Bitten By Magic (19 page)

“Then O’Mallery has to be stopped and the only way to do that is to cut his power source. We can bind him...” Her ability to speak fled in the face of his nimble fingers as they slid up her inner thigh to lightly graze her moistened panties. “Will...” Her moan was swallowed under his masterful kiss. Dark lust overwhelmed her as she clutched the soft fabric of his shirt. Her legs were pushed wide apart before he ripped her panties and pushed two fingers inside her.

“You were saying?” His lips smiled against hers as she opened her eyes to stare into the flashing red depths of his devilish eyes.

“You don’t play fair, but neither do I.” She ripped his shirt from him as she pushed him back against the closed door with the power of her magic. Alarm turned to sexual awareness as she sat there with her legs still open on the table. Her eyes turned dark green as she pursed her lips and studied him. She lifted a finger, pointing it at his waistband. “Too many clothes.” At her words his belt became a live writhing thing. It moved silkily through the loops of his pants.

Wilhelm watched his belt as it slowly moved its way up his naked chest. Concern showed in his expression as he looked up at her. Alexa raised her hands over her head and clasped them together, his arms mimicking her movements as his belt slid up his strong arms to wrap tightly around his wrists.

“I’d prefer to be on the other end of this.” He winked up at her. Alexa slowly slid off the table to walk to him. Her eyes locked on his as she lifted her hands to cover his.

“Not this time, Elder.” Alexa slowly slid her hands down over his tied wrists to trail her touch from his arms to his hardened chest. She stepped into him to rub her aching nipples against him in a sensual caress. “I’m going to enjoy this.” Alexa slid her hands slowly down his torso, her fingers tingling as they encountered the thin strip of dark hair disappearing into the waistband of his pants. She grinned as his breath accelerated the closer she got to his waist.

“Alexa...” He went to drop his arms around her head but as she flashed her eyes up at him his arms hit the cold surface of the door above his head.

“Stay.” Her green eyes glittered as she looked down where her fingers slid just beneath the fabric of his pants. She could feel his erection swelling beneath the zipper as she slowly unhooked the button and gripped the zipper to slide it down. The fabric of his jeans opened as her hands delved inside. A groan escaped him as her soft touch captured his manhood in a possessive hold. She looked up into his flaming eyes with a saucy smile.

“Stand,” she commanded him softly as her hand shoved his jeans to his ankles. Her skirt pooled around her legs as she sank to her knees in front of him. Alexa almost lost her nerve as she found herself facing his throbbing erection. It was big and so tempting. She leaned forward with a need to taste him that was so strong it overrode her timid innocence.

***

“Alexa...” Whatever he was going to say dissolved into a hiss and his head thumped back against the door as her hot tongue licked at his sensitive flesh. Her hands surrounded his cock with an innocence that made him dizzy with need. “Oh, God!” Air huffed from his opened lips as she took him fully into the hot, moist depths of her mouth.

His knees locked as he felt himself wanting to melt to the floor like a pile of boneless goo. Her tongue swiped the sensitive spot on the underside of his cock, forcing his fingers to dig into the leather of his belt. He grew impossibly harder within her mouth, his hips moving without his permission, thrusting his erection deeper between her lips. She took him with a renewed fervor, her fingers wrapping around him as her head began to move against the rhythm of his hips.

Wilhelm felt himself just on the edge of his release. His teeth bit into his lower lip as his fangs flashed. He wanted to sink into her so badly it physically hurt. “Alexa!” he cried out in a guttural voice, jerking as she moaned deep in her throat, the vibrations sending him over the edge. Her head bobbed as she took his ejaculation with a hungry moan. He kept his eyes opened as he watched her dark lashes flutter on her porcelain cheeks as she licked the head of his still-sensitive head.

“My turn.” His gravelly voice had her lashes flashing up as she pulled her head back to release him. Her green eyes held his as she slowly lifted herself up to stand before him like a Greek Goddess. She was so lovely that his breath stalled in his chest.

***

Alexa licked her swollen lips slowly, aware that his burning gaze was narrowed in on her mouth. She gave him a sad resigned look beneath her dark lashes.

