Shifter Magnetism (5 page)

He kissed her back for a moment before sliding his hands up under her armpits and holding her body away from his. “You’re my mate! If I come inside you, we will be tied together forever.”

It was common knowledge that shifters mated forever, and this was one of the reasons young witches were warned away from them. She’d like to say the prospect stopped her. “Pull out. Use a condom.” She didn’t care which.

“The knot won’t let me.”

The word
knot
cleared her head for a moment. The thought of something protruding from his cock to lock them together would give anyone pause. “It’s real?” She knew she sounded awed, but how was she to react to the finding out the myth of the knot was true? Shifters were more like their natural wolf cousins than she’d thought.

“You’re my mate. It can’t be helped.”

Tears formed in her eyes. The ache in her belly and spine consumed her body. Her mind pulsed with one desire, to get Nic inside her. She didn’t think she could control herself. “I really have to have you.”

“I know, baby. Maybe since you only have a little of my soul it won’t be as bad.”

Was he crazy?
“Are you crazy?”

She wiggled until she slipped from his grasp. She staggered into her room, sat on the bed, and opened her side-table drawer. She pulled out Sam and inserted the batteries with trembling hands. Her cunt was contracting around nothing, so she’d give it something to play with.

“Masturbation won’t help.” Nic watched her from the doorway.

She glared at him as her lower belly clenched. “Shut up.”

“Leila—”

“No, really. Shut up. Your voice makes it worse.”

She wasn’t gentle when she inserted the vibrator. She clicked it straight to high gear. She fell back against the pillows and spread her legs as wide as they would go. Her eyes closed. It felt good but still painful. The bed dipped beside her. She jerked as a calloused hand cupped her breast. She squeezed her eyes tighter and pressed her breast more firmly into his hand. He caressed her other breast and plucked her nipples.

“Yes.” He needed to keep doing that.

He nuzzled her shoulder before gently biting her. The suddenness of it startled her, and she shivered. Her hand never stopped pumping the humming vibrator. He kissed his way along her jawline while continuing to fondle her breasts. She clutched the back of his head.

“I can’t get enough of how good you feel,” he whispered.

“You could have fooled me since I practically had to beg you to touch me.” The comment might have come out better if she wasn’t panting and moaning.

He pulled on her nipples a little harder than before. Pain took a firm dive into intense pleasure, spreading quickly to her pussy.

“Ooh. Do that again.”

He did. He kissed her lips, devouring her mouth and sucking on her tongue. Her body was on fire. Sam the Vibe wasn’t helping between her legs. Nic’s hand slid from her breast down her belly. Her stomach quivered. He caressed the hand holding the vibrator. Then he took over, pulling it almost completely from her body and thrusting it back in forcefully. She gasped and arched her back on every thrust. Her climax built swiftly and painfully.

His magic flared and brushed against her. Fur cascaded over his body, teasing her skin and then retracting. His teeth scraped her nipple, and her body imploded.

Pleasure coursed through her, yet she knew, even before she could think again, something was wrong. She should be depleted and satisfied. She felt exactly as she had when the heat started, only tired.

“It didn’t work.” Tears pooled in her eyes, and she forced them back. She’d never forgive herself for crying.

Nic fell on his back on the bed. He flung one forearm over his eyes. The other hand kneaded the bulge in his jeans. The vibrator lay on the bed between them, quiet now and useless.

She closed her eyes. “How long does heat last?”

“A week for shifter females. I don’t know how long yours will last.”

Desire shot straight to her cunt. “Maybe you could write your responses on a sheet of paper. Your voice isn’t helping. I mean, I’m doing my part and keeping my eyes closed so I can’t see you.” Because he was really delicious.

Suddenly, he was straddling her. His hands cupped her face as he kissed her. She felt every bit of his frustration and repressed desire in the one kiss. She was panting when he pulled away.

“Are you ready to give up your Council, your life here? We would be making a hard choice. My pack leader will never accept our mating, and I would never give you up to remain in the pack. Your Council will never accept me. I wanted to give us some time. I wanted to catch this killer. Hell, I wanted to ask you to leave with me, not take the choice from you.”

