced at her sharply, and she raised an eyebrow.
“What?” she asked.
“Have you put a spell on me?” he asked.
She looked taken aback by the question. “What sort of spell?”
“Some sort of—” He paused. He’d been about to say love spell. Luckily, at the last moment he’d realized what she would infer from that. That he was in love. Which he most definitely wasn’t.
She was watching him; he could almost see her brain working—the second when enlightenment struck. Her eyes widened, and then she grinned. She came around the desk and sat on the edge only inches from his chair, swinging her long legs. He resisted the urge to push himself away from her, and the urge to push himself closer.
“A love potion? You think I’ve put some sort of love spell on you.” She stared down at him, and those strange witch’s eyes penetrated into his soul. He wanted to drown in them, lose himself completely. “Are you in love with me, Caleb?”
He forced his gaze away. “Not love,” he growled. “I never mentioned love. Some sort of attraction spell, to make me want you.”
“I’m hurt, Caleb. Do you really think I need a spell to make men want me? Am I so ugly?” She pouted at him, fluttering her long lashes.
“God, you’re a bitch.”
She grinned. Then her eyes widened in alarm.
“What?” he asked.
“I had a thought. When you were with Catrin, that time you brought me home, she made you coffee, didn’t she?”
“Yes. So?”
“That’s it then. Catrin’s put one of her lust spells on you.”
Relief hit him. This wasn’t natural—it was some sort of spell, and it would fade, or she’d remove it, or something. He glanced up to see her watching him, amusement still on her face.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Caleb—I’m joking. Of course, Catrin wouldn’t put a spell on you to make you fall in lust with her sister. What do you think we are?”
She laughed then. He’d never heard her laugh before. Not in genuine amusement. It was a beautiful sound, musical, and he listened, entranced. Then she fell silent. She looked at him, head to one side, her gaze drifting down over the length of his body.
“So,” she murmured. “Do you lust after me, Caleb? Do you want me?” Her voice lowered to a husky drawl that sent frissons slithering down his spine.
She licked her lips, moistening her slightly parted mouth, and the banked fires in his belly roared into life. He knew she was taunting him; it didn’t make any difference. He rose to his feet, and before she could react, he moved in close against her, pushing her farther onto the desk, nudging her legs apart with one knee, so he could step into the V formed by her thighs.
His arms went around her, his hands sliding down over her back to grip the firm cheeks of her bottom and pull her tightly to him. His cock had been hard since she’d entered the room; now he pressed himself against her.
“Does that answer your question?”
He didn’t wait for an answer. His head swooped down, and he took her lips, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and tasting her as he’d been starving to do since the last time. Her hands came up to grip his shoulders, one sinking into his hair, to pull him down harder against her.
Without breaking the kiss, he skimmed his palms over her thighs, then lifted them so she wrapped her long legs around him, and he ground his hard cock against her core. She whimpered words of need against his lips, and his mouth slid from hers, to drop kisses over her cheek. He burrowed his head against her throat, breathed in the warm, spicy scent of her and knew he would never get enough. The thought made him go still. He concentrated on his breathing, counting each breath until he had the will to release his hold on her. He reached behind, loosened her legs from around him, and stepped back from between her thighs.
“Please,” she whispered, the need clear in her face, and satisfaction rushed through him. If he was somehow enthralled, then she wasn’t free of the spell. This was no one-sided attraction.
His balls ached, and his pants felt too tight. He wanted her, but he had to prove, if only to himself, that he could control this.
She reached out a hand to him. He looked at it for a moment and then turned away. Crossing the room, he poured them both a drink, placed hers on the desk next to her,
and swallowed his in one mouthful.
He put the glass down, proud that his hand was steady, then sank into his seat, watching as the sanity returned to her face.
Hopping down from the desk, she picked up her glass and retreated to the other side. She sat in one of the chairs facing him, sipped her scotch, and studied him.
Caleb had a sudden, unexpected need to explain himself. “I just want to be left alone to live a normal life.”