“Stay still,” she ordered with a whisper of magic that held him in place, unable to move. She placed her hands on his chest gently before meeting his questioning gaze. “I know this is going to seem like a betrayal, Wilhelm. I know you might grow to hate me, but I have to do this to protect those that I love. I count you among that number, husband. If I don’t return, know that I wish you a blessed life. I release you from any curse I place upon your person. If you ever find love as I have, then I hope you have the courage to grab hold of it with both hands. You have strong hands.” Her eyes dropped to his rising chest. “And a fierce heart beneath all of that hissing male pride.” She smiled up at him before reaching up on her tiptoes to plant a sweet kiss upon his mouth. Then she hurriedly stepped back to twist away into nothing.

Chapter Fourteen

Alexa wrapped her magic around her like a comfy, warm blanket. To her intense satisfaction a green cloak formed over her shoulders to keep the edge off the night’s chill. No one would detect her presence as she walked slowly toward the main complex deep within the center of her Coven’s mountain home. It was close to morning, yet she was hardly tired as she moved in the faint light of the quarter moon. Small animals followed her as she walked along the rugged footpath under tall trees pulsing with the Goddess’ love.

She wasn’t worried about the animals knowing she was among them. She turned to shake her head at them. Rabbits sat up on their hind legs and chipmunks slid to a stop at her feet. They were welcoming her home, but there was timidity about their behavior that warned her that something was up. Something was wrong here. Balance felt right on the edge of chaos. O’Mallery was behind it; of that she was sure.

“Speak to me,” she whispered softly. A little red fox trotted out of the underbrush, his red coat smooth and silky soft-looking as his intelligent eyes met and held her gaze. This one wanted to speak with her. She knelt on one knee waiting for him to make his decision. He moved side to side, nervously weighing his options, but she stayed silent as she watched him. Finally, he sidled up close to her, his head held high as he locked his eyes to hers and allowed her to read him.

She saw it all in a flash of insight that made her feel the desperate need to run back to the Hive with her pride tucked in her pocket. She dropped his gaze to cup his soft face in her hands. “Thank you.” Her whisper made him huff out a breath as he leaned closer to rub her face with his head. “Go, now. Take them all down the mountain.” He stepped away only to turn back and watch as she stood.

Alexa stopped as she stepped out of the trees to survey the tall castle sitting hidden in a circle of giant pines. The Coven’s main fortress, Astoria, was built tall and strong. The five-story castle often took her breath away as she looked up at it. This morning it only made her sad because within the marble halls there was an evil so vile it poisoned every living being within. O’Mallery hadn’t only turned his compatriots against her, but the entire Coven. It was no wonder she had been unable to appear within her apartment or the compound. Her magic was limited to the forest. The freaking old High Priest thought he could keep her voice silent on the matter by locking her out. He had another think coming.

Alexa let her eyes travel from one lit stained glass window to the next until she found what she was looking for—or rather who. A smile touched her lips as she shook her head. Of course the one she sought out would be the library. Alexa cupped her mouth with both hands to whisper her request for an audience before she spread them out before her, releasing her message into the atmosphere. Immediately a small shadow came to the window then disappeared. Alexa stepped back into the forest to wait patiently. She didn’t have long.

“You have a lot of nerve to come here. And even more to summon me from my work.” The soft, feminine words made Alexa smile before she turned toward her visitor. Verity stood five inches shorter than Alexa. Her curly blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail that bounced with energy as she moved. She shoved her red-framed glasses back up on her tiny nose as she studied Alexa with a frank curiosity. The Holder of the Treaty was a contradiction in true form. Her small stature easily disguised the iron will of knowledge she carried with her.

“Mistress Verity, it is so good of you to come.” Alexa bowed her head in respect.

“Shall we dispense with the pleasantries, Mistress Carver?” Verity’s head tilted as her eyes narrowed. “You have kept your title, Alexa. You remain the Keeper?” Her blonde curls swung against her pink cheeks as she shook her head. “How can this be when you have married a Vampire? And where is your undead hubby?” She was quick to scan the forest around them.

“I left the Hive without the Elder. I’m on my own. As for my marriage and my title, you might want to ask your father.” Alexa regretted referring to O’Mallery’s relationship to Verity as the other woman hissed in a hurt breath. “He sent Levi to handfast me to the Elder.”