Even though listening to his voice was slightly uncomfortable since it made her want to flip him on his back and take him, she melted inside at his words. Maybe he wasn’t as arrogant as she’d thought.

Yet she didn’t want to leave town in the middle of the night as if she were a fugitive. She wanted to wait for true love. She knew being a shifter’s mate was a magical bond. Okay, it had been described as a curse to her by her mother in an effort to keep her away from any shifter teenage boys she might find sexually alluring.

“There is no choice? No way around the mating?” She didn’t want to be mated. She wanted to fall in love.

“No. If we never consummate the mating, you could have a life without me. I would always know you were mine, though. I would always try to keep you safe.”

She might be about to say the wrong thing. At the moment, she could only come up with one plan. “We need to talk to Mama Tui.”

Chapter Four

Nic was thankful he hadn’t ripped the steering wheel out of the car.
Yet.
His wolf was highly agitated. His mate was in pain, in heat, and he couldn’t do a thing about it. Leila twisted and turned in her seat. Every few moments she whimpered, and his heart cracked a bit each time.

They were in serious trouble. In the event Mama Tui couldn’t help them, he wouldn’t let her suffer. He wouldn’t be able to leave her or take her with him as he hunted the sorcerer. She’d attract every shifter within a one-mile radius, and every human male she met would become stupid and attempt to attack him to have her.

Leaving Leila in heat too long was potentially dangerous. She might even let another man mount her. His jaw muscles expanded, and his knuckles cracked. He slowed the SUV to a crawl as his wolf attempted to escape his control. He would kill someone before he allowed that to happen.

He’d have to fuck Leila and seal their mate bond. Their scents would change, morphing until his unique scent was wrapped in hers and hers in his. He was impatient for the exchange to take place. He wanted every shifter male who encountered her to know she was off-limits. He wanted them to understand he would retaliate if they tried to take her from him.

Her natural fragrance was driving him crazy. He tried to remember he wanted to give her as much of a choice as he could. She should have time to adjust. She could still reject him. It was her choice. He wasn’t like some males who forced their mates to consummate the mate bond. His mother had raised him better than that. He would have to convince her to bond. First, he needed to consult the healer.

“Nic, why are we driving so slowly? Mama Tui’s house is just ahead.” Her voice was husky and sensual.

Nic looked around and then stepped on the accelerator. He made the turn onto Mama Tui’s road. She had a car in front of her house today. He grimaced. He couldn’t risk Leila coming in contact with another male. They might have to wait.

“That’s Belinda’s car,” Leila whispered.

“Who is Belinda?” He swore he could hear the murmur of her thighs calling to him as they slid against each other.

“She’s soon to be a full member. Great with spell work. She wasn’t raised in the community and didn’t know what she was. She’s very strict about the rules.”

He glanced in her direction. “We can wait until she’s gone.”

“No, I can be shunned but not banned. The mating is a magical bond not in my control.” Her back arched, and she hissed. “Besides, I don’t think I can wait any longer to see Mama Tui.”

He parked and helped her out. She grabbed handfuls of his shirt and jerked him closer before kissing him. He’d swear she was hitting him with some type of lust potion. The softness of her mouth was intoxicating. Every stroke of her tongue caused a jerk in his cock. His body tingled. His wolf urged him to drag her off into the woods and take her.

Caressing her curves almost induced giddiness. A woman’s body had never made him happier. He slid his hands from her ass to the back of her thighs and lifted. She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist and clutched the back of his head. She wasn’t gentle. She scraped the back of his neck with her nails. A shiver coursed down his spine. His wolf loved it. He couldn’t wait. He stepped backward, in the direction of the woods.

A woman gasped. “Leila?”

He dragged his lips away from Leila’s determined mouth. Now he could smell the healer and the other woman. He’d never been distracted to the point where anyone had sneaked up on him before. Belinda had stepped from the porch and was making her way toward them.

Leila unwrapped her body from his and twisted in his arms until she pressed against his side. Her fists were clenched, and her eyes narrowed on the other woman. She wouldn’t want another woman around her mate while she was in heat. He held on to her tightly. She still managed to jerk toward Belinda. Again, he marveled at how strong she was. He kept anticipating her reactions as a witch, not as a wolf shifter. Continuing to do so would be dangerous since she hadn’t had a lifetime to control the urges.