She stared at him, her expression one of incredulous disbelief. “Normal? You? How do you expect to do that?”
He scowled. “I’ve done alright so far.”
Shaking her head, she looked him up and down. “Do the words “in denial” mean anything to you?”
“I am not in denial.” He shifted in his chair. “I’m half-human. I’ve every right to this life. The human side of me has always been dominant. I was never like the others in the pack—I can control my wolf. I’ve never wanted anything to do with your world—”
“Until now,” she interrupted. “Because you do want me, don’t you, Caleb? And you hate that.”
She paused as if waiting for him to deny it but, how could he? Something flashed across her face and her expression hardened.
“There’s something between us,” she continued. “I’ve felt it too. My wolf senses it. And I’m sure that’s all it is. A bond between our wolves. Not between us.”
“Does that make it better? We still need to find a way to make it go away.”
“Catrin is searching for a spell to counteract the wolf bite. Once she finds that, I’ll be normal again—well, as normal as I’ll ever be. Hopefully, the bond will disappear, and we won’t ever need to see each other again. You can go back to pretending you have a normal life and forget I ever existed.”
Her voice was laced with bitterness, and he frowned. “Don’t tell me you want this any more than I do?”
“Why would I want a bond with some sniveling fool who won’t even accept what he is?”
Anger rose in him at that. He stood up abruptly and turned away without answering.
She came up to stand beside him. “So, are you going to tell me how to find your father?”
For a moment, he actually considered it. It would serve them both right.
But he didn’t want Regan anywhere near Ethan. Caleb had no clue why his father had targeted her, but it was unlikely to be for something good. He turned to face her. “No.”
She smiled with saccharin sweetness. “Tell me, and I’ll go away.”
“Tempting as the offer is—still no.”
She regarded him through narrowed eyes, her lips pursed as she considered her next move. “Are you going to tell me why?”
“Ethan is dangerous to you. He changed you—he can control your wolf.”
“So sweet that you care, but I can look after myself.”
“Not against this, you can’t.”
Regan opened her mouth, no doubt to argue, then she shrugged. “Okay. I’m going to pop out—leave you alone for a little while.”
He looked at her in surprise. “That sounds too easy.”
She shrugged again. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back, but I have people I need to see. People who might be able to give me the information I need. The information you won’t give me.”
“Who could give you that?”
“The Council.”
“What’s ‘the Council’?”
She looked at him, then shook her head. “Don’t you know anything?”
Caleb frowned. “I told you—I never wanted to know.”
She heaved a sigh. “The Council is the organization that keeps your normal world safe. Or at least gives you the illusion of safety.”
Caleb found he wanted to ask more questions about this mysterious Council. He couldn’t remember Ethan ever mentioning it, but Regan was already walking away. She paused at the door and turned to face him. “Do you want to inform your receptionist to let me back in or would you rather I turn her into a toad.”
“You could do that?”
“Well, she wouldn’t actually be a toad, but she’d certainly look like one.”
He couldn’t help but smile at the idea, and Regan raised an eyebrow. “You want me to turn her into a toad?”
“Of course not.”
“Then tell her, because I’m coming back.”
Chapter Ten
Caleb did not want to be here.
He hadn’t been back to this house since he’d run away on his sixteenth birthday. Now he stood facing the huge studded oak door, fighting down the urge to turn and run again. He held his ground. These days, he ran from nothing.
After Regan had walked out of his office, he’d sat for a while considering his next move. It occurred to him that only by finding the answers behind Regan’s attack could he make this thing go away and get his life back on track. Also, if he could discover what Ethan wanted with Regan, then maybe she would give up her search— a search that could only end badly for her. His wolf didn’t like the thought of anything bad happening to Regan.
He’d tried to tell himself it wasn’t his problem, but some inner voice plagued him constantly, whispered in his mind that she was his.
Which was stupid.
First, she was not his, and second, he’d never met anyone more capable of looking after herself than Regan. All the same, he couldn’t get rid of the nagging need to take care of her.