“Why? What does he stand to gain by wedding you to the Elder?” Verity’s direct question didn’t surprise Alexa in the least. Verity was not close to the man who had refused to marry her mother. When Verity was chosen as the Holder he tried to fight it with all his power, but one did not fight the Oracles. They were above him, though they rarely made themselves known to the Coven unless it was imperative to do so.

“The Blessed Book of Souls.”

“He’s found Helen’s island.” Verity rubbed at her arms. Dressed in a white peasant blouse and a black pencil skirt, she had to be freezing. Alexa moved her hands and a cloak matching hers appeared in her hands.

“Here, you’re shivering, Verity.” The other woman stared at the offered cloak as if it were a poisonous snake. “I’m still your friend, Verity. Nothing changes that.”

“Are you one of them?” Verity’s voice dropped as she asked.

“Would I be standing here at this time of the morning if I were? The sun will be up soon.” At her words Verity shrugged and reached out to take the cloak.

“Thank you.” Polite to a fault, Verity shrugged into it with a small smile. “So, my father is after the ultimate power. What else is new?”

“He tried to kill me and the Elder,” Alexa said with a shrug. Verity’s lips thinned as she nodded her head.

“Tell me all of it.”

***

“She’s gone to the Coven to warn them about O’Mallery.” Wilhelm slammed the door to the cafeteria. He quickly scanned the people who were frozen in the act of eating and drinking. “Everyone out!” People scurried past him. Everyone, except Jaxson, Reginald, Warren, and Allison. Allison dropped half her sandwich on her plate with a thud.

“Damn,” she hissed as she shoved herself to her feet. “Let’s go.” She glared at her mate as his hand landed on her arm with a proprietary strength. A small hiss escaped her lips before she could rein it in. “Don’t hold me back, mate. Alexa is my blood.”

“And you’re my mate, carrying my pup.” Reginald’s tone was hard, yet there was softness to the look he directed toward her.

Wilhelm watched the two of them quietly, though his blood was burning with his need to explode into action. His wife was gone, on a mission sure to get her delectable body mangled, if not killed. His demon wanted free to rip through everyone holding him back from his wife. Alexa’s green eyes kept flashing before him, clear with her regret and her intent to do what she felt she must to protect the pregnant woman in front of him. Only his oath to protect her saved the little Witch from his temper. He took a deep breath, fighting to keep the beast within back while the man in him tried to think.

“I’m going after her.” His words brought everyone’s attention back to him.

“You can’t, Will. The sun is rising.” Warren shook his head, but took a step back as Wilhelm hissed at him.

“The sun be damned! She is my wife.” He looked back up at Allison’s surprised gasp. “Is there a way inside the Coven’s Mountain?”

“Yes. I can get you to Astoria, Wilhelm.” It was the first time she had used his name. His chest hurt as he realized the woman before him had similar features to his wife.

“Allison...”

“Reginald, don’t fight me on this.”

“I won’t let you go alone.” His words had Wilhelm scowling at them and the open love that sparked between them.

“If we go marching into the Coven’s home base, war will be declared. Are we all prepared for that?” Warren asked as he sank into one of the chairs.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Wilhelm told him. “The sun is rising and you both need to sleep. You look like hell.”

“What about you? Why the hell do you look fresh as a daisy?” Jaxson crossed his arms as he frowned. Wilhelm’s eyes met the curious gaze of Alexa’s cousin.

“Witch’s blood.” He shrugged tense shoulders.

“You fed off her?” Allison looked like an avenging angel.

“Believe me, she begged me to.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. He didn’t feel the least bit like sleeping and he sensed her blood still burning in his veins.

“No doubt!” Warren laughed as he hit the table with a hand.

“Vamps are so uncouth,” Allison hissed at them. “Almost as bad as Wolves.”

“Don’t knock it until you try it, sweetheart.” Warren raised his hands as Reginald growled at him in a deep warning.

“We don’t have time for this!” Wilhelm snapped. “Get me inside the Coven and I’ll get Alexa out of there. Don’t look at me like that, Alphina! Your mate is right. Alexa will have my fangs if I endanger you.”

“You are going to need help inside. As for war, I’m a solitary Witch. They can’t come down on me.”