“Stay there,” he said to the other witch when she was about five meters away.

The woman halted, uncertain.

He pressed his mouth close to Leila’s ear. “Be calm, mate.” He cooed to her until she unclenched her hands and turned to him.

“She’s been infected with lycanthropy,” Belinda said.

He sighed.
New witch.
He couldn’t make anyone into a wolf. He looked at Leila. Technically, she’d done it to herself.

The healer snorted. “Being a shifter isn’t catching. Go now, Belinda. Maybe you should study more before you become a full member.” She regarded the new witch from her spot on the porch.

Belinda looked as if she’d been smacked. She ducked her head and scurried to her car.

Nic dismissed her. He guided Leila toward Mama Tui. Her hands were hard at work again, rubbing along his body. He closed his eyes briefly at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. His entire being was telling him to fall on her and ravish her. The woman who should be his until his death wanted to have her way with him immediately. He was taking her to a witch to make it stop.

His steps faltered, and he clutched her a little tighter.

Mama Tui leaned on an ornamental cane with African animals carved along the sides. Nic and Mama Tui stared at each other. Her face was serene. She waited.

“Nic,” Leila whispered.

He couldn’t claim her yet. She wouldn’t be safe. He was protecting her by bringing her to the healer. Keeping her safe was more important than his immediate desire to possess her. He knew he was doing the right thing, even if he felt as if he was the biggest idiot in three counties.

He guided her up the steps, then stood before the healer. Mama Tui nodded at him before turning and walking into her home. He followed her to the room they’d been in the night before last. Leila wouldn’t release him, so he stood holding her.

“Mama Tui, we’ve come to see if you can stop the heat Leila is experiencing.”

“You don’t want to know what has happened to you both.”

“Nothing has happened to me, only my mate.” He shuddered. He’d never want a wizard’s powers.

“Nothing you’ve discovered.”

The healer took Leila’s roaming hands in hers. The elder closed her eyes and remained that way for a long time. Nic could feel the edges of her power sweeping over Leila. His mate, still as a stone, stared at the other woman.

The healer stepped back, releasing Leila.

Sagging against him, his mate let out a relieved sigh before looking up at him. “I don’t feel so hot or needy.”

He knew it had to be, but he missed her attacking him.

Mama Tui chuckled. “Don’t look so long in the mouth, wolf. The effect is only temporary.”

Leila’s head whipped around, and her mouth fell open. “What?”

“You are both hybrids now. I can’t rid you of your magic. Your magic lies in your spirit. When you exchanged pieces of your spirit, you shared your magic as well.”

He’d sort that out later. “How long will she feel relief from the heat?”

“A few hours at most. You two have a decision to make and little time to do it. Will you allow her to suffer, or will you seize your destiny?” Mama Tui smiled. “And now for my fee. You both have been given a blessing. When you find it, come show it to me. You must go. You don’t have much time.”

He and Leila were both quiet on the way back to the SUV. He drove in silence, mulling over Mama Tui’s words. His stomach roiled at the idea of being part wizard. As the two supernatural groups who spent the most time with humans, shifters and wizards played out much of their history vying for land and power.

His great-grandparents had passed down stories from shifter-wizard territorial wars that had lasted for centuries in their native Central Mexico. He wondered what his
abuelos
would have thought of his witchy mate.

Or of the new and unwanted magic inside him.

He didn’t feel any different. He had other things to worry about. Maybe a normal routine would help him put the situation in perspective. He could make a stop at the station and fill out his report now that he didn’t have to keep her completely away from other men since the healer had magically altered Leila’s heat cycle.

He glanced at her outfit and sighed. She’d wanted as little material as possible on her oversensitive flesh. The bright yellow sundress shelved her breasts and then swirled around her body. Once again, the skirt wasn’t very long. This one reached midthigh. Her matching yellow wedge sandals helped define her calves as the skirt flirted with her full thighs. He’d simply have to keep her close to his side.