So, here he was.
He pushed at the door. It swung open, but he hesitated a second longer, reluctant to step inside. This was the house where he had spent much of his childhood. Being here made his skin crawl and the scars on his back burn like fire. He swallowed the loathing and stepped into the dark, wood-paneled hallway, pausing to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim light.
He found Ethan in his study, seated behind the huge oak desk. Caleb swallowed the rush of hatred and stepped inside.
“So,” Ethan said, “are you here to tell me you’ve changed your mind about my offer?”
“You mean the offer where I come in with you and we take over the world?” Caleb shrugged. “Perhaps. Why don’t you tell me a bit more about it?”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed, and his gaze ran over Caleb before returning to his face. “What are you really doing here?”
Caleb crossed the room and sat down in the chair opposite. “I want to know about the woman in the forest that night.”
Ethan’s gaze flew to his face. “Shit. I thought she’d gotten away, that maybe the charm hadn’t worked, but you took her.”
Caleb said nothing.
“I wondered if you were involved,” Ethan said. “But I told myself you wouldn’t be so stupid. Obviously, I was wrong. I suppose you took the charm off her.”
Caleb nodded. “Who is she? And what did you want her for?”
Ethan’s gaze burned into him, and curiosity filled his eyes. “What’s it to you? You want nothing to do with this world, remember?”
“Tell me.”
Ethan pursed his lips. “I might. If you tell me something first—did she change?”
Caleb nodded. “Why didn’t you go after her again? You obviously know where she lives.”
“The only reason we managed to take her the first time was because she wasn’t expecting it. It won’t be so easy next time. She might be arrogant, but she’s not stupid.” Ethan smiled. “But that’s not going to matter if she has changed. She’ll have to come to my call.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
“All new wolves must answer to their maker.”
“Maybe, but she’s strong. She already has control of her wolf. I doubt she’ll come to you.” He gave his father a cold smile. “Unless it’s to kill you.”
“You sound as though you admire her.” He looked at Caleb closely. “Don’t tell me you’ve gotten involved with this woman.”
Caleb didn’t answer.
“You’ve slept with her? Jesus, do you know what she is? She’s a witch, and not just
any witch. She’s the oldest, strongest—”
“How old?”
“No one really knows, but she’s been around for at least two thousand years.”
Caleb’s mind reeled, and shock surged through him. Two thousand years old? No wonder she came across as hard. What would it be like to live that long? He was thirty-seven, and sometimes that seemed like way too many years.
“But that’s not what you should be worrying about.”
Caleb had been lost in thought. Now, he glanced back at his father. Ethan’s face was set in grim lines.
“What should I be worrying about?” Caleb asked.
“I told you I wasn’t working alone in this. The”—he paused as if unsure of his wording—“person I’m working with told me where to go and how to capture the witch. He gave me the charm.”
“So?”
“He also told me if I touched her any more than I absolutely had to, then he would rip out my heart and feed it to my wolves.”
Caleb thought about that. He could sympathize with the idea. If anyone else touched Regan now, he would likely want to rip them into tiny, bloody, little pieces. Hell, want didn’t come into it—he would rip them to pieces.
“Who is he?” he asked and knew he hadn’t kept the rage from his voice when his father raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t think it would be wise to tell you that.”
“Since when has wisdom dictated your decisions?”
“Whatever you may think, Caleb, I have never wanted harm to come to you.”
Bitterness washed over him, and the scars on his back flared to life. He wanted out of there. He would relate the information back to Regan. Perhaps she could work out what was going on. He’d done what he could.
“I’m leaving,” he said.
Ethan looked about to argue, then he shrugged. “Perhaps you could return something to your witch.”
He followed his father down the stairs into the basement. He knew what was down here. A cage made of silver bars, used to keep out-of-control werewolves from causing too much damage. Caleb had spent much of his early teens in there. Though he’d never been out of control.
Now, two huge hounds occupied the cage. They growled softly as Ethan approached.
