“Quiet wolf,” said a voice low in timbre but resonant with power.
Aidan inhaled the scent of dragon and quieted. How the hell did he sneak up on me? Surely, I wasn’t that distracted? Evidently not.
A voice chuckled in the darkness. “A wise decision. Not so smart, though, would be to interrupt what goes on in the field. I take it this is your first All Hallows ceremony with your witch?”
Unable to reply in beast form, Aidan shifted back, uncaring of his nakedness, a trait common among shifters who often found themselves without clothes. “She’s not my mate yet.”
“Aah, just found her, did you?” Again a chuckle floated from the darkness, and try as Aidan might with his enhanced eyesight, he could not see the shifter who spoke to him even if his sensitive nose caught whiffs of his scent. “Fear not, your lady has chosen to abstain from the festivities. Most witches who’ve found their mate do.”
Indeed, Aidan, who’d never completely lost track of Sophia, saw her pick up a robe off the ground and shrug it on before leaving with others. Several handfuls of witches stayed behind in a naked orgy that Aidan found acrobatically impressive. Satan certainly was a skilled lover judging by the blurring motions and moans of the ladies as he managed to pleasure the large group left behind.
The dragon spoke and drew his attention away from the naked fest in the clearing. “Have you spoken to your pack leader about taking the witch as your mate?”
“There’s been no time. I know it’s not common, but I don’t see why there would be an issue. She’s my true mate.”
“True mate or not, acceptance of a witch as your mate really depends on your pack alpha. Some welcome witches as mates. They actually make valuable additions to the pack, but others are obsessed with purity of the line.”
“Who the fuck are you, and why are you telling me all this? Why do you care?”
“My name is Dracin, and let’s just say I’ve lived long enough to see the interspecies mating thing be an issue. Take my advice or leave it. I don’t really care. I just thought you might like a head’s-up.”
Aidan could sense no deception in his words, but he still didn’t completely trust him. He had, however, raised questions. It had never occurred to Aidan to wonder how his alpha would react. He’d found his mate, and, apart from convincing her, he’d never thought farther ahead. “I’m sure everything will be fine.” Aidan couldn’t hide his sudden doubt completely.
“Fine or not, should you find yourself cast out of the pack, tell your female to contact a witch called Clarabelle. She can give you directions to a pack that welcomes mixed pairings. I’ve more to tell you, but I must rejoin my mate now. I will contact you again shortly.”
The stranger melted into the forest as mysteriously as he’d arrived, which left Aidan with a mouthful of questions. Would his pack leader, a gruff, no-nonsense man, accept his pairing with a witch? Aidan had never heard of an actual ban on such matings, but, then again, he’d never noticed one in his pack either. Coincidence or intentional?
His musings would have to wait. He didn’t want to lose Sophia, who’d left the clearing already. There were lots of brooms around here, and although he assumed she’d spend the night before heading out, he just couldn’t be one hundred percent sure. He changed back to his wolf form, then flitted through the trees, coming as close as he dared to the path, his keen nose picking up the unmistakably sweet scent of his soon-to-be mate.
And, even better, she was alone.
It occurred to him for a few seconds to keep his shifter side secret for a while longer, but she needed to know, and people always said there was no time like the present. He trotted out onto the path a few paces ahead of her and turned to face her.
He had a moment to see her eyes widen before she let out a piercing shriek.
Oops. Maybe not such a good idea.
Chapter Six
Sophia recovered quickly from her fright when she realized the beast in front of her was only a wolf and not a demon. A wolf she could handle, even if this one was huge with bright green eyes that seemed somehow familiar.
“Shoo, you overgrown mutt,” she said as she waved her hands. She could have sworn the wolf’s eyes rolled in mirth, and instead of leaving, it sat down.
Well, that wouldn’t do. She wasn’t stupid enough to try and walk around it and give it an easy target. Her body still thrummed with magic from the ceremony, so it was a simple matter to pull some into her palm to flick at the wolf, intending to sting it on the nose and send it scampering.
The power, however, when it came in contact with the shaggy beast didn’t even startle it, and now the fear came creeping back. What kind of creature is this that my magic doesn’t affect it?
The hairy wolf’s form began to shimmer as another shape began pushing through. Not waiting to see what it turned into, she whirled and ran, her only thought to head back to the clearing and hopefully run into some more senior witches with more powerful magic. She didn’t get far before steel band-like arms wrapped around her midsection and lifted her, which left her feet pedaling in midair.
That didn’t stop her from kicking and thrashing. “Let me go! You don’t know who you are messing with.”
“Oh, I know exactly who and what you are,” said a velvety and familiar voice.
Sophia froze. “Aidan?” Impossible. I spelled him and watched him drive away. Then the deeper realization hit. “You’re not human!” she accused.
His arms loosened, and she whirled around to glare at him. Even her annoyance at his deception couldn’t stop heat from spreading through her limbs. He came back. And without a stitch of clothing! Sophia’s blush warmed her cheeks, and she made sure to keep her eyes trained on his face and not the wickedly tempting expanse of naked flesh standing within reach.
“No, I’m not human, and you’re a witch.”
Okay, so we both hid what we are. The more important question is why did he come back? Knowing he was a shapeshifter explained why her spell of forgetfulness hadn’t worked. It didn’t explain, however, why he went along with her commandeering of him as a chauffeur in the first place. “What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you.”
“Why?”
“For the same reason I drove you. You’re my mate.”
Sophia could have caught flies, her mouth dropped open so wide. “No way.”
“Yes way.” He smiled at her again, his teeth flashing white. “Now, do you mind if we go discuss this somewhere more comfortable.”
She could read his meaning in his eyes, and her cleft moistened in response. As if sensing her arousal, his nostrils flared and his eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Sophia took a step back and shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I’ve read about shifters and this whole mate thing. You want to get me alone so you can bite me and make me your sex slave. Sorry, but I am so not doing that.”
“Mmm. My sex slave, eh? You make it sound like such a bad thing.” His wicked grin made her nipples tighten, and it took a lot of willpower not to tackle him and ravish his naked body. Willpower didn’t stop her aroused sex from leaking down her leg, though. Talk about distracting.
“So, you don’t deny you want to mark me?” She tugged at her anger, her indignation, anything to fight his erotic pull.
“Oh, I want to mark you all right, sweetheart, and not just with my teeth. But don’t worry, when I do bite you, I promise you’ll enjoy it.”
“But I don’t want you to.”
“Your body says differently.”
Sophia stamped her foot. “Lust has nothing do with this. Sex is something I can walk away from. You forcefully binding me to you isn’t. I won’t allow it.”